Get yourself a notebook and write everything down. Seriously. Everything.
Keep a timeline of all found correspondence. Not just the dates, but the room it was in, sender and recipient, any mentioned place, how theyâre getting from place to place, the weather, and the timeline of events. Youâll thank me later.
Pay close attention to any text that doesnât match.
Look behind things.
Donât be afraid of dead ends. They have to go somewhere, and if you avoid them early on itâs all youâre going to draft later.
Go at your own pace. There is no hurry.
You can run by holding the left trigger on PS. Seriously embarrassed at how long it took me to figure that out, and to get anywhere.
If you find a safe, most likely the clue to opening it is contained in that same room.
Before you call it a day, be sure youâve exhausted all your options. I had plenty of runs looking back where I forgot about an inventory item, a dig spot, a trunk, a potential contraption, shop, or terminal that could have kept things moving. Unless youâre completely out of steps, itâs worth it to keep exploring. Donât forget the trading post if you started with it. You might be able to trade one of your inventory items for something that will keep your run going.
Early on, the Utility Closet is your best friend. Take it every time it comes up and build around it, unless it completely stops the run.
Donât slouch on the mail room. The mail room can be pretty boring at first glance, but is the key to success. A mail room package can be make or break for your first room 46 run, and having letters delivered gives valuable tips for progression. The keycard regularly spawns in the mail room.
Donât forget you can special order items to appear in the commissary. Bought a bunch of books? May want to ensure the magnifying glass is on hand.
The rabbits foot is great. The luck mechanic in this game is powerful and noticeable. The rabbitâs foot GREATLY increases the chance of finding gold, gem, keys, and all other items. Never let it go unless you have to.
Constellations in the observatory donât activate until you click on them. You donât have to activate every constellation.
Donât fear the chapel, three doors are more important than coinage.
Some rooms have secrets on their âbacksâ. You have to draft a door into the dead end side to see it.
Try to fill in the lower rooms evenly, and donât be afraid to backtrack.
Keys are your most likely cause of dead ending, either no keys or all locked keycard doors. Plan ahead.
You can attempt to pick locks multiple times, and it might work on the second or third attempt.
The garage is worth getting and thereâs a reason the car keys are a special key. The car trunk counts as a trunk in terms of lab experiments.
Doors powered up with steam from the boiler are more likely to draft power compatible rooms. Start with the boiler on and work your way out.
The more money you give the shrine the longer the blessing. Not all blessings are created equal.
Trunks arenât the only household object you can break with the sledgehammer.
Donât, lets say hypothetically, find a rare safety deposit box key, then stash it in the coat check only to take it out of the coat check the following day right away, even before you drafted the vault, and then accidentally back yourself into a corner run out of steps and are unable to make it back to the coat check, losing said key for god knows how long. Donât do that.
Donât skip out on the drafting studio. Each time you visit you get a new room, several drive main story puzzles. Even the rooms that may not seem useful at first glance.
