[What Lies Below

An escape room challenge featured in the Spring Term of Escape Academy, which directly follows the events of The Confrontation.

Verification: Human verified

"What Lies Below" is the final escape room challenge of Escape Academy's Spring Term, unlocked directly after the events of The Confrontation. It takes place inside the headmaster's office and is rated a difficulty of five out of five [src-cc415a0c9f]. Despite that rating, the puzzle chain is straightforward once you know the codes and answers, and completing it unlocks the "You've Escaped!" achievement [src-f30c4b0486][src-f825a4961b].

How to Complete

The escape is split across several rooms connected by testing machines. Your goal in each room is to collect a testing sheet, submit it with the correct multiple-choice answers, and carry it forward to the next machine. Along the way you also need a pin, a battery, and access to the Tesla coils.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

1. Enter the headmaster's office. Skip the dialogue with the headmaster and head up the stairs [src-cc415a0c9f].
2. Open student 00's locker. Turn right at the top of the stairs to find the locker of student 00 — the first locker in the sequence. The combination is right to 10, left to 25, right to 15 [src-cc415a0c9f]. This opens the locker, where you grab the pin and the testing sheet [src-cc415a0c9f].
3. Grab the newspaper (optional). The "What Lies Below" edition of "The Escapist Times" is inside the first locker directly to your left when you enter the room [src-f825a4961b] — useful for the "Extra, Extra!" achievement.
4. Submit the first testing sheet. Walk across the room to the device that marks testing papers. Insert your sheet and enter A, C, and E, then confirm. The screen tells you the answers are correct; take the paper with you [src-cc415a0c9f].
5. Move to the second room and pick up the battery. On the cabinet on the right-hand side at the very end of the room is a battery — collect it [src-cc415a0c9f]. Each room contains a long, complex puzzle, but you can skip straight to the next testing machine if you already know the code [src-cc415a0c9f].
6. Submit the second testing sheet. Input the testing paper and enter B, C, D. Lock in the answers, confirm the screen says correct, and grab the paper before leaving through the next door [src-cc415a0c9f].
7. Charge the Tesla coil. With the battery in hand, interact with one of the large Tesla coils and use the battery to charge it. It starts uncharged; the 12-V battery charges it [src-cc415a0c9f].

Tips

• Sprint between rooms. The guide notes you can sprint back and forth while working through the office if you still need progress toward the "Killer Cardio" achievement (sprint for over 400 meters) [src-cc415a0c9f][src-f30c4b0486].
• Keep your testing sheet. After each machine confirms your answers as correct, pick the paper back up — you need to carry it onward [src-cc415a0c9f].
• Don't be intimidated by the difficulty rating. The five-out-of-five label is misleading once the codes are known [src-cc415a0c9f].

Rewards

• "You've Escaped!" achievement — awarded for escaping "What Lies Below" [src-f30c4b0486][src-f825a4961b].
• Progress toward grade-based achievements. Finishing an escape counts toward "Honor Roll" (B+ or better on 10 Escapes) and "Overachiever" (A+ on 10 Escapes); an A+ requires finishing within the time limit without using hints [src-f825a4961b]. Note that some players report these achievements only counting the first clear of a room [src-f825a4961b].
• "Extra, Extra!" progress — reading the newspaper in the first locker contributes to reading 10 different editions of "The Escapist Times" [src-f825a4961b].

Details

term

Spring Term

Sources

• Escape Academy Complete Walkthrough
• Escape Academy - All Achievements/Trophies Walkthrough - 100% Puzzle Solution Guide (Xbox Game Pass)
• Steam achievements page — Escape Academy
• 100% Achievement Guide - Escape Academy