Resident Evil 2 Leon walkthrough Part 14: Investigate the lab and East Area

You’ve finally found your way out of Resident Evil 2’s Police Station. It turns out that “out” just means deep underground. Now it’s time to explore the NEST Laboratory.

Investigate the lab

Once the cable car stops, head into the lab. You’ll go through a huge, imposing door to Reception. Loop around the front desk to check the Nap Room Log on the computer, then hit the room on your right for a Typewriter and Item Box — you’re done with the T-Bar Handle, Sewer Key, and STARS Badge at this point, so store or discard them.

Across the hall from the reception desk, head into the Security Room. Grab the Shotgun Shells and the Research Lab North Area map.

Cafeteria

Capcom via Polygon

Head back out of the Security Room and go through the door to the right of the reception desk. This hallway leads back to the Cafeteria. Follow the hall until you see the unlocked door on your right — the door ahead of you will be locked.

Deal with the zombies inside the Cafeteria and pick up the Fuel and Handgun Ammo.

Capcom via Polygon

Capcom via Polygon

There’s also a Mr. Raccoon toy on a table against the wall next to a sugar shaker. (We used pictures of Claire here, but Leon will find the same Mr. Raccoon.) After you smash it, climb the ladder in the northeast corner.

Kitchen

Use the vent to drop into the Kitchen. Grab the Gunpowder (Large) and the Combat Knife. Continue into the hall, shoot the zombie that jumps you, and turn right toward the Nap Room.

Nap Room

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As soon as you walk in, pick up the Shotgun Shells, then check the first locker for a Regulator (Flamethrower) upgrade for your Chemical Flamethrower. This will reduce the rate at which it burns Fuel.

Head over the the shuttered nap pods and pick up the Electronic Chip for your ID Wristband. Combine them to increase your clearance level.

Main Shaft

Retrace your steps back out to Reception. Turn right and go through the doors to the Main Shaft. Pick up the Special Forces Recording on your right, then use the panel on your left to extend a bridge.

Objective: Head to West Area

Capcom via Polygon

You’ll get a new objective in this room telling you to “Head to the West Area.” Since this is a video game, you’ll obviously have to go to the East Area first.

Cross the bridge you just extended and loop around to the back side of the Main Shaft. You’ll only be able to use the panel on your left this time. Use it to extend a bridge to the East Area.

East Area Lobby

Cross the bridge from the Main Shaft and go through the door. Continue along until you get to the Lobby. Grab the Green Herb off of the counter and the Gunpowder from the desks behind it. You can hit the Typewriter and Item Box here, too.

Cross over to the sitting area and go through the door on the east wall (the other door is locked).

Presentation Room

Visit the researcher smushed against the glass to find your next ID Wristband upgrade. You can’t reach it yet, and you can’t do anything else in this room — you’ll visit the laptop later. Go through the door at the other end of the room.

Hallway

Capcom via Polygon

Follow the hallway on the other side of the door around to the right. Grab the High-Grade Gunpowder as you pass. At the other end of the hallway, you’ll meet a new kind of plant zombie — an Ivy. You probably have some fuel for your Flamethrower, so switch to that — it’ll make quick work of the Ivy.

If you put Ivy down with the Flamethrower, burn them with a few extra blasts when they fall. When they turn black and crispy, they won’t get back up again.

Greenhouse Control Room

As soon as you walk in, grab the Flash Grenade. There’s a full-wall computer on your right that you can’t use yet. Instead, head to the yellow Solution Sprinkler System computer by the large window. Use it to empty the Dispersal Cartridge, then pick it up.

Greenhouse

Head out to the Greenhouse. Watch for more Ivy as you go.

Drug Testing Lab

In the Greenhouse, take the first left and follow the walkway around to the left. Grab the Red Herb and continue past to the Drug Testing Lab.

Inside, you’ll find a locked-up piece of equipment with a code you can’t read. Check the counters for the Herbicide Synthesis memo and some Gunpowder, and the corpse in the corner for a Hand Grenade.

Head back into the Greenhouse.

Unlock the hatch

Use the walkways to get to the south middle intersection. Pick up the Blue Herb there, then head to the left. You’ll find a locked hatch with another code on the top. Draw or screenshot the code (or just look at the image below, assuming that it’s the same in ), then head back to that wall-sized, Facility Control Terminal in the Greenhouse Control Room.

Capcom via Polygon

Enter the code from hatch into the computer to unlock it. Go back to the Greenhouse and climb down the ladder you just unlocked to East Area B2.

East Area B2

At the bottom of the ladder, turn left and head to the dark area at the back of the room. Pick up the Research Lab East Area Map and the Gunpowder (Large). Turn around and head around to the door out of this area.

Lounge

Head south to the Lounge. Grab the Shotgun Shells, Green Herb, and the helix-shaped Trophy. If you have spare ammo, make sure the corpses around the Lounge don’t get back up.

Capcom via Polygon

Examine the Trophy to find a code on the bottom for the Drug Testing Lab equipment locker.

As you continue south out of the Lounge, you’ll meet a couple Lickers. Handle them, then continue straight through to the stairwell at the west end.

Stairwell

Capcom via Polygon

Take the stairs all the way up, dealing with the zombies along the way. At the top, you’ll find a storage room.

Grab the High-Grade Gunpowder next to the door, then turn left to find Somebody’s Note and some Handgun Ammo. Pull the Signal Modulator out of the panel on the wall. Loop around to the far side of the storage area to unlock a door back to the Lobby.

Nap Room

Capcom via Polygon

While you’re here, head all the way back to the Nap Room. Examine the Signal Modulator in your inventory. Set the Signal Modulator to match the panel on the wall — MUF. Spin the dials until all the displays line up, and then place the Modulator in the wall.

Capcom via Polygon

Capcom via Polygon

Grab the Hip Pouch out of the first nap pod and smash the Mr. Raccoon toy, then shoot Wayne Li when he wakes up. Read Wayne Li’s Note.

Now you can head all the way back to the East Area Lobby.

Back to the Greenhouse Control Room

Capcom via Polygon

Head all the way back over to the Greenhouse Control Room. Enter the code from the bottom of the Trophy (or from the image above, assuming that it didn’t change in your game) into the Facility Control Terminal to unlock that equipment in the Drug Testing Lab.

Dispersal Unit Solution

Use the Greenhouse to loop around to the Drug Testing Lab. Place the Dispersal Cartridge into the now-unlocked Dispersal Unit.

Your goal is to fill the first cylinder on the left only up to the red line by moving the liquid around between all three cylinders.

Capcom via Polygon

The cylinders start out arranged Large, Medium, and Small from left to right. Here’s how to solve the puzzle:

1. Move all of the liquid into the Large cylinder.
2. Spin the left set and move most of the liquid from the middle (Large) into the left (Medium).
3. Spin the right pair, then the left pair — they should go from Small to Large now.
4. Move as much as you can from the Medium to the Small (middle to left).
5. Spin the right pair, then the left pair again — they should now go from Large, Small, Medium.
6. Move the liquid from the Small (middle) to the Large (left).

Now you’ve got a full Dispersal Cartridge. But you can’t use it yet.

Server Room

Head back down to the Lounge and use the Signal Modulator set to MURF to power up the area. Duck into the nearby Server Room and grab the High-Grade Gunpowder, Fuel, and Combat Knife. Hit the Typewriter and Item Box.

Low-Temp Testing Lab

Exit the Server Room and head south to the Low-Temp Testing Lab. Head straight to the back and handle the zombie slumped against the wall. Visit the computer to check Dr. Li’s Inbox. Continue to the right and around to the actually cold part.

Capcom via Polygon

Use the machine in the center of the room to cool down the Dispersal Cartridge (Solution). Grab the Gunpowder off the panel, then head back out.

Return to the Greenhouse Control Room

Get back to the Greenhouse Control Room by whatever path you’d like. Head to the Solution Sprinkler System and place the Dispersal Cartridge (Herbicide) in it to finally destroy Plant 43.

Capcom via Polygon

Head back into the Greenhouse and burn your way through any Ivy in there. Work your way to the right to find that body you spotted earlier. Pick up the Senior Staff Electronic Chip and put it in your ID Wristband.

Around that point, Tyrant will smash through the window above you. (We’d include a picture, but we were too busy sprinting away to grab a screenshot.) Just sprint your way out of the Greenhouse area back toward the Lobby.

Visit the Senior Staff PC in the Presentation Room to read Byron Cartwright’s Inbox.

Sprint the rest of the way out to the Main Shaft.