Resident Evil Requiem: How to Open the S.T.A.R.S. Case – RRR Code Guide

Why the S.T.A.R.S. Briefcase Is So Easy to Miss

After spending way too long wandering around the Raccoon City Police Department in Resident Evil Requiem, this one little briefcase in the S.T.A.R.S. locker room almost broke me. It’s not like the normal dial safes: there’s no obvious file sitting next to it with a code, and the three-letter lock makes it feel like you’ve missed some huge clue.

The breakthrough came when I realized the game wants you to follow a mini scavenger hunt: a note in the S.T.A.R.S. office, a drawer in Wesker’s desk, a special library book, and finally a photograph that spells out the solution. You can brute-force the code (RRR), but if you want the full lore and to avoid bugs, it’s worth doing it properly once.

This guide walks you through, step by step, exactly how I solved it on my run, what went wrong the first time, and how to fix it if the library clue refuses to spawn.

Quick Overview – What You’re Unlocking

• Location: Raccoon City Police Department, S.T.A.R.S. locker room (1st floor, above Reception).
• Lock type: Three-letter combination briefcase.
• Final code: RRR.
• Reward: A weapon charm that functions as a pair of “power shades” for Leon’s Requiem hand cannon (in English guides often called the Power Shades Charm; some French sources call the reward Ambition).
• Benefit: Greatly boosts the Requiem’s effectiveness, with upgraded bullet penetration and a stronger last shot in the cylinder.

If you just want the solution: set all three letters to R and open the case. If you want the full in-game clue path (and to avoid thinking you missed story content), follow the steps below.

Step 1 – Reach the S.T.A.R.S. Locker Room and Inspect the Case

The first time I reached the S.T.A.R.S. office, I saw the briefcase, spun the letters randomly for a bit, and then assumed I was locked out until later. Don’t do what I did-this is the starting point of the puzzle.

How to reach the S.T.A.R.S. locker room

Once you’re in the Raccoon City Center section:

• Head into the Police Department via the main entrance.
• From the Reception area, find the ladder that leads up to the first floor.
• Follow the corridor to the S.T.A.R.S. Office (it’s clearly labeled on the map).
• Inside, there’s a smaller side room with lockers – this is the locker room.

On the bench/near the lockers you’ll see the distinctive black briefcase with three rotating letter dials. Interact with it so Leon comments on it, then back out. This confirms the game has “registered” the puzzle for you.

At this point, you don’t have the code yet. The real trail starts back in the main S.T.A.R.S. office.

Step 2 – Grab Barry’s Note and the Library Card

My first major mistake was ignoring the desks in the S.T.A.R.S. office because I was too focused on the lockers. The clue chain actually starts with a document on one of those desks.

Find Barry’s note on the left desk

Return to the main S.T.A.R.S. office (the big room with all the desks):

• Look for a desk on the left-hand side of the room as you enter.
• On that desk there should be a note from Barry (often referenced as a memo about a library loan).
• Pick up and read the note. It mentions a book loan and directs you to the captain’s or Wesker’s desk.

If you tend to mash through files like I do, resist the urge here and read it properly-the text hints that someone returned a book to the Library and that there’s a card involved.

Open Wesker’s/captain’s desk drawer and wait

Next, you need the Library Card, and this is where I wasted the most time because I didn’t realize the card spawns with a delay:

• Find the captain’s office area or Wesker’s desk – it’s slightly separated from the main cluster of desks, more “private.”
• Go behind the desk and look for a locked-looking drawer you can interact with.
• Open the drawer and then do not walk away immediately. Stand there and keep the camera pointed at the drawer for a few seconds.
• After a short pause, the Library Card appears inside.
• Pick up the Library Card and inspect/read it from your inventory (Triangle / Y → highlight item → Examine).

Don’t make my mistake of opening the drawer, seeing nothing, assuming it was just flavor, and leaving. The game actually waits a moment before spawning the card, and if you rush, you’ll miss it.

Step 3 – Use the Library Card to Unlock the Herb Book

With the Library Card in hand, it’s time to move over to the Library itself to find the actual code clue. This section is short if you know exactly what you’re looking for, but it’s easy to wander in circles if you don’t.

Reach the second-floor bridge in the Library

Head to the Library from the police station corridors. Once inside:

• Go up the stairs to the second floor of the Library.
• Cross the narrow bridge/catwalk that connects the two sides of the upper level.
• On the far side, you’ll see a locked door and shelves nearby.

The door itself isn’t what you’re here for; the important part is the set of shelves to the right of that door.

Take the special herb book from the shelf

Stand near the shelves to the right of the locked door and look for an interact prompt. With the Library Card in your possession, you can now take a specific book:

• Interact with the shelf to take a distinctive book (often themed around herbs, similar to Medicinal Benefits of Herbs in other Resident Evil titles).
• Open your inventory and Examine the book.
• Rotate it so you can inspect the “gutter” side of the pages (the inner edge).
• Press the interaction button to open the book.

Inside, you’ll find a photograph. This is the final, crucial clue to the briefcase combination.

Step 4 – Read the Rebecca Photo and Decode “RRR”

When you examine the photo, you’ll see a picture of Rebecca Chambers in a cheerleader-style pose. The important part isn’t the image, but the caption text written on or under the photo.

Rotate the photo (again via Examine and your right stick / mouse) until you can clearly read the inscription. In English-language versions this is effectively a three-word nickname along the lines of:

“Rising Rookie Rebecca” (or similar phrasing – the key point is that all three words start with the letter R).

That triple “R” is your code: R R R.

Once you’ve seen this, the game considers you to have “logically” solved the puzzle. Now you can return to the S.T.A.R.S. locker room and actually open the case.

Step 5 – Enter the RRR Code and Claim the Charm

Head back to the S.T.A.R.S. locker room above Reception:

• Interact with the briefcase again.
• Rotate each of the three dials until they all show R.
• Confirm/exit the lock screen – the case should open immediately.

Inside, you’ll find the <strongweapon charm modeled as stylish sunglasses for Leon’s Requiem hand cannon. In English guides this is usually called the <strong>Power Shades Charm; some French-language guides and UI texts refer to the reward as Ambition. Names aside, it’s the same unlock tied to this briefcase.

From my own runs, equipping this charm:

• Gives the Requiem unlimited bullet penetration through multiple enemies, and
• Boosts the damage of the last round in the cylinder significantly.

In practice, this turns the Requiem into a fantastic hallway-clearer. Line up zombies and let that last shot rip through the entire group. It absolutely justifies taking a detour for the briefcase instead of ignoring it.

Opening this case also counts toward the in-game tracking/trophies for opening every safe and briefcase, so if you’re going for 100%, you cannot skip it.

Troubleshooting – When the Library Card or Photo Won’t Spawn

On one of my attempts, the Library book/photo simply wouldn’t appear, even with the card in my inventory. This isn’t just you – there are confirmed reports of a small spawn bug with this puzzle.

If the Library Card doesn’t appear

• Make sure you read Barry’s note on the desk in the S.T.A.R.S. office first.
• When opening the captain’s/Wesker’s drawer, stay in front of it for several seconds. Don’t immediately turn away.
• If it still doesn’t appear, reload your last autosave and try again, making sure you follow the note->drawer order.

If the Library book or photo doesn’t spawn

• Confirm that the Library Card is in your inventory (not stored in an item box).
• Leave the Library completely and come back in, then re-check the second-floor shelf by the locked door.
• If that fails, reload a slightly earlier save (ideally before first entering the Library).
• As a last resort, you can skip the clue and enter the code directly: RRR. The game will still let you open the briefcase and obtain the charm, and it still counts for completion trophies.

I personally ended up just inputting RRR on one bugged run to keep my playthrough moving. You miss out on the little Rebecca lore moment, but you don’t lose the reward.

Is the S.T.A.R.S. Briefcase Worth the Effort?

If you’re playing Leon as a more methodical, precision shooter (which is how I play), the answer is absolutely yes. The Requiem already hits hard; pairing it with this charm makes it a room-deleting tool in the right situations.

• For ammo conservers: Piercing shots mean one bullet can do the job of three if you line enemies up.
• For difficulty climbs / higher modes: The extra power on your last shot is a lifesaver against tougher enemies and mini-bosses.
• For collectors/achievement hunters: You need this briefcase ticked off for the “open all safes/briefcases” type trophy.

The only time I’d consider skipping the proper clue hunt is on a speedrun or a replay where you already know the code and just want to grab the charm quickly.

Summary – RRR Code and Key Takeaways

• The S.T.A.R.S. briefcase is in the locker room above Reception in the RPD.
• Start the puzzle by reading Barry’s note on the left desk in the S.T.A.R.S. office.
• Open the captain’s/Wesker’s desk drawer, wait a few seconds, and grab the Library Card.
• Use the card in the Library to take the special herb book on the second-floor bridge shelf.
• Examine the book, open it, and rotate the Rebecca photo to spot the triple-R nickname.
• Return to the briefcase and set all three dials to R R R to unlock it.
• Claim the Requiem-focused shades charm (Power Shades/Ambition) and enjoy stronger, piercing hand cannon shots.
• If the clue chain bugs out, you can input RRR directly and still get the reward.

Once you’ve pulled this off once, it’s a 1–2 minute detour on future playthroughs. The charm stays one of the best thematic little rewards in the Raccoon City section, and if I can muddle through the spawn quirks and misdirection, you can definitely crack it too.