13 Days to Escape Beginner's Guide: Survive Your First Days
13 Days to Escape looks simple — work, shop, dig — but the guards punish every shortcut. This beginner's guide walks you through the first in-game days so your first run reaches the tunnel instead of the interrogation room.
Read it once, then play. The game teaches fast, and the biggest beginner mistakes are all avoidable.
Your first 10 minutes
Start by taking a job. It is your income for tools and it gives your character a reason to move around without looking suspicious. Then walk the prison: find OJ's Deals, the yard, your cell block and at least two camera blind spots.
Do not buy anything on day 1. Learn first, spend later.
How the day and night work
Days are for earning and blending in; nights are for progress. At night the prison loosens up enough for you to move the toilet in your cell and dig, but guards still patrol and headcount still happens.
Everything you do at night must be reversible: tools hidden, dirt disposed, toilet back in place — or at least everything back where a passing guard would not notice.
Jobs and money
Jobs pay the cash that OJ's Deals turns into escape gear. Work every day you can and treat discounts as events worth planning around — the same tool can cost noticeably less on a discount day.
Hiding contraband
Never carry tools openly. Use hiding spots you have verified during the day, keep your most important tool with you only when moving it, and never store everything in one spot — one search can wipe your progress.
Biggest beginner mistakes
- Ignoring the headcount schedule and getting caught out of position
- Digging on the first night with no money and no plan
- Walking through STAFF ONLY doors out of curiosity
- Dumping dirt where cameras watch
- Buying tools before learning guard routes