Escape routes & the items they require

Four escape routes are established: the storm cellar, the car, the gate, and the police van — with others unverified. Every one of them is an item checklist wearing a door costume, and some need multiple players' items to open. The team that treats escapes as a shopping list from minute one escapes; the team that starts shopping when Michael shows up doesn't.

The routes

Storm cellar

The classic hide-and-leave route. Reports point to unlock items (keys/tools) rather than repair work, and cellar entrances sit off main sightlines — good under pressure, awkward for escorting groups. Reported

Car

The car needs, at minimum, car keys, and reports consistently add gas and sometimes repair tools depending on the vehicle's state. Reported It's the highest-capacity, most visible escape: engines are loud, headlights are louder, and Michael knows what a running car means.

Gate

A perimeter route reportedly gated by tools or a fuse-style power interaction. Unverified Gates are chokepoints by nature — scout the approach before you commit a group to it.

Police van

Tied to the police-response system rather than pure items: the police need to have been called (NPC calls are reliable), and the van becomes an evacuation point. Getting Michael detained near an active van is the safest evacuation window in the game. Reported

The item economy

• The minimap shows who holds key items — use it. If your key-carrier is being chased, the route is being chased.
• Multi-item routes mean split looting: two players hunting the same requirement is a wasted opening minute. Assign categories in the lobby (keys vs. gas/tools).
• Single-use rares like the Ancient Amulet are insurance for the carrier of the final item — the person Michael most wants down.

Choosing your route

1. 01

   Pick one primary route in the first minute, based on which items drop early. Commit loot effort to it.

2. 02

   Name a fallback — usually the cellar, since its requirements are lightest in reports. Don't split effort until the primary is blocked.

3. 03

   Stage, don't trickle. Move Special Targets near the route before the final item arrives; opening an escape with no one staged is an invitation for Michael to camp it.

4. 04

   Open and go. The window between "route open" and "Michael arrives" is short. Evacuate in one push.