Going through your first Northern Virginia escape room is an exciting and unique experience. However, it can also be a little overwhelming if you're not sure what to do. No matter what escape room you are going through, there are a few things you can do to give yourself an advantage. Things like working together, being patient, and having a positive attitude can go a lot farther in helping you to solve the puzzle than you might think.

Helpful Tips For Northern Virginia Escape Rooms

To help get you and your team prepared, read our 6 helpful tips you should know before attempting a Northern Virginia escape room!

1. Team Work

Working together is one of the best ways that you and your group can solve the escape room. If everyone is working together, you'll have more eyes and ears searching for clues which will increase your chances of solving the puzzle in a timely manner. However, while teamwork is extremely important, this doesn't mean you should all be looking at the same clue together. Rather, you should be spread out in the room and communicating so that you're covering as much space as possible.

Often times escape rooms will spread parts of the same puzzle throughout the room, so by trusting others in your group, you all will be able to solve the puzzle faster. Even when someone finds a clue, not everyone in the group should go rushing to look at it. It's very likely there are more parts of the puzzle that need to be found. Assigning tasks can also be helpful so that people have an idea of what they should be doing.

2. Talk About What You See

Part of being able to work as a team is calling out what you're seeing. This way you can share with your team information without them having to be standing right next to you. You may call out some detail that you think is insignificant, but someone else will hear you and recognize its importance. If you're not utilizing communication as much as possible, you could easily be looking at a lock and your partner is looking at a key, and neither of you is aware of how close you are to solving the puzzle.

3. Work Fast

While it might seem like you have plenty of time to work your way through the escape room, you'll likely find that you burn through that time very quickly. You should start out the escape room immediately with a sense of urgency so that you can work your way through quickly. Many teams find themselves at the end of their time limit with way too many unsolved clues piled up. Working quickly from the start will help lower your risk of this.

You also shouldn't save your hint till times almost up. If you wait till you only have five minutes left, you're hints not going to be able to do you much good. Rather, use it earlier to give you an advantage and move you through your current problem quicker. Teams that ask more questions are a more lot likely to win.

4. Turn The Room Inside Out

When you first walk into a room you should immediately start inspecting all aspects of it. Do the pictures move? Can you open any of the drawers? Does the furniture move? Can you turn off the lights? These simple things can be the key to finding the necessary clue to move on. It's very unlikely that anything was randomly placed in the room. If an objects not bolted down, it likely you're supposed to look under it.

5. Don't Get Fixated

This tip goes hand in hand with working as a team. Your entire group should not be fixated on one particular detail because it's a waste of time, and the other people could be searching for more hints and clues. The clue you're looking at might be a red herring, so just because you've found one clue, don't let your whole team stop searching.

At the very least, taking a step back from a complicated clue can allow your mind to clear so that the answer may come to you easier. Gaining a new perspective can go a long way helping you to reach the answer.

6. Be Patient And Positive

Nobody wants to have someone in their group who is negative and yelling. Not only is it unpleasant, but it's just a waste of time. If you've found a dead end, don't get upset, just turn around and keep looking for more clues. A team that is enthusiastic and is having fun is much more likely to solve the puzzle than a team that is frustrated with each other and is not convinced they can solve it.

Schedule Your Northern Virginia Escape Room Today

Nobody knows escape rooms better than our game masters at Room Escape Fairfax. We would love to discuss our escape rooms and determine which ones are best for you! Give us a call or fill out our contact form to schedule your Northern Virginia escape room event!

6 Helpful Tips You Should Know Before Attempting An Escape Room