Resident Evil Requiem: Ending Explained

Resident Evil Requiem has a big story to tell, and it all ultimately comes down to a final scene starring both Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy. After decades of storytelling involving Umbrella Corporation, Raccoon City, and the heroes of S.T.A.R.S., the R.P.D., and the BSAA, Requiem serves up a climactic return to the nexus of the outbreak.

Surprisingly, Requiem breaks from typical Resident Evil tradition to feature two endings, triggered individually by a choice made near the end of the game. One is clearly the definitive, "good" ending, but both provide some form of a conclusion to the story's events. Either way, knowing how things wrap up will likely be essential to the story of Resident Evil going forward.

Resident Evil Requiem True Ending Explained

All's Well That Ends Well

The climax of Resident Evil Requiem's action brings Grace and Leon to a showdown with Zeno (an imitation of Wesker) in a laboratory facility. Here, Grace is asked to punch in the answer to the question of Oswell Spencer's final wish. Leon, meanwhile, is suffering from the intensified effects of Raccoon City Syndrome, leaving him largely incapable of any action and potentially near death.

Spencer, the long-time CEO of Umbrella Corporation, is responsible for many of the problems in Resident Evil. In the true ending, however, Grace thinks back to interview footage of her mother Alyssa Ashcroft speaking to Spencer, in which he establishes his regret for what he's done. He also refers to Grace — his daughter — as his "hope," prompting Grace to insert "HOPE" as the answer.

Doing so provides access to vials of Elpis, Spencer's final project of an unknown nature. Zeno takes a sample and injects himself, but is disappointed to realize that it doesn't produce any transformative effect. Instead, it wipes away the effects of Raccoon City Syndrome on his skin, suggesting that Elpis is a cure for Resident Evil's T-Virus.

Seeing this, Grace injects Leon with Elpis, curing him of Raccoon City Syndrome. Before he can confront X, however, Dr. Victor Gideon reappears. Gideon is a menacing figure throughout the game, appearing early on to kidnap Grace and siphon her blood, but only now does he reveal his full potential as a threat. Gideon sprouts a tentacle and beheads Zeno, then turns his attention to Grace and Leon.

Restored to health by Elpis, Leon duels Gideon, ultimately getting the opportunity to disarm Gideon and shoot him with his own rocket launcher. In a second phase, Gideon mutates into a giant creature, prompting Leon to recognize him as Nemesis. Leon defeats Gideon, but the facility starts to collapse around Grace and Leon.

Grace and Leon lie down together in the ruins of their facility, accepting their fate, but sunlight bursts through overhead as troops show up to rescue them, courtesy of Chris Redfield. The two emerge relatively unscathed into the ruins of Raccoon City. Grace wishes that the child, Emily, could have been saved, and Leon suggests that it might still be possible, as he didn't hit her vitals when shooting her mutated form earlier.

A news report establishes the discovery of the lab in Raccoon City and a new investigation into the potential cover-up. Finally, it confirms that Emily was recovered safely.

In a mid-credits scene, Grace takes a call from Leon while at work. The scene confirms that Emily was restored to health with the use of Elpis, and Grace now acts as a parental figure for her.

Resident Evil Requiem Bad Ending Explained

A Darker Fate For Leon

The bad ending of Resident Evil Requiem takes a much more mercenary approach to wrapping things up. In this version, Grace focuses on Spencer's regret and types "DESTROY ELPIS" into the machine. This sets off a chain of events that take a more immediately destructive turn. The ailing Leon helps Grace get to safety as the room starts to collapse, insisting that he'll follow her, but stays behind on the platform.

On the collapsing platform, Zeno is enraged by Grace's decision to destroy Elpis. He pulls out a long barrel revolver and shoots Leon in the head. Grace watches Leon's death in shock before the credits roll, without any of the images or mid-credits scene that accompanies them in the true ending.

This ending is unlikely to infiltrate any canon going forward, and the no-frills presentation of the credits highlights its secondary nature. Nonetheless, it's an official look at what would happen if Grace chose the path of destroying Elpis rather than releasing it.

The next mainline Resident Evil game will have plenty of threads to pick up from the true ending. Leon lives to fight another day, giving him another opportunity to reunite with characters like Ada Wong, and the recovery of Elpis could significantly shift the future fight against the T-Virus and other problems caused by Umbrella. Grace Ashcroft's chapter of the story might now be closed, but Resident Evil Requiem leaves things open enough for her to return in the future if Capcom so chooses.