Grace’s first main segment in Resident Evil Requiem puts the new protagonist into many uncomfortable situations. One terrifying situation is sneaking past the gigantic mutated baby in the East Wing of Rhodes Hill Care Center, only to find a padlocked puzzle cabinet at the Lead Researcher’s Office.
The solution is written plainly in a note nearby, indicating that the players need to find and use corrosive on the padlock. Now, the hard part is actually getting to it and making it back in one piece.
Where is the corrosive in RE9?
The bottle of corrosive is in the conference room; and you need to get through a few enemies to get your hands on this. Once you’re in the Lead Researcher’s Office on the upper floor of the East Wing, you’ll notice a blue padlock securing the puzzle cabinet. This isn’t an optional puzzle as it contains two essential items to progress Grace’s campaign in RE9.
There’s a note in the nearby drawer from the lead researcher to his secretary. In it, he tells his secretary to discreetly get the bottle of corrosive from the conference room to melt off the padlock. Resident Evil Requiem is filled with locked points of interest that you’ll have to come back to after finding the solution, but this one isn’t one of those.
Open your map and you’ll see that the conference room and the corrosive bottle are right next to your current location. Easy right? Capcom put a typewriter in the Lead Researcher’s Office for a good reason. Make sure to use it. While you’re at it, craft more ammo and loot the locker room near the objective.
Get the Bottle of Corrosive in the Conference Room
When you’re ready, head to the Conference Room. The door isn’t locked and doesn’t require several complicated keys and hours of backtracking in typical RE fashion. It’s wide open for you to enter with even a gentle singing voice, inviting Grace to explore for the bottle of corrosive.
It may seem empty at first, but once you’re past a certain threshold, the singing lady will screech, breaking the glass and awakening three zombies. This area is too tight for a proper combat encounter. Start backing out to the outer hallways while dealing with the zombies. If cornered, the round table inside the Lead Researcher’s Office provides a safe space to keep the enemies away.
Next, it’s time to deal with the singing lady. Unlike the one previously encountered, Bar & Lounge, there’s almost no space to sneak by this one. Additionally, she also has a long-range attack when she spots you and a one-hit grab if she manages to get close. It’s best to deal with her directly as she’s guarding the bottle of corrosive.
After grabbing the bottle of corrosive in the rear end of the conference room, it’s time to head back to the Lead Researcher’s Office. With the corrosive in your inventory, interact with the padlock and select the item to melt it away.
Lead Researcher’s Office Puzzle
Using the bottle of corrosive will unlock the puzzle cabinet for the Sun Quartz. You also don’t need to go far for this one either. The solution is found in the background of the photos scattered in the office. There are three photos, but you’ll need to pay attention to the two with the Sun puzzle box.
Using the correct photos, the solution for the puzzle is Star, Sun, Moon, Sun. Opening it rewards you with the Sun Quartz needed to unlock the main door, and instructions on how to open the Organ Transport Box. With two Quartz in hand, Grace is one more piece away from escaping the Care Center.
