Grenades (and launchers) are a staple of the Resident Evil series, and that goes doubly so for Resident Evil 3. The game encourages you to use grenade rounds early and often, with several situations being made much easier with their use (telling a certain dog to sit becomes much easier later in the game, for example). There are several types of grenade rounds, and they all have their own uses (some have more ease of use than others, though). In this article, I’ll rank their usefulness and overall lethality in taking down enemies. 

5. Hand Grenade

The old “Tried n’ True”

Stats:

• Three grenades per slot
• Explosive damage. The classic hand grenade that everybody knows (and may or may not love); just lob it and let it do its job. Sadly, it is the worst of the grenade rounds in the game. While still ok, it is more sparsely found than the other types of rounds (they can’t be concocted either), has much more limited range, and can bounce off objects frequently as you will find yourself in tight spaces for the majority of the game. 

What the Hand Grenade excels at:

• Crowd Control-Since the flow of the game has you in tight spaces so much, it’s easy to round up zombies and other enemies into a neat cluster and then lob it in. The blast radius is large enough to cover the narrow areas you often find yourself in (such as the police department later in the game). Be careful, however; they bounce back if you misjudge the distance to throw them. 
• High damage-Fairly straightforward. A single one of these will actually down Nemesis (the main antagonist/monster of the game) on the lower difficulties if it hits him flush, and it blows up zombie hordes like they’re in a Michael Bay movie.
• Lightweight-It only takes up one inventory slot (and can be mapped to one of the four d-pad buttons that lets you equip a weapon, unlike the rest of the rounds on this list).  Lethality Score-70/100. Kills if it makes contact, but won’t make contact all the time because of the architecture in the levels. Not good in the majority of boss battles and much more limited overall compared to the rest of the rounds.

4. Mine Rounds

The Mine Rounds as they are when picked up ingame

Stats:

• Six cartridges in the chamber
• Explosive damage. The mine rounds (as with every other round from here onwards on this list) are rounds that you load into the grenade launcher that you can find towards the beginning of the game in the sewers. They are landmines that will stick to nearly any surface (including the enemies themselves) and explode after a period of time (or if an enemy trips one). Useful for setting traps and making getaways, but they don’t pack too much punch. 

What  Mine Rounds excel at:

• Crowd Control-Again, due to the many tight corridors found in the game, mine rounds are great at crowd control. They’re even better than the hand grenade since they can stick to enemies and will not bounce off stray objects (though they will still get stuck if you misfire too far). 
• Laying Traps-Mine rounds are great for laying traps (one of the boss battles relies heavily on this mechanic, as a matter of fact). Simply stick a mine in a place where an enemy is pathing, and you’ll profit from either a kill (usually on weaker enemies) or a stagger. Good for getting the jump on quicker, more erratic enemies as well. 
• Range-Mine rounds have the furthest range of any of the grenade rounds in the game. They can scale a tall building in one of the boss fights whereas all of the other rounds will fall off very quickly. Lethality Score-75/100. Marginally better than the hand grenade for its extended range and ability to stick to (rather than bounce harmlessly off of) surfaces. Does not deal quite as much damage, but generally more reliable in more situations than the hand grenade. 

3. Flame Rounds

The result of flame rounds

Stats:

• Six Cartridges
• Burn damage (damage over time). Flame rounds are incendiary rounds that will burst into flames and engulf whatever they come into contact with. These are good for starting zombie wildfires and, combined with the red barrels that you can shoot and cause to explode, deal good damage to the standard zombie enemies (and the sewer mutations). Tougher enemies will take much more time to burn down, though. 

What Flame Rounds excel at:

• Matchups-What the flame rounds are good against, they’re REALLY good against. Hunter Gammas (mutated monsters in the sewer section of the game) are one-shot material for flame rounds, and normal zombies die fairly quickly as well. 
• Abundance-Flame rounds are one of the most readily available grenade rounds in the game. Mine rounds can’t be crafted and Acid rounds are rare, so you’ll be seeing these plenty.
• Amping Other Weapons-The flames stick to enemies and deal damage over a period of time, so anything else you do will become more damaging as a result. You can reapply the damage over time effect by shooting more flame rounds, of course.  Lethality Score-85/100. While they’re not the most explosive in terms of damage (that’s saved for further down the list), flame rounds are multi-purpose and enhance any other types of damage that you deal. They’re impractical for trying to kill bosses or some of the tougher enemies on their own, but they go great with the harder hitting guns like the shotgun or the magnum. Couple that with their abundance, and you’ve got great support rounds (just remember-the flames will also burn you if you get too close). 

2. Acid Rounds

Acid Rounds in action on a Pale Head Zombie

Stats: 

• Six cartridges
• Damage over time (acidic). Acid rounds are everything flame rounds are, but better. They do a number against tougher enemies like the hunter betas and pale heads, and can’t backfire on you like the flame rounds can. The damage they do over time is so potent, you can finish enemies off with only one or two more shots from weapons like the shotgun. 

What Acid Rounds excel at:

• Stunlocking-Acid rounds are good at stunlocking enemies. Most enemies will stagger when hit, and that allows you to either run by them as they recover or finish them off with your weapon of choice. 
• High Tick Damage-Acid rounds do more damage over time than flame rounds. They will kill tougher enemies on their own fairly quickly (or if not, make sure they go down with only a few extra shots). Weaker enemies like the basic zombie don’t stand a chance.
• Splash Damage-Acid rounds will do splash damage to things in their radius. Lethality Score-95/100. Good damage, good results, good times. Acid rounds make everything easier to kill, and are the best thing to use if you want to conserve ammo in other guns. The only things holding them back are being the rarest form of grenade round in the game and not being able to stagger Nemesis.

1. Explosive Rounds

TFW you got hit by an explosive round

Stats: 

• Six cartridges
• Damage on impact. Explosive rounds are the be-all, end-all. They do an obscene amount of damage, but all at once instead of over time like acid or flame rounds. It’s the best in terms of brute force. 

What Explosive Rounds excel at:

• Staggering-Explosive rounds will harm and stagger anything (even the main boss). This gives you time to get distance and reload, or you can pour more damage in on a downed opponent.
• Damage-Explosive rounds are just good for blowing things up. They do major damage on impact and will kill any type of enemy in short order. 
• Easy to craft-Explosive rounds are easy to find and craft. All it takes is two of the same type of ingredient (“Explosive Type A” in this case), and you’ve got yourself some exploding rounds. Lethality Score-100/100. If you want something more dead, use explosive rounds. The combination of high damage, ease of use, and craftability makes these the best grenade rounds in the game. While they still have their own drawbacks (such as limited range), the pros far outweigh the cons.

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