Every Resident Evil Village Monster Ranked Worst To Best

"Resident Evil Village," the only game in the series that features a 9'6" vampire lady, has a host of creepy creatures ready to kill protagonist Ethan Winters. All monsters aren't created the same, though, and some baddies pack more of a punch than others.

Before the game even launched, fans felt familiar with Lady Dimitrescu, one of the four lords of "Resident Evil Village," because she featured prominently in the game's trailers and promotional materials, not to mention the fact that the entire internet was thirsty for the elegant vampire lady. However, the other bosses and lesser enemies of "Village" remain a mystery for those that haven't delved into the game itself. There's a whole host of monsters at play in "Resident Evil Village," and that's not even including the many characters left on the cutting room floor.

Just because there's more monster variety in "Resident Evil 8" in comparison to its predecessor doesn't mean that all of them are bone-chillingly awesome. In fact, some of the baddies in the 12-ish hour runtime of "Village" aren't that scary at all. Whether it's a run of the mill lycan or Mother Miranda herself, this list will tell you everything you need to know about every monster in "Resident Evil Village."

Look, every game has to have its canon fodder, the basic and familiar enemy that's easy to defeat and annoying to repeatedly encounter throughout the game. Lycans are that enemy for "Resident Evil Village." They're one of the first monsters that players encounter in the game, and they appeared early in promotional material. That being said, lycans aren't that scary, all things considered.

They appear as partially transformed men (there seem to be no women lycans), mostly shirtless, with gray skin and animalistic features. Lycans growl, slash, and snarl at Ethan, but don't seem to do much damage. In fact, Ethan can withstand a good number of lycan attacks before needing to use healing supplies.

The lycans of "Village" appear to draw heavily from werewolves in pop culture and folklore. Werewolves date back to ancient tradition, and as writer Tanika Koosman noted in an article for The Conversation, they have been part of folklore from the very beginning of recorded history. Lycanthropy in myth has several different causes, including the ingestion of human entrails, but the lycans of "Village" seem to be the result of experimentation gone wrong. 

Even though lycans aren't incredibly frightening, and even though they are weak in comparison to other monsters in "Resident Evil 8," the sheer number of lycans often proves intimidating for poor Ethan.

Moroaica aren't vampires, but they have a lot in common with their pointy-toothed cousins. For one thing, Moroaica have shriveled, pale bodies that resemble corpses. In fact, many of them seem to be corpses, lying on the ground motionless until triggered to life by Ethan's proximity. After they're up, though, they're not much of an issue to deal with. A few well-timed handgun blasts, or one particularly close shotgun shot, seem to be all that's needed to take down a Moroaica. Sometimes it's even possible to line them up in a row and take down several at a time.

Moroaica most likely come from Moroi, a type of vampire from Romanian folklore. Moroi are just one type of revenant from Romanian folklore. Tradition seems to indicate that Moroi are the earthbound souls of unbaptized babies, but the Moroaica from "Resident Evil Village" certainly don't appear to be babies at all. Instead, they're fully formed horrors, ready to take a bite out of Ethan. 

Folkloric Moroi can take the shape of animals, using their clever disguises to better feed on animal prey, but these Moroaica clearly don't need shapeshifting abilities in order to cause a scene. "Resident Evil 8" is littered with them, making them almost as common as Lycans. Of course, Moroaica can still cause plenty of damage, so they are not to be underestimated.

Haulers look a bit like Moroaica, except modified with cybernetic gear. They wear high tech visors around their heads, giving them a look reminiscent of Geordi La Forge from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." There's nothing Lavar Burton-esque about these monsters, though. They're just as annoying as the Moroaica, but there are far fewer of them. Haulers have a bit more stamina than other monsters that appear earlier in "Resident Evil Village," making them more of a pain to deal with, and harder to take down in a fight.

Even so, Haulers don't pose much of a threat in the long run, and Ethan can easily take them down, despite their increased health. Unlike the Moroaica, Haulers seem to have a more obvious and troubled backstory. Ethan encounters them in Heisenberg's lab, and they also appear to be the result of years of experimentation. Their mechanical attachments were hardly added consensually, which makes Haulers a sad case. They didn't ask to be made into horrifying creatures, and yet they must bite.

Like their Moroaican cousins, it's possible that Haulers are related to Romanian folklore, but their name implies simpler intent. Since they work in Heisenberg's factory, it's likely that Haulers' names are also their job titles. To put it bluntly, they haul materials from one place in the factory to another, protecting the grounds from threats whenever needed.

Samca, like Haulers, also resemble Moroaica in many ways. However, they also have wings, can fly, and suck out Ethan's life with strange, slippery nose-tongues. You know, just the kind of casual friends one meets in Lady Dimitrescu's castle. 

From a distance, Samca resemble gargoyles, their large, bat-like wings flapping out behind them. Once they get closer, it appears they also have tendril-like noses. Each Samca has the remnants of a manacle around one of its legs. It's difficult to say if the Samca are experiments that were imprisoned after their creation (like so many monsters in the game), or if the manacles are related to some unknown, darker tale.

In Romanian folklore, Samca are feminine demons tied to fertility rituals, though there's not a lot of information about them available in modern day. Though Samca in "Resident Evil 8" don't seem to trade in babies and fertility rituals, one of the core themes of "Village" is motherhood. Samca aren't actively stopping anyone from having a baby, but they are preventing Ethan from reuniting with his missing child, Rose.

Intentions aside, Samca are scarier than most of the more common enemies in the game, and their ability to suck out Ethan's life with their tongues is sure to leave an impression on players.

Just when players think they've mastered lycans, armored lycans show up. Sure, underneath all the gear, these lycans are the same as their weaker counterparts, but those few layers of protection really do make a difference. Armored lycans wear scrap metal and accentuate their already fearsome claws with long metal strips, effectively giving them talons that rival Lady Dimitrescu herself.

One "Resident Evil Village" player said it's best to avoid armored lycans altogether, and explained that they managed to lure one armored lycan away from its post, revealing that it was guarding pretty basic crafting materials, like a chicken. In other words, the treasures that the armored lycans protect aren't anything worth wasting ammo over. Chickens are plentiful and the long game of attracting an armored lycan out, just to use countless bullets to defeat them, feels fruitless in the end. 

Still, armored lycans seem awfully intimidating when players first meet them, making them more memorable than the less-buff lycans that populate other areas in "Village." Who wouldn't be a little afraid of a decked-out lycan with long claws and an iron will?

Varcolacs are also related to werewolf lore, but as noted by The Conversation, these creatures follow more traditional depictions of the bloodthirsty creatures, and are more beast than man. The Varcolac is big, walks on all fours, and has shaggy hair all over its body. It also has a gaping, snarling mouth ready to take a chomp out of Ethan. When players first encounter Varcolacs in "Resident Evil Village," they're by far the biggest and most unpredictable enemies up to that point, making them memorable and frightening.

Like many creatures in "Village," Varcolacs also play a role in traditional Romanian folklore. In folkloric texts, Varcolacs are spirits trapped within the bodies of dogs — which makes sense, considering their wolflike appearance. However, all ties to legitimate mythology end with the Varcolac's appearance. The beast has one specific purpose within "Village:" to scare the daylights out of players.   

The Varcolac in "Resident Evil Village" is horrifying. One player said, "This was definitely the scariest Lycan! Those eyes man... Those eyes." Indeed, the Varcolac has piercing eyes that seem to look into Ethan's soul. Even though the yellow orbs are inhuman, they carry a lot of personality and spirit as well.

Treasure giants are completely optional bosses that guard, well, treasure. They're tall, with blunt faces and horrible haircuts, and they wear loincloths to cover their shame. Even though these brutes look like any typical bridge troll, they're extremely hard to kill. If you plan to face one, bring lots of ammo. You'll need it.

Killing a treasure giant grants players a giant crystal axe, which can be traded to the Duke for a tidy sum of money. In replays, some players have said the money isn't worth it, though, and suggest finessing one's way around the treasure giant in order to steal the goods and make a run for it. 

One player explained it succinctly, saying, "I never killed the giant. In higher difficulties the 30k for killing the giants are not worth it. You will lose way too many bullets." Whether one chooses to fight the two optional treasure giants in "Resident Evil Village" or not, their design and sheer stamina make them a couple of the more memorable lesser monsters in the game.

Eins, Zwei, and Jet, are the three most common forms of Soldat, which translates to "soldier." All three of them feature some variation of a drill arm, glowing red targets on their chests or backs, and (as always) the urge to kill Ethan Winters.

Technically, Eins, Zwei, and Jet are all distinct, but they're more or less the same type of enemy, just in slightly different forms. While the Eins Soldat has a glowing red target on its chest, which players must shoot in order to down it, the Zwei and Jet Soldats have a more complex pattern of targets to blast. While the three variants aren't that fast, their approach still feels menacing. Maybe it's the giant drills attached to the ends of their arms that feel so scary. Jets additionally have metal helmets that make them a bit stronger and more difficult to kill.

They are, like so many things in Heisenberg's factory, the result of experiments in making the perfect super soldier. Each Soldat has a Cadou parasite in its chest in lieu of a heart, and Ethan often earns a crystalized mechanical heart as a prize for his efforts in defeating one of them, which can be sold to the Duke.

Lady Dimitrescu's daughters look normal enough upon first inspection, if a little bloody. Soon, players realize that they're full of flies that buzz uncontrollably whenever they're near. Oh, and they're also hungry for blood.

An interview with the director and art director of "Resident Evil Village" revealed that the three sisters' looks, like that of Lady Dimitrescu herself, are based on fashion designs from the 1960s. Though their clothes may be black and brooding, each dress actually has an intricate floral design embroidered right in.

Director Morimaso Sato also provided insight into the girls' backstories, explaining, "We wanted players to also easily differentiate exactly which daughter is chasing after Ethan at any given time, which is why we added variation with both their appearances as well as their personalities." Each daughter has a different look, yet they fit cohesively together. Overall, Lady Dimitrescu's daughters don't post much of a threat, accounting for their mid-tier ranking in terms of monsters. A blast of cold air is all it takes to defeat them.

Tragically, actress Jeanette Maus, who played sister Cassandra Dimitrescu (as well as a few other characters) in "Village," passed away before the game was released. Her excellent voice acting skills live on through her work as one of Lady Dimitrescu's intimidating daughters, and throughout the game.

Urias, a giant lycan with a mean hammer, appears in the very first fight of "Resident Evil 8," when Ethan first arrives in the titular village. However, players don't actually have to defeat him until later in the game, when they're working their way through Heisenberg's Stronghold. Urias' sudden appearance always invokes chaos and panic, considering his large frame occupies most of the players' screen. There are few things his hammer can't reach.

There's nothing particularly abnormal about Urias' boss fight in the Stronghold. It's a straightforward "shoot him until he's dead" sort of battle, and "Resident Evil Village" gives players a lot of ammo to do so in the arena where they face Urias. However, the fight still drains precious resources that aren't easily recovered — which immediately puts players on edge. To make matters worse, Urias can summon lycans to his aid, making the battle even tougher by giving Ethan more targets to focus on. 

In addition to being an ammo sponge, Urias feels intimidating because he's been a threat from the beginning moments of the game. Because players aren't charged with killing Urias immediately, he looms large over the following sections of the game. The possibility that he's still out there, ready to encounter Ethan again, feels threatening in itself.

Let's get one thing out of the way: Sturm is not smart. A document players find in Heisenberg's factory before facing Sturm indicates that the propeller-headed drone cut his own arms off after sticking them too close to his fan blade head.

Even though Sturm isn't going to win any spelling bees or quiz bowls anytime soon, he's still a worthwhile enemy. Aside from his intimidating design, Sturm is nerve-wracking because doesn't take damage easily. Players must shoot a glowing red disc on his back in order to defeat the burly creature. Luckily, Sturm is easy to trick: he loves to run into walls and get stuck. 

In German, sturm means "storm," a nod to Sturm's unpredictable nature. Throughout the factory level, Sturm chases Ethan. Players can hear his propeller head whirring in the distance, adding to the overall atmosphere of fear that permeates the dark, mechanical setting. When Sturm gives chase, there's little left to do but run. 

One interesting meta note about Sturm involves the monster's possible origins. Shortly after "Resident Evil Village" released, Filmmaker Richard Raaphorst accused Capcom of copying his designs from the film "Frankenstein's Army." Although many creatures in Heisenberg's factory resemble the half-man, half-machine aesthetic of "Frankenstein's Army," but no official legal accusations have been made just yet.

Not every monster wants to be horrific. Poor Salvatore Moreau was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and fell victim to a series of experiments that left him deformed, monstrous, and desperate for a mother's love. He's the most sympathetic lord in "Resident Evil Village," constantly vying for Mother Miranda's attention, even as Ethan kills him. Moreau isn't that intelligent, and his confusion turns into misdirected anger at Ethan in a stunning battle. One Redditor said that Moreau was the most pitiable character in the game, and compared his character arc to that of the protagonist in Cormac McCarthy's "Child of God."

Moreau has a clinic where he performs experiments on villagers, infecting them with the parasitic Cadou and often killing them in the process. Those who didn't die turned into lycans, or worse. Moreau's clinic establishes him as part mad scientist, part ignorant fool, making him one of the more interesting monsters in the game.

The boss battle with Moreau is unconventional, requiring players to be light on their feet and clever, relying on tricks rather than firepower. Moreau, like Donna Beneviento, provides a welcome break from the heavy firepower featured in much of "Resident Evil Village," which helps the battle to be even more memorable.

The Soldat Panzer, or "tank soldier" in German, is more heavily armored than its numbered siblings. It's so armored, in fact, that it's invulnerable to pretty much everything Ethan can throw at it aside from explosives like pipe bombs, mines, and explosive rounds. 

Like the other Soldat creations, the Soldat Panzer is an experiment from Heisenberg's factory, built to protect the mad plans Heisenberg brews deep within. The Soldat Panzer, however, is covered from head to toe in tough scrap metal. It also has vicious claw extensions on each arm, meaning that it can pack a punch. 

Players have to use a lot of ammo to take down a single Soldat Panzer, and even then it's not a guarantee that the metal beast won't claim Ethan's life in the process. These creatures are faster than their Eins, Zwei, and Jet counterparts, making them difficult to outrun. Seeing a Soldat Panzer is enough to strike fear into anyone's heart, and if one happens to be low on resources, the situation could be even worse.

Remember Urias, the bearded, hulking, hammer-wielding lycan from Heisenberg's stronghold? Well, now it's time to meet his big brother. Urias Strajer attacks towards the end of the game in an amped-up miniboss battle. This time, players get to battle one of these hulking beasts as fan favorite Chris Redfield, who steps in to save the day with his crew of special forces and seemingly limitless ammo.

Urias Strajer wields a mace instead of a hammer, but the terms of the fight have also changed. Chris faces Urias Strajer in a pit leading down into a fungus-infested cavern, and there aren't any places to run or hide in order to give Chris room to breathe. This is one claustrophobic encounter, and players must expertly dodge out of the way in order to avoid being killed. Chris can shoot at Urias, but it doesn't really do any good. To do actual damage, Chris must call on an auxiliary team member to fire a heavy duty explosive at Urias. Needless to say, it takes time for firepower like that to charge up.

The battle feels frantic, aided by the fact that it occurs so late in the game. There is not much Chris can do except run and hope that his team will have his back.

"Resident Evil 8" doesn't reveal much about Donna Beneviento, one of the four lords working for Mother Miranda. Instead of putting Beneviento at the forefront of her own story, players interact with her through a puppet named Angie, a ball-jointed doll wearing a wedding dress and veil. Beneviento herself wears all black, her face shrouded by a dark covering. Donna Beneviento's home, which Ethan must journey through in order to save his daughter, is the setting for one of the more interesting encounters in the game. Instead of fighting Donna Beneviento and Angie, Ethan must outsmart them in a game of hide and seek. The only catch? Losing this game of hide and seek results in death.

Fans took to Donna Beneviento and Angie immediately, creating fan art and speculating about her secret backstory. One fan commented that most players seem to favor Lady Dimitrescu, who featured heavily in promotional material for the game, "but I'm obsessed with Angie and Donna." Another player made a meme to the same effect, showing rapper Drake rejecting Lady Dimitrescu, then smiling approvingly at Angie and Beneviento. 

A note players can find in Mother Miranda's lab indicates that Donna Beneviento developed "severe mental illness" from being infected with a Cadou. It's not clear what that mental disability was, but players quickly discover that Donna Beneviento's true talents lie in emotional manipulation and the alteration of perception. In other words, her entire home will mess with players' heads, not their trigger fingers.

A name like "Baby" shouldn't accompany one of the most terrifying monsters of "Resident Evil Village," and yet it does. Players encounter Baby in Donna Beneviento's home, where it proceeds to chase them around the building and threatens to take Ethan into its gaping maw. Baby is quite literally a massive baby, although in a fetus-like state. It crawls down hallways with its yonic mouth opened wide, giggling and crying all the while. Ethan can only run from Baby, since Donna Beneviento took his weapons away upon entering her home.

Players found Baby very unsettling. One gamer posted a meme indicating that saving Rose isn't worth encountering Baby or going into the Beneviento mansion at all. Another Redditor responded that "this place needs a healthy dose of gasoline and napalm," indicating Ethan might have been better off just blowing up the building in the first place.

Baby arrives at an interesting point in the game, and provides Ethan with a challenge unlike most of the other monsters in the game. There's nothing gamers can do to hurt Baby. Instead, they must solve puzzles and navigate the house in the dark, unsure of when Baby will crawl around a corner. In many ways, Baby could represent Ethan's present perils of fatherhood.

Mother Miranda is a vague presence for most of "Resident Evil Village," someone that characters often discuss but never seem to engage with directly. Aside from one scene early in the game, Mother Miranda doesn't have a physical presence in "Village" until the final act. Of course, she's always there in spirit, infecting the lore of the world and driving Ethan mad with her wild schemes.

Because Mother Miranda is so interconnected with the plot of "Village," it's impossible to give her a low ranking among the game's monsters. She has solid character motivations and a dramatic, beautiful character design. Oh, and she's absolutely willing to burn down the village in order to see her dreams realized. Part of what makes Miranda so memorable is her unwavering desire to bring her daughter back to life, and her determination to see that dream realized no matter what. 

Ethan's battle with Mother Miranda doesn't include any fancy bells and whistles. The fight itself is fairly straightforward, though it requires plenty of ammo and determination to win. Though her boss battle isn't as exciting as, say, Heisenberg's, Miranda is the central presence of "Resident Evil Village," and the reason all of the characters exist as players know them. That can't be discounted.

Lady Dimitrescu is absolutely the face of "Resident Evil Village." Even though she appears early in the game, and only for a brief time, Lady D has won players' hearts with her character design, tallness, and interesting origins. Even popular streamer Corpse Husband sang the vampire queen's praises after the game's release.

Despite being prepared for Her Tallness after seeing Lady Dimitrescu in the "Resident Evil Village" demo, in fanart, and in official "Resident Evil" TikToks, fans have still felt awed by her presence. In Castle Dimitrescu, the Lady is queen. She chases Ethan throughout its many halls, seeking to put an end to the man who killed her three daughters. Eventually, Lady Dimitrescu transforms into a horrific, monstrous being, ready for one last fight. Ethan must shoot at Lady Dimitrescu accurately in order two win the battle, all while managing to stay atop a tower of her lovely castle.

Even though Lady Dimitrescu isn't the most imposing or frightening monster in "Resident Evil Village," she's easily one of the most iconic. Fans won't soon forget her style, her imposing nature, and her tall, tall frame.

Karl Heisenberg is the last of the four lords Ethan must face, and his boss fight is, hands down, the most memorable moment in the entirety of "Resident Evil Village." From the moment Heisenberg is introduced, players are drawn in by his charisma and mysterious sunglasses.

After a chaotic run-in with Heisenberg early in the game, Ethan eventually returns to Heisenberg's factory to defeat him once and for all. In the end, Ethan has to use a cannon attached to a cart to defeat Heisenberg, who has used magnetic powers to bolster himself with metal. After the fight, Ethan tragically dies. Well, at least players think Ethan dies. The game's ending is much less clear on the matter.

It's also worth mentioning that, as wicked as the villains in this game are, players are almost as thirsty for Karl Heisenberg as they are for Lady Dimitrescu. One player pointedly mentioned being attracted to both Lady Dimitrescu and Heisenberg. After all, when all of the villains are so aesthetically-pleasing, why choose?

The villains' alluring appearances aside, Ethan's experiences with Heisenberg make for some of the coolest moments in "Resident Evil Village," cementing his spot as the best monster in the game. Without Heisenberg, players wouldn't have as much insight into the other characters as they do, or get to experience the awesome excitement of blasting away at a metal behemoth with a small tank.