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Resident Evil Requiem features two endings, but only Release Elpis is canon.
Leon dies in the Destroy Elpis ending, but survives canonically.
Elpis and the BSAA tease set up major events for Resident Evil 10.
Resident Evil Requiem delivers something the series has rarely committed to previously: drastically different conclusions built around a single moral decision. Among the various Resident Evil Requiem Endings, only one moves the franchise forward in a meaningful way.
This Resident Evil Requiem breakdown explains both endings, Leon’s death, and how the story sets up the future of Resident Evil 9 and beyond.
The final act unfolds inside the ARK facility. The game switches between Leon and Grace when they reach this location. The decisive moment comes when Grace must choose what to do with Elpis.
She has two options:
Destroy Elpis
Release Elpis
This move is a major determinant of whether Leon dies and of the franchise's subsequent course.
If Grace chooses to destroy Elpis, events turn grim quickly.
Leon has reached the advanced stage of his infectious disease. The degradation of his bodily functions serves as his battle against Zeno, who serves as Albert Wesker's successor, revealing his current health state. Leon fights, but he is physically outmatched.
Grace destroys Elpis. The ARK facility begins collapsing. Leon manages one final act of defiance, stabbing Zeno and buying Grace time to escape. Zeno shoots Leon in the face during the chaotic events. Leon dies. The facility collapses, burying Zeno with it.
Grace survives, but she leaves with visible regret.
From a storytelling standpoint, this ending is emotionally effective. Leon’s death is not heroic in a triumphant sense. It feels abrupt and tragic. That weight is intentional. The player is meant to question whether destroying Elpis was the right call.
However, this path is almost certainly non-canon. Killing Leon permanently would remove one of the franchise’s most recognizable anchors. It would also shut down multiple narrative threads involving the BSAA, Chris Redfield, and the broader anti-bio-terror effort.
If this were canon, it would signal a full generational shift for the series. Instead, the game positions it as a cautionary outcome rather than the main timeline.
Choosing to Release Elpis leads to the true ending.
Zeno injects himself with Elpis. The substance Elpis cures his mutation while it removes his superhuman abilities. Victor Gideon intervenes to kill him before he can execute his new mission. Grace uses Elpis to cure Leon of his entire infection.
Leon then faces Victor, who transforms into a final-stage Nemesis-like form reminiscent of Resident Evil 3’s bio-weapon evolution. After Leon defeats him, a BSAA agent appears with a message: Captain Redfield wants to speak with him.
That reference to Chris Redfield is not subtle. It signals consolidation.
Outside the facility, Leon contacts Sherry and promises to deliver the antivirus to her as well. A news report later confirms Emily’s survival, found cocooned within the Bio-Terror Front of Rhodes Hill. Grace returns to her FBI desk job, now acting as a guardian figure in Emily’s life.
Then comes the final tease. Someone has neutralized BSAA agents in an unknown facility and is retrieving a mysterious “package.” It is a clear setup for the next chapter.
This ending reframes Elpis as more than a plot device. It is potentially a universal anti-virus, capable of neutralizing decades of Umbrella-derived bio-weapons. That shifts the power balance in the Resident Evil universe. For the first time, humanity may have a scalable countermeasure.
Leon’s survival also matters structurally. He is no longer just a legacy protagonist. He becomes a bridge between older arcs and whatever Resident Evil 10 intends to build.
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The true ending suggests three major implications.
First, the BSAA is not stable. The post-credit scene hints at internal compromise or infiltration. That could become the central conflict of Resident Evil 10.
Second, Umbrella’s legacy is evolving. Elpis represents a reversal of its philosophy. Instead of weaponizing viruses, it neutralizes them. Whether that power remains in the right hands is another question.
Third, the franchise appears to be consolidating its main protagonists. A Chris and Leon reunion feels deliberate. If rumors of a large-scale finale are accurate, Resident Evil Requiem positions itself as a transitional chapter.
So, does Leon die? Yes, in one ending, but canonically, he survives. With Elpis’s actions now in play, the future of the series looks less like containment and more like confrontation on a global scale.
Which ending is canon in Resident Evil Requiem?
The Release Elpis ending is canon. It cures Leon, advances the main storyline, and sets up future conflicts involving the BSAA and returning protagonists.
Does Leon die in Resident Evil Requiem?
Leon dies only if you choose to destroy Elpis. In the canon timeline, he survives after being cured with Elpis and continues the fight.
What is Elpis in Resident Evil Requiem?
Elpis appears to be a universal anti-virus capable of neutralizing advanced bio-weapons, potentially rewriting the power balance established by Umbrella’s legacy.
Who is the final boss in the true ending?
The post-credit scene featuring compromised BSAA agents and a mysterious package strongly hints at a larger conspiracy that will probably drive the next installment.
How does the ending set up Resident Evil 10?
The post-credit scene, which shows compromised BSAA agents receiving a mysterious package, establishes a major conspiracy that will drive the upcoming installment.
