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Resident Evil 4: how to solve the Cave Shrine puzzles

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There are a lot more optional — and mandatory — moments of exploration available to plyers in the Resident Evil 4 remake. One of the best examples comes in Chapter 4 when you are given the ability to move about the lake freely on your boat. Whether you found it by accident or got stuck while going along the main path, you will eventually have to solve two Cave Shrine puzzles in order to get your hands on the Church Key you need to move the story forward. If you found the altar the key is held on, you are likely at a loss as to where to go or what to do. There aren’t a ton of places around the lake you can visit, but you can save a lot of time by letting us navigate you to the correct spots and lead you through these Cave Shrine puzzles in Resident Evil 4.

How to find and solve the Small Cave Shrine

A map to the small cave shrine on t he lake.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The first location you’re going to is at the far northeast end of the lake and is called the Small Cave Shrine. Make your way inside and you will come across a panel with a circle of buttons with unique symbols. Your goal here is to figure out which symbols to press, and in what order, to unlock the way to the key item you need.

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You will likely have already seen one or two symbols painted on the walls as you came in, but the order is what’s important. Labeling each button 1 through 8, with 1 at the top and counting up going clockwise, here’s the correct sequence to input:

A series of symbols in a circle.
Image used with permission by copyright holder
  1. Button No. 7
  2. Button No. 6
  3. Button No. 4

Once inside, pick up the Blasphemer’s Head.

How to find and solve the Large Cave Shrine

A map of the Large Cave Shrine on the lake.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Large Cave Shrine is further down on the south end of the lake near the Boat House where you first departed. The puzzle inside follows the same idea — find the symbols in the environment and press them in the correct order on an identical panel by a door — but you will need to deal with a swarm of enemies first. Here are what buttons to press using the same method as before:

  1. Button No. 2
  2. Button No. 5
  3. Button No. 7

Inside, you will pick up the Apostate’s Head.

Now that you have both heads, head back to the Mural Cave and to the shrine. Place each of the heads on the two large hand-shaped platforms on either side (it doesn’t appear to matter which head goes on which side) and the Church Key will be unlocked.

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jesse Lennox covers all things gaming but has a specific interest in all things PlayStation, JRPGs, and experimental indies…
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