Resident Evil 8: All Puzzle Solutions

Since the first game in the series, the twin halves of Resident Evil‘s gameplay continue to be a mix of combat and puzzle-solving. Resident Evil 8 is no exception, with the game featuring some of the best combat the series has to offer (acting as somewhat of a spiritual successor to the incredible Resident Evil 4) along with some deviously designed puzzles. The “carnival of horror” approach to Resident Evil Village’s setting and villains allows the developers to get creative with the puzzle designs and their various solutions, with each major area of the game presenting its own take on the traditional themes and setups for Resident Evil‘s unique brand of brain-teasing puzzles.

New to the series are the Labyrinth puzzles, which involve RE8‘s protagonist Ethan locating the corresponding ball key item in each location and using it to navigate a scale model of the in-game area. Outside each major location in Resident Evil 8‘s inclusion of the Labyrinth puzzles, though, the four areas where players will take on the leaders of the Four Houses each contain a wide variety of different puzzles. The following guide presents all puzzle solutions in order according to when players will encounter them during Resident Evil 8‘s main story.

Castle Dimitrescu Puzzles

The first main area that players will come to after their initial exploration of the titular village in RE8 is Castle Dimitrescu. This large castle is similar to the Spencer Mansion from the original Resident Evil in that it features a great mix of combat segments and plenty of puzzle-solving. In fact, Castle Dimitrescu features more puzzles than any other area in the game, potentially setting up a roadblock for players in search of solutions.

Opening the Castle Gate

Before players can open the main gate leading to Castle Dimitrescu, they will need to first locate two crests: the Demon and Maiden Crests. The first of these that players will come across is the Maiden Crest, with the Demon Crest acting as the final piece of the puzzle.

Obtaining the Maiden Crest

Getting the Maiden Crest is fairly straightforward and requires far less work than getting the Demon Crest. Starting from the large gate leading into Castle Dimitrescu, head right and inside the church. The Maiden Crest lies at the front of a large shrine.

Obtaining the Demon Crest

Inside the church where Ethan obtains the Maiden Crest, find and collect the village map that’s on a nearby chair. This map shows the location of the other crest (the Demon Crest), which lies just beyond a path to the right of the church. However, to get there, players need to cross a field with plenty of Lycans in wait. After dealing with the Lycans, continue past the field to reach a house with survivors inside. Ethan will need to help them find a way past the locked gate and into Luiza’s house.

Hop out the window to reach Luiza’s property, noting the locked shrine containing the Demon Crest that’s currently unobtainable. After heading inside and through Luiza’s property, open the gate for the survivors and head back into the house where they’re hiding. After the series of events plays out where the villagers begin to turn, escort the girl into the garage. Find the truck keys in the kitchen, inspecting them to reveal the Screwdriver Ethan needs to get to the Demon Crest.

After using the Truck Key to escape and watching Elena’s untimely demise, hop out of the attic window and head back to the Demon Crest shrine. Use the Screwdriver to unlock the shrine and grab the Demon Crest. Use both crests on the Castle Gate to unlock it and head into Castle Dimitrescu.

Hall of War

Ethan will find himself in Castle Dimitrescu’s Hall of War after escaping his imprisonment and making it through the Tasting Room. To reach the next area, he needs to figure out a way past the mural on the wall that creates a dead end. There’s a hint for players that notes to “trust the light”, giving you a clue to this puzzle’s solution. Using the lit brazier in the center of the room, push it to come into contact with the unlit pillars on either side. After lighting both the pillars, a path forward will reveal itself.

Hall of Ablution

The next puzzle Ethan will come across is the Hall of Ablution and Statue puzzle. To reach Lady Dimitrescu’s chambers, players must first align the statues so that the path forward opens. In the center of the room is a pool of blood, with four statues surrounding it that are each facing one another. The key to this puzzle is making the statues each face a certain direction, the clue to which is inside the room. It reads “Women are blind to male advances, but the poor shall take their chances to give their lord their bounty sown, so that soon the wine may flow.”

Using this clue, arrange the statues in the following ways:

• Turn the Noblewoman and Hooded Woman statues to face each other
• Turn the statue depicting a group of men to face the man on the horse (the lord)

With all four statues facing the right direction, the blood pool will drain to reveal the path forward.

Castle Dimitrescu Labyrinth

The Castle Labyrinth is the first of four Labyrinth puzzles players can complete to obtain valuable treasures. Selling these treasures to the Duke is a great way to quickly upgrade weapons or buy supplies, making the Labyrinth puzzles well worth your time. Before you can complete a Labyrinth, though, you must first obtain the Ball item in each area. For Castle Dimitrescu, this means getting the Flower Swords Ball.

Finding the Flower Swords Ball

Inside the Opera Hall, move along the balcony and head left into the first available room. After dealing with the enemy inside, search the broken Labyrinth model to find the Flower Swords Ball. With the Ball in tow, head back to the Merchant’s Room to solve the Labyrinth puzzle.

Solving the Castle Labyrinth

The Castle Dimitrescu Labyrinth is the first Labyrinth puzzle players will come across and is accordingly very straightforward. The goal is to tilt the castle model in such a way that the Ball rolls into the hole with the red flag. Roll the Ball left, then down, and then slowly to the right, making sure to time it so that it rolls when the bridges line up. Then roll it up and slowly to the left to avoid holes in the ground. A safe bet is to have the ball hug the bottom lip of the model to slowly enter the goal.

Atelier Bell

While players can solve this puzzle earlier, the best time to take care of the Atelier Bell puzzle is while searching for the four masks to complete the Hall of the Four puzzle. While searching for the Mask of Rage, head into the Atelier. Inside, you’ll be safe from Lady Dimitrescu’s hunt for you. There is a painting in the Atelier with a hint on how to solve the puzzle. The hint reads “Let the five bells of this chamber ring out.” To solve the puzzle, Ethan needs to find and shoot the 5 bells in the Atelier. The locations of the bells are:

• Just underneath the small staircase on a table
• On top of the large cabinet containing an ammo pickup
• Singing back and forth through the large gears
• On top of the chandelier
• Inside the bell tower Ethan can see from the balcony at the top of the stairs

Each time Ethan finds and shoots a bell, it will light up with flame to indicate its inclusion. After striking all 5 bells, the large painting of Lady Dimitrescu will move to reveal the path to the Attic.

Hall of the Four

The final puzzle players will need to complete before facing the boss and leaving Castle Dimitrescu is the Hall of the Four. This hall contains four angel statues, each of which has a corresponding mask to collect. Before players can advance and complete the castle section they will need to collect four Angel Masks: the Masks of Joy, Pleasure, Rage, and Sorrow. Thankfully, each statue gives players a hint as to where they can find the corresponding Mask.

The Mask of Sorrow

The first Mask players will find is the Mask of Sorrow. This particular item is practically unmissable as Ethan will come across it in the dungeon while running from Lady Dimitrescu. Avoid Lady Dimitrescu’s attacks until the gate leaving the dungeon fully opens. Sprint to the gate and out of the dungeon, heading into the Hall of Sorrow. Grab the Mask of Sorrow for the platform to rise up into the Courtyard.

The Mask of Joy

After arriving in the Courtyard, players will notice the area is now full of enemies. Deal with the enemies as you see fit (engaging or avoiding them) and use Dimitrescu’s Key to enter the Opera Hall at the other end of the Courtyard. Head to the upper balcony and take a quick detour to use the Piano. There’s a mini-puzzle players can easily solve to get the Iron Insignia Key, which makes it possible to get the rest of the Masks. To solve the Piano Puzzle, players need to play the correct notes in order with the sheet music. The correct order to play the keys (with numbering the keys from left to right) is:

• 15, 12, 14, 13, 13, 16, 15, 16, 17, 17

Use the Iron Insignia Key to enter the Library, where you’ll face a second mini-boss in another of Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters. After dealing with the boss, exit the Library to enter the Hall of Joy where the Mask of Joy is waiting.

The Mask of Pleasure

The next mask players can get is the Mask of Pleasure. Head back to the Main Hall, using Dimitrescu’s Key on the locked door at the end of the long hallway. This door leads to the Hall of Pleasure. However, players can’t simply take the Mask of Joy and leave, as there needs to be something adorning the statue for the door to remain open. Crawl through the fireplace to enter a room with the third and final boss fight against one of Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters. After dealing with the boss, grab the nearby Mounted Animal Skull and inspect it to take it off its mount. Head back to the Hall of Joy and take the Mask of Joy, replacing it with the Animal Skull.

The Mask of Rage

To reach the Mask of Rage, head to the Atelier and solve the Atelier Bell Puzzle using the solution above. Head through the new path that opens and onto the rooftops of the castle. Navigate the rooftops until you reach a spire containing a zipline, using the zipline to reach the Tower of Rage. You’ll find the Mask of Rage inside the tower.

House Beneviento Puzzles

After beginning with an area that embodies classic Resident Evil, RE8 switches gears to take players to the second major area: House Beneviento. This frightening area utilizes psychological horror and misdirection to confuse players, and it also features plenty of challenging puzzles. There’s not much combat in House Beneviento, with this section of the game instead focusing on a growing sense of tension and unease to get under players’ skin.

Doll Workshop

The first major puzzle players will encounter while trying to navigate House Beneviento is the Doll Workshop puzzle. Angie will take all of Ethan’s weapons and leave him stranded in the Workshop, requiring players to complete a series of steps to successfully escape. The first of these involves examining the doll in the center of the room in hopes of unlocking the doors leading out of the Workshop. Walk over to the doll and interact with the following parts to obtain some valuable items:

• Remove the right hand and lower arm to see symbols corresponding to the doors leading out of the Workshop
• Remove the upper right shoulder to find the Silver Key
• Inspect the left hand to find and remove the Blood Covered Ring
• Remove the left leg to reveal the Winding Key
• Move the left eye to see an image of a crow in flight with a triangle (this is important for the Brass Medallion puzzle)
• The mouth can be opened to reveal a strip of film, and the doll’s chest is covered in bandages. Ethan currently lacks the tools to do anything with either

Using the Silver Key, Ethan can leave the Workshop and enter the Medicine Room. Use the sink to wash the Blood Covered Ring, turning it into the Wedding Ring. Inspect the ring to reveal a set of numbers (051911). Put these numbers into the nearby combination lock to begin moving down the hall. While walking through the hall a door will mysteriously open. Head inside to enter the Storage Room.

Music Box

Inside the Storage Room, Ethan will spot a broken Music Box. You can use the Winding Key obtained from the Doll in the Workshop to fix the broken Music Box and make it operational again. Align the interior parts of the Music Box so that the scratches on each section line up. Assuming that each interior part is numbered in order (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), the correct order to line up each part is:

• 2, 4, 1, 5, 3

Lining up the pieces in the correct order and using the Winding Key will activate the Music Box. After, Ethan will obtain the Tweezers necessary to pull the Film from the Doll’s mouth in the Workshop.

Film

With the Tweezers in tow, head back to the Workshop and pull the Film from the Doll’s mouth. After, head back to the Study and add the new film strip to the others. However, before solving the puzzle, players will need to order the film strips correctly. Use the following order (from left to right) to solve the Film puzzle:

• “Rosie’s best friend in the whole wide world” (Teddy Bear) 3
• “She really likes this fairy tale” (the book) 4
• “The most important thing in the world to us” (Rosie) 1
• “A wedding gift from grandma” (Music Box) 5
• “Proof of Ethan’s everlasting love for me” (Closeup of Ethan’s hand with the Wedding Ring) 2

Play the movie and the projector screen will fall to reveal the path forward. Head inside and locate the doll holding the Scissors. Ethan can now return to the Workshop and remove the bandages on the Doll.

Brass Medallion

After using the Scissors on the Doll to remove the bandages, Ethan will acquire the Brass Medallion. Inspect the Doll again to recall the symbols (a crow on her left eye and three closed eyes on her right hand). Head to the sealed door and place the Brass Medallion in the top right position. Change the top left circle to display the crow (the left eye symbol) and the bottom circle to display the closed eyes (the right-hand symbol). The door will open, leading to a well where players can finally grab the Breaker Box Key.

House Beneviento Labyrinth

After completing House Beneviento and defeating Angie, players will get a crack at Resident Evil 8‘s second Labyrinth puzzle. However, before players can complete the Labyrinth, they’ll need to find the Sun and Moon Ball. This particular Ball is located on a tombstone between House Beneviento and the village, which changes and expands following defeating Angie. After obtaining the Ball, head through the gate into the Gardener’s House where the Labyrinth resides. Unlike the Castle Labyrinth, the House Beneviento Labyrinth has no surprises. The only thing to make sure of is that the ball maintains the right amount of momentum to navigate the twisting path without gaining too much speed and flying off the edge. Carefully use the rising fences to slow the Ball as it navigates the path to solve the Labyrinth.

The Reservoir Puzzles

The third major area in Resident Evil 8 is the Reservoir where players will face off against the mutating Moreau. Compared to the other main areas in the game, the Reservoir has very few puzzles. Instead, the main goal of the Reservoir is carefully navigating the flooded area and defeating Moreau.

Opening the Sluice Gate

Players will need to drain the Reservoir in order to exit the area, but they first need to navigate the flooded village and avoid attacks from Moreau. To drain the Reservoir, players will need to reach the Gatehouse and open the Sluice Gate. Inside the Gatehouse, a poster on the wall will have instructions for activating the windmills to power the gate controls. Additionally, a note next to the console will provide hints on how to solve the gate puzzle. Before Ethan can power up the console and open the gate to drain the Reservoir, he’ll need to head over to each windmill to manually activate it.

Head to the first windmill and attempt to use the Crank only for it to break in Ethan’s hands. The note in the Gatehouse mentions that the other windmill has a Crank, so it’s time to head there instead. Descend the windmill to re-enter the flooded village. Follow the only available path forward, creating new platforms when necessary, raising and lowering bridges and minecarts, and avoiding Moreau’s attacks. You’ll eventually come to the base of the windmill, climbing to the top to obtain the new Crank and using it to create a zipline to the first windmill.

Zipline back to the first windmill and power it up using the Crank, then head back inside the Gatehouse. With the console powered up, players can match the colors on the display to the picture on the nearby note. Rotate the picture so that the black, unlit square is in the same position as it is on the console for the correct solution.

Reservoir Labyrinth

After defeating Moreau, head up the lift and use the Crank to open the mechanical gate. Outside is the first mill that players come to before entering the Reservoir. From here, head up the path into the mountains to find the shrine containing the Mermaid Ball, which Ethan can use to solve the Reservoir Labyrinth next to the mill. Navigate the Ball down the rails and onto the water wheel, dropping it down to the next level. After dropping the Ball down a second time, hug the right wall to avoid a gap in the railing, looping around and into the goal at the bottom.

Heisenberg’s Factory Puzzles

The last of the Four Houses and the penultimate area in Resident Evil 8, Heisenberg’s Factory is arguably one of the best locations in the series. This derelict factory mixes equal parts nail-biting combat encounters with a large-scale, multi-step puzzle involving the Casting Machine inside to great effect, embodying the cornerstones of the Resident Evil series’ twin gameplay halves and capping off Resident Evil Village with a bang. Players will return to the Casting Machine three separate times in order to use molds to craft necessary items, each of which is outlined in order below.

Relief of a Horse

Once players make their way into the Foundry, they’ll spot a large Casting Machine against the wall. Leave the Foundry through the only door available to you and head up into the hall, taking care of the enemies along the way. Enter the Lab area and open the chest containing the Relief Mold. A new enemy type with a drill arm, a Soldat, will attack, forcing you to defeat him before you can leave. After dispatching the Soldat, head back to the Foundry and use the Relief Mold with the Casting Machine to create Relief of a Horse. Place this relief on the wall behind you with the impression to proceed.

Cog

After opening up the door using the Relief of a Horse, Ethan will need to find the Cog mold to use in the Casting Machine. With the Cog, Ethan can power up the backup generator for the Factory, opening up several new areas. Head through the newly opened door where you placed the Relief of a Horse and drop down into the Engine Room. Carefully navigate the pistons and enemies in this room and then take the ladder back upstairs. Head through the vent into the hall of Soldats, unlocking the door leading back to the Foundry. Head down the stairs into the next room, noting the generator missing a gear.

Smash the red lights above the locked door to unlock it and enter the Storeroom, grabbing the Cog Mold and some other items. After entering the long hall full of Soldats leading back to the Foundry, they will all spring to life and try to attack you. Take each one out carefully, then proceed back through the door you just unlocked that leads back to the Foundry. Use the Cog Mold on the Casting Machine to create the Large Cog, then backtrack to the generator and replace the gear.

Heisenberg’s Key

The final Casting Mold puzzle involves molding a new copy of Heisenberg’s Key to make your way through the rest of the Factory and face off against its owner. Starting from the B1 Storage room, move along the hall, locating the Key Mold in the first room you can enter. Keep moving forward until Ethan is above the Factory production line (using the lift to bring the Duke up for later) and then head back down to B4. Head through the main doors and the power will cut out, followed by an attacking Soldat. After dealing with him, head back into the Foundry and use the Key Mold to create Heisenberg’s Key. You can now complete the rest of the Factory section.

Factory Labyrinth

The fourth and final Labyrinth puzzle can be completed once players obtain the Iron Horse Ball inside the factory. The Labyrinth itself is located just past the Duke and the lift on B4, but the Ball Mold is a different story. To get the Ball Mold and craft the Iron Horse Ball, head up the stairs just past the grinder and grab the Factory Map. Examining the map reveals that there’s a hidden room just nearby. Head up the stairs and push the minecart out of the way, crawling through an air duct into the secret chamber. Inside is the Ball Mold, which players can take back to the Casting Machine (dealing with some enemies along the way) to make the Iron Horse Ball. After, head back down to B4 to complete the Labyrinth.

Accordingly, the final Labyrinth is a bit more challenging than the first three. Begin by slowly moving the Ball around the circular path. After making it to the lower level, tilt into the rotating gear and keep the Ball pressed against it so it doesn’t fall off. As it circles around the back, carefully slow the Ball’s movement and drop it down another level. Pass through the trolley on the left and drop down a final time to reach the goal.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot.