How to open Don Corneos secret stash vaults - FF7 Remake guide

July 2024 · 6 minute read

Early in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, while you’re in the Sector 5 Slums, you’ll come across gates with two red dragons on them and lanterns hanging on either side. There’s tons of treasure behind this gate, but you can’t open it.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to open the gates and collect the loot in Don Corneo’s Vaults.

Corneo’s Secret Stash quest

This gate (and those like it) are part of a side quest called “Corneo’s Secret Stash.” You won’t pick this quest up until Chapter 14, so the gates will stay locked until then. Remember any you come across before the quest, and move on with the story.

When you get to Chapter 14, here’s how you can unlock and find all three Corneo Vaults, and claim their sweet treasure for yourself.

Picking up the quest

To start this quest, meet with the journalist just outside of the Sector 5 Slums. Walk out of town toward the station, and you’ll find him standing near a pathway.

Talk to him, and he’ll tell the tale of the hidden Corneo Stashes and claim that the Guardian Angel of the Slums has the key. He wants you to head back to the Guardian Angel’s hideout to find it.

Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple.

Finding the Guardian Angel’s hideout

If you know where the stashes are, this step seems optional.

When you have the quest, go down the path next to the journalist and backtrack your way to the Guardian Angel’s hideout.

If you beat the boss here during an earlier side mission for the journalist, you’re going to the same spot. If not, follow the path, past the Corneo Vault in the dump and up to the circular arena. On the ground, you’ll find a calling card with the location of each Corneo Stash.

What you won’t find is the key you’re looking for. You can knock out a few quests at once in this next part, so make sure you’ve spoken to the doctor near the school for the “Secret Medicine” quest, and you’ve picked up “Chocobo Search.”

If you already have “Chocobo Search,” stop by and feed the chocobo just west of the Corneo Stash on your way back to town.

Find Johnny's wallet and the key

Head back to the journalist and turn right. Walk toward the station. You’ll find Johnny, the guy followed you around the Wall Market and who you previously kicked out of Sector 7. He’s misplaced his wallet and needs your help finding it.

Grab the “Tomboy Bandit” quest and head to the church. To get there, stay on this path, past the station, and it’s a straight shot. You can pick up one of the chocobos for the “Chocobo Search” quest on your way to the church.

In the church, you’ll run into Kyrie. Turns out she has both the key and Johnny’s wallet. But there are some Shinra folks looking to do her harm. She needs Cloud and company to replace her in the Wall Market coliseum. Before you travel, you can grab Aeirth’s flowers for Secret Medicine.

Fight the Beastmaster

Walk out of the church and use the chocobo sign to travel to the Wall Market. Enter the coliseum and accept the special fight. You’ll face the Beastmaster again. Defeat him and his new pet. Use Blizzard and healing spells to weaken the powerful beast and use fire spells on the Beastmaster.

After winning the fight, return to the church and you’ll pick up the key and Johnny’s wallet. With the key in hand, you can now open Corneo’s Vaults. And you may as well return Johnny’s wallet near the station on your way back to town.

Sector 5 Corneo Vault

Grid View

Leave Sector 5 and make your way back to the junkyard. Follow the path, and you’ll eventually find the first Corneo Vault on your left. Use your key to open it up, and collect the treasure.

Sector 6 Collapsed Expressway Corneo Vault

Grid View

Use a chocobo sign to travel to the Sector 6 Collapsed Expressway. After you arrive, walk left and into the tunnel. Keep heading left and you’ll eventually come across another Corneo Vault. Open the locked door and grab the treasure inside.

Sewer Corneo Vault

Grid View

This Corneo Vault is the most confusing one to find. You can’t get back into the sewer via the open world. Instead, you need to progress the Chapter 14 story forward. Completing this quest will not advance the chapter, so you can still go back and complete side quests.

Go to Don Corneo’s house in the Wall Market, and make your way up the stairs to the Don’s playroom. You’ll run into Leslie, who’ll offer to get you to the surface in exchange for his help in taking out the Don. Follow him into the sewer for a long mission.

After a jaunt through the sewer, a monster will steal Leslie’s door key. Chase it down, defeat it, and follow Leslie through the door but do not climb the ladder. Pull the switch next to the ladder to lower the water level. Walk out the door, past the arena where you fought the monster, and down the hallway. Turn right and follow the L-shaped path until you reach the final Corneo Vault door.

Instead of treasure, you’ll need to fight more of those Ninja Turtle-like monsters — including a mini-boss, the Sahagin Prince. Use your fire spells to take them down. Kill the lackeys first, and then focus on the prince to make this fight much easier. When they’re all dead, loot the final Corneo Vault to pick up the last piece of treasure.

Finish the main quest and defeat Don Corneo’s beast once again. Follow Leslie back to Wall Market and you’ll reach the point of no return. Make sure you turn in this quest before using your new grappling gun to reach the upper city.

When you have all the treasure, you can turn them into your old landlady, Marle, who you’ll find in the playground outside of Sector 6.

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