Resident Evil Village might not be a truly open world adventure akin to the likes of Assassin’s Creed or Bethesda’s Fallout and Elder Scrolls series, but it certainly has no shortage of optional (and missable) content. Indeed, while Ethan’s encounters with each of Mother Miranda’s four children represent a mandatory route he must take in order to rescue Rose, the so-called Four Lords’ territories are chock full of secrets only found by straying off the beaten path.
One of the most important of these, of course, is the laboratory of Salvatore Moreau, which can only be infiltrated after the grossly mutated foe is dealt with. Upon obtaining the crank key item and escaping the reservoir area, several previously inaccessible zones will become available, including the aforementioned research wing – ground zero for a number of heinous experiments.
Upon infiltrating the lab situated opposite the windmill, a journal written by Salvatore years prior reveals that he was the individual responsible for creating the Lycans which now roam freely throughout the titular village.
While implanting Cadou – parasites cultured from the Megamycete superorganism – specimens into the bodies of living subjects is what grants Miranda’s children their inhuman abilities, the process was never foolproof. In order to prevent subjects who would have otherwise perished from the procedure from doing so, Moreau added wolf blood to the potent cocktail, resulting in the first Lycans being born. Ultimately considered a scientific failure, the proceeding organisms proved to be effective as a mindless workforce manipulable by Heisenberg and his siblings.
Those who missed it the first time around and are eager to explore Resident Evil Village‘s lab area can find a step-by-step guide on how to do so over here.