RE7 Not a Hero - Shield Machine encounter, exploring the Research Facility

Preparing for the Shield Machine Encounter

Once you have disarmed the bomb with the liquid nitrogen, you can finally do what you came here for - tracking down Lucas. Here's inside the Shield Machine, which can be found back in the Central Cavern.

From the liquid nitrogen, throw the switch to open a path back to the elevator and the Central Cavern. Before you use the Clown Key on the console, head through the green shutter to the Clown Door we missed earlier - give you some ammo and a Stablizer, which gives you a permanent reload speed increase.

Use the Clown Key, then feel free to deposit it into the safe box now it has completed its purpose. Head up the right set of steps into the shield room.

Shield Machine encounter

There's a ton of ammo just ahead, so fill your inventory up with it. Load out with your most effective weapons - including grenades - and head through the door.

This enclosed area sees Molded continue to stream in. You need to defeat three waves in total in order to progress.

We found the automatic most effective here, which with a headshot, can take down any Molded or Lickers that come through. We stood right by the door you entered, giving you a slight height advantage over the spawn points ahead and to the left.

There will be two White Molded, one for each of the two rounds. You can find RAMRODs on the left crate. These two shells will be enough for you to survive the encounter.

If you're overwhelmed, then using grenades against groups is useful.

The final wave sees you pitted against two Fat Molded. The back stairwell opens up during this wave, giving you a little more room to run around, and some ammo at the top to procure. Grenades give you time to flee, otherwise chip away at ammo until they are downed.

With the encounter over, Lucas will call in and usher in a ten second countdown. You have to escape using one of the floor grates dotted around. There are three in total, and though we used the one to the side of the entrance to escape, we suspect you have to find all three in order to initiate the escape sequence.

Exploring the Research Facility

After the vent, you'll appear in a Night Vision area. Run through to the following corridor in the corner - bringing the light back to normal - past the blue deactivate turret and into the Research Facility 1F.

The stairs left takes you to a locked door, so go down the main corridor instead. The blue double doors seems to be an optional location, where you can head through the back to a research room, take down a few White Molded (there is some RAMROD ammo in the prior room) to find a File for your collection, and some extra background on the main game's antagonist.

Leave, head up the steps, and there's an alcove on your right with filing cabinets. Shoot the Molded lying on the gurney before it comes back to life, and get the ammo and a File poking out the locker before going round the corner. At the end room is a switch that'll return the power.

Head back into the corridor, and you'll see Lucas in the room opposite. Give chase by entering the door on the right, but quickly enter the door on the left immediately after.

This is also a safe room; use the tape machine to save and sort your inventory in the box on the opposite side, scour the room for any ammo and a Lockpick, and read the DLC's final three Files (one on the right as you go in, one in the laptop, and the other round to the corner on the wall near the door that'll take you back to where you first entered the lab).

When you're ready, leave the room and follow Lucas to start the Mutated Lucas boss fight.

And don't worry, the turret outside the safe room doesn't have any ammo left, so won't hurt you.