If you’ve never done an escape room before, or if you have but you find you struggle keeping up with puzzle-solving when it comes to your teammates, then here’s a simple formula to solve any puzzle. Well, it’s more pointing out what information you need to identify–puzzle-solving is really only half the struggle when it comes to escape rooms. The other half is understanding what you’re looking for.

Code

One of the first things you’re looking for is your code. This might be numbers, or glyphs, colours, letters, physical items–this is the content you will need to input once you find your order and your input location. If you have a four digit combination lock, then you know that you are looking for a set of four numbers. In escape rooms, it’s important to identify and group together puzzle information; similar symbols or markings, similar themes, or ways bits of information fit together that logically make sense. Once you know what you’re working with, then it’s time to start working.

Order

Now you need your order. If your code is numbers then you’re looking for information around the room that will tell you in which order you should arrange those numbers. Sometimes puzzles have multiple layers to them, meaning that maybe half your information is on one wall, but has to be translated on the wall across from it to finally give you the order you need for your numbers; and remember, it’s not always numbers. Maybe one part of a puzzle gives you an orientation on a clock or a location on a map, and only when you look at that clock or map will you be given a symbol or other piece of information that will have to be puzzled out one last time at the location where you will input your answer.

Input location

You have your code and your order–great! The last step to this simple formula to solve any puzzle is easy: Where are you inputting your information? If you have a four digit combination but you have multiple combination locks, you may have to trial-and-error it unless one of the locks makes more logical sense than the others. This is where the information you grouped together earlier will come in the most handy. Sometimes the input location is obvious–if your code is colours and you have coloured buttons, then you’re probably inputting your answer to those buttons. It could be, however, that your input location is in another room you haven’t accessed yet, especially if your room is non-linear. In that case, hold onto your code–you’ll have to remember it for when the time comes.

In short, if you’re playing an escape room and aren’t sure where to start, start by grouping together information and identifying your code. Once you know what kind of answer you’re looking for, then it’s time to start puzzling out your order (every code will have an order!) Finally, make sure you input the code into the correct location and voila! Now, with this simple formula to solve any puzzle, you too are a master escaper.