Episode 5 of Directive 8020 puts you in the role of medical officer Samantha Cooper, and one of its trickier moments involves tracking down three specific chemicals for a crewmate named Anders. The puzzle looks intimidating when you're staring at nine chemical symbols with no clear labels, but the solution is straightforward once you know what you're looking for.
What is Anders asking Cooper to do?
Anders approaches Cooper and asks for help sourcing sedatives for an unspecified "experiment." Whether you actually trigger this puzzle depends entirely on how you've been playing Cooper up to this point. If you've been leaning into her playful personality trait, you'll agree to help and the puzzle activates. If you've kept Cooper strictly professional, you may bypass this section entirely.
So if a friend tells you they never saw this puzzle, that's probably why.
Chemical cabinet keypad, Episode 5
How do you solve the chemical agents puzzle for Anders?
The answer is simpler than the game lets on. Inside the chemical cabinet room, each chemical is assigned a number. The three chemicals required to synthesize Diazepam correspond to the keypad code 168. Enter that sequence and the cabinet opens.
The three chemicals you need are:
- Chloroacetyl Chloride
- Ammonia
- Dimethyl Sulfate
Before approaching the cabinet, check the three posters on the walls around the room. Each poster shows one chemical symbol paired with its full name, alongside two decoy symbols. They're the game's built-in hint system, though they're easy to overlook when you're scanning the room quickly.
The cabinet itself shows only chemical symbols, not names, which is where most players get tripped up. Nine symbols total, three correct ones, and no obvious way to cross-reference them without the wall posters.
Why does the puzzle feel harder than it is?
The design puts the solution right in front of you, but spreads it across three separate posters rather than giving you a single reference sheet. If you walk past those posters without reading them, you're left guessing between nine symbols with no context. Taking a screenshot of all three posters before touching the cabinet saves a lot of backtracking.
Entering the wrong code doesn't lock you out permanently, but it does waste time and can break immersion during what's already a tense sequence. Double-check your symbols against the posters before punching anything in.
What happens after you combine the chemicals?
Once you input 168, combine the three agents, and return the completed sedative to Anders, a cutscene plays showing Anders taking the mixture. The two characters then reconvene in the wing to continue the objective, eventually meeting back up with Williams. That wraps up this particular storyline thread and lets you move forward with Anders' plan.
Does your personality choice actually matter here?
Yes, meaningfully. The chemical agents puzzle is one of several moments in Directive 8020 where Cooper's personality path gates entire gameplay segments. Playful Cooper gets pulled into Anders' scheme; professional Cooper sidesteps it. Neither path is objectively better, but if you want to see everything Episode 5 has to offer, you'll need at least one playthrough of each.
This is consistent with how adventure games in the narrative horror space handle branching, where character disposition shapes which scenes you even access rather than just which ending you get.
For more walkthroughs covering other puzzles and story decisions across all episodes, the full Directive 8020 strategy guides collection has you covered. If you're still working out when to jump in, check the Directive 8020 release date and start times guide for region-specific details on when the game went live.