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Resident Evil 4 Charms and Vending Machine Guide

Note: This guide was created using the 1.0.0.0 version of the game and was last updated on 2023-04-04. If you are playing on a later version, the contents of this guide may be incorrect.

Charms are accessories that can be attached to your attaché case that apply different bonuses to your gameplay experience. Charms can be acquired by inserting Gold and Silver Tokens into a vending machine that is found near the entrance of the shooting range. These tokens can be earned by completing the Merchant’s shooting range challenges or by finding them in the game world. There are also two charms which are automatically added to your inventory if you bought the Deluxe Edition of the game.

Since charms affect different aspects of gameplay, I have decided to categorize them like this:

  • Combat
  • Crafting
  • Economic
  • Healing

As far as in-game categorization goes, each charm has a “rarity” level, though this doesn’t appear to mean anything besides how valuable the charm is when sold to the Merchant. It certainly doesn’t affect how the vending machine distributes charms – I’ll go into more detail about this below.

A total of three charms can be attached to your attaché case and you can swap out which ones are attached by visiting a typewriter. Any duplicate charms that you acquire can be safely sold to the Merchant since you are not allowed to attach duplicates to your case to stack their bonuses. However, many charms provide similar effects and these may be stacked to boost their related bonus.

Charms

Charms and Vending Machine Guide

This table contains all of the charms which can be acquired in the game. I have noted their Type, Rarity, and the Effect that they provide. I’ve also labeled which ones are acquired via DLC in the Effect column. I’ll go into more detail for each charm in the sections below.

TypeRarityNameEffect
EconomicRareAda Wong30% off Body Armor Repairs
HealingEpicAshley Graham+50% Health Recovery for Green Herbs
CraftingCommonBella Sisters+20% Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
HealingRareBlack Bass+100% Health Recovery Rate for Black Bass
HealingRareChicken+100% Health Recovery Rate for All Egg Types
CraftingLegendaryCute Bear-1 Gunpowder used when Crafting
CraftingCommonDon Diego+15% Rifle Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
CraftingCommonDon Esteban+15% Shotgun Shells Craft Bonus Frequency
CraftingCommonDon Jose+15% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
CraftingCommonDon Manuel+15% Submachine Gun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
HealingCommonDon Pedro+40% Health Recovery for Vipers
CraftingCommonDr. Salvador+20% Rifle Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
HealingRareGreen Herb*DLC* +15% Health Recovery for Green Herbs
CraftingRareHandgun Ammo*DLC* +30% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
CombatEpicIluminados Emblem+20% Melee Critical Hit Rate
HealingCommonIsabel+30% Health Recovery for Vipers
EconomicRareJ.J.40% off Resources
HealingCommonLeader Zealot+10% Health Recovery for Green Herbs
EconomicRareLeon w/ handgun30% off Knife Repairs
EconomicRareLeon w/ rocket launcher20% off the Rocket Launcher
EconomicRareLeon w/ shotgun+40% Ammo Resale Value
EconomicRareLuis Sera+20% Weapon Resale Value
CraftingCommonMaria+15% Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
EconomicEpicMerchant5% Off All Weapon Upgrades
EconomicEpicRhinoceros Beetle+100% Health Recovery Item Resale Value
CraftingCommonSoldier w/ dynamite+30% Attachable Mines Craft Bonus Frequency
CraftingCommonSoldier w/ hammer+20% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
CraftingCommonSoldier w/ stun rod+15% Bolt Craft Bonus Frequency
CombatLegendaryStrikerIncreases run speed by 8%
CraftingCommonZealot w/ shield+20% Shotgun Shells Craft Bonus Frequency
CraftingCommonZealot w/ bowgun+20% Bolt Craft Bonus Frequency
CraftingCommonZealot w/ scythe+20% Submachine Gun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency

Combat Charms

Charms and Vending Machine Guide

These charms affect combat-related gameplay and should be your go-to charms for most of your playthrough.

NameEffect
Iluminados Emblem+20% Melee Critical Hit Rate
StrikerIncreases run speed by 8%

At the moment, I’m not exactly sure what a “Melee Critical Hit” is. I haven’t been able to find a definitive answer anywhere. However, I assume it works by randomly increasing the damage you do to an enemy when stabbing or slicing. It may also affect when an enemy is staggered by a knife attack and it may also automatically apply when doing a prompted knife attack on specific enemies (for example, when staggering Dr. Salvador and using the knife on him when prompted to rather than kicking him). If I learn the specifics on how this mechanic works, I’ll update this guide in the future. Regardless, if you find yourself using the knife a lot, attaching the Iluminados Emblem is probably a good idea.

As for the Striker, the extra 8% run speed bonus seems like it would be minor at first glance, but it actually feels pretty significant in practice (you’ll especially notice this if you start a new save game without it). Besides being a boon for speedrunners, it can also help you run past enemies before they’re able to grab or hit you. That 8% boost helps more than you’d think it would when you’ve got to increase the space between you and a pack of enemies so that you can safely unload on them from a distance.

Crafting Charms

Charms and Vending Machine Guide

These charms enhance your crafting abilities.

NameEffect
Bella Sisters+20% Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
Cute Bear-1 Gunpowder used when Crafting
Don Diego+15% Rifle Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
Don Esteban+15% Shotgun Shells Craft Bonus Frequency
Don Jose+15% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
Don Manuel+15% Submachine Gun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
Dr. Salvador+20% Rifle Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
Handgun Ammo*DLC* +30% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
Maria+15% Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
Soldier w/ dynamite+30% Attachable Mines Craft Bonus Frequency
Soldier w/ hammer+20% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency
Soldier w/ stun rod+15% Bolt Craft Bonus Frequency
Zealot w/ shield+20% Shotgun Shells Craft Bonus Frequency
Zealot w/ bowgun+20% Bolt Craft Bonus Frequency
Zealot w/ scythe+20% Submachine Gun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency

“Craft Bonus Frequency” increases the chance of creating extra ammunition when crafting. Since most Crafting Charms have two similar ammo charms (for example, Bella Sisters and Maria both increase Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency), these can be paired with the Cute Bear (-1 Gunpowder used when Crafting) to maximize your crafting output.

Here is the maximum Craft Bonus Frequency for each ammo type when combining similar charms. Note that this table also includes the DLC exclusive Handgun Ammo charm (+30% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency):

Ammo TypeBonus
Attachable Mines30%
Bolts35%
Handgun Ammo65%
Magnum Ammo35%
Rifle Ammo35%
Shotgun Shells35%
Submachine Gun Ammo35%

Economic Charms

Charms and Vending Machine Guide

These charms modify the values of various things when dealing with the Merchant.

NameEffect
Ada Wong30% off Body Armor Repairs
J.J.40% off Resources
Leon w/ handgun30% off Knife Repairs
Leon w/ rocket launcher20% off the Rocket Launcher
Leon w/ shotgun+40% Ammo Resale Value
Luis Sera+20% Weapon Resale Value
Merchant5% off all Weapon Upgrades
Rhinoceros Beetle+100% Health Recovery Item Resale Value

The only tip I can really give you here is to only attach these charms when the situation demands it. There is always a typewriter near the Merchant so it doesn’t make sense to be running around the game world with these charms equipped.

Healing Charms

Charms and Vending Machine Guide

These charms affect how much health you recover when using certain items.ㅤ

NameEffect
Ashley Graham+50% Health Recovery for Green Herbs
Black Bass+100% Health Recovery Rate for Black Bass
Chicken+100% Health Recovery Rate for All Egg Types
Don Pedro+40% Health Recovery for Vipers
Green Herb*DLC* +15% Health Recovery for Green Herbs
Isabel+30% Health Recovery for Vipers
Leader Zealot+10% Health Recovery for Green Herbs

Like with the Crafting Charms, some of these charms have similar effects and can be stacked. Here is the maximum bonus for each healing item type. Note that this table also includes the DLC exclusive Green Herb charm (+15% Health Recovery for Green Herbs):

Healing TypeBonus
Black Bass100%
Eggs100%
Green Herbs75%
Vipers70%

Vending Machine Mechanics

Charms and Vending Machine Guide

You may think that the vending machine dispenses charms randomly but this isn’t true. In fact, the game has already decided which charms will be dispensed the moment you started the game.

The vending machine accepts Gold and Silver Tokens which are primarily obtained from completing the challenges at the shooting range (you can also find some in the game world, though not many). These tokens can be placed into the vending machine in the following ways (note that the order doesn’t matter):

  • 3 Gold Tokens
  • 2 Gold Tokens, 1 Silver Token
  • 1 Gold Token, 2 Silver Tokens
  • 3 Silver Tokens

The game attempts to trick you into believing that using more Gold Tokens will increase your chances of obtaining a rare charm. This has led to much wailing and gnashing of teeth by gamers who have received four Don Pedro‘s in a row using 12 Gold Tokens and then find themselves getting the rare Merchant charm after inserting 3 Silver Tokens. As stated previously, the game has already decided which charms you will receive for each possible token combination. If you insert 2 Gold Tokens and 1 Silver token three times and receive Don Diego, Don Esteban, and Don Jose, reloading the game and doing the same thing will lead to you receiving the same exact charms.

With that in mind, here is a method that you can use to game the vending machine. You can’t force it to give you a charm that you want, but you can see all of the charms that it will dispense for every given combination. You can then figure out which path you’d like to take to focus on getting the charms that you want from the ones available to you in the most efficient way possible.

To demonstrate this method, I will show you a real example of me trying to get the charms that I wanted when I had 17 Gold Tokens and 35 Silver Tokens. Here are the steps you should follow to attempt it yourself:

  1. Open a Notepad file and make some headers for each possible token combination.
  2. Go to the vending machine and do a specific combination as many times as you can.
  3. As you’re receiving the charms, write down in the Notepad file which ones have been dispensed in the order you received them.
  4. When you’ve done that specific combination as many times as you can, reload the game and do the same for the next combination.

Here is the data I gathered from performing this method with my 17 Gold Tokens and 35 Silver Tokens. I noted with asterisks the charms that I wanted:

=3 Gold=
Soldier w/ dynamite
Rhino Beetle
Don Diego
*Ada Wong
Isabel

=2 Gold, 1 Silver=
Soldier w/ hammer
Bella sisters
Leon w/ rocket launcher
Leon w/ rocket launcher
*Black Bass
*Zealot w/ shield
Don Estaban
Illuminados Emblem

=1 Gold, 2 Silver=
Leader Zealot
Rhino Beetle
Don Esteban
Chicken
Maria
*Black Bass
Illuminados Emblem
Zealot w/ scythe
*Cute Bear
Leon w/ handgun
Leon w/ handgun
Leon w/ shotgun
Luis Sera
Leon w/ shotgun
Rhino Beetle
Zealot w/ bowgun
Cute Bear

=3 Silver=
Illuminados Emblem
Isabel
Don Pedro
Isabel
Soldier w/ stun-rod
Chicken
Don Esteban
Don Esteban
Leon w/ shotgun
Rhino Beetle
Isabel

As you can see, the 3 Silver path would have been a complete waste of tokens if I didn’t know how the system worked. I really wanted the Ada Wong charm but didn’t think that spending 12 Gold Tokens was worth the cost of getting it. As for the “2 Gold, 1 Silver” path, it had two charms that I wanted back-to-back, but again, it would have been pretty expensive to get them. I also wanted the Cute Bear charm more than I wanted the Zealot w/ shield. Therefore, I chose to go down the “1 Gold, 2 Silver” path and spent 9 Gold Tokens and 18 Silver Tokens to obtain the Black Bass and Cute Bear charms, leaving me with 8 Gold Tokens and 17 Silver Tokens to use during a future playthrough.

Tips and Tricks

Charms and Vending Machine Guide

In this section, I’ll give you my opinion on the best way to use the charms that you collect, along with some other tips that you may find helpful.

Standard Loadout

Since many charms are best used when you're near the Merchant or a typewriter, I recommend that you have these charms equipped for most of the time:
NameEffect
Chicken+100% Health Recovery Rate for All Egg Types
Iluminados Emblem+20% Melee Critical Hit Rate
StrikerIncreases run speed by 8%

Since eggs only take up one slot in your inventory, hoarding them and attaching the Chicken charm can be an efficient way to stay at full health while also saving on space. When you’re at the Merchant, you can then attach the Rhinoceros Beetle (+100% Health Recovery Item Resale Value) to sell your herbs for a lot of pesetas (don’t forget to combine the herbs first!).

However, there are a lot more Green Herbs than there are Chicken Eggs, so if you’d rather sell your eggs or are past the Village area where they are mostly found, swapping out the Chicken charm for Ashley Graham (+50% Health Recovery for Green Herbs) is probably your next best option.

Only Use Crafting and Economic Charms When Near the Merchant or a Typewriter

Personally, I rarely found myself in situations where I needed to make ammo when I was out in the game world – I always seemed to have enough to carry me over until my next encounter with the Merchant or a typewriter. The Merchant typically acts as a hub for the various sections of the map you’re on, so he’s usually never too far away. You can also find random typewriters in many locations as well which allow you to swap over to Crafting Charms when you really need them. Therefore, I recommend only attaching Crafting and Economic Charms when you’re near either the Merchant or a typewriter and the situation calls for it. Otherwise, stick to the Standard Loadout.

Maximizing Pesetas

You can make money hand over fist by combining various charms before you interact with the Merchant. If you hoard eggs and use them as your primary healing item in conjunction with the Chicken charm, you can sell combined herbs at prices that are comparable to some treasures. You can also combine Crafting Charms together to make a bunch of ammo and sell that as well (Handgun Ammo and Submachine Gun Ammo is the most cost effective way to make money based off of the resources they use when crafting).

Here is a table of the base value of various items and the maximum value that you can sell them for when using certain charms:

TypeNameBase ValueBonus Value
AmmoAttachable Mines420588
AmmoBolts380532
AmmoHandgun Ammo120168
AmmoMagnum Ammo560784
AmmoRifle Ammo210294
AmmoShotgun Shells250350
AmmoSubmachine Gun Ammo5070
HealingBlack Bass8001,600
HealingBlack Bass (L)1,4002,800
HealingBrown Chicken Egg6001,200
HealingChicken Egg5001,000
HealingFirst Aid Spray2,5005,000
HealingGold Chicken Egg9,00018,000
HealingGreen Herb5001,000
HealingMixed Herb (G+G)1,2002,400
HealingMixed Herb (G+G+G)2,0004,000
HealingMixed Herb (G+G+Y)5,00010,000
HealingMixed Herb (G+R)2,0004,000
HealingMixed Herb (G+R+Y)10,00020,000
HealingMixed Herb (G+Y)4,0008,000
HealingRed Herb1,0002,000
HealingViper1,0002,000
HealingYellow Herb3,0006,000

Check Your Charms Before Heading Out

Since maximizing charm usage requires going in and out of the typewriter screen a lot, don’t forget to check your charms before you head off on your next adventure. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run off to fight hordes of enemies not realizing that I forgot to switch back to my Standard Loadout after robbing the Merchant blind. Always remember to quickly check your charms before heading out.

Tokens Are Forever

Gold and Silver Tokens are just like Treasures and Gems – if you don’t like the charms that are available to you after using my vending machine method above, you can carry over your tokens to a new playthrough and try again there. Don’t feel like you need to spend them all when you’re near the end of the game.

Written by Shoobadoop

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