News and Thoughts From Quicksand Escape Games

Escape Room Pro Tips

12/8/2016

Are you ready to graduate from escape room novice to an escape room pro? These five tips will help take your escape room game to the next level:

Don't Assume

Don't assume. Anything. Escape Rooms, by design, are intended to be tricky and challenging. Inexperienced players often fixate on some object, clue, or element convinced that "it has to be something". In all likelihood that "something" is "something" but its better to let it go for now and keep researching. Don't forget it, but file it away for later when you better understand it. On the flip side, hold back your assumptions about the order of things in an escape room. We see players convince their team that they won't need to deal with something until "the end", only to realize that it was the next step! Don't assume in an escape room.

Graduate from an escape room novice to an escape room pro.

Pre-Solve

At Quicksand Escape Games, we use the term "pre-solve" to describe when a player comes up with a well thought out theory about an eventual next step. You may figure out exactly what you need to do, but don't yet have the tools or final piece of the puzzle to complete it. When you do find that final piece, you will be well on your way. When pre-solving, be sure not to lose sight that a theory is a theory and don't get too hung up on something too long.

Over-Communicate

Did you just find a 2"x2" red ball with two blue dots on it? Tell everyone. Maybe that's exactly what your teammates have been waiting to find. It may seem like overkill but communicating what you've done and what you've found can save the team precious time in an escape room. It also prevents some teammates from spending time with items or puzzles that have already been solved. The better you communicate, the more cohesive and cooperative your escape room team becomes.

Double-Check

Always have your teammates' backs. Everyone makes mistakes, right? Borrowing from the first tip, don't assume your teammate is infallible. Whether it's double-checking a drawer or shelf or double-checking a combination/code you solved, don't hesitate to confirm what a teammate has told you. It may seem inefficient at times but too often a teammate will mishear the code they were tasked with inputting or excitedly forget to keep searching after finding a clue in a particular spot.

Don't Ignore Hints

Though different escape rooms in San Diego and across the globe have different methods and rules on hints, they all offer them in some way. When you ask for and/or receive a hint, don't ignore it. Unless the moderator is trying to waste your time, which would be pretty lousy, hints are given when they are given to push you towards a next step. While its always more fun to get it on your own, taking hints helps you progress and see more of the escape game, which is the best part.

Feel like you could take on any escape room now? Check out our schedule for the next available escape room at Quicksand Escape Games.

6 Comments

Alex Dean link

5/4/2017 12:13:39 pm

My friends and I are wanting to try an escape room, and I want to make sure that I am prepared for whatever may come. I like the advice you gave about not assuming, especially when it comes to the order of things. That will probably be my biggest challenge because I like to make sure that I hold back until I get all of the information. Thanks for all the different advice, hopefully I will be able to remember it all when we go.

Gloria Durst link

11/21/2017 03:55:19 pm

I agree that you want to make sure to not assume what things have meaning for an escape room. Keeping an open mind would make it much easier to solve. My sister is looking for an escape room, so she'll have to remember to not assume anything.

Bobby Saint link

1/12/2018 08:07:50 pm

I like that you provided some escape room tips such as not ignoring tips. While there may be different kinds of escape rooms, the rules of the game pretty much are pretty much the same for all. Hence, if you're provided a little bit of a hint or clue by the moderator, you may want to take note of it as this can be crucial in terms of you being able to pass through to the next level. If I were to go to an escape room with my friends, I would make sure to keep this in mind. Thanks.

Henry Killingsworth link

4/20/2022 09:01:53 am

I like how you mentioned that it can be a good idea to take hints during an escape room because they can help you progress. My wife and I are wanting to an escape room for date night in the near future. I am really bad at puzzles, so it seems like it could be a good idea for me to ask for as many hints as possible.

Wealthy Men Colorado link

10/23/2022 05:25:37 am

Thiis was a lovely blog post

Olivia Smart link

7/12/2023 12:48:34 pm

Thank you for explaining that it's a good idea to overcommunicate. I've been wondering what kind of advice we can get before going into an escape room. I'll be sure to do this so we can do our best to succeed.