The Forklift Key is one of the most frustrating items to track down in Resident Evil Requiem, because the game never points you directly toward it. You will find the Forklift long before you find the key, and without knowing which direction to head, it is very easy to spend a lot of time running in circles through the Basement while The Girl and whatever else is lurking in those halls follows you around. Here is the complete step-by-step guide to finding the Forklift Key and progressing through the Basement Power Distributor puzzle.
What Is the Forklift Key Used For?
The Forklift Key appears during Grace’s section in the Basement of the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. The Basement contains a large Power Distributor puzzle that requires you to collect three joint plugs and restore power to multiple areas of the floor. The Forklift Key powers and moves a Forklift that is blocking a critical path, and using it correctly opens the route to the final joint plug, Emily’s cell, and the elevator that lets you escape.
How to Get the Forklift Key in Resident Evil Requiem
The Forklift Key does not appear early in the Basement section. You have to work through several steps of the Power Distributor puzzle before the area containing the key unlocks. Follow the steps below in order to reach it without backtracking unnecessarily.
Step 1: Collect the Joint Plug Near the First Forklift
When you first encounter the Forklift in the small lobby outside of Inspection, do not exit the way you came in. Instead, collect the joint plug sitting beside the Forklift, then go through the vent located on the opposite side of the room from the Forklift.
Step 2: Reach the Workshop and Return to the Basement Entrance
The vent leads you to the Workshop. Climb out of the Workshop to reach the Holding Cells, then make your way back toward the very beginning of the Basement, near the area where Grace first entered.
Step 3: Place a Joint Plug in the First Power Distributor
Place a joint plug in the Power Distributor near the Basement entrance. This unlocks a small room ahead containing a moveable crate. Move the crate to open access to the Boiler Room.
Step 4: Collect the Square Socket Wrench from the Boiler Room
Enter the Boiler Room and veer right to collect the Square Socket Wrench. The Girl will spawn at this point. Loop her around the machinery in the room to avoid her, then exit the Boiler Room the same way you came in and pick up the joint plug along the way.
Step 5: Collect the Joint Plug from the Furnace Power Distributor
Head south on your map to the Collection Pool. Along the way, collect the joint plug from the Furnace Power Distributor if it is still in place. At this point you should have two joint plugs in your inventory, which is exactly how many you need for the next step.
Step 6: Unlock Processing Using the Square Socket Wrench
In the Collection Pool, use the Square Socket Wrench on the panel to remove its locked cover. Place both joint plugs into the newly revealed Power Distributor. This restores power to Processing and unlocks the area.
Step 7: Collect the Forklift Key from Processing
Enter Processing and make your way to the end of the room. You will find another Forklift with a corpse to its right. The Forklift Key is located beside that corpse. Pick it up.
What to Do After Getting the Forklift Key
With the Forklift Key in hand, exit Processing and re-enter it via Inspection. In Inspection, use the Forklift Key on the Forklift there to power and move it. Moving the Forklift opens a second path leading to the opposite side of Processing.
This new route allows you to collect the third and final joint plug, reach Emily’s cell, and unlock the elevator so Grace can escape the Basement.
Note that Processing also contains the third joint plug itself, so make sure you collect it before leaving the area.
Summary Checklist for the Basement Forklift Key Sequence
| Order | Action | Location |
| 1 | Collect joint plug beside first Forklift | Lobby outside Inspection |
| 2 | Exit through vent, reach Workshop, return to Basement entrance | Workshop and Holding Cells |
| 3 | Place joint plug in first Power Distributor | Near Basement entrance |
| 4 | Move crate, enter Boiler Room, collect Square Socket Wrench | Boiler Room |
| 5 | Evade The Girl, exit with joint plug | Boiler Room |
| 6 | Collect joint plug from Furnace Power Distributor | Furnace / en route to Collection Pool |
| 7 | Use Square Socket Wrench on panel, place two joint plugs | Collection Pool |
| 8 | Enter Processing, collect Forklift Key from beside corpse | Processing |
| 9 | Re-enter via Inspection, use Forklift Key on Forklift | Inspection |
| 10 | Collect final joint plug, rescue Emily, reach elevator | Processing and Basement |
Tips for Surviving the Basement Section
The Basement is one of the more challenging areas in Resident Evil Requiem for Grace, largely because of the limited ammo, persistent enemies, and the presence of The Girl. A few things worth knowing before you dive in:
The Girl cannot be killed during this section, so do not spend ammo on her. Looping her around the machinery in the Boiler Room is the intended approach and the safest way to create distance without wasting resources.
Similarly, standard zombies in this section are best avoided rather than fought. Grace’s stealth mechanics and the knife are your most valuable tools in the Basement. Save your ammo for encounters where you genuinely have no other option.
Before leaving the Basement, look around for any Mr. Raccoon Memoriam statues hidden in the area. They are easy to miss while focusing on the puzzle, and returning to this section later is inconvenient.
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