What to know
- The Crank is called the Rusty Crank in your inventory.
- You find it on the ground floor of Cedarbrook Apartments in East Raccoon City.
- You must interact with a lever-type handle to obtain it.
- It is used at a shack on the 1st-floor balcony of the same building.
If you are progressing through Resident Evil Requiem and reach Cedarbrook Apartments, you will quickly encounter a mechanical obstruction that requires a crank. The game does not immediately spell out where to get it, which can slow down your progress. Fortunately, both the location and usage are contained within the same building, making this puzzle more about observation than exploration.
Below is a clear breakdown of how to obtain the Rusty Crank and where exactly to use it.
| Item Name | Rusty Crank |
|---|---|
| Location Found | Ground Floor – Cedarbrook Apartments |
| Region | East Raccoon City |
| Required Action | Move a lever-type handle to open a door |
| Usage Location | Shack on 1st Floor Balcony |
| Purpose | Unlocks blocked progression path |
Location of Rusty Crank in Cedarbrook Apartments
The Rusty Crank is located on the ground floor of Cedarbrook Apartments in East Raccoon City. As you explore the lower level, you will come across a mechanical setup involving a lever-type handle attached to a door mechanism.
This is not a standard loot pickup lying on a table or hidden inside a drawer. Instead, the crank is part of the environment. When you approach the mechanism, you must interact with the lever-type handle. Once you move it, the connected door opens.
After activating the mechanism, the lever detaches and becomes an inventory item labeled “Rusty Crank.” This is a key detail many players miss. If you only open the door and walk away without checking, you might not realize the handle is now collectible.
The item description reads: “Extremely rusty from lying abandoned for years. Should work well enough in pinch.” This confirms it is intended for immediate puzzle use rather than long-term multi-area backtracking.
The ground floor section is relatively contained, so you do not need to leave Cedarbrook Apartments or travel elsewhere in East Raccoon City to acquire it. Everything is handled within this structure.
How to get the Rusty Crank
Step 1
Enter Cedarbrook Apartments in East Raccoon City and reach the ground floor interior section.
Step 2
Search for a door connected to a visible lever-type mechanical handle. The device appears mounted and clearly interactable compared to decorative objects in the environment.
Step 3
Interact with the lever and move it to trigger the door mechanism. The door will open once the lever is turned.
Step 4
Collect the detached lever, which is automatically added to your inventory as the “Rusty Crank.”
At this point, you now have the required tool to progress further within the building.
Where to use the Rusty Crank
The Rusty Crank is used at a shack located on the 1st floor balcony of Cedarbrook Apartments in East Raccoon City. After obtaining it from the ground floor, you need to navigate upstairs.
The shack is positioned along the exterior-style balcony corridor on the first floor. When you inspect the mechanism there, you will see a metal fixture with a clear message indicating it requires a crank. The prompt reads that there is “a slot for a crank.”
This is your confirmation point.
Once you interact with the mechanism while carrying the Rusty Crank, the character inserts it into the slot. Turning it activates the locking system and opens the obstructed path.
Using the Rusty Crank at this location unlocks progression beyond the balcony shack area, allowing you to continue toward your objective in East Raccoon City.
How to use the Rusty Crank
Step 1
Return to the 1st floor balcony inside Cedarbrook Apartments after obtaining the Rusty Crank.
Step 2
Locate the small shack door with a visible crank slot mechanism.
Step 3
Interact with the crank slot while the Rusty Crank is in your inventory.
Step 4
Allow the character to insert and rotate the crank to unlock the mechanism.
Step 5
Proceed through the newly opened path to continue your objective progression.
There is no additional combination, code, or timing mechanic involved. If you have the Rusty Crank in your inventory, the interaction is straightforward.
Why the Rusty Crank matters for progression
The Rusty Crank is a mandatory progression item within Cedarbrook Apartments. Without it, you cannot access the shack mechanism on the first-floor balcony, which blocks your path forward.
Unlike optional side items or hidden collectibles, this tool directly ties into the main objective path toward Raccoon City Center. The design keeps the puzzle self-contained inside one structure, which maintains pacing and avoids unnecessary backtracking across the wider map.
It also reinforces environmental storytelling. The crank being repurposed from an abandoned lever aligns with the decayed, industrial aesthetic of East Raccoon City.
Crank usage and objective connection
| Objective Stage | Action Required | Item Needed | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explore Cedarbrook Apartments | Activate ground floor mechanism | None | Door opens |
| Post-activation | Collect lever | Rusty Crank | Added to inventory |
| First Floor Balcony | Insert into shack mechanism | Rusty Crank | Path unlocked |
Everything flows in a single building loop, making it efficient once you understand the sequence.
Unlocking the Cedarbrook Apartments shack explained
The entire crank sequence in Resident Evil Requiem is contained within Cedarbrook Apartments in East Raccoon City. You retrieve the Rusty Crank from a ground floor lever mechanism and use it moments later on the first-floor balcony shack.
If you are stuck at a door that clearly requires a crank, you do not need to search the wider city. Simply return to the ground floor and look for the movable lever handle. Once collected, head upstairs and complete the interaction.
The solution is mechanical, direct, and entirely location-based, making it one of the more straightforward environmental puzzles in the game once you know where to look.
