Overview
A basic guide to how Keys work in the Escapists, and the different types of keys you can obtain.
Introduction
Let’s be honest here – without any Keys, you’ll be spending a lot of time trying to escape.
Keys are items in the Escapists that are held by Guards. There are 5 Keys in all:
- Cell Key (Yellow)
- Work Key (Green)
- Utility Key (Orange)
- Staff Key (Red)
- Entrance Key (Purple)
Different Keys obviously have different functions, and you’ll be kicking yourself if you get the wrong one. Read on to not make that mistake.
The functions of Keys
As there are five Keys, there are five doors with matching-colour locks on them. These doors are placed depending on what lies beyond it – for example, every cell will have a yellow-lock door when it’s Lights Out, so to exit and enter you’ll need a Cell (Yellow) Key.
Here is a brief description for each Key and its corresponding doors:
Cell Key – Like I explained earlier, at Lights Out every cell door will have a yellow lock on it. If you have a Cell Key on you, you can open these doors.
Entrance Key – The Entrance Key is used to open the entrance doors. These doors are often located on the outskirts of the prison, way beyond the main grounds. If you obtain one of these, you can expect to save yourself some chipping, digging or cutting.
Staff Key – Any red-lock door will open when you have a Staff Key, and this will give you access to staff-only areas. This can be pretty useful but make sure you’re not caught inside these areas!
Utility Key – A surprisingly useful Key which lets you access utility areas – this includes areas where items are stored, so you can easily raid Timber, Sheet Metal and Guard Uniforms (don’t forget your contraband pouch!). However, these areas are also often on the outskirts of the prison, so it’s quite a task to get there and back without getting caught.
Work Key – Gives you access to any work area. Can be useful and an easy supply of materials.
Getting Keys
In order to even get access to a Key, you have to knock down a Guard, and he’ll have a predetermined Key on him (more on that later). However, if you take the Key, the Key-less guard will report you and you’ll get chucked into solitary.
“So what do I do?” I hear you asking. Well, luckily, you can make Key Molds! To make these, follow these steps:
1) Find a Tube of Toothpaste and a Tub of Talcum Powder. Craft them together to form a Wad of Putty.
2) Knock down the desired guard, then take his Key. Don’t worry, you’ll give it back.
3) Craft your Wad of Putty and Key together. You’ll have a Key Mold, but the Key will be returned.
4) Go back to the Guard’s inventory and put the Key back.
Now you have a Key Mold, but you don’t have a Key. In order to get one, you will need some Molten Plastic.
To get some Molten Plastic you will need a Lighter and either a Toothbrush or a Comb (Comb Shivs do not work). Craft them together and you will have some Molten Plastic. Combine your Molten Plastic and your Wad of Putty, and you will have your desired Key!
Remember: this is a copied Key, and it has half the durability of a regular Key. Don’t waste it!
Thanks to TonyTGI for their corrections.
Narrowing down the desired Key
While you may think the Keys that the Guards hold is random, it’s actually determined by the Guard Order – when you’re editing the options for your prison you can rename the Guards and Inmates, and this is when you can apply some strategy.
The first five Guards all hold a Key each, and it goes like so:
- Guard 1 – Cell Key (Yellow)
- Guard 2 – Utility Key (Orange)
- Guard 3 – Entrance Key (Purple)
- Guard 4 – Staff Key (Red)
- Guard 5 – Work Key (Green)
In case you can’t remember this or don’t want to note it down, you can name the 1st Guard “Cell” or “Cell Key” and remember it that way, and so on. Be aware that the 6th guard onwards don’t hold any keys.
Since the Opinion of a Guard (or anybody, for that matter) goes down with every beat-up, you can take two Wads of Putty with you, so you can get two Keys in one beat-up. This saves you having to lower the Guard’s Opinion to 0. This also saves you from going into lockdown after beating up too many guards.
Tips and Tricks
Just some general tips to help you out.
- If you’re real crafty, you can take the actual Key off a Guard, then stash it in another desk. You’ll get sent to solitary still, but the Key will remain. These regular Keys have twice the durability of a plastic version.
- A Cup of Molten Chocolate can get you a plastic Key early on if you don’t have the strength to beat up a guard. This applies much more to later prisons!
- Don’t get any Keys until you’re sure you’re going to need them – otherwise they’re just taking up room and risking you getting caught.
- The Cell Key can let you escape your cell at night, but you’ll need a Bed Dummy in your bed and a Guard Uniform. This let’s you literally walk out of your cell whenever you want which can be handy for last-minute stashing!.
- While you might need a combination of Keys, it’s generally best to only have one Key at a time. Don’t get cocky!