How to get shotgun in Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose

Resident Evil Village recently received a highly awaited story DLC titled "Shadows of Rose," which sees players step into the shoes of Rosemary Winters, daughter of Ethan Winters.

There are only a few firearms to collect in the expansion, and the series' staple pump-action shotgun is among them. However, the powerful weapon remains locked until players acquire a certain item in the game. Here's how they can grab the shotgun in Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose.

Note: This article contains mild spoilers for Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose.

Finding shotgun in Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose

Upon starting the DLC, you will be taken to the iconic Dimitrescu Castle. While the general layout of the castle is the same as the base game, there are certain changes made to the interiors, rooms, and even the secret passages, making navigating the labyrinthine refreshing for players.

The large dining room past the main hall will have the shotgun encased in an enclosure that will require you to obtain the Triocular Key to be accessed. The item only becomes available after you make a certain amount of progress in the game.

The shotgun is one of the only two firearms that players will have access to in the DLC, thus making it a necessary item that players should definitely unlock.

Unlocking shotgun in Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose

Unlocking the shotgun is fairly straightforward, as you only need to progress through the story and grab the Triocular Key. In the first section, which is the castle area of the game, you need to obtain three masks, much like in the base game, to advance in the DLC. Each mask is tucked away in a certain area of the Dimitrescu castle that you will organically come across while exploring the map.

Here are the steps to obtain the Triocular Key and unlock the shotgun in Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose:

After obtaining the second mask and unlocking Rose's supernatural abilities, you will be able to easily explore the first floor of the castle.
The first room you come across after making your way up the stairs contains the key; however, it is locked behind an enclosure that requires you to solve a rather easy picture puzzle.
The puzzle necessitates obtaining a missing piece, a picture that can be found in a room you visit right after obtaining the second mask.
Once you have the picture in your possession, you need to make your way over to the puzzle area on the first floor of the castle next to the main hall.
The puzzle needs you to arrange the pictures in such a specific order, which is predators face their corresponding prey.
Starting from the left, the order is as follows: Wolf faces Sheep, Snake faces Frog, and Spider faces Butterfly.
Once the pictures are arranged in the specified order, the enclosure containing the key will be unlocked.
After you've got the Triocular Key in their possession, you need to proceed to the dining room and unlock the shotgun.

Grabbing the shotgun early on is very much recommended before going for the final mask, which requires you to come face-to-face with a horde of undead enemies, including the heavy axe-wielding ones. The heavy-hitting weapon, while not very effective at long range, packs a mighty punch when it comes to close-quarters combat. Therefore, it is a great option for controlling crowd and boss battles.

Much like the narrative-based expansions for the previous mainline Resident Evil title, Shadows of Rose is a short side-story that fleshes out the character of Rose and her relationship with the base game's protagonist Ethan. The DLC's story is just a couple of hours long but features plenty of gameplay surprises for fans of the franchise.

Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose is now available for download on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC.