The Pantry Room in Resident Evil Requiem is one of those optional detours that's absolutely worth your time. Tucked away in the West Wing of the Rhodes Hill Care Center, it holds some genuinely useful loot, including rare ammo and a charm that changes how you play as Grace. The catch? The only way in requires you to take down one of the most intimidating enemies in the game. Here's everything you need to know.
Where Is the Pantry Key in Resident Evil Requiem?
The Pantry Door Key isn't sitting on a shelf or tucked behind a puzzle. It's on the Butcher himself, a massive infected enemy you'll first encounter when you step into the Kitchen area of the Care Center's ground floor. He's hard to miss: a hulking figure hacking away at a workstation, radiating pure threat.
Kitchen area Butcher location
After that first sighting, the Butcher also patrols the ground floor corridors of the West Wing, so you'll cross paths with him again whether you're looking for a fight or not.
warning
The Butcher delivers an instant-kill attack if he grabs you. He'll mercilessly butcher Grace on contact, so never let him close the distance without a plan.
There is no alternative method to open the Pantry Door. No lockpicks, no workarounds, no shortcuts. The key only comes from defeating the Butcher, full stop.
What Do You Need Before Fighting the Butcher?
Rushing this fight unprepared is a fast way to restart from a checkpoint. Before you engage, make sure you have access to the West Wing Keycard (required to reach this area at all) and ideally at least one Hemolytic Injector in your inventory.
West Wing Keycard item
tip
Skip the Butcher entirely on your first visit to the Kitchen. You're almost certainly underprepared at that point. Come back once you've explored more of the Care Center and stocked up.
How to Kill the Butcher in Resident Evil Requiem
There are three solid approaches depending on your resources and how far you are in the story.
Method 1: Fight Him Normally as Grace
If you've been conserving Requiem pistol ammo (the 12.7x55mm rounds), now is a great time to spend some. A couple of well-placed shots from the Requiem pistol deal serious damage, and a few upgraded standard rounds can finish the job if you keep your distance and stay mobile. The key is never letting him get close enough to grab you.
Method 2: Use a Hemolytic Injector
This is the fastest and most resource-efficient option. Hemolytic Injectors are one-use items you unlock the ability to use as you explore the Care Center, and a single injector will drop the Butcher instantly. You can either sneak up on him for a clean stealth takedown or soften him up in combat until he's stunned, then close in and use the injector. Either way, one shot and he's done.
Method 3: Return as Leon
(Slight story spoiler ahead) After you collect the third Quartz item, Grace drops through a hole and you take control of Leon. At this point, Leon has access to a Shotgun, Grenades, and a much more aggressive loadout. If the Butcher is still alive when you switch characters, you can tackle him with Leon's arsenal and make short work of him with minimal stress.
Butcher Takedown Methods Compared
What's Inside the Pantry?
Once you use the Pantry Door Key on the locked door in the Kitchen, here's exactly what you'll find waiting inside:
- Stakeout Takeout Charm (a knife-focused charm, excellent if you play aggressively as Grace)
- 1x Scrap
- 5x Handgun Ammo
- 1x 12.7x55mm Ammo (Requiem pistol rounds, which are rare and hit extremely hard)
- Two buckets of blood
Pantry loot Stakeout Charm
The Stakeout Takeout Charm is the standout reward here. If you enjoy using Grace's knife in close encounters, this charm directly supports that playstyle. The 12.7x55mm ammo is equally valuable since Requiem pistol rounds are scarce throughout the game and the damage output makes every bullet count.
tip
The Pantry Room is entirely optional and has no main story items tied to it. If you're low on resources and want to skip the Butcher, you won't miss anything critical for progression.
How to Unlock the Order Up! Trophy
Defeating the Butcher also rewards you with the Order Up! trophy. The trophy description simply asks you to defeat the Chef (another name used for this enemy) in the Care Center during the main story. It doesn't matter whether you take him down as Grace or Leon, using an injector or raw firepower. Kill him, grab the key, and the trophy is yours automatically.
This makes the Pantry detour even more worthwhile if you're chasing the full trophy list, since you're earning both the loot and a collectible achievement in one go.