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Escape Academy’s Fall 2022 DLC proves from the outset that more challenges are in store for the player. The narrow time limit and challenging difficulty for the first DLC level means evenEscape Academyveterans may have difficulty completing the room in time.
This strategy guide offers guidance for new and experienced players trying to overcome the puzzling hurdles that lie in wait. Even though this is the first escape room for the DLC, escapists would benefit fromplaying the previousEscape Academylevels beforehandto get a better understanding of the puzzle styles and background plot.
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Decoding the ‘Skypher’ Password
The escape jet is on fire and going down, and the ejector seats are currently out of order. In order to beat the strict time limit, players need to examine a lot of the claustrophobic environment details, so they don’t miss out any vital clues.
The first clue can be grabbed by opening the door on the player’s immediate right and entering the bathroom. Inside is a Skypher magazine, which contains several word puzzles that need to be decrypted.
One solution has already been filled in: the letters GHHU correlate to the word DEER, which means each letter in the codeword needs to me pushed back three places to get the solution. The ‘Fun Tip’ urges the player to check the UHG FKDLUV, which when decoded means RED CHAIRS.
Each window in the first compartment can be interacted with, and will reveal different letters after doing so. Looking at all the letters found on rows with red chairs will spell out the word “AIRHEAD”. Punch this into the keypad locking the cockpit to enter.
How to Extinguish the Fires
Once the door is opened successfully, the player can see Jeb has passed out. Talk to Jeb and he’ll wake up, urging the player to fix the plane by extinguishing the fires first.
Return to the first compartment and lift the window covers (where necessary) to check for words written on the wings. From left to right, the wordsLima, Oscar, Charlie, and Kilocan be seen, which also spells out “LOCK” in the Phonetic Alphabet.
Head back to the cockpit and look for a panel on the right with four different levers on it. Inputting the four words in the right order will extinguish the engine fires and unlock the next puzzle.
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Balancing the Plane
The overhead luggage lockers in the first compartment of the plane will now open, with almost all of them containing suitcases with different colored tags. A nearby poster can be picked up, listing the numerical guide for each luggage weight:
The objective is to balance the plane’s weight evenly, since the left side totals 220kg and the right side totals 100kg. By adding up the total weight of all luggage (320kg), this means 60kg needs to be swapped to make an even 160kg on each side.
There are several possibilities for swapping the luggage, but the quickest way is toswap one red suitcase and one yellow suitcaseon the left sidewith two blue suitcaseson the right side. When both sides equal 160kg, head back to the cockpit and activate the autopilot.
Activating the autopilot leads to a short scene where the passengers will try to use the ejector seats. Unfortunately, both Jeb and the player need to re-fuel them first.
Solve the Suitcases
Thankfully, the suitcases left behind present a series of puzzles that lead to some rocket fuel. The three puzzle cases can be tackled in any order, but all of them need to be solved before continuing.
The first suitcase with stickers on requires some careful observation to see the order in which the shapes have been layered. The correct order for unlocking the padlock is:Rectangle, Hexagon, Triangle, Octagon, Oval. Open the suitcase and grab the key inside.
The next suitcase has four luggage tags that need to be lowered in the exact position to unlock the case, but the height difference needs to be manually adjusted. Using the crank on the left will wind all four tags at the same time, but the tags can also be pulled upwards one at a time by the player.
By arranging the heights of all four tags to mirror the correct level, each tag should be in the following order:
If positioned correctly, the tags can be lowered in unison to line up with the tag line, thus unlocking the suitcase and presenting another key.
The third suitcase has an extendable handle with numbers from 1 to 5 on both sides like a combination safe. The handle needs to be raised and lowered in the right order to unlock the suitcase. Closely examining the pattern on the suitcase reveals a looping pattern of flower shapes with different numbers of dots in them, in the following order:1, 4, 2, 5, 3.
This will unlock the case and reveal a third key; use all three keys on the last remaining (nested) suitcases and grab the Headmaster’s ID card.
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Cargo Hold Sliding Puzzle
Head to the back of the plane where the Cargo Hold is located and open the door using the ID card. Inside the hold is a container of ejector seat fuel, but it is blocked by piles of luggage and needs to be slid out strategically.
In order to slide the gray rocket box down to the cargo bay door, the following step-by-step solution to the sliding puzzle has been provided. Each move is meant to go all the way in the stated direction (i.e: a block moving upwards requires sliding it all the way up until it is blocked.)
If the steps have been followed successfully, the ejector fuel can be collected. Return to the ejector seats and use the fuel on them to blast off for real!
After ejecting from the plane, the Take to the Skies escape sequence will be complete. This marks the firstEscape AcademyDLC level, finished and leaving the player ready to explore many other exciting escape rooms.
Escape Academy + Fall 2022 DLCis now available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
