Resident Evil Requiem – What is Elpis and What Choice Should You Make at the End of the Game?
Resident Evil Requiem is definitely a contender for game of the year this year, and it’s no wonder why. From the elevated horror we’re not used to seeing in the series, to the extreme and distinctly different gameplay of both Leon and Grace, Resident Evil Requiem offers a unique game, while still maintaining that awesome Resident Evil experience we know and love.
One of the things that has made Resident Evil Requiem so popular among the community is the main storyline, which is really interesting and compelling. Particularly towards the end, where you’re actually faced with a choice of releasing or destroying Elpis, the mysterious project created by Ozwell E. Spencer, and the reason this whole ordeal is happening to Grace and Leon. Here is an explanation of what Elpis is and what happens whether you decide to destroy or release it in Resident Evil Requiem.
What is Elpis?
Before you decide whether to destroy or release Elpis at the end of Resident Evil Requiem, you should probably understand what it is first. Throughout the game, you are led to believe that Elpis is another virus created by Umbrella, specifically Ozwell E. Spencer’s last viral technological creation. Victor Gideon and the mysterious organization, the Connections, were also under that same belief, and that their goal was to release Elpis into the world to gain absolute control over people’s minds.
Through Grace’s investigations and the disc left behind by Alyssa, you find out that Elpis is actually an antiviral that can cure any disease. Ozwell E. Spencer created Elpis because he believed it could bring an end to TRICELL, H.C.F., The Family, and Umbrella, and upset the military balance of the world. Grace comes to understand this information when she’s at the Archives, before going back to Pandora to try to save Leon and face Zeno.
What Happens If You Destroy Elpis?
When Grace and Leon make their way into Pandora, Leon is not looking so hot and asks Grace to destroy Elpis should anything happen to him. However, Grace suspects that Elpis is not what everyone thinks it is, and says she’s got a plan. When Zeno forces her to input the password into the computer to trigger the release of Elpis, you are faced with two choices: Destroy or Release Elpis.
If you choose to destroy Elpis, Grace will input the wrong password: DESTRUCTION. This would shut down the machine containing the cure and destroy the Platform you are on. When this happens, Leon will help Grace off the platform; however, Leon himself is too far gone to make his own escape, so he stays on. He and Zeno engage in a fight, if you can call it that, Zeno ends up shooting Leon in the head. It was difficult to watch this scene because of how much I love Leon, but this is effectively the bad ending.
What Happens If You Release Elpis?
The bad ending left a sour taste in my mouth, especially given Leon’s ending and the fact that we did not get our usual Nemesis boss fight. This ending did not feel satisfactory at all, given how hyped Resident Evil Requiem was. That’s where the good ending, releasing Elpis, comes in. Given the information Grace acquired at the Archives, she has a general idea of what the password could be to release Elpis.
The disc that Alyssa leaves her is a video of an interview Alyssa conducts with Ozwell E. Spencer. The video reveals vital information about what Elpis is, and that Grace is Spencer’s adopted daughter, having no real connection to Elpis or Umbrella. However, watching the videos, Grace is able to figure out the password to the computer holding Elpis: HOPE. Typing this in opens the container holding 6 vials of the cure, to which Zeno takes one and uses it on himself, thinking it would transform him.
Grace also takes one and uses it on Leon, effectively curing him. This is when lore expositions happen, with Grace explaining to everyone that Elpis is not a virus meant to control people’s minds, but a cure to any disease or infection. Victor Gideon also shows up at this point. He and Zeno argue over the misinformation they believed for years, to which Victor decapitates a now-cured Zeno. Throughout all this, Leon also wakes up, and that is when the final boss fight with Victor commences.
What Does Grace Have to Do With Elpis?
Grace actually has nothing to do with Elpis at all. She was an orphan born in 2004, over a decade after Elpis was created. However, she was subsequently adopted by Spencer, with him stating that her ordinariness is the only hope he has in the world. However, nobody except Alyssa was aware of her existence to Spencer, so when Victor Gideon found files on Grace, he assumed she was connected to the Elpis project, which led him to kidnap her.
Resident Evil Requiem is chock-full of great revelations, psychological horror, and great action sequences, making this one of my all-time favorite games of 2026. It’s definitely a contender for game of the year this year, and I’m excited to see others enjoy Resident Evil Requiem as well.
