Resident Evil Requiem’s plot is quite convoluted—though that’s typical for the series. Over the franchise’s 30-plus years, Capcom games have spawned a vast array of organizations, strains of the same virus, new viruses, and interconnected (and not so interconnected) events.
At first, it seems like the new game is moving away from the complex mythology thanks to the introduction of a new character, Grace Ashcroft. However, as the game progresses, it becomes clear that this isn’t the case. On the contrary, Requiem is perhaps the most lore-rich game in the series, as its ending attempts to tie together numerous old plot threads.
Even if you’ve played all the previous games, the ending may seem overwhelming, both with names and events. Below, we’ll explain what happens at the end of Resident Evil Requiem and how it connects to the series’ past.
Background of events
One of the main plot lines is Leon S. Kennedy’s investigation into a mysterious disease dubbed “Raccoon City Syndrome.” Survivors of the destruction of the eponymous city in Resident Evil 3 : Nemesis ( set in 1998 in the series’ timeline) began exhibiting strange symptoms. One of the most obvious is a black skin rash. Their condition gradually worsens, eventually culminating in a slow and painful death. Leon himself is infected, making him particularly interested in finding the cause and a cure.
Grace Ashcroft’s story unfolds in parallel. She is kidnapped by an Umbrella scientist named Victor Gideon. For almost the entire game, it’s unclear why he specifically wants Grace. All that’s known is that it’s connected to a project called “Elpis.”
Collecting documents and files throughout the game, Grace gradually learns what “Elpis” is. At first, it seems to be another strain of the virus , an alternative or improved version of the T-virus, capable of once again leading the world to a zombie apocalypse . However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that things are much more complex.
The game also introduces a secondary antagonist named Zeno. His appearance strongly resembles the long-dead Albert Wesker. All that is known is that he is seeking to acquire the Elpis and is using the organization “Connections” (or being used by them), which was previously mentioned in the events of Resident Evil Village .
Finale in the ARK Lab
All the storylines converge when Leon and Grace infiltrate the ARK research facility, hidden beneath the ruins of Raccoon City. This facility belonged to the Umbrella Corporation. There, Grace uncovers the truth about the company’s origins, how its activities were covered up by the US government , and the fate of one of Umbrella’s founders, Oswell Spencer.
The climax comes when the heroes find a room with Elpis samples. At that moment, Zeno appears. Weakened by his illness, Leon is unable to resist him. Grace faces a crucial choice: destroy Elpis or free it. This decision determines the ending of Resident Evil Requiem.
Resident Evil Requiem’s bad ending
If Grace destroys Elpis, events take a tragic turn. The ARK complex begins to collapse. Grace manages to escape, but Leon is left alone against Zeno. The platform they are standing on begins to crumble. Before falling, Leon looks at Grace and declares that at least he managed to save her.
This moment concludes Leon’s storyline. Throughout the game, Leon is tormented by guilt over the tragedy in Raccoon City. When the disaster occurred, he was just a rookie police officer. He managed to escape the city with Claire Redfield, but then tens of thousands died when the US government destroyed the city with a missile strike to stop the spread of the infection (for a different reason, by the way).
In the finale, he gets a chance to redeem himself by saving Grace. But this victory is short-lived. Zeno shoots Leon in the forehead. His body, along with the living Zeno, falls into the abyss. Grace survives, and the Elpis is destroyed. The price for this is enormous. And so the story ends—even without a final boss battle .
The Good, True Ending of Resident Evil Requiem
The canonical ending occurs if Grace chooses to release Elpis. It turns out that Elpis isn’t a virus at all, but a cure. Shortly before the finale, the truth about Oswell Spencer is revealed. Realizing the consequences of his experiments and the viruses he created, he was faced with profound guilt. At the end of his life, he developed Elpis as an act of atonement. A “Requiem” of sorts. The drug can’t bring the dead or the converted back to life, but it can destroy all virus-based biological weapons and cure the still-living inhabitants of Raccoon City.
Grace injects Leon with Elpis and instantly heals him. However, Dr. Victor Gideon soon appears. He admits he was wrong to consider Elpis a superweapon, but still sees it as a means to change the world order. He believes that if all biological weapons are destroyed, the existing global arms system will collapse.
Zeno argues that this is illogical, but Gideon kills him, calling him a “cheap imitation”—a reference to his resemblance to Wesker and the fact that he is merely a copy. After this, Gideon mutates into a gigantic monster, and the final battle begins.
Now healed, Leon and Grace defeat the main monster . However, the heroes find themselves trapped inside the crumbling ARK complex and are preparing for death. At the last moment, they are saved by the BSAA, an organization specializing in counter-biological weapons. One of the soldiers delivers a message to Leon from “Captain Redfield” (the same Chris Redfield).
Later, the aftermath of the events is shown. Umbrella’s secrets are exposed, and the US Department of Justice launches an investigation into the government for concealing the company’s activities. It is implied that the government deliberately drove Umbrella into bankruptcy to conceal its own involvement.
Post-credits scene
After the credits, two details are revealed. The first is that Grace continues to work for the FBI. The second hints at a sequel. When we see the ARK complex again, the remaining BSAA soldiers are already dead. They are eliminated by a squad from an unknown organization, which takes something from the lab and covers its tracks. What exactly they obtained is not revealed. The game ends there, hinting at a possible continuation of the story.
Additional lore
After completing the game, a large lore document, approximately 60 pages long, is unlocked, explaining many details. It reveals that Oswell Spencer began his research during the Cold War . Fearing the possibility of a repeat of the horrors of World War II , he sought to create a new stage in human evolution .
However, his company partner, James Marcus, perverted the idea, turning the research into a program to create living biological weapons. A conflict arose between the founders, Marcus was removed, and Spencer began secretly developing Elpis at the ARK facility.
It also turns out that Marcus was connected to an organization called “The Connections.” This group had been involved in criminal activity since the 1980s and had long operated in the shadows. They were largely responsible for the destruction of Raccoon City in 1998: they convinced the US government to launch a missile strike on the city in order to destroy Umbrella and then seize its technology.
The connections here go much deeper. For example, it turns out that TRICELL Inc., the corporation Wesker worked for in Resident Evil 5, was also connected to the “Connections.” Furthermore, US President Adam Benford was assassinated during the events of Resident Evil 6 precisely because he was planning to expose this secret network.
The final important fact concerns Grace Ashcroft herself. It turns out she was Oswell Spencer’s adopted daughter. He took her under his wing, attempting to somehow atone for his crimes. After his death, Grace was raised by journalist Alyssa Ashcroft, to whom he gave several interviews in the final days of his life. Grace also manages to save Emily, whom she, like her adoptive mother Alyssa Ashcroft, takes under her wing.
Ultimately, the story reaches a surprising conclusion: Umbrella was never the main villain . The corporation was merely part of a much larger, hidden system, in which the true protagonist was an organization called “Connections.” Judging by the post-credits scene, it is this arc that will lay the foundation for the future of the series.
