Regardless of their skill, escape room newbies and veterans are guilty of a particular set of bad behaviours – we’ve seen it all! If you want to avoid falling into these traps and are looking to improve your game, here are the most common bad habits that you should steer clear of during your escape experience! 

1. Overeager Puzzle Solvers

It’s great to see a group of enthusiastic players who are raring to get their escape room experience underway. The excitement builds and spreads like wildfire, meaning the players will often try to solve the first puzzle they encounter without giving the room a proper search.

You’re free to play the room however you want, but being overeager and giving in to temptation means you’ll miss out on important clues that will help you down the line. 60 minutes should be more than enough time to complete the room, so try and get your clues in order before jumping into the first puzzle you see!

2. Not Moving On From Your First Solution

It’s perfectly normal for certain puzzles to take multiple attempts to solve and you should definitely try your first solution a couple of times just to double-check and make sure. But if your first solution isn’t yielding any results, the problem lies with your solution – not the puzzle!

There are players who find that they’re unable to move on and instead assume that the puzzle is faulty or malfunctioning. Save yourself the embarrassment by trying another solution before complaining to the game masters!

3. Being the Lone Wolf

We like to think there’s a bit of Sherlock Holmes in all of us, especially in an escape room situation where ‘The Art of Deduction’ comes into play more than ever. Remember that escape rooms are team games, so don’t forget to share information and involve your teammates during the hour. Sherlock did often confide in his trusty partner Dr. Watson, after all! Even the best of us need help sometimes!

4. Greedy Puzzle Solvers

If you can’t solve a puzzle, let your teammates have a go. There’s nothing worse than a greedy puzzle solver who won’t give up until they get it right, all while their teammates are left standing around twiddling their thumbs. Your determination is admirable, but there’s a time and a place for it!