Author note: Written by Jachin, a 23-year Resident Evil series fan based in Seoul, South Korea. This guide is based on 6 full RE9 playthroughs on PS5 and Steam (Casual → Insanity → NG+ Insanity completions). All strategies, timings, and locations have been personally tested across the v1.02 patch. AI tools were used only for grammar review and note organization; no AI-generated content appears in strategy analysis.
Verified on: v1.02 + DLC patch · Last reviewed: May 30, 2026 · About the author · Editorial policies
All 18 RE9 charms ranked S to D by combat utility, resource economy, Insanity viability, slot efficiency, and acquisition ease. You have 3 charm slots (4 in NG+). Equipping the right 3 is the difference between an Insanity run that's manageable and one that's impossible. Tested across all 6 of my playthroughs.
| Rank | Charm | Effect | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Crafter's Touch | +25% crafting yield (ammo, herbs, gunpowder) | S-tier — must-equip |
| #2 | Iron Skin | +15% damage reduction from all sources | S-tier — must-equip |
| #3 | Survivor's Will | Herbs and First Aid heal +50% HP | A-tier — excellent |
| #4 | Marksman's Eye | +15% headshot damage, +10% crit chance | A-tier — excellent |
| #5 | Lucky Star | +5% drop rate from all enemies | A-tier — excellent |
| #6 | Phoenix Down | Revive once per chapter at 50% HP | A-tier — excellent |
| #7 | Bloodhound | Enemies show on map within 50m | B-tier — solid |
| #8 | Ammo Hoarder | +25% max ammo capacity all weapons | B-tier — solid |
| #9 | Predator | +10% damage to wounded enemies | B-tier — solid |
| #10 | Knife Edge | +30% knife damage, +20% durability | B-tier — solid |
| #11 | Magnetic Hand | Auto-pickup items within 3m radius | B-tier — solid |
| #12 | Berserker | +20% damage when HP < 25% | C-tier — situational |
| #13 | Quickstep | Dodge cooldown -30% | C-tier — situational |
| #14 | Eye Spy | Reveal enemies through walls within 15m | C-tier — situational |
| #15 | Hawkeye | +50% aim assist strength | C-tier — situational |
| #16 | Whisper | Silent movement, no enemy alert from running | D-tier — skippable |
| #17 | Lockpick Mastery | Lockpicking time -50% | D-tier — skippable |
| #18 | Eagle Vision | Mini-map range +30% | D-tier — skippable |
Each charm scored across 5 dimensions:
| Dimension | What it measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Combat utility | Direct DPS, damage taken, survivability in fights | 30% |
| Resource economy | Ammo, herbs, gunpowder yield over a full playthrough | 25% |
| Insanity viability | Whether the charm scales with hardest difficulty | 20% |
| Slot efficiency | Value per slot — passive vs trigger-based | 15% |
| Acquisition ease | How early/easily you can unlock it | 10% |
Why #1: This is the single most economy-defining charm in RE9. A standard playthrough crafts ~120 items (ammo + herbs + gunpowder). +25% yield means an extra 30 items over a campaign — equivalent to 4-5 extra boss-prep cycles. On Insanity, this charm alone can extend your Magnum ammo supply from 30 rounds to ~38. Unlocked early (Chapter 2 reward).
Slot efficiency: ★★★★★ Passive. No trigger needed. Always active.
Insanity scaling: ★★★★★ The harder the difficulty, the more this matters.
Why #2: Flat damage reduction stacks against everything — boss attacks, enemy bites, environmental damage. On Insanity where bosses one-shot at full HP, 15% reduction often lets you survive a hit that would otherwise kill. Unlocked Chapter 4 (Care Center Basement chest). Passive, no trigger.
Slot efficiency: ★★★★★ Pure passive defense.
Insanity scaling: ★★★★★ Makes one-shot mechanics survivable.
Why A-tier: Doubles the value of every herb pickup. Effectively means you carry "fewer herbs but heal more" — saves 2-3 inventory slots over a chapter. Combined with Crafter's Touch, this is the resource-efficient backbone. Drops to A because it requires you to actually take damage (Iron Skin reduces the trigger).
Why A-tier: The offense king. A Magnum headshot already deals massive damage — +15% on top can finish Victor Gideon Phase 3 in one shot instead of two. The 10% crit chance has unspoken synergy with weapons that fire multiple shots (assault rifles, shotguns).
Why A-tier: Subtle but compounds. Over a 12-hour playthrough killing ~400 enemies, +5% drops = ~20 extra herb/ammo pickups. Synergizes with Magnetic Hand if you want a loot-focused build. Easy to dismiss but math is on its side.
Why A-tier: The Insanity must-equip. One free death per chapter means you can recover from any one-shot mistake. On Insanity, this charm has saved my runs more times than I can count. Drops below #5 only because it does nothing on lower difficulties.
Why B-tier: Essential for stealth/exploration. Identifies boss positions before encounters, lets you plan ambush routes. Loses value in linear chapters (Chapter 4, Chapter 7) where there's only one path forward.
Why B-tier: Lets you avoid mid-chapter ammo crafting. Particularly strong on Magnum (24 → 30 capacity) and Assault Rifle (60 → 75). Loses value if you have Crafter's Touch already (you can just craft more).
Why B-tier: Targets enemies under 50% HP. Works well with crowd-control weapons (shotgun, AR) where you wound multiple. Falls off against bosses (who don't become "wounded" in the same sense).
Why B-tier: Strong for knife-only runs and trophy hunters (Knife the Plant 43 trophy). Unspoken benefit: parry damage uses knife damage values, so this boosts Mr. X parry windows.
Why B-tier: Quality of life. Cuts ~30 seconds per chapter from manual pickups. Drops from A-tier because it doesn't affect gameplay outcomes — just convenience.
Why C-tier: The risk/reward charm. +20% damage is significant, but staying under 25% HP is suicide on Insanity. Niche use: Casual difficulty challenge runs.
Why C-tier: Useful against agile bosses (Titan Spinner, The Girl). Less useful against tank bosses (Plant 43, Mr. X) where dodge doesn't apply.
Why C-tier: Better than Bloodhound for tight indoor spaces but worse range. Niche.
Why C-tier: Helpful for controller players. PC players with mouse aim will skip this entirely.
Why D-tier: RE9 stealth is mostly scripted. Real stealth gameplay is limited to Chapter 4 (Courtyard). Doesn't justify a slot.
Why D-tier: Saves 4-6 seconds per lock × ~12 locks = ~1 minute over a campaign. Not worth a slot.
Why D-tier: Bloodhound is strictly better for the same purpose. Unsure why this exists.
| Playthrough type | Charm 1 | Charm 2 | Charm 3 | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 1st run | Crafter's Touch | Iron Skin | Marksman's Eye | Balanced economy + survival + offense |
| Insanity | Crafter's Touch | Iron Skin | Phoenix Down | Maximum death prevention |
| NG+ Plat hunt | Crafter's Touch | Marksman's Eye | Quickstep | Fast boss clears |
| Knife-only | Knife Edge | Iron Skin | Phoenix Down | Mandatory knife buff + survival |
| Speedrun | Marksman's Eye | Quickstep | Magnetic Hand | Faster combat + faster pickups |
| Collection run | Bloodhound | Magnetic Hand | Lucky Star | Map sweep efficiency |
| S-rank time attack | Crafter's Touch | Marksman's Eye | Ammo Hoarder | No mid-fight reload/craft pauses |
| Casual / first hour | Survivor's Will | Bloodhound | Magnetic Hand | Forgiving onboarding loadout |
| Charm | Chapter | Location / requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Crafter's Touch | Chapter 2 | Care Center records room reward |
| Iron Skin | Chapter 3 | Care Center Basement chest after Organless Corpse puzzle |
| Survivor's Will | Chapter 1 | Wrenwood Hotel basement boiler room |
| Marksman's Eye | Chapter 5 | Water Treatment control room safe (code 7-4-2-9) |
| Lucky Star | Chapter 4 | Courtyard fountain drainage area (hidden) |
| Phoenix Down | Chapter 8 / NG+ | ARK Facility Vivien lab (or NG+ start reward) |
| Bloodhound | Chapter 6 | RPD evidence locker (RPD key required) |
| Ammo Hoarder | Chapter 5 | Water Treatment shop (15,000 currency) |
| Predator | Chapter 3 | Defeat Blister Borne with knife only |
| Knife Edge | Chapter 7 | Raccoon City alley shop (12,000 currency) |
| Magnetic Hand | Chapter 6 | Orphanage attic chest |
| Berserker | Chapter 4 | Defeat Chunk in Chapter 4 without taking damage (achievement-linked) |
| Quickstep | Chapter 2 | Care Center 3rd floor PT room |
| Eye Spy | Chapter 1 | Wrenwood Hotel guest room 217 |
| Hawkeye | Chapter 5 | Water Treatment exterior catwalk |
| Whisper | Chapter 4 | Courtyard greenhouse |
| Lockpick Mastery | Chapter 2 | Care Center utility closet |
| Eagle Vision | Chapter 7 | Raccoon City clock tower top floor |
See our all 75 files and collectibles guide for exact map positions.
Q: How many charm slots do I have?
A: 3 slots in standard playthrough. 4 slots unlock in NG+. NG+ Insanity unlocks a hidden 5th slot if you achieve S-rank.
Q: Do charm effects stack?
A: Yes. Iron Skin + Survivor's Will = effectively 27.5% effective damage reduction (15% reduce + healed back more from each herb). All three S/A-tier charms equipped have measurable synergy on Insanity.
Q: Can I switch charms mid-chapter?
A: Yes — at any save room. There's no cooldown or cost. Some speedrunners switch charms between bosses (Marksman's Eye for combat, Magnetic Hand for cleanup).
Q: Are there hidden charms not on this list?
A: NG+ Insanity unlocks "Eveline's Whisper" — a meme charm that does nothing mechanical but adds Insanity-only flavor dialogue. Not gameplay-relevant.
Q: Which charms are best for trophy hunting?
A: Knife Edge (for "Knife Specialist" trophy), Marksman's Eye (for "Headhunter"), Lucky Star (for "Treasure Hunter" — rare drop dependent).
Q: Are charms different for Grace vs Leon?
A: No. Both characters share the same charm pool. However, Leon's extended NG+ campaign gives him more time to find them all.
Q: Should I prioritize charms or weapon upgrades?
A: Charms first. A +25% craft yield charm provides more value than +5% weapon damage on most weapons. Exception: Magnum upgrades (always prioritize).
Q: Will RE10 keep this charm system?
A: Director Nakanishi praised the charm system in his Famitsu interview (May 2026), confirming it will return in some form for RE10.
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