Have you struggled in Escape Rooms before? Or are you thinking of a great birthday party idea or team-building activity but you don’t know if you’ll be able to escape? Perhaps you’re not sure how you’d even start to do an escape room, or maybe you’ve played several rooms and just want that extra edge? Well don’t worry! We’ve given you advice in the past, but why don’t you get advice directly from the game masters at the best escape room in the DC area!

“If you are unsure what to do in the escape room, act like you lost something. Go through everything in the room methodically and see what you find!”

- Ellie

If you’ve never played an escape room before, Ellie’s advice is sound and needs little explanation. Caitlin has a great strategy, too:

“Divide up to explore the room, then come back together and share what you find. Understandably, most groups want to stick together to solve everything as a team. However, after watching many groups come and play, those that escape usually start by separating to look for any details they can find and then come back together to piece those clues together as a group to escape.”

- Caitlin

For those of you who have played escape rooms before but need a little extra help, Lillian has some good advice:

“Communication! Talk to each other on what you found or what you have completed so everyone can be on the same page. I would say keep the communication going, you keep the game going! Once you stop, you are going to run into problems...”

- Lillian

And speaking of communication,

“Ask for a clue if you're stuck! The groups that don't escape are the groups who are too stubborn to ask for help.”

- Dan

The above is my personal advice - I find that hubris is the thing that stops people from escaping the most. It is extremely rare for groups to escape without asking for hints, and there is no shame in using them as a resource. While we’re on the topic of clues:

“When your game master tells you to do something, at least at the Ravenchase escape rooms, it's probably a good idea to do it. A lot of groups waste their time second guessing our clues and nudges or ignoring them completely.”

- Katherine

And if you still aren’t in the market for clues, Katelyn has some advice:

“If you get stuck on a puzzle and don't want to ask for a clue, ask yourself if you have all the items or info you need to solve that puzzle. That way you don't waste time and energy on trying to solve it without what's needed!”

- Katelyn

And if you find yourself over-complicating things,

“Remember, the puzzles are probably a lot easier than you think. If you start doing long division, you’re doing it wrong.”

- Amen

Finally, I’ll leave you with this. Former Escape Room Arlington employee Connor has some self-explanatory advice:

“Sometimes it's worth it to throw out a few babies when you're getting rid of some real nasty bathwater.”

- Escape Room Arlington Employee Hall of Famer Connor Delaney

I guess this is supposed to speak for itself.

And there you have it! Is there anything else you’d add to their advice? If you’re looking for a fun company outing or your next family night out, you’ll have all the secrets you need. We’re looking forward to hosting you at the best in escape room in northern Virginia!