Decrypted The Backrooms: Pipe Dreams (Level 2)

Pipe Dreams is an alternative name for The Backrooms Level 2. It is UNSAFE, SECURE, and has a LOW ENTITY COUNT. It has a survival difficulty rating of CLASS 2, and it is UNSAFE. The majority of the level 2 environment, which spans millions of miles, is made up of dark, grey, concrete maintenance tunnels. Pipes and ventilation ducts, which occasionally line the walls and are frequently filled with a viscous, thick black liquid. The majority of doors are locked or lead to dead ends, but doors can occasionally be found. Usually, shelves filled with haphazard collections of items, occasionally computers, are found in these rooms. The heat in Level 2 hallways can be oppressive at times, rising as high as 43 °C (110 °F). This is typically at the ends of hallways, where the machinery is loudest.

By InfoPublished 3 years ago • 5 min read

Pipe Dreams (Level 2)

Welcome, Explorer. Back so soon, just kidding, we know you aren't going anywhere. You made your way into the Backrooms not too long ago, and that's a one way trip, dear friends. One way or another, you're going to die in here. The big question is which level you'll meet your end on. But you've at least made it to Level 2 Nobody can take that away from you.

Well, actually, I can think of a few entities that can, but well discuss that later. You're on Level 2 now. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Because, we're sorry to inform you of this, but Level 1 was easy mode. It's only going to get nastier and nastier from here, So far, the best thing you can say about this place is that at least it's a little more straightforward than Level 1. Whereas the former was a mix of rooms, halls, corridors, and closets, Level 2 is a pure network of extra dimensional underground tunnels.

They stretch on with seemingly no end in front of and behind you, connected to other tunnels stretching off in different directions, forming an endless latticework of overheated passages that you couldn't even hope to explore. But you don't intend to spend a lifetime here - Regardless of how long or short that lifetime ends up being, you start walking. You can't exactly see or remember how you got into here. Did the entrance disappear behind you Or did you just completely no clip through the wall who knows, all you know is that you need to keep moving.

You walk down the tunnel, holding and taking sips from the almond water as you go. It's so impossibly hot in here, like you're walking through a literal sauna. You need to dodge the occasional puff of boiling steam busting out of cracks in the pipes, knowing till probably boil your skin off if you get caught in it. You keep walking, remaining vigilant. When you hear strange scraping noises in the distance, you decide to make yourself scarce behind a small collection of jutting pipes.

You're frankly sick of running at this point, so you're going to put all those hours of Outlast playtime to good use and hide instead this time. If it doesn't work, at least you won't survive to regret it for long. Something approaches, lumbering down the tunnel, dragging its huge claws along the metal pipes, screeching and spewing sparks. It's a huge, gray creature, with massive, gnarled claws. This creature is known as a Scratcher. It doesn't have any eyes, thankfully - It just listens extremely closely when it's hunting, waiting for even the slightest sound. It's hungry, it wants to feed. If you can stay quiet, though, you might have a chance to survive this one. You hold your breath, trying to remain calm.

One stray noise means death. It's getting closer, probing around the pipes with its claws; its lips curling back to reveal gums and fangs. Is this going to be your last moment then, somewhere deep in the distance, a pipe clanks. The Scratcher hears the distant clank and gives chase, galloping on all fours down the pipe-filled tunnel at freakish speeds. You're safe again - For now. While you're hiding behind the pipes, you decide to unwrap an energy bar and quickly snack on it.

Near-death experiences can work up a hell of an appetite. When you're confident that the Scratcher is gone, you decide to crawl out of your pipe-filled hiding place and continue walking deeper into Level 2, wiping the sweat from your brow with the back of your hand. The heat is unbearable, but at least the hiding places make running less of an issue here. And so far, the only monster you've discovered is blind. You've always been good at staying quiet, so maybe here you're going to have a slightly easier ride. Aside from the fact that warmed-up almond water tastes revolting.

You keep walking - Story of your life, right, But here, somehow, you feel a little more confident. You dare crack an ever so slight smile. Maybe you're starting to adjust to this whole Backrooms situation. As if just thinking that was enough to constitute a challenge, the lights up above begin to flicker. You freeze in place as the section of the tunnel goes completely dark. Could it be another Scratcher, Maybe you just need to stay still but it isn't a scratcher. A pair of glowing eyes and a set of glowing teeth suddenly illuminate in the dark.

You recognize it from your dream. It starts getting closer while not having the proper nomenclature is really the least of your worries right now, the monster standing before you is a mysterious entity known as a Smile. Their neon grins pervade many of the Backrooms Levels, hunting for easy prey. While they live in the dark, they're attracted to any and all sources of light. Lucky for you, you don't have your flashlight on you right now. But unlucky for you, you don't know all of this, because if you did, you'd know that turning on one of your light sources and throwing it in the opposite direction is the best possible way to survive an encounter with a Smile.

How very silly of you. But hey, we can't entirely roast you for your behavior here. Staying frozen in place and maintaining eye contact really is one of the best things you can do in this situation, even as the grinning nightmare draws ever closer. If you started to panic or turned to run, then the Smile would take that as an invitation, leap on your back, and more all over you.

Nobody knows how exactly a Smile kills its victims, but we can assume it doesn't just use all those long, sharp, glowing teeth for grinning. That being said, seeing as you're in a very narrow corridor right now, your options for escape are extremely limited. You're currently speed-running all the stages of grief until you reach a kind of placid Guess I'll die acceptance.

In a mad dash for what might be your only chance of survival, you quicken your pace. You can only pray to the door's unlocking God of the Backrooms, if there is such a being. You manage to get to the door at the very last second while being pursued by the Clumps. Throw it open while sneaking inside. You slam it behind you and lean against it as you wait for the boom while breathing heavily.

It never does, though. Congratulations! You've managed to escape, but you're no longer on Level 2. In the mouth of hell, straight from the frying pan. Welcome to Level 3, Explorer. As we continue to explore the Backrooms in greater detail, be sure to stay tuned. How much deeper is this Liminal Abyss?

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