TL;DR
- The Recessed Panel is inside the ARK Lobby — it requires two orbs to open the giant red door.
- You need the Animus Orb (from the Cleanroom) and the Noblesse Orb (from the Operations Room).
- Before any of this, you must get the Override Key and then the Magnetic Key from the Dump Control Room.
- Lickers are everywhere in this section — Bottles of Acid one-shot them.
- Warning: Once you place both orbs and interact with the central terminal inside, you cannot return to this area as Grace.
The Recessed Panel in Resident Evil Requiem is one of the more confusing puzzles in the game — not because it is mechanically complex, but because the game never clearly tells you where to find the two items you need to open it. You just see a giant locked red door in the ARK Lobby and have no obvious path forward.
This guide walks you through every step, from getting the Magnetic Key to collecting both orbs and opening the door.
What Is the Recessed Panel in RE9?
The Recessed Panel puzzle is found inside the ARK Lobby. Grace reaches this area after picking up the Magnetic Key by turning on power in the Dump Control Room with the Override Key. The Recessed Panel sits on a giant red door and requires two items to unlock it.
Grace’s section in ARK ends once she grabs both Orbs for the Recessed Panel in the Lobby and enters the red doors. More specifically, if Grace enters through the red doors and interacts with the central computer, she will be forced into a cutscene, and when you return as Grace, the red doors are locked.
So before you go through, make sure you have explored the ARK thoroughly, grabbed all collectibles, and opened the Monitor Control Room safe. There is no going back after you trigger that cutscene.
What You Need to Open the Recessed Panel
To open the Recessed Panel, you need two items:
- Animus Orb — found in the Cleanroom
- Noblesse Orb — found in the Operations Room
But before you can get either of those, you need the Magnetic Key. And to get the Magnetic Key, you first need the Override Key.
Step 1 — Get the Override Key and Magnetic Key
After a dramatic sequence that lands both Leon and Grace in serious trouble, you will find yourself playing as Grace inside the ARK. Leon is trapped in the Dump with no power and no way out. It is up to Grace to navigate through a lab full of Lickers and zombies to find the Override Key and restore power to the Dump Control Room.
The Override Key is found in Chemical Storage. Once you have it, head to the Dump Control Room and use it on the activation console. This restores power, frees Leon, and unlocks the Magnetic Key on the nearby wall.
After the cutscene, look at the north wall of the Dump Control Room, opposite the terminal you just used. The Magnetic Key is now sitting in a glowing green case on the wall. Pick it up.
For full details on this step, see our guides on the Dump Control Room Override Key and how to open ARK Key Reader doors.
Step 2 — Enter the Lobby
With the Magnetic Key in hand, head back up to the Lab Entrance. Use the Magnetic Key on the red door next to the typewriter. This opens into the Lobby — a room with distinctive red-painted floors.
Once inside the Lobby, you will see the Recessed Panel on the giant red door at the far end. It needs both orbs inserted before it will open. You do not have them yet, so head out to find them now.
While you are in the Lobby, do not skip the Monitor Control Room — it is the first green door on the left. The last safe in the game is in there, along with a collectible file. After you complete the puzzle in the Lobby and enter through the red door, you cannot return to the Monitor Control Room. Open it now. See our Monitor Control Room Safe Code guide if you need the combination.
Step 3 — Get the Animus Orb (Cleanroom)
The Animus Orb can be found in a case inside the Cleanroom. The room is initially locked. Acquire the Magnetic Key from the Dump Control Room to unlock the Cleanroom.
Head back to Bioweapon Repository 02, the same area you passed through to reach Chemical Storage. Use the Magnetic Key on the Key Reader door in Bioweapon Repository 02. This leads into the Cleanroom. Inside the Cleanroom, there is a red chest at the back containing the Animus Orb. There is also a Molotov Cocktail nearby — grab it.
Be alert when you pick up the orb. Three zombies will jump out of the tanks in the Cleanroom right after you grab it. You can run past them if you are low on ammo, or take them down quickly and loot the room.
Once you have the Animus Orb, head back to the Lobby and slot it into the Recessed Panel. One down, one to go.
Step 4 — Get the Noblesse Orb (Operations Room)
The Noblesse Orb can be found in a case inside the Operations Room. After unlocking the Lobby, go past the Monitor Control Room towards the Anteroom. Head down into Bioweapon Repository 05, then back up the stairs at the end of the room to reach the Operations Room.
This area is infested with Lickers, so craft some Acid Bottles if you can — they will instantly kill any Licker they hit. If you do not have the equipment to take them down, try to avoid them, as they are blind. Move slowly and stay away from broken glass on the floor. Lickers cannot see you but they can hear sudden movement or loud footsteps.
Once you get across the room and go up the stairs, you will find the white Noblesse Orb in a chest at the back of the Operations Room. There is a typewriter in here — use it to save your game before continuing, as more Lickers await ahead.
After saving, make your way back through Bioweapon Repository 05, past the Anteroom, and return to the Lobby.
Step 5 — Open the Recessed Panel
With both the Animus Orb and the Noblesse Orb in hand, return to the Recessed Panel on the giant red door inside the Lobby.
As you return to the Lobby, Lickers will crash through the doors. Throw an Empty Bottle to lure both Lickers to the sound, and then throw a Bottle of Acid to kill them both. This is the cleanest way to handle them without taking damage right before the final push.
Once the Lickers are dealt with, walk up to the Recessed Panel and insert both orbs. The giant red door will open.
When you finally use both the Animus Orb and Noblesse Orb to open the door, you will be able to interact with the desk at the rear of the room to get some lore drops and continue.
Do not interact with the central terminal until you are ready to move on. Upon entering the room and interacting with the central terminal, you will be locked out of returning to the ARK with Grace. Make sure you have done everything — opened the safe, grabbed the collectible files, and explored every room — before you trigger that final interaction.
Tips for Surviving the ARK Lobby Section
- Craft Bottles of Acid before entering Bioweapon Repository 05. They are the fastest, most reliable way to deal with Lickers and will save you a lot of health and stress.
- Lickers are blind. If you are low on resources, crouch and move slowly past them. Avoid glass on the floor, as it makes noise.
- Save at the Operations Room typewriter. There is a tough stretch ahead after you grab the Noblesse Orb. Save before you push forward.
- Grab the Molotov Cocktail in the Cleanroom. It is sitting next to the Animus Orb chest. Pick it up — it is useful for standard grey zombies and can take them down in one hit.
- Open the Monitor Control Room safe before placing both orbs. Once you step through the red door and interact with the terminal, that area is permanently locked off.
What Comes After the Recessed Panel?
After Grace goes through the red door and triggers the cutscene, the story moves forward into its final stretch. The ARK section concludes and the game shifts back to Leon, who uses the Override Key to navigate through Bioweapon Repository 11 and 12 on his side of the facility.
If you want to be fully prepared before reaching this point, check out our complete guide on all safe codes and locations in RE9 and the Sterilization Chamber Safe Code.
More Resident Evil Requiem Guides
- Dump Control Room Override Key
- How to Open ARK Key Reader Doors
- Monitor Control Room Safe Code
- Sterilization Chamber Safe Code
- All Safe Codes, Locations and Rewards
- How to Get Requiem Bullets in RE9
- How to Get a Gun Playing as Grace
- How to Collect All 3 Detonator Parts
- All BSAA Container Locations and Rewards
- BSAA Container Key Location
- VIP Suite Puzzle — Hourglass and Double Helix
- RPD Scavenger Hunt Puzzle Solution
- How to Complete the Corpse Puzzle in the Examination Room
- Chairman’s Office Puzzle Box
- Destroy or Release Elpis — Which to Choose?
- How Long to Beat Resident Evil Requiem
- How to Unlock Infinite Ammo in RE9
- Resident Evil Requiem PC Requirements
