The Rival Room | Quests Wiki

An escape room challenge featured in Escape Academy's Winter Term. It takes place sequentially after 'The Tea Kettle' and right before 'Tea ‘N Tea'.

[The Rival Room

An escape room challenge featured in Escape Academy's Winter Term. It takes place sequentially after 'The Tea Kettle' and right before 'Tea ‘N Tea'.

Verification: Human verified

The Rival Room is a Winter Term escape challenge in Escape Academy, staged as a sporting event where you race your nemesis, Gillian, through a series of puzzles to prove who is top of the class [src-9c282bac46]. It is the ninth escape room in the game and sits sequentially after The Tea Kettle and immediately before Tea ‘N Tea. This guide walks you through reaching the arena and clearing each round of the race.

Overview

The Rival Room is a puzzle-race against your rival, and the goal is simply to beat her to the finish across five rounds of puzzles [src-0f3d11182e]. You are given a 35-minute time limit, which is described as way more than enough to complete the room [src-cc415a0c9f] [src-0f3d11182e]. The official description frames it as representing your class in "everyone's favorite sporting event" and going toe-to-toe with your nemesis to prove who's top of the class [src-9c282bac46].

How to Reach [The Rival Room

After completing The Tea Kettle, leave the dorm. You should trigger an automatic conversation with the Headmaster. Then open the map and click the top-right corner to travel to the arena. Once inside the arena, click the middle of the screen to select The Rival Room [src-cc415a0c9f]. Skip the dialogue and you will be dropped into the level.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Round 1: Fire the Ballista

The first round revolves around firing the Ballista in front of you. To your immediate left is a red panel with missing gear slots, and you need to find three Gears to complete the mechanism [src-0f3d11182e].

Find the Large Gear — open the orange box to the left of the red panel [src-0f3d11182e] [src-cc415a0c9f].
Find the Medium Gear — open the dark box to the right of the red panel [src-0f3d11182e].
Find the Small Gear — open the white cupboard to the left of the orange box [src-0f3d11182e] [src-cc415a0c9f].

Place the gears on the red panel. There are five potential holes but only three gears, so the correct arrangement is [src-0f3d11182e]:

Large Gear: Bottom Left hole
Small Gear: Centre hole
Medium Gear: Far Right hole

With all gears placed, turn the gear on the far left (the one with the handle). All the gears should turn, firing the Ballista and lowering the bridge to the next area. Wait for the bridge to fall, then walk across [src-0f3d11182e] [src-cc415a0c9f].

Round 2: Identify Your Targets

In the second area you will find statues with names on them. The key to this puzzle is the question printed on the sign at the far end of the room, which reads: "Which 3 can yo—" [src-0f3d11182e]. Move three statues into the small spots at the back; according to the walkthrough footage, you move Wyatt, Timmy, and Max, and their exact positions do not matter. Doing so opens the door on the far left side [src-cc415a0c9f]. Move forward and go up the ladder.

Round 3: The Weights

The third room involves weights. Pick up the green and white plates, then the red, blue, and orange plates, and interact with the green board at the very back to begin entering numbers [src-cc415a0c9f].

Later Rounds and the Rotating Chambers

The room continues through five rounds in total [src-0f3d11182e]. One of the later puzzles is Eel's Rotating Chambers, which you can solve in under eight moves to earn the Spin Specialist achievement. The sequence is: Purple > Clockwise; Green > Clockwise; Green > Clockwise; Purple > Clockwise; Green > Counter-Clockwise; Green/Orange > Clockwise [src-f825a4961b].

Collectibles

While in the first area, look for an orange box on the far end containing a newspaper — this is the ninth edition of "The Escapist Times," which counts toward the Extra, Extra! achievement for reading 10 different editions [src-cc415a0c9f] [src-f825a4961b].

Tips

Use your time wisely. The 35-minute limit is generous, so there is no need to rush the gear or statue puzzles [src-cc415a0c9f].
Grab the achievement gear early. The three gears are all clustered near the red panel at the start, so sweep that corner before moving on [src-0f3d11182e].
Plan the Rotating Chambers. If you want Spin Specialist, follow the documented move order rather than experimenting [src-f825a4961b].
Aim for an A+. Finishing within the time limit without using hints earns an A+ on the escape, which feeds the Overachiever achievement [src-f825a4961b].

Rewards

Escaping The Rival Room unlocks the Apex First Year achievement [src-f825a4961b]. It also advances the Winter Term storyline toward Tea ‘N Tea, and the newspaper you collect contributes to the Extra, Extra! achievement [src-f825a4961b].

Details

term

Winter Term

previousQuest

The Tea Kettle

nextQuest

Tea ‘N Tea

type

Sporting event venue / room

purpose

Host a puzzle-race sporting event against a nemesis to prove who is top of the class.

Sources

Escape Academy