SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class 3
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- Non-Entity Hazards
A photograph of Level 185 taken from a window. Photographer disappeared shortly after sending the image, leaving no trace of their fate.
Level 185 is the 186th positive level of the Backrooms, notorious for its unstable geography and peculiar hazards.
Description
Level 185 is an extensive complex of interconnected white-tiled buildings with large, rectangular windows. The sky is an unnatural shade of deep blue, devoid of clouds or celestial bodies. The windows reflect the sky with an unnatural sharpness, and as such, wanderers described the environment as "eerily artificial". Some windows are physically impossible to break, while others allow wanderers to phase directly through them, leading to vast empty voids or additional corridors that should not exist.
Scattered throughout the level are strange, concrete pyramidal structures that appear in various courtyards and rooftops. These formations have an unknown purpose, and touching them often results in a temporary "glitch" effect, causing limbs to become momentarily intangible or even displacing wanderers to a different area of the level. Wanderers have reported feeling an overwhelming sense of unease when standing near these structures.
Level 185 has properties comparable to those of Level 66, though more chaotic. It perpetually generates new areas, leading to an ever-expanding labyrinth that lacks logical consistency. However, the generation process is flawed, resulting in frequent environmental glitches. These include objects clipping into walls, entire sections of buildings missing, and occasional instances where wanderers can pass through solid surfaces as though they do not exist. Floors may sometimes cease to have collision properties, leading to unexpected free falls into lower sections of the level or, in rarer cases, complete expulsion from known Backrooms levels.
Supplies are scarce in Level 185, and conventional food or water sources have never been documented. However, one exclusive beverage has been discovered—"Prism Nectar". This fluorescent, cyan liquid is found in sealed aluminum cans that occasionally materialize on window sills or ledges. Drinking it temporarily stabilizes a wanderer's presence in the level, preventing unintended phasing for a short duration. However, excessive consumption leads to dizziness and an inability to perceive doorways correctly, trapping the wanderer within looping hallways.
Notes with incoherent messages often appear on the floors and walls. Some examples include:
- "TH3 PYRAMID SEES BUT DOESN'T SPEAK."
- "ST3P THR0UGH THE BLUE AND BECOME THE GLITCH."
- "IF Y0U CAN STILL BLINK, Y0U'RE NOT THERE YET."
These messages, written in erratic handwriting, hint at some deeper, unknown phenomenon within the level. Despite extensive exploration, no confirmed entities have been documented, though some claimed to have seen "shadowy figures".
Colonies and Outposts
Due to Level 185's unpredictable geography and its tendency to phase any living and non-living thing through surfaces, establishing a permanent colony or outpost is unfeasible. Any attempt to construct stable shelters results in them gradually clipping into nonexistence or being displaced to unreachable sections of the level.
Entrances and Exits
Entrances
Wanderers can enter Level 185 through various means. One confirmed method is by walking through a window in Level 4 that has an unusual blue tint; doing so will seamlessly transition them into Level 185. Moreover, in Level 31, certain rooms contain flickering, tiled walls that, when touched, transport individuals here. A rare but known method involves interacting with the incorrect command prompt on a terminal within The End. If the command "window.shift/reality" is executed, the user will find themselves inside Level 185.
Exits
Exiting Level 185 is challenging due to its erratic nature. One of the more reliable but rare methods involves encountering an old computer running Windows 95—interacting with it in any way may transport the user to Level 195. Another exit is tied to Level 171, where an area featuring a yellow-painted doorframe leads here; re-entering it has a high probability of sending the wanderer here. Additionally, tarmac roads may occasionally manifest in the level—walking along them long enough will eventually transition the wanderer to Level 500. Lastly, though highly uncommon, finding a flickering, black-and-white tiled corridor leads to Level 998, but this event has only been reported a handful of times.
Okay, I need to get this out loud and clear. This level is just broken, and I mean that literally. This place doesn't follow any damn rules! One minute, I'm walking through a hallway, the next I’m halfway inside a wall, and my arms aren't responding. I'm not sure if I'm fucking hallucinating or something, but seriously, who the hell designed this place? The pyramids? They do something, but I don't know what. I touched one, and suddenly my legs were moving in the wrong direction while my head was still in the same place. That's not supposed to happen!
And, holy fuck, don't even get me started on those windows! Some of them lead to an outside, but they're meaningless. I stepped through one, and I swear I was floating in nothingness for at least five minutes before I somehow ended up back in another part of the level. And the notes! Like, who writes them? Why are they so cryptic? I found one that just said, "WHEN YOU HEAR THE STATIC, DON'T MOVE". Well, guess what? I heard static, and nothing happened. Either I got lucky, or that note was just another cruel joke.
This place doesn't need entities to kill you; it just needs you to take one wrong step. If you're reading this and thinking of exploring this cursed place, don't. Unless you enjoy randomly falling through floors and being paralyzed, I'd strongly suggest you find another level to waste your fucking time in.