Resident Evil: Village tosses Ethan quickly into the action. After blacking out and waking up in a strange area, he’s confronted by a towering castle in the distance. It’s here that players will find themselves scrambling around dark hallways and avoiding enemies to grab aquartet of beautiful masks, all four of which are needed to escape the massive iron doors of Castle Dimitrescu. Finding the masks is much easier said than done, and players will have to crawl through four distinct areas of the foreboding estate to grab them. The quest marks the first major puzzle to overcome in Resident Evil: Village and you’ll find yourself tearing through enemies and mini-puzzles alike to get it done.
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Some of it can be a bit ambiguous too, with side-trips and small brainteasers sprinkled throughout the semi-linear journey. This is the first large-scale puzzle you’ll face in Resident Evil: Village and it can be a bit overwhelming at first. That’s why we’ve gone through the paces and braved Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters to give you a fighting chance at escaping unscathed. If you’re having trouble locating any of thefour Angel Masks, here’s each one of them, where they’re located, and how you can get there to snag them.
Note: Before we start, one important side-note is to save as much Lei as you’re able to through this section, amassing 10,000 by the time you snag the Mask of Joy is suggested to avoid a headache later on.Selling the Crystal Torsosthat you receive from defeating the sisters is great for some extra cash and there are a lot of items and Lei lying around the areas you’ll explore.
Finding The Mask Of Sorrow
You won’t be able to find your first mask until after you’ve progressed enough to have a very up-close-and-personal meeting with Lady Dimitrescu. This means moving through the castle, having a standoff with her daughter Bela, and retrieving the large bottle ofSanguis Virginis winefrom theKitchen. Once you have the Wine in hand, you can proceed through the Kitchen and back into the Main Hall. From there, climb the staircase and enter the Wine Door directly in front of you. Inside theWine Roomis a statue with a perfectly-sized slot for theSanguis Virginis bottle. Placing the bottle will open a small room and give you access to the ever-important Courtyard Key.
From theWine Room, head back to theMain Halland back down the stairs, making your way towards the Kitchen area you came from earlier. This time, instead of going back into the Kitchen, head to the large metal doors that lead to theCourtyard. Once outside, you’ll want to head in a straight line (making your way around the small gazebo-like structure in the center and proceeding to the back portion of theCourtyard. Hooking a right will lead you down a small hallway and into some large double doors. You’ll catch a glimpse of Lady Dimitrescu ascending a large staircase and you’ll want to follow behind her soon after.
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There is only one room you can enter upstairs and it will take you to into theHall of Ablution, where you’ll find four statues and a pit filled with what we hope is wine. Reading the plaque at the back of the room will give you a hint as to how to solve this puzzle, butif you’re struggling check out our solution guide here. Once the pit is drained, you can make your way down into theWine Cellarsand proceed through the flooded mess until you reach dry ground once more. The cellar is big and filled with enemies, but the path is quite linear so you won’t need to worry about getting lost.
The end of the path leads to an elevator and riding it upward will bring you to a balcony outside ofLady Dimitrescu’s Chambers. Enter the nearby door and save your game before proceeding back outside and across the wooden gap. After a short cutscene, enter the bedroom from the terrace and look near the Lady’s desk for a key that’s perched on a wall-mounted hanger. Now that you haveLady Dimitrescu’s Key, you can escape from her locked room. After opening the door, and one dizzying cutscene later, you’ll find yourself in a storage area a few floors down.
Proceed through the storage area to the end, where you’ll have your first proper encounter with Lady Dimitrescu. There’s a gate nearby leading to the next area and you’ll want to pull the switch. After a gruesome cutscene, you’ll find yourself pursued by the boss. This isn’t like the other instances in which the towering vampiress will toy with Ethan or put him in an exceedingly painful situation. The lady of the house is rather annoyed by you at this point and if she gets close enough she’ll tear Ethan to shreds.It’s pointless to try and fight her hereand the only way to make it past her is to escape the room.
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Return to the gate, retrieve the item you left behind, and wait for the gate to slowly open. Kiting Lady Dimitrescu is incredibly easy here, thanks to the abundance of small rooms and pillars nearby. Once the gate is open, sprint to the end of the hallway, open the door, and secure your prize from the ornate statue in front of you. You now have theMask of Sorrowand will ride the triggered elevator back up to theCourtyard.
Finding The Mask Of Joy
It’s probably a good idea to backtrack to theHall of the Fourand enter theMerchant’s Roomto save your game. The path to theMask of Joyisn’t as taxing as the one you just took but a boss battle sits between you and your prize. Now that you haveLady Dimitrescu’s key, head back out to theCourtyardand open the door to the left of the newly risen elevator. You’re now inside theCastle Annexand you may find a map of the area on a wall at the back of the room. Once you snag the map, ascend the staircase, hook a left at the top, and enter into theOpera Hall. Make your way through the pair of enemies upstairs, looting what you can before descending the staircase in the back corner to reach the main floor. Here, you’ll spot aGrand Piano, fitted with a small puzzle lock. If you find yourself stuck on how to unlock the compartment on thePiano,check out our guide here.
Once the puzzle is solved, thePianowill open a small hidden tray and reward you with theIron Insignia Key. From here, head to the door in the corner and unlock it to find yourself back at the start of theCastle Annex. Now you can race back up the stairs and turn right this time, opening theIron Insignia Doorwhich leads to theLibrary. Here, you’ll need to fight against Daniela, one of Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters. If you’re struggling to put her down,check out our guide on how to defeat the sisters here. After the boss fight, you can progress through the opposite side of theLibrarywhere you’ll find the next ornate statue and be able to grab theMask of Joy.
Finding The Mask Of Rage
We’ll start this section off with a pro-tip that will save you a bit of frustration and backtracking. Before heading into theAtelier, go through the door opposite of the statue and proceed back downstairs to theHall of the Fourand enter theMerchant’s Room. It’s a good idea to save but the real reason you came down here is to purchase theInventory Upgradefrom the merchant. It has a hefty 10,000 Lei price tag but it’s worth it. Make sure you’re stocked up on ammo too.
Once you have the upgrade, head back up to the room where you grabbed theMask of Joyand proceed through the door to the left and into theAtelier. You’ll be stopped by another puzzle, requiring you to ring five bells. If you find yourself stuck on this part,we have a handy guide on where to find each of the bells. Once the puzzle is solved, a special pathway will open up behind the massive portrait of Lady Dimitrescu. Follow the new passage and climb up the ladder at the end. From here, progress through the attic-like area until you come to a chair sitting next to a suit of armor. This is the exact reason we snagged theInventory Upgradeearlier. With the extra space, you can now easily store theF2 Riflewithout sacrificing healing items, ammo, and explosives.
The F2 Riflecomes in handy for the next part. Slipping through the door to the left will put you on the roof of the castle and you’ll be tracked by a new enemy. Flying Lycans can be a nuisance but theF2 Rifleputs them down quickly. The path across the roof is pretty linear. Follow it towards an area with an elevator and then proceed around the elevator to continue along the rooftops. The goal is to wind around the area until you find yourself atop a tower-like structure with a nearby zipline.
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Grab onto the zipline when you’re ready to progress and the short ride will drop you down into an alcove and directly in front of the ornate statue containing theMask of Rage. With the key item in hand, you’re able to kick down a nearby ladder and climb back down to the elevator you passed earlier. Ride the elevator down and you’ll find yourself in familiar territory, a small room connecting to the area you started in when you first enteredCastle Dimitrescu. From here, it’s a good idea to head back to theHall of the Fourand save your game for the final trek. Keep an eye out though, as Lady Dimestricu is likely to hunt you on your way.
Finding The Mask Of Pleasure
The trip to theMask of Pleasureisn’t nearly as elaborate and convoluted as the rest. From theHall of the Four, make your way up the stairs of theMain Halland back through thePrioress Doorthat you slotted theMaroon Eyeinto earlier (it’s to the right down the hallway at the top of the stairs). Once you open the door, head straight down the hallway and use yourDimitrescu’s Keyon the door. This will gain you access to theHall of Pleasure.
Stepping into the room, you’ll immediately spot the ornate statue holding theMask of Pleasure. Unfortunately, grabbing it will cause a steel gate to collapse on the exit, sealing you in the room. To escape, you’ll need to make your way through the nearby fireplace (there’s a hole inside it you can crawl through) and into theArmory. Here you’ll have to face off against Cassandra. If you’re struggling to crack the code on her mechanic, be sure tocheck out our guide on defeating the sisters here. Once Cassandra is no more, turn your attention to the wall farthest from the entrance to the room. Up on the wall, near the ceiling, you’ll spot anAnimal Skull. Grab it and head back into theHall of Pleasure.
You’ll be able to place theAnimal Skullwhere theMask of Pleasurewas, releasing the door lock and giving you a straight shot back to theHall of the Four. Unfortunately, there is a plaque blocking your ability to seat theAnimal Skull, so enter your inventory and examine the skull further. By turning it around and looking at the backside, you’ll be able to remove a small bolt and pull the skull from the plaque. Now it can be slotted into the ornate statue, which will open the gate and let you back into the hallway.
Setting The Masks In Their Slots
Head back down to theHall of the Four(with a side trip to the save point in theMerchant’s Room) and stand before the empty busts. You can figure out which masks fit where by examining them in your inventory and turning them around. There will be square pegs on the backside of each mask, signifying which busts that slot into.
If you’re looking for a quicker way out without having to examine, the order of masks follows:
Once all four masks are firmly in place, you’ll finally be done with this puzzle and able to progress through the large doors behind the completed statues.
