In every Resident Evil game, there's always that one enemy that serves to drain the players' ammunition stocks before they get to a boss fight. In Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, that enemy would be the Molded. They're the fodder zombies of Biohazard, but they're tougher and nastier than the regular decomposing corpse.
Also, due to their tendency to appear in tight, dimly-lit rooms and corridors, the Molded can quickly become a trigger for panic and discouragement from exploration. But after dying a couple dozen times, players ought to be calm and collected enough to follow these tips, so they can easily kill Molded enemies from Resident Evil 7.
8 As Always, Headshots
It usually goes without saying in Resident Evil or any other game with guns, shoot the head. Molded enemies are no exception. Most of them are former humans, after all, and their heads are easier to hit since they're not enlarged biomasses with swollen body parts.
Players will need to discriminate between which Molded to perform headshots since they don't behave the same. The bipedal or upright ones are the best candidates for this method. However, the four-legged or multi-legged ones are too quick and erratic; players will end up wasting ammo trying to get that trick shot. Then, there are also specialized Molded from the DLCs like the Fumer that require special ammo.
7 Check What Limb They're Missing
The most common Molded in the game, the standard Molded, have telltale signs of their weaknesses. Players need only be observant and more relaxed upon seeing them. Some of these standard Molded enemies might be missing an arm or a leg.
If they're missing an arm, players can stay on that side of their body and easily avoid attacks. Missing legs means players can just dance around them while stabbing them in melee or even run away from them more easily. Of course, there are Molded who have no handicaps, but players can still make their own opportunities in that case...
6 Shoot Their Limbs Off
It sounds more like a common tactic from Dead Space than Resident Evil, but the common Molded enemies in Biohazard don't have invincible limbs. If players want to save on ammunition, they can just shoot the legs or the arms. This will reduce the threat significantly.
Once they have missing limbs, Molded enemies are more prone to melee attacks (more on that later). So instead of trying to aim for hopeless headshots, players can try to finesse their way around a Molded encounter. In hindsight, they're really not that threatening once some of the limbs are off.
5 Parry & Riposte Method
If players are really desperate to conserve the few clips or boxes of ammo they have left, then parrying and thrusting the Molded enemies is the cheapest method of killing them. It does require some practice with blocking. If players time their blocks right (before the visual attack hits) then it counts as a parry, and can even knock back the Molded enemy.
This opens up the Molded to some devastating counterattacks with melee weapons (knives, preferably). Quick melee cuts or swings aren't effective here, players need to charge their attacks into a dual-handed thrust (if available as a move). Apparently, this kind of attack is about as powerful as a handgun bullet. Players just need to repeat the parry and riposte process again.
4 Reserve The Shotgun For Them
Parrying and riposting Molded isn't for everyone, especially if the variant is the Fat Molded or the Mama Mold. The best weapon in the game against them remains the shotgun. One generous serving of buckshot to their face at point-blank range or a safe distance is usually enough to erase them (in Normal difficulty).
It also doesn't matter much which shotgun type the players use against the Molded. All of them are viable with varying degrees of effectiveness. So it's always best to keep a healthy supply of shotgun ammunition in Resident Evil 7 and at least one shotgun in the inventory for the very purpose of hastily dealing with Molded.
3 Enhanced Handgun Ammo Helps A Lot
Still, it's understandable if players run out of shotgun ammo or had to sacrifice the prospect of shotguns. The inventory is rather limited. Thankfully, players can still craft enhanced ammo for their handguns. They're hard to find, so it's best not to waste them on common Molded.
Players will be pleased to know, however, they can craft Enhanced Handgun Ammo with Gunpowder and 10 regular Handgun Ammo. It's a good trade, since one around of Enhanced Handgun Ammo deals as much as thrice the damage of the regular. Of course, players can save more if they hit the head.
2 Group Them Up And Throw Grenades
A spare grenade or explosive can go a long way in clearing up a persistent Molded obstacle in Resident Evil 7. But due to the limited supply of explosives, players will need to be clever in how they use grenades. It's best to group Molded enemies before pulling the pin and disintegrating them.
For this, players might need to perform some evasive acrobatics around Molded so that they'll give chase and eventually get funneled down in a group. This is where shooting their limbs also helps immensely: just shoot the arms off to prevent some nasty swipes while running past them. Most of the time, a single explosive grenade is enough to take down multiple Molded.
1 Just Run & Try To Despawn Them
A lot of players will also agree that dealing with Molded is a waste of time. So some Resident Evil veterans have this preferred method of either just running past them or backing away from them in the hopes that they'll despawn. In certain areas, this tactic is viable, especially if players witness the Molded spawning randomly in a spot.
Closing some doors or fleeing and then backtracking can also despawn them. Such a method is not ideal for exploration in Resident Evil 7, though, since players need to rush through the area after the Molded enemies have despawned. Otherwise, they might spawn again. Hence, the ideal use for this tactic is during playthroughs that are not one's first, once players are sick and tired of the Bakers and their moldy home.
Resident Evil 7 is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, and Google Stadia.