How to Save Leon RE9 – The Complete Guide to Keeping Leon Alive in Resident Evil Requiem

As soon as you see it, your stomach sinks.

Leon S. Kennedy — a famous character in gaming — is hiding something under his gloves. In Resident Evil Requiem, the signs are clear. He coughs. Marks appear on his neck. He tells Grace not to worry but has trouble staying steady.

You already know what’s coming. You start to wonder: can you stop it?

Here’s the thing. Yes, you can save Leon. But the answer might surprise you.

You don’t save Leon by doing something special during the game. There is no hidden item, secret side mission, or alternate path in the Care Center. Leon’s fate depends on one single choice near the end of Resident Evil Requiem.

If you get it right, Leon is cured. If you get it wrong, he dies on screen, for good.

This guide covers it all. How Leon got infected, what the Raccoon City Syndrome does to him, how to save your game as Leon (many players ask this), and most importantly, the exact steps to keep him alive. All clear and to the point.

Let’s go.

Does Leon Die in RE9? The Quick Answer

If you’re just here for a fast answer — here it is.

Yes, Leon can die in Resident Evil Requiem. But it’s not the canon ending.

The game has two endings. In one, Leon dies from the T-virus infection. In the other, the true ending, he is cured by Elpis and lives.

According to Game8’s guide, Resident Evil Requiem has two endings. Leon stays alive if you pick the true ending. To do this, choose Release Elpis when Grace reaches the final decision console at the ARK facility.

Keep reading to learn why this is important, what causes it, and how to do it correctly.

What Is Raccoon City Syndrome? Leon’s Infection Explained

Before we explain how to save Leon, you need to know what is making him sick. The story behind his infection is interesting and goes back almost thirty years.

What Is Raccoon City Syndrome?

Raccoon City Syndrome — officially called Latent Onset T-Virus Syndrome — is a condition affecting survivors of the 1998 Raccoon City disaster. It happens when leftover T-virus in the body becomes active. According to the Resident Evil Wiki, the syndrome is deadly once it fully activates.

By October 2026, when Resident Evil Requiem happens, six survivors from Raccoon City had already died. One of them was former mayor Michael Warren.

The Four Stages of the Syndrome

The disease progresses in four distinct stages:

Stage	Name	Symptoms
Stage 0	Inactive / Dormant	Virus stays dormant due to antibodies. No visible symptoms.
Stage 1	Activation	Dark bruise-like marks appear. General illness. Coughing begins.
Stage 2	Development	Marks spread across the body and into organs. Numbness. Coughing blood.
Stage 3	Terminal	Marks cover the entire body. Extreme pain. Vomiting blood. Death within 1–2 hours.

At the start of Resident Evil Requiem, Leon is already at Stage 2. He hides his marks under gloves. As the story moves into the ARK, his condition gets worse quickly. When Grace must make her final choice, Leon can hardly stand.

How Did Leon Get Infected?

One of the biggest lore questions in the Resident Evil community right now is explained in detail in Backyard Drunkard’s deep dive.

Leon’s infection started in Raccoon City in 1998. On September 22, 1998, after William Birkin was killed, rats ate the virus and spread it into the city’s water. Anyone who drank tap water or used the city’s systems then could have been exposed.

Leon was there. He survived, but the T-virus stayed in his body. It became inactive.

The animated film Resident Evil: Death Island (2015) showed that Leon had an active infection and got a vaccine from Rebecca Chambers. But Resident Evil Requiem reveals that the vaccine only kept the virus quiet, not fully cured it. The virus stayed hidden for eleven years before something made it active again.

Sherry Birkin, who was in Raccoon City in 1998, is also infected in RE9. Her infection progresses slowly, probably due to her G-virus antibodies. Leon’s infection is much worse.

How to Save Your Game as Leon in RE9

Before we reach the story ending, let’s answer a common early question: how do you save your game when playing as Leon?

This confuses many players, especially when they first change to his view.

Early Game: No Manual Saves for Leon

Here’s what you need to know. During Leon’s early sections — the Care Center and the Water Treatment Plant — you cannot save manually. There are no save points in those areas.

According to Game8, this is on purpose. Leon’s parts early in the game are short, so the developers probably felt manual saves were not needed. You will use checkpoints and autosaves in this part of the game.

Don’t panic. The autosave system is active and covers the major moments.

Mid and Late Game: Laptops Are Leon’s Save Points

Later in the game, when you come back to Raccoon City as Leon, you can save your game manually.

Leon’s save points are laptops, not typewriters. Grace uses old typewriters. Leon uses computer terminals found around the map. Both do the same job, but the look is different, which confuses many players switching between the two characters.

Game8’s full save guide and Evil Resource have full maps of all laptop locations. You can find them in safe rooms and secure areas where enemies can’t get to you.

Difficulty and Ink Ribbons

On standard and casual difficulties, you can save anytime at any laptop or typewriter. But on Standard Classic and Insanity modes, manual saves need Ink Ribbons — a limited item.

As Game Rant explains, on harder difficulties, the game saves less often. This means you can’t count on the game to save your progress for you. You need to use your Ink Ribbons carefully as part of your strategy.

If you play on Standard or easier, just use any laptop you find to save your game often. Saving a lot has no drawbacks.

After Your First Playthrough

After finishing the game once, Game8 says manual saves unlock for Leon at the beginning of any new game. So New Game Plus lets you save anytime from the start.

How to Save Leon RE9 – The Story Ending Explained

Now for the main event. Here is how to save Leon in Resident Evil Requiem, step by step.

Step 1 – Play Through the Story Normally

You don’t need to do anything special in the early or mid game to keep Leon alive. The infection moves forward through cutscenes and story events no matter what you do.

Just play the game and explore carefully. Use Leon’s laptops to save your progress. Gather resources along the way. Leon’s fate depends only on what happens at the very end.

Step 2 – Reach the ARK Facility

The final part of Resident Evil Requiem happens in the ARK Laboratory — a hidden place under the ruins of Raccoon City. Grace and Leon explore the ARK, discovering the truth about Elpis.

During this part, Leon’s condition gets much worse. When you’re far into the ARK, he can’t move without Grace helping him. The game keeps reminding you how close he is to breaking down.

According to VGC’s full ARK walkthrough, this part has both characters solving puzzles and facing challenges together, ending in the main console room where the final decision happens.

Step 3 – The Final Decision: Release or Destroy Elpis

Grace and Leon reach the ARK’s main console with Zeno there. Grace must unlock Elpis. Then the game offers a choice:

• Release Elpis
• Destroy Elpis

To save Leon, you must choose Release Elpis.

This is the only thing that matters. Everything else you did in the game — every puzzle solved, every zombie killed, every file found — does not change Leon’s fate. This one choice decides everything.

Step 4 – What Happens After You Release Elpis

Here’s what unfolds when you make the right call, according to PCGamesN’s ending guide:

• Grace releases Elpis into the ARK system
• It’s revealed that Elpis is an antiviral cure — not a weapon — created by Oswell E. Spencer as atonement for Umbrella’s experiments
• Zeno grabs a syringe of Elpis, believing it to be a super virus, and injects himself — which actually cures him and strips away his enhanced abilities
• Dr. Victor Gideon arrives, kills the now-powerless Zeno, and stabs Grace
• This kicks off the final boss fight against Gideon in his mutant form

Step 5 – Defeat Victor Gideon

This is the real final boss fight. Gideon has changed into something scary. It’s a hard fight, but you can win with the gear and skills you’ve gathered during the game.

Game8’s guide says that after beating Gideon, Grace uses an Elpis syringe to inject Leon and cure his T-virus infection.

Leon recovers quickly. The Raccoon City Syndrome that had been harming him for years is fully cured.

Step 6 – The Rescue and the Aftermath

After Gideon falls and Leon gets better, things seem bad for a moment. Neither Grace nor Leon can escape the collapsing ARK by themselves.

Then the cavalry arrives.

BSAA agents sent by Chris Redfield, after hearing about Leon and the secret lab, arrive and rescue Grace and Leon. They escape safely.

Leon then calls Sherry Birkin and tells her he has an antivirus for her too. This is important because Sherry is also infected, and finding Elpis means she can survive as well.

Afterwards, Leon tells Grace that Emily, the young girl from the Care Center, can be saved too. When he shot Emily in her mutated form, he missed her vital organs on purpose. With Elpis, she can be healed.

It’s a truly hopeful ending for a game that mostly makes you feel like hope isn’t real.

What Happens If You Don’t Save Leon? (Bad Ending)

If you choose Destroy Elpis, the outcome is brutal.

The ARK falls. Leon, who is very sick from Raccoon City Syndrome and has no cure, dies on screen. According to PCGamesN, Grace appears alone and says she wishes she could have saved Leon before the game ends.

Sherry Birkin’s fate is also sad in this ending. Without Elpis, she has no cure either.

And Emily stays dead.

It’s a sad ending. But here’s something important: the game guides you to avoid it.

As Beebom explains, after the bad ending, the game asks you to reload from the last big save to try the other choice. This shows Capcom wants you to avoid destroying Elpis. The good ending, where Leon survives, is the official story.

Side-by-Side Comparison

	Release Elpis (Good/Canon Ending)	Destroy Elpis (Bad Ending)
Leon	Cured by Elpis, survives	Dies from T-virus infection
Grace	Rescued by BSAA, adopts Emily	Escapes alone
Emily	Revived and cured	Remains dead
Sherry Birkin	Leon calls her with cure info	Fate left grim
Zeno	Cured (loses powers), killed by Gideon	ARK collapse takes him out with Leon
Achievement/Trophy	Yes	No
Canon	Yes	No

Leon’s Full Story in RE9 – Why His Journey Matters

If you’re new to Resident Evil, it’s helpful to know who Leon is and why his survival is important to both fans and the story.

Who Is Leon S. Kennedy?

Leon first appeared in Resident Evil 2 in 1998. He was a new cop on his first day at the Raccoon City Police Department when the outbreak started. He barely survived.

Since then, he has become one of the most skilled bioterrorism agents in the Resident Evil world. He defeated Ganados in Spain in Resident Evil 4. He stopped the island outbreak in Resident Evil: Damnation. He worked with Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and many others for almost thirty years in Capcom’s survival horror series.

In Resident Evil Requiem, he returns to Raccoon City, where it all began, working for the D.S.O., a counterterrorism team. He is looking into the strange deaths that also drew Grace Ashcroft to the city.

He also knows he’s dying.

Why Leon Hid His Infection

This is a subtle but strong character detail in the game. Leon already knew about his Raccoon City Syndrome before RE9 started. He kept it secret. Wore gloves. Kept going.

He came to Raccoon City anyway. Maybe because he thought something there could help. Or maybe because stopping the danger mattered more than his own life. Leon has always been like that.

Nick Apostolides has voiced the character in recent games. In Requiem, he plays someone with a heavy burden who tries to keep going. But eventually, he can’t hide it anymore.

Leon and Grace: An Unexpected Partnership

Leon and Grace begin the game in very different situations. Leon is experienced. Grace is scared. He has fought monsters for many years. She is an FBI data analyst who has never faced anything like this before.

One of the most interesting parts of Resident Evil Requiem is the relationship between the characters. Grace’s voice actress, Angela Sant’Albano, told Variety that Leon acts as a steady support while Grace grows more independent.

When Grace must choose to free or destroy Elpis—knowing Leon is dying and Elpis might be the only cure—the importance of that choice feels real. You have seen them face every challenge together. Saving him feels like a personal decision.

Expert Tips for Playing Leon’s Sections

Here are simple tips to enjoy Leon’s gameplay in Resident Evil Requiem:

• Save as soon as you see a laptop. In Leon’s Raccoon City sections, the laptops are easy to miss in dark environments. If you’re on a higher difficulty, don’t push your luck. Save when you can.
• Leon’s gameplay is more action-focused than Grace’s. He has firearms, a hatchet, parries, and can turn enemy weapons against them. Use the parry system — it changes how challenging encounters feel.
• Don’t skip the files in Raccoon City. According to Lootbar’s file location guide, there are 18 collectible files in the Raccoon City section. They add serious depth to the lore — especially around Leon’s infection and the history of the ARK.
• Don’t panic during Leon’s deterioration cutscenes. As his condition worsens in the ARK, it can feel like the game is about to take control away from you permanently. It isn’t. Just keep pushing through to the final console.
• Remember the final choice before you reach it. There’s no in-game tutorial popup reminding you what the right answer is. Just remember: Release Elpis saves Leon. Destroy Elpis kills him.
• On New Game Plus, save mechanics are more forgiving for Leon. If you want to experience both endings without stress, run through NG+ where manual saves are available for Leon from the start.

Pros and Cons of Each Ending for Leon

Release Elpis (Good Ending — Saves Leon)

Pros:

• Leon survives and is fully cured
• Sherry Birkin gets a lifeline — Leon calls her with the cure
• Emily is saved and adopted by Grace
• The true final boss fight (Gideon) is unlocked
• This is the canon ending confirmed by Capcom
• You earn the game’s completion trophy/achievement

Cons:

• You fight a harder final boss (Gideon in mutant form) as a result of this choice
• Some players feel the hopeful ending slightly undercuts the heavy tone the game builds

Destroy Elpis (Bad Ending — Leon Dies)

Pros:

• Worth experiencing once for the narrative completeness
• Has a haunting, melancholy tone that resonates differently than the good ending
• No additional boss fight

Cons:

• Leon dies on screen
• Sherry Birkin loses her cure
• Emily stays dead
• Grace escapes alone
• No trophy or achievement
• The game actively prompts you to reload and try again — signaling this isn’t the intended path

FAQs – How to Save Leon RE9

Q1: Is there any way to save Leon before the final Elpis choice?

No. Leon’s infection is part of the story and gets worse in cutscenes. You cannot slow it down or stop it during the game. What happens to him depends only on the choice you make at the ARK: Release Elpis or Destroy Elpis.

Q2: Does Leon die in RE9 — is it canon?

No, Leon’s death is not the official ending. As Beebom explains, the true ending is where Leon is cured and stays alive. Capcom shows this by not giving a reload option after the good ending, only after the bad one.

Q3: How do you save your game as Leon in RE9?

Leon saves his game using laptops, not typewriters. Grace saves using typewriters. Early in the game at the Care Center, you can only rely on autosaves because manual saving is not possible. Later, in Raccoon City, laptops are found in safe rooms and secure places. On Standard Classic and Insanity difficulties, you need Ink Ribbons to save.

Q4: What happens to Sherry Birkin if you save Leon?

In the good ending, after Leon is cured, he calls Sherry and says he has an antivirus for her. Elpis can cure Raccoon City Syndrome, even in late stages, so Sherry’s survival is likely. The story does not show her cure, but the phone call shows that help is on the way.

Q5: Does saving Leon affect Emily’s fate?

Yes, indirectly. Choosing Release Elpis to save Leon also unlocks the ending where Emily is brought back. Leon tells Grace that when he shot Emily in her mutated form, he missed her vital organs on purpose. Then Elpis is used to revive Emily. So the choice to save Leon also saves Emily. The two endings are linked.

Final Thoughts

Leon Kennedy has been fighting to survive since 1998. He made it through Raccoon City. He survived RE4. He survived Death Island. For almost thirty years, he has been one of the best agents in the Resident Evil world.

But Raccoon City Syndrome doesn’t care about any of that. It has been affecting him quietly for years, and by the time Resident Evil Requiem happens, it is almost in control.

Almost.

The way to save Leon in RE9 is easier than you think: when Grace gets to the last console in the ARK, select Release Elpis. That’s all you need to do.

Everything else, every zombie fight, every puzzle, every file you read, leads to that one choice.

Make the right one. Leon’s earned it.

Want to learn more? Visit the Resident Evil Wiki on Fandom or check out Game8’s full RE9 guide for step-by-step walkthroughs and maps of all save points.