How to get money (Lei) fast in Resident Evil Village

In order to make your way through the terrors of Resident Evil Village alive, stocking up on the game’s currency known as Lei to purchase items and upgrades is vital. We’re going to show you how to make money in Resident Evil Village. 

Capcom’s latest installment in their iconic horror-survival franchise, Resident Evil Village, introduces a bunch of horrifying monsters looking to tear protagonist Ethan Winters to shreds, from the werewolf-inspired Lycans to the telekinetic Heisenberg.

Getting through them is going to require a powerful arsenal of weapons that have been kitted out to the max, as well as plenty of ammo, craftable explosives, and healing items. For those, you’ll need to need to earn some Lei, the tradable currency in Village.

When you first meet the game’s enigmatic traveling merchant known as The Duke, you’ll probably be lacking in funds and won’t be able to afford many of his wares or upgrades. It turns out Lei is in short supply, just like your ammo.

So if you’ve been left wondering how to earn enough money to clean out the Duke’s shelves, here are five of the best ways to get your hands on Lei fast in Resident Evil Village.

How to Make Money in Resident Evil Village

These are the best ways to make money in-game.

1. Looting dead enemies.
2. Breaking boxes, vases, jars and pots.
3. Searching through wells.
4. Kill enemies for Lei and Crystal Skulls.
5. Fire at glowing spots for Crystal Fragments.
6. Selling treasures.
7. Picking locks to find valuable loot to sell.
8. Sell old weapons.
9. Selling treasure to The Duke.

There are a few from that list that are bigger money makers than others, so let’s run through them and how they work.

Looting dead enemies

Capcom

Enemies sometimes drop Lei and treasures when defeated.

The most natural way you’ll earn Lei is by killing off common enemies like Lycans. As you’ll already be doing this while you play through the game, it’s probably the easiest way to get your hands on more cash.

Enemies won’t always drop money in Resident Evil Village, but they will always give you something worthwhile like treasures – and those can usually be sold off for a good price at the Duke’s Emporium.

Breaking boxes and vases

Capcom

Boxes and vases often contain Lei.

There are a number of containers you can smash open throughout Resident Evil Village, and each one will typically contain a small amount of Lei. It’s easy to miss them when you’re running from Lycans or Lady Dimitrescu’s wicked claws, but they’re a solid source of income that you should take advantage of.

Early in the game, these breakable boxes will be marked with yellow paint to show that they’re interactive. Later on, in Castle Dimitrescu for example, you’ll be breaking vases instead. Simply walk up to them and press the command button to break them open and secure any Lei inside.

Searching wells

Capcom

You’ll need the Well Wheel to discover these treasures.

Located around the game’s titular village are a series of wells leading down into the ground. When you first come across them, you won’t be able to do anything as you need a specific item in order to turn the crank and discover what’s inside.

Once you’ve got a hold of the Well Wheel, you can return to these wells (they’re marked on the map once you’ve visited them) and use the handy item to draw up the buckets containing a multitude of items including ammo and treasures, which can be sold on to the Duke for plenty of Lei.

Picking locks

Capcom

Locked draws are a good source of Lei and treasures.

There are loads of draws to open in Resident Evil Village, but most of them are empty or contain smaller items like ammo. The draws you really want to open are the locked ones, as these contain some valuable loot.

In order to unlock these draws, you’ll need to purchase lockpicks from the Duke’s Emporium. They’re pretty cheap, so get them when you can.

Selling treasure to the Duke

Capcom

The Duke will give you plenty of Lei for treasures.

As you progress through the game, you’ll come across treasures ranging from Crystal Skulls to Wooden Animals. Some of these can be found by completing puzzles, while others are dropped by enemies when defeated.

Lady Dimitrescu, for example, will drop a crystalized version of herself called the Crystal Dimitrescu, which can be sold to the Duke for a huge sum of Lei to celebrate your victory. This is by far the most lucrative way to earn money.

Resident Evil treasures list and values

Here are just a few examples of the treasures you can find and sell in Village:

• Large Crystal: 3,000 Lei
• Crystal Skull: 900 Lei
• Perfect Crystal Skull: 10,000 Lei
• Crystal Wing: 2,400 Lei
• Crimson Glass: 3,500 Lei
• Crimson Skull: 8,000 Lei
• Madalina (Body): 3,000 Lei
• Wooden Animal (Body): 2,000 Lei

Treasures have no use other than looking pretty and earning you some much-needed Lei in Village, so feel free to offload them onto the Duke for a hefty profit every time you come across his wandering Emporium.

That’s all you need to know about earning money in Resident Evil Village. Once you’ve stocked up on enough Lei, check out our guide to upgrading weapons for the perfect opportunity to get spending.

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