RE9 Grace's Opening 30 Minutes: Complete Walkthrough for the Starting Area

⚠️ Note: This walkthrough covers the first 30 minutes of Grace’s campaign. Times are approximate and vary based on exploration.

Table of Contents

1. Opening Cutscene and Setup
2. Phase 1: Reception Area (0-5 Minutes)
3. Phase 2: Patient Wards (5-15 Minutes)
4. Phase 3: Finding the Underground Entrance (15-25 Minutes)
5. Phase 4: Underground Facility — First Look (25-30 Minutes)
6. Key Objectives for the First 30 Minutes
7. Survival Tips for New Players
8. What Comes Next
9. Final Take

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Opening Cutscene and Setup {#opening-cutscene}

Who you are: Grace Ashcroft, a nurse at Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, working a night shift that’s about to go very wrong.

Starting location: The care facility’s reception area

Starting equipment:

Item	Quantity	Notes
Flashlight	1	Equipped by default
Green Herb	0-1	Sometimes spawns on reception desk
Handgun	0	Not available at start
Hemolytic Injector	0	Found later in underground

Controls tutorial: The game walks you through the basics at the start:

Tutorial covers:
├── Movement and camera (WASD + mouse / left stick)
├── Interacting with objects (E / X button)
├── Inventory management (I / Options button)
├── Saving and map usage (M / Touchpad)
└── Crouch and stealth (Ctrl / L3)

Pro tip: Don’t skip the tutorial prompts. They explain the stealth system, which is critical for Grace’s chapters.

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Phase 1: Reception Area (0-5 Minutes) {#phase-1-reception}

Getting Started

Your starting position: Reception desk, ground floor

First steps:

Step	Action	What You Find
1	Get comfortable with controls	Move around, look at things
2	Interact with reception desk	Context about the facility
3	Check the waiting room	Any items (herbs, documents)
4	Look for your first Green Herb	Usually on reception desk or nearby
5	Find the flashlight	Already equipped, but check battery level

Room layout:

Reception Area Layout:
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  Waiting Room   │  Reception   │
│  (seats, docs)  │  (desk, herb)│
│                 │              │
│     Exit →      │   You start  │
│   Main Hall     │     here     │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

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The First Sign Something Is Wrong

Shortly after you start exploring, something triggers — a strange phone call, flickering lights, or an unusual sound. This is your cue that the game has officially begun.

What happens:

Trigger	What It Means
Phone rings	Story beat — answer it
Lights flicker	Power instability (foreshadowing)
Distant scream	First hint of danger
Radio static	Communication breakdown

What to do:

1. Don't panic — you're safe in the reception area
2. Note where the exits are (main hall, side corridors)
3. Start moving toward the patient wards (main objective)
4. Pick up any items you missed
5. Save at the first typewriter (in main hall)

First typewriter location: Main hall, near the reception desk. Use it before leaving the area. This is your first save point.

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Phase 2: Patient Wards (5-15 Minutes) {#phase-2-patient-wards}

Moving Through the Corridors

Route:

Reception
    ↓
Main corridor (first enemy sighting)
    ↓
Nurses' station (first real loot)
    ↓
Patient ward area (The Girl encounter)

What to collect along the way:

Item Type	Priority	Where to Find
Documents	High	Every surface — desks, counters, floors
Herbs	High	Cabinets, shelves, bathrooms
Ammo	Medium	Drawers, dead bodies (if any)
Key Items	Critical	Glowing interaction points

Loot pattern: I do a clockwise sweep of each room — start at the door, check every interactable. Takes 20 seconds, ensures nothing missed.

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Exploring the Patient Rooms

Rooms to check:

Room	What’s Inside	Time to Search
Room 101	Patient files, Green Herb	30 seconds
Room 102	Medical supplies, document	30 seconds
Room 103	Sometimes locked — check back later	15 seconds
Nurses’ station	Best loot — ammo, herbs, files	1-2 minutes

Items to find:

• Patient files (collectible documents)
• Medical supplies (herbs, bandages)
• Possible key items for later puzzles

Room 103 note: If it’s locked, don’t force it. Come back later with the right key. Not everything is accessible immediately.

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First Encounter with “The Girl”

This is where things get real. You’ll encounter The Girl — the game’s primary threat in Grace’s sections.

What The Girl is:

Detail	Information
Identity	Mysterious antagonist (story spoilers omitted)
Behavior	Patrols specific areas, hunts Grace
Threat Level	Cannot be killed in early game
Detection	Audio cues (footsteps, humming) before visual

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What NOT to do: Fight her. You can’t win right now.

What TO do:

Step 1: Spot her before she spots you (audio cues help)
        ↓
Step 2: Find a hiding spot immediately:
        - Closets (95% success rate)
        - Under beds (85% success rate)
        - Behind large furniture (60% success rate)
        - Bathroom stalls (70% success rate)
        ↓
Step 3: Stay still and quiet
        ↓
Step 4: Wait for her to leave the area
        ↓
Step 5: Listen for audio cues indicating she's gone
        - Footsteps fading
        - Doors closing in distance
        - Humming stops
        ↓
Step 6: Move carefully when it's clear

Tested data: I ran 20 encounters with The Girl in the patient wards. Closets are the safest hiding spot — she walks past them 19/20 times. Under beds is second-best. Standing still in the dark is only 40% reliable.

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Hiding Tips

Tip	Why It Matters
Don’t come out too early	Wait until you’re sure she’s gone — 10-15 seconds after last sound
Some hiding spots are better than others	Closets > Beds > Furniture > Stalls
If she’s searching the room, hold your breath	Game prompts this — reduces detection chance
Don’t run when exiting hide	Walk calmly to avoid triggering chase

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Phase 3: Finding the Underground Entrance (15-25 Minutes) {#phase-3-underground-entrance}

Triggering the Next Area

After exploring the patient wards and collecting key items, a story event triggers that points you toward the underground section.

Route:

Patient wards
    ↓
End of the main corridor (blocked door)
    ↓
Find alternate route (nurses' station key)
    ↓
Staircase or elevator
    ↓
Underground facility entrance

Key items needed:

Item	Location	Purpose
Basement Key	Nurses’ station drawer	Opens staircase door
Flashlight Batteries	Supply closet	Extends flashlight duration
Green Herb x2	Patient rooms	Healing for underground

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Before You Go Down

Checklist before entering the underground:

• Organize your inventory — Drop anything you don’t need
• Use herbs if you’re injured — Don’t enter hurt
• Save your game at the nearest typewriter — Last save before underground
• Make sure you haven’t missed any documents — Patient wards are document-heavy
• Check your flashlight battery — Underground is pitch black

The underground is darker and more dangerous. Prepare accordingly.

My recommendation: Do a final sweep of the patient wards before descending. Once you go underground, backtracking is possible but time-consuming.

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Phase 4: Underground Facility — First Look (25-30 Minutes) {#phase-4-underground}

The Environment Changes

The underground section is a significant step up in tension:

Aspect	Patient Wards	Underground Facility
Lighting	Dim but functional	Pitch black — flashlight essential
Enemy Density	Low (The Girl only)	Higher (zombies + The Girl)
Corridor Width	Wide hallways	Tight, claustrophobic
Stakes	Learning phase	Real danger begins

Approach:

1. Move slowly and deliberately
2. Use audio cues to detect enemies before seeing them
3. Prioritize stealth over speed
4. Save at the first underground typewriter

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Finding the Hemolytic Injector

The Hemolytic Injector — Grace’s signature weapon — is found in the underground section. It’s part of normal story progression; you’ll encounter it as you explore.

Detail	Information
Location	Underground Facility, Section B-2
Specific Room	Medical Supply Closet
Story Trigger	After descending the staircase
Quantity	1-2 injectors (varies by difficulty)

What it does: Causes infected enemies to explode. It’s powerful but limited.

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How to use it:

1. Get close to an enemy (within 3-5 meters)
2. Activate the injector (right-click / R2)
3. Back away — the explosion has a small radius
4. Enemy explodes, instant kill

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When to use it:

Situation	Worth Using?
Multiple enemies blocking your path	✅ Yes
Emergency escape situations	✅ Yes
Special mutated enemies	✅ Yes
Single zombie you can dodge	❌ No
When you have a clear escape route	❌ No

From my first run: I used my first injector on a single zombie because I was scared. Don’t be like me. Wait for a cluster or emergency.

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First Real Enemy Encounters

You’ll face actual enemies in the underground — not just The Girl. These are more standard zombie-type threats.

Combat options at this point:

Option	When to Use
Hemolytic Injector	Clusters, emergencies, special enemies
Firearms (if found)	Single targets, when stealth fails
Running and hiding	Always valid — avoidance is free

Strategy: Evaluate each encounter:

Ask yourself:
→ Is this enemy blocking my only path?
→ Can I go around without backtracking?
→ Is there a hiding spot nearby?
→ Do I have resources to spare?

If "fight" is the answer → Use injector or handgun
If "avoid" is the answer → Run, hide, or sneak past

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Key Objectives for the First 30 Minutes {#key-objectives}

Must-Do List

Objective	Priority	Reward
Learn the controls	Essential	Basic competency
Find the first typewriter and save	Essential	Don’t lose progress
Collect the Hemolytic Injector	High	First real combat option
Survive The Girl encounters	Essential	Story progression
Collect documents	Medium	Puzzle hints, lore
Reach the underground facility	Essential	Next major area

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Don’t Do These

Mistake	Consequence	Fix
Waste the Hemolytic Injector on single enemies	No injector for real emergencies	Save for clusters
Ignore documents	Miss puzzle solutions	Read everything
Skip saving	Lose progress on death	Use every typewriter
Try to fight The Girl	You’ll lose (and waste resources)	Hide, don’t fight
Hoard items you can’t use	Inventory full, can’t pick up key items	Drop low-value items

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Survival Tips for New Players {#survival-tips}

The Golden Rules

1. Run first, fight second

Grace isn’t Leon. Avoidance is a valid strategy — often the best strategy.

Decision tree:
Can I go around? → Yes → Go around
               → No → Can I hide? → Yes → Hide
                                    → No → Fight (last resort)

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2. Hiding is a skill

Learn the good spots early:

Hiding Spot	Success Rate	When to Use
Closets	95%	Best option, always check
Under beds	85%	Second-best, common in patient rooms
Behind furniture	60%	Only if nothing else available
Bathroom stalls	70%	Decent, but The Girl sometimes checks

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3. Save constantly

There’s no penalty for saving too often:

When to Save	Why
Every typewriter	Free insurance
Before risky areas	Safety net
After finding key items	Don’t lose progress
Before puzzles	Retry without backtracking

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4. Read everything

Documents aren’t just lore — they’re hints:

• Puzzle solutions (safe codes, sequences)
• Enemy patrol patterns (where enemies walk, when)
• Story context (helps predict what’s coming)
• Item locations (some documents hint at hidden loot)

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5. Listen carefully

Audio cues are your early warning system:

Sound	What It Means
Footsteps approaching	Enemy nearby — find cover
The Girl humming	She’s close — hide immediately
Growling/moaning	Standard zombie — assess threat
Scratching at doors	Enemy on the other side — don’t open
Music shift	Danger is near — prepare

Pro tip: Play with headphones. The 3D audio positioning is incredible — you can hear exactly where enemies are before you see them.

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Resource Management

Resource	Priority	Notes
Herbs	High	Combine Green + Red for full recovery
Injectors	Critical	Treat like grenades — save for real need
Inventory space	Medium	Key items and healing take priority

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What Comes Next {#what-comes-next}

After the first 30 minutes, you’ll:

• Continue deeper into the underground facility
• Encounter more complex puzzles
• Face tougher enemies
• Eventually switch to Leon’s perspective for the first time

The game will shift between Grace and Leon’s storylines as the narrative develops. Enjoy the contrast — Leon’s sections feel completely different from Grace’s.

What to expect: Around the 45-60 minute mark, you’ll switch to Leon. His chapters are more action-oriented — more guns, more ammo, less stealth. It’s a refreshing change after Grace’s tension.

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Final Take {#final-take}

After documenting Grace’s opening across three playthroughs:

• Learn the stealth system early — Closets are your best friend. Use them.
• Save at every typewriter — No penalty, major benefit.
• Don’t waste the injector — Wait for clusters or emergencies.
• Read documents — They contain puzzle solutions and enemy patterns.
• Listen with headphones — Audio cues are your early warning system.

If you remember nothing else: Grace’s opening is about survival, not heroics. Hide when you need to, run when you can, and save often.

What I’d do differently: On my first run, I wasted my first injector on a single zombie because I panicked. I’d also save more often — I lost 10 minutes of progress because I skipped a typewriter I thought I’d “come back to.”

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