⚠ SPOILER LEVEL: HIGH
Insanity Mode Chapter Walkthrough — Resident Evil Requiem
PUBLISHED MAY 2026 · 18 MIN READ · REMARKABLE AGENT TROPHY GUIDE
EDITOR: Jachin (Seoul)
GAME VERSION: v1.02 (May 2026 patch)
LAST VERIFIED: 2026-05-11
PLATFORM TESTED: PS5 / Steam · with & without Infinite
Insanity is Resident Evil Requiem's hardest difficulty — 2.5× enemy damage, 40% ammo pickups, no auto-saves. This chapter-by-chapter walkthrough breaks down every major encounter with specific survival strategies, resource targets, and the most efficient path to the Remarkable Agent Gold trophy.
⚠ Required first: Complete the main story on any difficulty to unlock Insanity. Buying Infinite Requiem (6,000 CP) at the Special Content Store before starting Insanity is strongly recommended. Infinite Ammo does not void the Remarkable Agent trophy.
Before starting — preparation
Insanity reshapes the entire RE9 experience. Enemies that took 2 shots now take 6. A single zombie bite removes nearly half your HP. Save points are manual-only — there are no auto-saves to fall back on. Ammo pickups give you about 40% of what they would on Standard.
The good news: knowing the maps cold from your Standard playthrough turns this into a tactical puzzle rather than a brutal slog. Infinite Requiem makes most encounters trivial — but the question becomes where to use it and where to conserve.
// PRE-INSANITY CHECKLIST
- ✅ Completed Standard playthrough (unlocks Insanity)
- ✅ Collected enough CP for Infinite Requiem (6,000 CP)
- ✅ Optional: Infinite RPG (5,000 CP) for boss skips
- ✅ Optional: Mortal Edge starting Hatchet from NG+ rewards
- ✅ Read our Insanity unlock guide for full reward breakdown
💡 Speedrun stack tip: Insanity unlocks both Remarkable Agent AND Speedrunner trophies in one run if completed under 4 hours. Combined with NG+ Final Puzzle, this is the most efficient Platinum path.
CHAPTER 01Wrenwood Hotel
The opening as Grace. Difficulty isn't bad here — the real test starts in Chapter 2. Use this time to get comfortable with Insanity's damage scaling and parry windows.
// HOTEL ENTRY
No combat. Just collectibles and atmosphere. Grab Mr. Raccoon #1 in the lobby and File #3 behind the reception desk.
// FIRST INFECTED ENCOUNTER
A single zombie in the upstairs hallway. One headshot with Requiem kills — body shots take 3+. This sets the Insanity damage rule for the rest of the run: always aim for the head.
// FLASHBACK SEQUENCE
Story-only, no combat. Pick up Alyssa's Journal (File #5) for NG+ Final Puzzle prep.
CHAPTER 02Care Center — Grace 1F & 2F
This is where Insanity actually starts. The Care Center has the highest enemy density of the early game, with Lickers introduced for the first time. Save your Requiem ammo — you'll need it for the Plant 43 and Commander fights.
// ROOM 203 ESCAPE
Stealth is mandatory here. The Lighter in Room 201 is required — sneak past the patrolling zombie in the hallway. Do not engage.
// GUARD OFFICE (SAFE ROOM)
Save here. Open the Waiting Room safe (code 9-1-5 on Normal — randomized on Insanity). The clue is in Patient List Excerpt in the Examination Room.
// FIRST LICKER ENCOUNTER
Lickers are blind but extremely fast. Bottles of Acid one-shot them. If you don't have acid, use the P40 to lure them into doorways then knife-finish from behind. Avoid open rooms.
⚠ Chunk #1 boss: Optional. Skip on speedrun. If doing for trophy, 3 Hemolytic Injectors from behind = instant kill. Drops Eye Spy Charm (random fatal damage save).
// 2F EXPLORATION
Get the Pencil from the Chairman's Office to shade Director's Notes (reveals safe combination). Pick up the Blood Collector in the Blood Lab — required for crafting.
CHAPTER 03Care Center Basement
The most resource-heavy section of Grace's chapters. Workshop Safe (R60·L40·R80 on Normal), Sterilization Chamber clue, and the Bioweapon Repository all live here.
// SAFE-CRACKING ROUTE
Workshop Safe → Sterilization Chamber clue → Anteroom → Bioweapon Repository. On Insanity, all clue files are critical — do not skip reading them.
// COLLECTION & TESTING ROOM
Marie's Drawing (File #39) is here. MISSABLE on Insanity speedrun. Also pick up Subject 17 Reports (#40-42) for NG+ Final Puzzle. The Chunk #2 encounter is in the Attic — stay calm and use shotgun pickups.
⚠ Resource budget at this point: Aim for 12+ Requiem rounds, 5+ Hemolytic, 8+ Med Injectors. Below these targets means slow down and farm before the next boss.
CHAPTER 04Leon Attic + Raccoon City
The longest chapter on Insanity. Combat density is at its peak — Lickers, armored guards, and the introduction of zombie packs in 3+ groups. The Magnum AOR becomes critical here.
// ATTIC OPENING
Leon's first encounter with Chunk #2 right after Grace's chapters. Pick up the MSBG 500 Shotgun at fight start — 3 shotgun blasts staggers Chunk into a kill window.
// COURTYARD EXIT
Lickers + zombies. Use a Molotov on the zombie pack, then pick off the Licker with Carbine shots from elevated cover. The Molotov is required ammo to conserve.
// RACCOON CITY STREETS
Central Camp, Cedarbrook Apartments, Underground Parking — each with substantial enemy fights. Conservation strategy: let zombies bunch up, throw 1 Molotov, finish stragglers with headshots.
// FIRST REQUIEM PICKUP
The Requiem rifle becomes available mid-Raccoon City. Even if you have Infinite Requiem, you must still pick up the physical weapon to "unlock" it for the run.
// THE GAL SMG (UNDERGROUND PARKING)
Skip on Insanity speedrun — eats ammo too fast. Useful only for Insanity zombie crowd control if you're out of Molotovs.
CHAPTER 05RPD + Mr. X chase
Iconic Resident Evil 2 throwback area. Mr. X is the second-hardest enemy in the game after Victor Gideon on Insanity. The chase sequence has no manual saves.
// RPD LOBBY ENTRY
Free zombies + 1 Licker. Use the Tactics Manual (File #56) as a free pickup, then beeline to the STARS Office for the Mr. X chase trigger.
// MR. X CHASE STRATEGY
Heart shots only. Body shots barely damage him on Insanity. Use the Mortal Edge Hatchet to parry his charges, then dump 3-4 Requiem rounds into the pulsating heart on his chest. Cannot parry his thrown car attack — run!
// LIBRARY DETOUR
Mandatory on 100% runs (File #57 + Antique Coin #16 are here, both MISSABLE). Skip on speedrun if you don't need them.
💡 Mr. X Insanity tip: If you saved an RPG-7 from earlier, one direct shot to the heart can end Phase 2 in under 30 seconds. This is the single biggest time-saver on Insanity speedruns.
CHAPTER 06ARK Facility
The endgame stretch. Three bosses, two characters, and the most difficult resource management of the run. See our full ARK Facility walkthrough for the step-by-step path.
// PLANT 43 ON INSANITY
Phase 1 weak points (3 red eyes) require 4 hits each on Insanity vs 2 on Standard. Use Carbine 7 for accurate eye shots. Phase 2 explosive canisters still trigger cinematic finishers — save 1 RPG round for the final canister to instantly end the fight.
// BIOWEAPON REPOSITORY 05 STEALTH
Lickers + zombies + tight corridors = ammo trap. Use 4 Hemolytic Injectors to instakill the Lickers, then sneak through. Combat here can drain 30+ minutes of resources.
// THE COMMANDER ON INSANITY
Damage scaling makes parry+hatchet too slow — fight takes 8+ minutes. Save 3 Hemolytic Injectors for this fight: parry once, then inject for instant kill. Drops Mortal Edge (mandatory for Victor).
CHAPTER 07Final boss — Victor Gideon
The hardest fight in the game. Two phases, both lethal on Insanity. Without proper preparation, Phase 2 can take 30+ minutes.
// ELPIS CHOICE
Pick "Release Elpis" for the Remarkable Agent trophy. "Destroy Elpis" skips the final boss but still counts for Insanity completion. However, Speedrunner trophy requires the true ending.
// PHASE 1 STRATEGY
Walk-around fight. Parry the human form's punches with Mortal Edge, follow up with Requiem headshots. RPG-7 ends this phase in 1 hit if you saved one. Avoid the electric attack at all costs — instant death on Insanity.
// PHASE 2 STRATEGY
The mutated form's chest core is the only damage spot. With Infinite Requiem, hold charge for 3 seconds then release for massive damage. Phase 2 ends in 4-5 charged shots. Roll away from tentacle sweeps — cannot be parried.
✅ Trophy unlocks: Beating Victor on Insanity awards Remarkable Agent (Gold) immediately. If completed under 4 hours total in-game time, also awards Speedrunner (Silver). Both stack with Requiem (story completion).
Total resource budget
For a successful Insanity run with Infinite Requiem equipped, your final resource consumption should look roughly like this:
- Med Injectors: 14-18 used (carry 6 minimum at all times)
- Hemolytic Injectors: 8-12 used (save 3+ for The Commander)
- Molotov Cocktails: 8-10 used (mostly Raccoon City)
- Bottles of Acid: 6-8 used (Care Center + ARK Lickers)
- RPG-7 ammo: 2-3 used (Commander + Mr. X + Victor Phase 1)
- Carbine 7 ammo: Effectively unlimited (cheap to craft)
- Total time target: 3:30-4:00 (Speedrunner stack)
💡 If you run out of healing: The Care Center Basement has a Hemolytic-conversion bench. You can craft healing items from spare ammo here even on Insanity. This is your safety net.
For full speedrun route optimization including timing splits, see our Sub-4-Hour Speedrun Guide. For trophy-specific paths, see our All 49 Trophies Guide.
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