Keys

Keys
File:Key.gif.png

Details
ItemID: Varies
Will be confiscated

Keys are obtained by knocking out a guard, and they are used to access certain areas in the prison. A plastic copy of a key can be made with a Key Mold and Molten Plastic. If the original key is kept in your inventory, you will be sent to solitary once the guard that the key was stolen from wakes up.

Summary

Every type of key opens another set of doors. Every guard randomly carries one of the five keys with them. The key will always be carried by the same guard.

You can knock out guards to steal their keys. A Cup of Molten Chocolate or Makeshift Stungun can one-shot a guard which can be useful to quickly take their stuff if you have low health.

Make a copy of that key with a Wad of Putty and return the key back to guard's inventory. You can also place a key in an inmate's desk. You can take it out and use after getting out of the solitary. If the guard wakes up and he doesn't have his key, you will be sent to solitary.

This may also work on the console version.

Types

Cell Key: Cell Key (Yellow)      ItemID: 0
Utility Key: Utility Key (Orange in PC, Cyan in Console and Mobile)       ItemID: 7
Entrance Key: Entrance Key (Purple)      ItemID: 6
Staff Key: Staff Key (Red)      ItemID: 1
Work Key: Work Key (Green)      ItemID: 43 (Note: On Xbox One guard number does not matter.}

master key: master Key all

A Cell key and Entrance key are used for after lights out. They can open the cell and entrance which would normally be locked.

A Utility key can open utility areas, which usually leads to ladders to the roof, or ventilation.

A Staff key opens areas prisoners can not access, such as the generator.

The Work key can open work rooms, such as the janitor room. But if you have a Job you can access this without Keys.

Master Key opens all rooms.

Other info

Be sure to make note of which guards have which key. You can find out what number the guards have by writing down the guard order when naming your people or by simply giving the first 5 guards a specific name to recognize them. The key color unlocks the color lock as is on the door. The guards from 1st to 5th have the following keys Yellow, Orange, Purple, Red, Green. You can name them the color key they have to easily remember who has what color key.

Plastic Keys are contraband and they are made with a Key Mold and Molten Plastic.

A real key obtained by using the exploit works forever.

If you access the menu from an unconscious guard and have putty, select the key and touch X on Xbox or space on PC to make a key mold without needing to access the craft menu.

There are a few colored doors that don't have their own respective key.

Blue doors can only be opened by guards or while the player is wearing a Guard Outfit.
White doors can only be opened by the staff (warden, guards) or unlocked by the player during a prison takeover in a lockdown.
Green doors with health symbols, which can only be opened by either the infirmary staff or a player wearing the Infirmary Overalls. (Mobile/Console edition only)

Obtaining

Obtaining a key is as simple as knocking out a guard with a method of your choice. However, when the guard wakes up and doesn't have the key, you will be sent to solitary. This can be resolved by crafting a less durable Plastic Key then putting the original back into the guard's inventory.

Exploits

It is also possible to keep a real key by using a Grappling Hook to grapple onto the roof of an area where the dogs can not get you, however, you should drop it or have a friend knock out the guard so you do not have the heat. Then simply place the hook in your desk.

(The Exploits below have since been patched however. Items put in crafting still appear in the inventory space, through a transparent highlight, allowing dogs to track you. And when you are knocked out, the crafting menu is automatically closed.)

Using various exploits it's possible to keep the key itself. One method is to take the key then sleep to save. This is only possible if this is done in evening rollcall. Although this method has been patched, it is still doable on mobile devices.

Additionally, on the PC verison of The Escapists 1, after preforming the Cell Key Glitch, you can simply take the guard's key and give them the glitched Cell Key, and you won't be sent to solitary.

Another is to put key in crafting when knocked out and taken to solitary and wait out lockdown. Or sit in a locker with the Keys in your crafting menu so guards wont attack you and dogs don't know you have the key and wait until lockdown is over. Then You get to have a key for your escape or use for access locked doors.

On the iOS version of the Escapists 2, you can hide in the vents with a key and wait for lockdown to end. But you can't exit the vents once you have the key, since dogs will be following you from under or above.