Resident Evil 2 - Exploring the Police Station West Wing, Spade Key location

Exploring the Police Station West Wing 1F

Proceed through the seating area and reach a dark corridor. Investigate the body in the corner at the very end for a cutscene, though it's not essential.

Afterward, continue down the corridor - it twists and turns, but is fairly linear - until you reach a set of red double doors at the end on the right you can go through.

Inside, get the Record of Events File well as the Police Station 1F Map hanging on a board - it's worth grabbing this and checking your location quickly - to confirm you are in the Operations Room and the exits available to you.

To proceed, exit through the vent in the south-east corner to emerge in the corridor.

Looking south, there is a zombie distracted by something on the wall, allowing you to explore without entering combat straight away.

There are three doors in this corridor. The right (west) one is locked. The two on the left opposite one another have a few points of interest.

The Safety Deposit Room (left, or north) has the Storage Locker Terminal Memo File on the left, and eventually allows you to get the Shotgun as Leon or Grenade Launcher as Claire, though not quite yet - remember its location for later.

You can, however, enter open safety deposit codes. The full solution here involves finding missing the 2 and 3 buttons from Portable Safes a little later on - without them you cannot open any lockers containing this number, ruling out the entire left side.

You can still open two lockers right now, however:

106: Roll Film

109: Handgun Ammo

Next, head to the West Office to the south. There are two Files to find here - the Uses of Gunpowder and Operation Report - as well as well as two puzzles - a safe code in the south office, as well as the Leon Desk puzzle. All are optional, but doing so gives you some useful weapon and inventory upgrades, so it's worth doing them now if you can.

To continue, you want to go north-east in the corridor - past the two open rooms, taking a left at the blood-soaked sofa - where you'll come to a long, dimly lit corridor. Head to the end of the corridor, where there are some stairs

Grab the Wooden Boards on the right to patch up the window to stop the zombie coming through - you'll continue to find these as you explore the Police Station - then investigate the door on the right.

This is a safe room with a Typewriter, some ammo, the Medical Benefits of Herbs File and a Dark Room.

At the sink, use the 'Film: Commemorative' Roll Film from the safety deposit room earlier to get the Commemorative Photo File.

When ready, head up the stairs at the end of this corridor next to the window to the second floor.

Exploring the Police Station West Wing 2F and 3F, Spade Key location

The floor is pretty much off-limits right now - there is steam blocking the way into the bathroom - though you can access the lockers. The left-most one has a zombie inside - don't open it! - while there's a Locker Code to solve. You'll learn this later on, but if you're impatient, the prior link will tell you what you need to know now.

Also in the room is a Portable Safe Instructions File and the Portable Safe itself. You can open it now if you like - our Portable Safe solution tells you how.

Head to 3F by taking the steps up in the main stairwell. When you emerge is a locker at the end with another Locker Code. Again - you'll learn this eventually, but if you want to open it now, the prior link tells you what you need.

Whether you open it or not, go right, and pick up the Key from the desk.

Investigate it in your inventory to learn its full name - the Spade Key.

Head west through the door to another corridor. At the end is the To Any Survivors File, then enter the door on the left to enter West Storage. There's a variety of consumables to find in here, and on the south side of the room is a Some Guy's Scribblings File and the Hip Pouch, increasing your inventory by two.

There is also some C4 on the wall to the south. You'll need the C4 detonator to open this - which we'll get to very shortly.

Until then - head west through another door to the Library.

You'll get a call on your radio from Marvin to get back to him as soon as you can. Don't worry about retracing your steps - the Spade Key you just found will come in useful here. If you look down from the walkway, you'll see a door on the lower floor - this will take you back to the Main Hall's second floor.

There are zombies littered around the lower floor of the Library. Going south through the door to the Lobby, you can find the Unicorn medallion statue puzzle as well as the Police Station Upper Floors Map. Make sure you solve the former and grab the latter before you leave.

Our full Resident Evil 2 walkthrough explains every aspect's of Leon and Claire's campaigns, including Locker Code solutions, the Leon Desk puzzle solution, all Resident Evil 2 Safe Codes and Portable Safe solutions, Hiding Place locations, how to survive Mr X fights and the Chess Plug puzzle solution.

You can also get the Red Book by the Spade Door before you return to the Main Hall. Get it, go through the door, then head down the stairs to Marvin's location for a cutscene.

You're told to reach the Courtyard, there there is also the Red Book and Art Room puzzles. Let's hop to it.