Phenomenon Danger Class: 2
Frequency: Varied
When traversing the Backrooms, you may occasionally come across the lights suddenly switching off. This event is known as a blackout.
Description:
A blackout in Level 1.
In the Backrooms, blackouts occur randomly and usually with little to no warning, although it is usually accompanied by flickering or dimming of the lights. Once the lights turn off, supplies may vanish and hostile entities may appear. The length of these blackouts are relatively short, but they can vary from a couple of seconds in length to multiple months. This phenomenon can happen in the majority of levels, but most commonly on levels 0-2. They usually only affect a single area of the level, although very rarely, they can shroud the entire level in darkness. This event is known as a total blackout.
Total blackouts are extremely rare events which are denoted as a level-wide blackout., and they can cause major distress for wanderers and communities. Having no light source, wanderers will need to use alternate methods of lighting such as the use of flashlights or lanterns. To combat this, many bases have started creating their own energy sources. The first example of this is Office Space EL3A, which started using their own power sources after a total blackout that lasted 2 weeks occurred in Level 2. This event occurred on March 11th, 2020, which caused a panic throughout the Backrooms. Thankfully, this has been the only recorded scenario of a total blackout.
Blackouts can be dangerous for a variety of reasons. The first reason being that entities appear more commonly during blackouts. The amount of entities such as smilers are greatly increased during blackouts, due to the darkness in which they thrive. It is always recommended to bring multiple spare light sources during a blackout for this reason, in case you need to use one to distract a smiler. Blackouts can also cause supplies to vanish, although this only usually happens to supplies that haven’t been picked up yet or have been left behind. Nevertheless, it is always recommended to keep your items on your person during a blackout.
Discovery:
Blackouts were first reported on Level 1, and this is where they are most common, and is possibly where this phenomenon originated. Blackouts have since been reported in many different levels, such as Level 0, Level 2, Level 5, Level 15, Level 20, Level 26, Level 27, Level 33, Level 54, Level 189, among others.
Do’s and Don’ts:
Do:
- Stay aware of your surroundings
- Keep a light source with you at all times
- Find a brighter area
- Hide somewhere safe
Don’t:
- Panic
- Make noise
- Lose track of your belongings
- Be out in the open