One of the trickier early puzzles in the Resident Evil 4 remake comes in Chapter 4, when you’re exploring the caverns around the lake in search of the Church Key. The two items you need to access that key are locked behind sturdy gates on opposite sides of the map, and it’s not instantly obvious how to open them. Your only clue is a big console full of buttons nearby. Here’s how to figure out the cave puzzles in the Resident Evil 4 remake.
Heads Up: How to Get Through the Caverns in the Resident Evil 4 Remake
The first time you see one of the cave puzzles, you might assume that the solution is in a file you haven’t found yet. However, this puzzle does something that Resident Evil doesn’t do very often. Usually there’s some journal, diary, or dead guy’s last words nearby to give you a crucial clue.
Instead, the Resident Evil 4 remake cave puzzles’ solutions are nearby, but you may not notice them at first glance. What initially looks like meaningless Ganado graffiti is actually the key to… well, the key you need.
The first puzzle is in a small building in a smaller cavern on the northeastern side of the lake. (“Northeastern” here assumes you’re looking at your map under its default settings, where it has a fixed orientation.) There aren’t any enemies here, so it’s safe to disembark and look around.
The three parts of the puzzle’s code can be found written on the walls that surround you. The first is right on the wall at the base of the ladder to the second floor, with no gimmicks.
The second is painted half on the wall of the cavern, out over the water, and half on the wall at the top of the ladder, next to the unlocked bureau. If you stand in the right place, you can see the correct symbol.
Finally, the third part of this puzzle’s clue is written both on the cavern’s wall and the side of the building. If you stand in the right place, you can see both halves of the code at once, next to each other.
The code indicates you should push the buttons at roughly 9 o’clock, 7:30, and 4:30 on the console, as circled below.
This opens the gate and lets you take the Blasphemer’s Head. Don’t forget to clean out the building before you go, particularly the treasure on the second floor of the statue room (a Ruby) and a piece of the hexagon puzzle you passed earlier in the game.
From here, head southwest into the cave tunnels off the lake to the dock south of the Merchant’s hangout. Collecting the second statue head requires you to deal with a pack of Ganados, and reinforcements will arrive when you’ve got it.
Once you’ve dealt with them, you can start looking for answers. The solution to the second cave puzzle consists of three parts that are written on the cavern’s walls in yellow paint, but it’s darker in here and there’s a lot more opposition, so they’re easier to miss.
The first clue is on the wall next to the ladder that leads up to the locked gate.
The second is painted on two pillars directly across from the gate, on the cavern’s second floor.
Finally, the third clue is on the wall just past the pillars, on the closer side of the rickety wooden bridge.
Go back to the console and hit the buttons at roughly 6 o’clock, 10:30, and 1:30.
Now you can grab the Apostate’s Head before fighting your way back to the boat. Next, you must return to the weird open-handed lock you saw earlier and place both heads to receive the Church Key. It doesn’t appear to matter what head you put in what hand. Either way, you’ll have solved the cave puzzles in Resident Evil 4 and will now be able to head back to the Church to save Ashley.
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