Although Resident Evil 7 is all about how far Ethan will push himself to rescue his wife Mia, players curiously have the opportunity to ignore hours of motivation to instead save Zoe – the last sane member of the Baker family and the one person committed to helping Ethan every step of the way. While it does make some degree of sense to cure Zoe, it’s not something Ethan would realistically do and as a result ends up leading into Resident Evil 7’s bad ending. That said, the bad ending has a level of narrative pathos that isn’t present in saving Mia and is in many ways justifiable.
Mia works for a bio-terrorist organization that would make Umbrella blush, outright keeping this information from her husband and endangering his life (though to her credit, Mia does everything she can to try & keep Ethan safe). Zoe, on the other hand, is nothing but helpful and never once chops off Ethan’s hand. Beyond that, Resident Evil 7 features a secret boss fight with Mia if players end up locking themselves into the bad ending – ending her arc on a somber note.
To The Boathouse
The exact turning point for Resident Evil 7’s ending is right after the fight against Mutated Jack, but getting there is easier said than done and has its own stretch of combat to drain Ethan’s resources before the boss battle. From Lucas’ office, make sure to check the Item Box and prep Ethan’s inventory. Take out:
- The Handgun.
- The Shotgun.
- The Burner.
- At least two First Aid Meds.
- The Crank.
The path to the Boathouse will initially be clear, but five Molded will spawn once Ethan reaches the Crank Panel: 3 regular Molded and 2 Quick Molded. As the fight with Mutated Jack is coming up, it’s best not to use too much ammo, but the path is so narrow that Ethan will be forced to fight. Make sure to aim any shots carefully, block when appropriate, and rush over the bridge into a new Safe Room.
Mutated Jack Battle
The fight against Mutated Jack is arguably the single hardest boss battle in Resident Evil 7, so don’t skimp out on ammo or healing items. Ethan should realistically carry every piece of ammo and First Aid Med he can (along with taking out the D-Series Head and D-Series Arm, both needed for actually triggering Jack’s appearance).
Once Ethan unbinds Mia and hands Zoe the D-Series ingredients, Mutated Jack will crash through the Boathouse and shove Ethan into the boss arena. The goal of this fight is to destroy all the eyeballs placed around Jack’s grotesque body:
- His face.
- His belly.
- His right torso.
- His right arm.
- His left arm.
- His tail.
- Under his tail.
- His back.
Use the Handgun to shoot Jack’s eyes when he’s on the lower level and Ethan is on the second floor; use the Shotgun to blast Jack at close range whenever he comes up to the higher level; and use the Burner to pop the eyes underneath Jack’s body (this is especially useful when Mutated Jack submerges his lower half in water near death). With Jack dead, Ethan will have an opportunity to use the last remaining Serum to either cure his wife or Zoe.
Curing Zoe
Ethan canonically cures Mia as evidenced by Resident Evil 8, but players can alternatively cure Zoe if they feel so inclined. While the rest of the story plays out more or less the same (complete with players taking control of Mia shortly thereafter), there are notable changes to the last act that make the bad ending worth experiencing at least once.
Mia understandably reacts with pure rage as her husband cures another woman – even if he insists he’ll send help. Worse, Eveline kills Zoe before the two can ever make it to the ship, calcifying her while taking Ethan hostage. Ethan not only learns the truth about Mia much earlier as a result of this plot change, there’s greater weight & complexity to Mia trying to rescue her husband in the ship despite the clear divide between them.
The Ship
It’s not unusual for a Resident Evil game to swap control between more than one playable character. Many titles feature a partner for the main protagonist who briefly takes over gameplay. These segments are never particularly long, which makes Mia’s rather lengthy stretch of gameplay in the Wrecked Ship all the more notable.
Once control swaps to Mia in the Wrecked Ship, follow the Mold carrying Ethan inside until reaching the first floor where Molded are introduced. Mia is ostensibly defenseless, so make sure to stealth around any enemies and block when necessary. Grab the Fuse inside of the Laundry Room and use it to unlock the Stairwell.
Mia will run into Eveline, who will force her to watch the Old Tape – a flashback detailing the shipwreck that brought Mia & Evie in the presence of the Baker family. Follow Mia’s watch into the Dining Room where she’ll reset her Evie tracker. Now head to the elevator, kill the Molded inside, and take it down to S2.
Go to the Luggage Room to find Mia’s Corrosives and use it to burn a lock leading to Eveline. Molded will now spawn all around the ship, so be prepared to fight. Take the elevator back up to the third floor, only for it to break down on the second. Go back to the starting area to find Mia’s partner Alan missing and cut through the Break Room.
Rescuing Ethan & Killing Mia
The Old Tape concludes with Evie intercepting Mia, the ship tearing apart, and control swapping back to Mia in the present day. Mia’s goal now is to repair the elevator so she can rescue Ethan. Find the Power Cable on the third floor of the Sick Bay. Mia will need to unhook both sides of the Cable to grab it, spawning a Fat Molded in the process.
The Fuse can be found in the Laundry Room on the first floor, giving Mia everything she needs to start back up the elevator. Make sure to explore the Wrecked Ship thoroughly before heading down to S2 since she’ll be fighting a horde of regular, Quick, and Fat Molded. Once the entire area has been cleared, she’ll find Ethan and confront Evie.
Control will then shift to Ethan. Normally, Mia rescues Ethan and sends him on his way before Eveline takes control of her one last time, but curing Zoe forces an encounter. Mia will begin to attack Ethan, but he’ll have no weapons to fight back. Quickly turn around, pick up the Crowbar on the floor, and start bashing into Mia. Make sure to block when she strikes and she’ll go down fast.
Bad Ending
Mia’s death leaves Ethan heartbroken, confused, and ready to kill Eveline. From here, he’ll be taking on the Salt Mines – an area absolutely littered with Molded – before confronting Evie for the last time in the Guest House. The finer details between the good and bad endings are more or less the same (Ethan kills Eveline, Blue Umbrella saves Ethan, etc.), but his mood is considerably dour. Ethan lacks any of the optimism and hope he has in the good ending, not only losing his trust in Mia but being forced to kill her himself.