Resident Evil 4 Remake Jewel Thief Guide

Starting the Jewel Thief Merchant Request

The Jewel Thief request is introduced in Chapter 12 of Resident Evil 4 Remake after Leon rides the elevator back up from the underground tunnels and returns to the Castle hub. Near the Merchant’s shop by the Ballroom and Clock Tower lift, there is a Blue Request Note pinned close to the door.

Reading this note starts the Jewel Thief request and confirms the objective: recover the Scratched Emerald that a crow stole and took to its nest somewhere near the Courtyard area.

From here, the game expects you to backtrack towards the Courtyard and search the upper structures for the bird’s nest.

Finding the Crow Clue in Chapter 12

The Blue Note text makes two important points:

• A crow has taken the Merchant’s family heirloom emerald.
• The nest is said to be near the Courtyard rather than deep in the Castle interior.

What the clue does not mention is that the nest is not actually inside the hedge maze itself.

Instead, it is perched above the corridor that links the Courtyard to the Wine Cellar Merchant room you used earlier in the Castle.

If you have already cleared the Courtyard once, the route will feel familiar. Enemies can repopulate this space in Chapter 12, so be ready for a few extra zealots or hounds when you return.

Crow’s Nest Location and Scratched Emerald Pickup

From the Courtyard maze entrance, follow this route:

1. Enter the Courtyard and move forward until you reach the central area near the garden paths.
2. Head for the western exit of the maze, the one that leads toward the corridor with the Merchant room.
3. As you pass under the arched stone entrance to that corridor, stop and look up.

High above this arch, on the slanted roof overlooking the corridor, you will see the crow’s nest. It is small but stands out against the stone and tile, especially if you scan with your handgun raised.

Shoot the nest with any firearm, typically a handgun. The Scratched Emerald will fall to the ground beneath the arch, close to where Leon is standing. Walk over and pick it up to add it to your inventory.

This behaviour is consistent across PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, and PC, so the location and method are identical no matter which version you are playing.

Returning the Scratched Emerald to the Merchant

With the stolen Scratched Emerald in your inventory, step through the arch and continue along the corridor to reach the nearby Merchant shop. This is the same small room you used earlier when working through the Courtyard and Wine Cellar sequence.

Open the trade menu and sell the Scratched Emerald to the Merchant. You do not need to inlay it into any treasure; it is treated as a straightforward sale item.

Once sold, the Jewel Thief request completes and Leon receives 3 Spinels as a reward. These are ideal for topping up trades such as treasure maps or pushing towards exclusive upgrades on key weapons before leaving the Castle.

Finishing Jewel Thief Early in Chapter 8

Although the request officially appears in Chapter 12, the crow’s nest for the Jewel Thief request in Resident Evil 4 Remake can already be shot in Chapter 8, during Leon’s Courtyard sequence after he and Ashley get separated. As Leon makes his way toward the Moorish fountain area, he passes the Merchant’s shop corridor. Just before entering that corridor, look up at the slanted roof over the stone archway that connects the Courtyard to the Merchant room. The crow’s nest is already perched there.

If you:

• shoot the crow’s nest during Chapter 8
• pick up the Scratched Emerald as soon as it drops

then the jewel sits in your inventory until the Blue Request Note for Jewel Thief activates later in Chapter 12. Once you read the note and then sell the jewel to the Merchant, the request completes instantly.

Clearing Jewel Thief before taking the gondola in RE4 Remake is a tidy way to close out the Courtyard loop, letting you focus on The Disgrace of the Salazar Family request and the Clock Tower climb without needing to route back through the garden again.