Dig to Escape Janitor Ending Guide: How to Unlock the Second Escape Route

Unlock the Dig to Escape janitor ending fast with this step-by-step guide covering 200 Toilet Paper, the Illegal Card, the vent, and 12 batteries.

What Is the Dig to Escape Janitor Ending?

The Dig to Escape janitor ending is an alternate escape route that takes you out through the janitor's room instead of the main dig shaft. Instead of tunneling your way to the surface, you farm currency underground, buy an illegal key item, and slip out through a vent. Community reports consistently describe it as the second escape route most players unlock, and one of the friendliest options for solo runs.

So why does it matter? Because the dig to escape janitor ending rewards preparation over raw digging speed. You do not need a perfect route or a lucky item spawn. You need 200 Toilet Paper, one Illegal Card, and 12 batteries. That makes it a great "first alternate ending" to chase if you keep failing the main escape.

This guide breaks the whole route into checkpoints, shows what each stage actually costs you, and covers the mistakes that waste runs.

Janitor Ending Requirements at a Glance

Before you commit a run to this route, know exactly what you are signing up for. The table below summarizes everything the janitor route demands, based on published walkthroughs and player experience.

Requirement	Amount / Detail	Where You Get It
Toilet Paper	200	Selling dug-up items
Illegal Card	1 purchase	Bought with Toilet Paper
Batteries	12	Collected inside the janitor area
Access point	Vent in the Janitor Room	Reached with the Illegal Card
Recommended class	Anything with fast digging or carry capacity	Class selection screen
Difficulty	Low to medium	Solo-friendly

Two things stand out here. First, the currency grind is the only real bottleneck — everything after the Illegal Card is a short fetch sequence. Second, the battery count is specific: 12, not "a handful." If you walk into the vent area missing even one, you are walking back out.

What the Illegal Card Actually Does

The Illegal Card is the gate. Without it, the Janitor Room stays locked to you and the vent is unreachable. Several guides describe it as the single purchase that defines this ending, which is why the 200 Toilet Paper target matters more than any other number in the run.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough: How to Unlock the Dig to Escape Janitor Ending

Here is the full sequence in order. Treat each row as a checkpoint — if you can hit it, you are on track for the dig to escape janitor ending.

Step	Action	Checkpoint
1	Dig underground and collect sellable items	Inventory filling up
2	Sell everything at the shop	Toilet Paper counter rising
3	Keep farming until you hold 200 Toilet Paper	200 TP reached
4	Buy the Illegal Card	Card in inventory
5	Head to the Janitor Room and use the card	Door unlocked
6	Enter the vent	Inside the vent route
7	Locate and collect 12 batteries	12/12 collected
8	Use the batteries to open the final way out	Exit mechanism powered
9	Walk through and trigger the ending	Ending screen

Steps 1–3: Build the Bankroll

The opening phase is identical to a normal run — you dig, you find items, you sell them. The only difference is discipline. Every item you keep "just in case" is Toilet Paper you did not earn. Sell aggressively and track your total against the 200 mark.

Steps 4–6: Convert Currency Into Access

Once you hit 200, buy the Illegal Card immediately. There is no advantage to holding the currency longer, and a wipe before purchase means the entire grind resets. With the card in hand, move to the Janitor Room and use it to open your path to the vent.

Steps 7–9: The Battery Sweep

Inside the vent route you are hunting 12 batteries. Sweep methodically rather than sprinting — backtracking costs more time than a slow first pass. When all 12 are in hand, feed them into the mechanism that opens your way out and step through to trigger the ending.

Fast Toilet Paper Farming Tips

Reaching 200 Toilet Paper is the longest part of the route. These habits, drawn from community reports and general route planning, shave real time off the grind.

Tip	What to Do	Why It Helps
Sell on a loop	Empty your inventory every time it fills	Prevents wasted carry space
Prioritize high-value digs	Skip low-value clutter when you can identify it	More TP per minute
Pick a digging class	Choose speed or capacity over combat perks	The route has almost no combat
Stay shallow early	Farm the easier layers before pushing deep	Fewer deaths, steadier income
Bank the card early	Buy the Illegal Card the moment you hit 200	Locks in your progress

A useful mental model: think in terms of "TP per minute," not "items per run." A fast, safe loop that nets modest value beats a deep, risky run that ends in a wipe. Players who finish this ending usually describe the grind as boring but predictable — and predictable is exactly what you want.

Prep Checklist Before You Buy

Run through this list before spending your Toilet Paper:

You are at or above 200 Toilet Paper.
Your inventory is empty or nearly empty.
You know the route from your spawn area to the Janitor Room.
You have not burned your run on a risky deep dig with the currency unspent.
You have time left in the session to complete the battery sweep.

Janitor Ending vs Other Escape Routes

Not every ending asks the same of you. The comparison below frames the janitor route against the standard surface dig and against the more obscure endings players trade notes about.

Route	Main Requirement	Grind Level	Best For
Janitor ending	200 Toilet Paper, Illegal Card, 12 batteries	Medium (currency-heavy)	Solo players who want a predictable path
Standard surface dig	Reach the surface through digging	Low to medium (route-heavy)	Players who prefer pure digging
Other hidden endings	Varies widely (community-reported)	Often high	Completionists and explorers

The key trade-off is simple. The dig to escape janitor ending converts time into currency, then currency into access. The surface route converts time into distance. If you are better at grinding than at navigating, the janitor route is usually the smoother of the two.

Which Should You Do First?

If you have never escaped, try the route that matches your strength. If you keep dying on deep digs, farm the janitor ending first — it teaches you item economy and route discipline that carry over into every other ending. For a broader look at the full list, IGN's Dig to Escape endings guide walks through the other unlock conditions.

Common Mistakes That Waste Runs

Most failed attempts come down to a handful of avoidable errors:

Spending Toilet Paper early. Buying anything other than the Illegal Card delays the run.
Entering the vent with a full inventory. You need room for batteries.
Assuming 11 batteries is close enough. The requirement is 12.
Skipping the route check. Not knowing the way to the Janitor Room costs you the currency you just farmed.
Over-diving for value. Deep layers are risky; the ending does not require them.

Fix those five habits and your clear rate on this route climbs fast.

FAQ

How much Toilet Paper do I need for the dig to escape janitor ending? You need 200 Toilet Paper, which you spend on the Illegal Card. Farm it by digging up items and selling them at the shop.

Do I need the Illegal Card to reach the vent? Yes. The Illegal Card unlocks your access to the Janitor Room, where the vent is located. Without it, the route is closed.

How many batteries are required? Twelve. Collect all 12 inside the vent area and use them to open the final exit.

Is the janitor ending good for solo players? Community reports say yes. It relies on farming and a short fetch sequence rather than combat or coordinated teamwork, which makes it one of the more solo-friendly routes in the game.

What is the fastest way to farm 200 Toilet Paper? Sell on a loop, pick a digging-focused class, and avoid deep, risky layers. Steady shallow runs add up faster than occasional high-value deep dives that end in a wipe.