Why Jojo’s Locker Is Worth Chasing
After spending way too long wandering around the Raccoon City Police Department in Resident Evil: Requiem, I finally cracked Barry’s little S.T.A.R.S. treasure hunt and opened Jojo’s locker. The whole thing only takes about 10-15 minutes once you know what you’re doing, but if you miss one tiny step, the key simply never appears – which is exactly what happened to me on my first run.
Finishing this scavenger hunt gets you:
- A heartfelt note from Barry to the S.T.A.R.S. recruits (nice bit of lore and nostalgia).
- The S.T.A.R.S. Emblem Charm, a weapon charm that increases firepower but also reduces aiming stability by adding more sway.
If you like automatic weapons or SMGs, this charm is a big damage bump, especially on higher difficulties. The trade-off is real, though – your crosshair will dance more, so landing consistent headshots takes practice. In this guide I’ll walk you through every step I actually used, plus the pitfalls that wasted my time so you don’t repeat them.
Step 1 – Start Barry’s S.T.A.R.S. Treasure Hunt Properly
The most important thing to understand: the Jojo locker key does not exist until you trigger the treasure hunt in the S.T.A.R.S. office. I tried running straight to the Operations Room and searching every corner – nothing. The game only spawns the key after you pick up both of Barry’s photos.
Getting to the S.T.A.R.S. Office
Once you reach the RPD and have access to the west side:
- Head to the west wing and make your way up to the upper floor.
- Climb the ladder near the reception area on the west side (the same one you probably used for the main story path).
- At the top, go down the corridor facing the statue — the S.T.A.R.S. office is at the end of that hallway.
Once inside, don’t rush out after looting the obvious stuff. This room is where Barry set up the entire hunt.
Collecting Both Photos in the S.T.A.R.S. Office
You need two separate photos. On my first pass I picked up one and thought I was done, which is why the rest of the puzzle refused to progress.
- Photo #1 – The Locker Photo (Barry’s Scavenger Hunt #1)
As soon as you enter the S.T.A.R.S. office, look to your immediate right. There’s a locker along the wall. Open it and examine the contents to find the first photo Barry left. This picture hints at Jojo’s locker and sets the stage for the hunt.
- Photo #2 – The Jacket Photo (Barry’s Scavenger Hunt #2)
Now move deeper into the room, toward the desks. On the wall near the workstations, there’s a leather jacket hanging up (classic Barry touch). Interact with the jacket and search it — you’ll find a second photo, this one showing a TV/monitor hanging high up and a note hinting that what you’re looking for is “downstairs.”
Once you’ve picked up both photos, the treasure hunt is officially live. From this point on, the key can be spawned in the Operations Room. If you skip one of these photos, the game quietly refuses to give you the key, no matter how well you know the solution.
Quick checklist before leaving S.T.A.R.S.:
- Did you open the locker on the right and take the photo?
- Did you interact with the hanging leather jacket and take the second photo?
- Did you fully “examine” them so Leon/Claire comments on the clue? (Not strictly required, but good practice.)
Step 2 – Find Jojo’s Locker Key in the Operations Room
This is where I got stuck the longest, because I went here before grabbing the photos. Once you’ve done Step 1 correctly, the next location is the Operations Room on the ground floor of the west side.
Reaching the Operations Room Safely
The Operations Room is on the 1F west side, not far from the West Office. Depending on how much chaos you’ve left behind (busted windows, active zombies, Lickers in the halls), this walk can be more dangerous than the puzzle itself.
- From the main hall, head back into the west corridor.
- Follow the hallway toward the Operations Room door (check your map if you’re unsure — it’s clearly labeled).
- Clear or stagger any zombies in the hallway before you start the search inside. You’ll need a few seconds of peace to climb and interact without getting grabbed.
I recommend at least one healing item and a few spare pistol rounds before you head in. The room itself is usually safe, but the routes in and out can be trouble depending on how you’ve been playing.
Climbing to the TV and Spawning the Key
Inside the Operations Room, the key is hidden in a way that matches the second photo’s clue — the one with the high TV/monitor.
- As you enter the room, look to your right-hand side.
- You’ll see a stack of pallets/crates near the wall and a chalkboard.
- Approach the pallets and press the prompt to climb up (on controller it’s usually the standard action button).
- Once you’re standing on the pallets, look up and around for the high-mounted TV/monitor that matches Barry’s photo.
- Move the camera until you get an interaction prompt on the TV/monitor, then press the action button.
This is the crucial moment: if you’ve done everything right, interacting with that TV will cause the Jojo’s Locker Key to appear, usually sparkling on the edge of the setup so you can pick it up.
If nothing happens when you interact with the TV, double-check:
- Did you definitely grab both photos in the S.T.A.R.S. office on this playthrough?
- Are you in the correct room (Operations Room, not the West Office or Observation Room)?
- Did you actually climb the pallets and get close enough to the TV for the prompt?
Once the key is in your inventory, the hardest part of the hunt is over. All that’s left is opening Jojo’s locker and claiming your reward.
Step 3 – Open Jojo’s Locker in the West Office
Jojo’s locker is back on the first floor west side, in the West Office bullpen — the same area where you first see several desks and lockers grouped together.
Finding Jojo’s Locker
From the Operations Room:
- Exit back into the hallway and head toward the West Office.
- Enter the room with all the desks and the little “bullpen” of workstations.
- Look along the wall of lockers; one will be labeled or associated with “Jojo.”
With the Jojo locker key in your inventory, just interact with Jojo’s locker and confirm the prompt to unlock it. There’s no combination or extra trick here — once you’ve made it this far, the game finally lets you open it.
What’s Inside: Barry’s Note & S.T.A.R.S. Emblem Charm
Opening the locker gives you a nice mix of lore and gameplay reward:
- Barry’s heartfelt note – A small message Barry left for the S.T.A.R.S. recruits, with his typical warmth and dad-joke energy. It’s a cool callback if you’ve played earlier Resident Evil games.
- S.T.A.R.S. Emblem Charm – A weapon charm you can equip to Leon’s firearms that increases firepower, especially noticeable on automatic weapons and SMGs, but also adds extra weapon sway, making your aim feel less steady.
In practice, this means:
- Enemies go down in fewer bullets when you’re spraying.
- Landing consistent weak-point shots becomes trickier unless you’re patient or close-range.
- On hardcore-style runs, you really feel the trade-off — more damage, but you can’t panic-fire across the room and expect miracles.
Personally, I loved pairing the charm with a high-capacity SMG once I got used to the extra sway. Up close, the damage boost melts zombies before they can grab you, and the accuracy penalty barely matters at that range.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Here are the exact mistakes I made (and saw others make) while figuring this out:
- Going to the Operations Room first
You can stand under that TV and mash the interact button all you want — if you haven’t collected both S.T.A.R.S. photos, the key won’t spawn. Always start in the S.T.A.R.S. office.
- Grabbing only one photo
It’s easy to pick up the locker photo and miss the jacket photo, or vice versa. Remember: locker on the right and jacket near the desks.
- Not climbing the pallets
The interaction point for the TV is slightly finicky. If you stay on the ground, you might never see the prompt. Climb the pallets, then look at the TV from up there.
- Forgetting where Jojo’s locker is
The RPD has multiple locker banks. Jojo’s is in the West Office bullpen, not in the hallway, not in the armory.
If you follow the order — S.T.A.R.S. office photos → Operations Room TV → West Office locker — the whole thing becomes a smooth, self-contained side puzzle instead of a frustrating wild goose chase.
Speed Tips for Replays and Challenge Runs
On my second playthrough, I turned Barry’s scavenger hunt into a quick detour instead of a full exploration segment. Here’s how to streamline it:
- Hit S.T.A.R.S. as soon as the west upper floor opens – Don’t wait; just run straight there, grab both photos, and leave.
- Route through Operations Room on your way to West Office objectives – Many story objectives already send you near there, so you can grab the key with almost no extra walking.
- Equip the charm early – If the game lets you equip charms at a typewriter or weapon customization point, slap the S.T.A.R.S. emblem on your main automatic weapon as soon as you get it to maximize its value over the rest of the chapter.
- Adjust your playstyle – Treat the charm as a “close-quarters high DPS” modifier. Move a little closer before you fire instead of trying to snipe with a shaky reticle.
Wrap-Up – A Short but Sweet RPD Side Puzzle
Once I understood that Barry’s photos were the trigger, Jojo’s locker went from “bugged?” to “neatly designed little Easter egg.” It’s a compact scavenger hunt that:
- Gets you exploring iconic rooms of the RPD again.
- Rewards you with both lore (Barry’s note) and a meaningful gameplay upgrade (the S.T.A.R.S. Emblem Charm).
- Can be completed quickly on future runs once you know the route.
If you follow the path I laid out — S.T.A.R.S. office photos → Operations Room TV → West Office locker — you’ll grab the key and open Jojo’s locker without any of the confusion I ran into the first time. And once that charm is equipped, you’ll feel the difference the next time a hallway packs more zombies than you have bullets.
