Should you destroy or release Elpis in Resident Evil Requiem?

Deciding to destroy or release Elpis in Resident Evil Requiem determines which ending you get, and so if you're here and aren't near the end yet, begone! I don't want to spoil it for you, so please stop reading now. However, if you're at the pivotal decision and want to know what the different outcomes are, I'll lay them out below in detail.

Even though you're about to finish the game, and decide "What does the creator desire?" you can still go back and grab any Mr. Raccoon locations you didn't find, since they are independent from your progress in the story. Once you shoot one, it disappears for good. There are also Charms to collect that you might have missed.

As mentioned, I'll run through the outcomes for each ending, plus which one is the canon choice, which is almost 100% sure to be the one that is continued from in the next Resident Evil game, whenever that happens. This guide will contain spoilers for both Resident Evil Requiem endings, so again, leave now if you're here by accident.

Should you destroy Elpis?

This is the choice that Leon asks you to promise you'll make as Grace, but it's definitely the bad, non-canon ending, namely because of one specific consequence: Leon dies. After choosing to destroy Elpis, the ARK facility will begin to self-destruct, and Leon will manage to save Grace, getting her onto a walkway above the platform, but then Zeno will catch and kill him.

Leon expresses that he's happy he managed to save Grace, Zeno will shoot him in the head, and then the platform will plummet to the bottom of the shaft and explode, presumably killing Zeno as well, though it's hard to say with that guy. Grace will escape and get on the waiting helicopter that Leon called earlier, ending the nightmare.

If you need any more indication that this is the non-canon bad ending, the game literally asks you whether you'd like to immediately return to the point of the decision and choose the opposite. Honestly, if you want to see both endings, definitely choose this one first and then take advantage of that option to pick the next one instead, since it'll save you rolling back to another save.

Should you release Elpis?

Choosing to release Elpis is definitely the canon ending, since it includes an extra boss battle and even a post-credits scene. When you release Elpis, Zeno will take it and inject it into himself, thinking it's a super weapon, but actually it's a new anti-viral drug and strips him of his powers. Woops. Oh, also, Dr. Gideon somehow returns, though he's got an arm off.

Grace cures Leon, Zeno and Gideon argue before Gideon beheads him, and then Gideon goes super mode, and Leon has to fight him in a boss battle. The big picture? Elpis's antiviral qualities will shift the power balance of the world, I guess because it can be used to cure even the most messed-up infected. Imagine Leon walking into a boss battle, jabbing the monster with a syringe, and them turning back into a human.

After that, you'll escape thanks to the BSAA. It also turns out Emily can be saved, again, somehow, I guess with Elpis? The epilogue shows that Sherry has been cured and that Grace is now guardian to a pre-monsterfied Emily. Also, make sure you hold on for the post-credits cutscene. As mentioned, this is definitely the right ending, though you can see both if you choose to destroy Elpis first.