Level 2 - "Abandoned Utility Halls"
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Info

"I think Level 2 looks even better than they did before. It was easy, really. You just have to look at things objectively, see what you don't need anymore, and trim out the fat."

Originally made by u/M654z, subsequently rewritten by user 1000dumplings1000dumplings.
Current writer, and ownership, falls under Boring Talking X_X
As they are the owner Level 2's sublevel, RestarttWritesRestarttWrites has written the subsection for Level 2.2.

Other pages by me
Levels Level 2 | Level 4.4 | Level 7.9 | Level 19 | Level 22 | Level 25 | Level 38 | Level 41 | Level 74 | Level 82 | Level 100 | Level 106 | Level 108 | Level 111 | Level 120 | Level 134 | Level 145 | Level 174 | Level 179 | Level 185 | Level 196 | Level 206 | Level 208 | Level 368 | Level 369 | Level 370 | Level 371 | Level 409 | Level 421 | Level 427 | Level 445 | Level 511 | Level 557 | Level 587 | Level 600 | Level 605 | Level 713 | Level 790 | Level 998 | Level 999 | Blue Channel | The Decay Zone | The End of the F#c*ing World | Make Believe | The Middlesorts | The Frontrooms | PA98 | Road to Ruins |
Entities Entity 1* | Entity 40 | Hypothetical Creator |
Objects Object 22 |
Tales Permission Overwritten | The War For Scene-01.1 |
The playground Click me! |

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class 3

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2first.jpg

A modern-day image of Level 2, taken by the late Overseer-C. Whilst primary source Macchina imagery predates this image, this one is one of the most well known.

Level 2, once regarded as being one of the main levels of The Backrooms, is an infinite array of complex yet Euclidian maintenance tunnels that range in size, and once had a variety of uses.

Description

Level 2's physical layout, whilst complicated, has certain commonalities in its design which allows it to be mapped and understood. The tunnels themselves, despite following no strict flow on how they are structured, all contort at strictly 45 degree angles, and the rough length of hallways has always measured to approximate multiples of 5 when measuring in the metric system.1

The various tunnels also are usually rather tight and narrow, either because of the original dimensions of the tunnels (which sometimes barely fit those of larger builds from shoulder-to-shoulder), or by the machinery, wiring, or other industrial equipment strung up along the walls and ceilings. The walls are built of withered, dirtied concrete, or even bricks in certain areas, the latter of which are usually in muddy brown or black hues. The texture of all wall surfaces are somewhat chalky, regardless of the material of the wall itself, and usually leaves powdery residue on one's fingers if touched or rubbed across. In extremely tight corridors, this even leaves marks and stains on clothing, or occasional bruises on skin.

2piping.jpg

A thin corridor of Level 2, made even thinner by the heavy industrial piping on the rightmost side of the image.

In a majority of hallways, however, the chalky and tattered walls are often obstructed by imposing, rarely operational machinery that usually covers one or both walls from floor-to-ceiling. These pipes and machines, whilst being identified as various actual types of machines from former engineers in the developed eras of the M.E.G, do not work at all in tandem with one another. Instead, each of these industrial appliances are placed in arbitrary locations across Level 2, and do little more than connect to one another with piping and working electricity. In the modern era, these machines usually create little more than quiet internal whirring noises, as if the machines are faulty. Additionally, each machine is usually connected by long, thick pipes that transfer fluids, electricity, gasses, or even solid objects on sparse occasions.

Whilst piping and odd machinery are an ever-abundant sight, similarly industrial handheld equipment scatters various halls. Flatbed trolleys are one such common appearance, which usually possess items such as miscellaneous machine parts, oil drum barrels,2 and metal, cardboard, and wooden boxes oftentimes chocked full of livable materials. In addition, scraps of paper, old tools, and shattered glass from old light bulbs also cover the level's floor in random areas, usually without much rhyme or reason.

Other, more miscellaneous and unremarkable objects include the following:

  • Toolboxes.
  • Wood piles.
  • Dismantled machine pieces.
  • Rusted pipes.
  • Stepladders.
  • Large extension cords.
  • Power tools.
  • Foldout chairs.

2fluorescent.jpg

A disorganised row of fluorescent lights, believed to have been displaced by either entity or human intervention.

2fluorescent2.jpg

A set of two, differently colored fluorescent lights found within a darker area of Level 2.













Level 2 is lit predominantly by buzzing fluorescent lights, similar to that found on various levels between 0 and 4. These lights, whilst sparser than in the likes of Level 0, still coat a predominant portion of the level in industrial white or orange hues. The wiring for these lights is more often than not exposed,3 which has led to various groups harvesting the level's copper, and occasionally even the fixtures themselves. In addition, the lighting in Level 2 is not even distributed, oftentimes leaving some areas in darkness.

Due to the exposed nature of the wiring, and due to the fact areas of Level 2 seem to be wired in series circuits instead of parallel ones,4 it is extremely easy for the wiring inside lighting to be disrupted. This can happen for a myriad of reasons, ranging from accidental, purposeful espionage, and even entity interference. Regardless of intent, however, if one light or wire is damaged for any of these reasons, all lights within a set space will immediately deactivate, plunging the local area of Level 2 into darkness.

The affected areas after the destruction of a set of lights is virtually arbitrary, as there are no easily identifiable signifiers to determine what sections of Level 2 are wired up to which areas of circuitry, and testing to figure out such things would be a fruitless affair. However, from what few times this has intentionally been done, anywhere between a rough 3x3 to 6x6 grid of lights will deactivate.5


2door.jpg

An example of a common door within Level 2, one which lead into a simple and unlit room that was entirely devoid of furniture.

Whilst narrow corridors, thick machinery, and various industrial props take up a majority of Level 2's landscape, the walls not coated with wires and pipes instead contain doors ranging in various colors, materials, sizes, and types. The "default" designs for these doors are usually of a steel construction that swivels inwards to whatever lays on the other side of the room,6 as well as usually being painted in various shades of white, gray and cream. More often than not, these doors also contain various amounts of additional decoration on top of them, usually in the form of patterns like embossed or debossed squares, locks, signs,7 spray-painted symbols, windows or even damage to their main structure. It is unknown how many of these are generated by the level itself, or if some of these are created via humans or other sentient entities.

Normally, a large majority of these doors will be locked, regardless of what may be visible through their windows on the opposite end. For the doors that aren't locked, and for doors that don't lead to other levels, they will usually open into a variety of different possibilities, some of those being:

  • Sprawling complexes of hallways and rooms of various sizes, which will usually contain larger industrial equipment, dozens of wooden boxes filled with the same supplies as the ones in the halls, an abundance of large PC's, or more commonly, empty atrium-sized packing warehouses. These areas usually connect to every single door inside of the square they're built in, but only a select few of these will actually open.
    • These rooms were most commonly used by groups that used to inhabit Level 2, and are still used relatively frequently by modern groups to quickly access the internet. It is also believed that these rooms would later be terraformed into Office Space EL3A. However, no surviving records exist to confirm nor deny any terraforming took place.
  • A long hallway, or oftentimes a multitude of hallways, that all loop back around to the same door one came from. These hallways, more often than not, are completely devoid of any sort of decoration other than fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, and also resemble office hallways rather than industrial ones.
  • A singular room of varying size, usually just a simple square or rectangle shape. A select few rarer rooms possess a compound shape design, though these are usually nothing more than two squares or rectangles attached to one another. These rooms can usually contain any items and furniture mentioned in the first bullet point, though more often than not, they are completely unfurnished.
    • It is also believed that one of these varieties of rooms later went on to be used in Office Space EL3A's construction.
  • For a large majority of specifically locked doors, and for the even fewer amount that have windows built into them, the views into the other ends of these doors will be that of an entirely black void. In most cases, this form of room is inaccessible due to the doorway to enter it being in a permanently locked state. However, especially in more recent years during the heavy industrialization of Level 2, certain doors that previously onlooked into voids have unlocked.
    • The area inside these voids is an infinitely wide, infinitely long space that disregards the exterior dimensions of the hallways themselves. These spaces are devoid of sound and light, meaning that the only source of illumination comes from the doorway itself, which sits in the middle of this void as the only way to return. It is extremely easy to get lost and perish in these infinite, lightless voids, and entering them is not recommended.

Bases, Outposts and Communities

Level 2, for hundreds of years, had acted as somewhat of a nexus for various groups to converge in one common area. Its landscape was, for many groups, a decent area to attempt settling due to its hub-like nature to many different levels, many of which had food and water, and the fact that many people enter Level 2 straight from The Frontrooms. The lattermost reason has often been a calling for the more charitable groups of The Backrooms to set up bases, signs, and send out volunteers to pick up the new wanderers to acclimate to their new, permanent way of life.

Level 2 has been a home to far too many groups over the years to count every single catalogued group from the smallest rag-tag group of people to the largest industrial monopolies, so as such only the important and noteworthy groups have been listed.

The Macchina

macchina.png

A hand drawn depiction of The Macchina, as in-person photo evidence is believed to be lost to time.

With the exception of The Lost, who previously resided in Level 2 countless centuries ago, The Macchina are one of the earliest catalogued settlers of Level 2. Initially starting as a simple, animalistic entity race as late as 1000BC, The Macchinas progressively evolved to develop sentience and to move beyond their simple instincts. From this, The Macchina began to spread to, and inhabit, various levels across The Backrooms. Their occupations of levels predated that of The Lost, if their primary data is to believed, and most importantly to this article, their main home was on Level 2.

Level 2 was, in many ways, a perfect home-base for The Macchina. To aid in surviving the harsh conditions of The Backrooms, as well as to boost their own thinking capacity, the Macchina began to build cybernetic enhancements in the form of somewhat of a bulky armour that was pivotal to certain elements of their culture. To create these suits, which are detailed in far greater detail in their main article, they stripped large portions of Level 2's machinery and heavily repurposed them for their own needs.

2macchinahome.jpg

An area formerly inhabited by The Macchina, pictured with various tools and various odd parts left behind by the group before their extinction.

Although the Macchina would've most certainly had one at some point, a definitive location for a capital city of some variety has never truly been pinpointed. A significantly large, abandoned city near the exit to Level 811 has been discovered in recent years8 which could've once been the main city for The Macchina, though without any primary sources on the subject discovered it is ultimately impossible to know.

The Macchina, as well as gutting the walls of all its piping and machinery, would build their actual residencies inside the rooms and areas that would be behind the doors. Should the doors have been unlocked, the insides of the rooms would've been completely dispelled of whatever
useful mechanics they had by the group, which would've subsequently been recycled into their furniture, metal exoskeletons, or their rudimentary weapons for the materials which were only scrap-worthy.

The ultimate downfall of The Macchina was due to their resource draining of Level 2 itself. Whilst humans in the present-day are experiencing a similar issue, The Macchina's experience of a resource drought was a far more pressing matter due to their technology having developed to rely on the materials the level gave. Quickly, the Macchina's population began to drastically dwindle. Over the course of a mere thirty years, the Macchina's headcount had dropped to double digits across all of their various bases across the Backrooms, and to this day not a single Macchina has been witnessed since approximately 1850.9

In the 200 years since the downfall of The Macchina, Level 2 had gradually come to "regenerate" its depleted machines, though the healing process has left countless of Level 2's new machines in disconnected and oftentimes non-functional states. It is believed that this is the cause of the irregular and disconnected machinery in Level 2, especially from first-hand accounts from The Lost. However, this belief is purely regarded as a mere theory until further evidence is shown.


The Aiding Stragglers

2stragglersbase.jpg

The main hall that the Aiding Stragglers used to occupy, pictured years after their liquidation, and after their supplies were raided.

Between 1995 and 2013, a small and short lived group operated by approximately 35 individuals ran a temporary rehousing and education group designed to home wanderers who arrived in Level 2 directly from The Frontrooms. Once within the camp, the various leaders of the group—who had all been in the Backrooms since as early as 1890—would help educate individuals on various properties of The Backrooms, such as its entities, its vast catalogue of levels,10 the various objects individuals could find, and even a few other groups to look out for that existed on other levels at that time.

The long-goal of the group was to help freshly noclipped individuals find their way across the Backrooms more easily, and to help remove the hands-on and dangerous learning curve when it comes to living outside of any group. To compliment their altruistic teaching, the Aiding Stragglers also homed individuals, and gave them small jobs such as scavenging with trained teachers to gather supplies from Level 2 and other surrounding levels.11 No single resident—besides its teachers—stayed within the base for long periods of time, as the final stages of their teaching process was to let their residents out into the wider Backrooms with enough knowledge to survive on their own.

During the first year of the M.E.G's existence, the Aiding Stragglers were overrun by a large, migrating murder12 of Hounds. As many of the M.E.G's very first members originated from the Aiding Stragglers, the two groups had a very close-knit connection to one another, and were quick to attempt to save the base from the attack when word of it spread. However, whilst en-route, the group of M.E.G. volunteers tasked with pushing back the Hounds were flanked by a Wrangler. After regrouping, the base was already deemed lost, with many of its inhabitants either having been killed or fled during the panic.

Whilst not the same in spirit, a few of the original group members,13 as well as many willing participants, set out to recreate the base idea of the group under the new name of "The Survivors". Whilst operating under the same ethos as the group they were inspired from, they also offered permanent residency for many people they helped who had just arrived from The Frontrooms. This allowed them to collect more food supplies and to ward off entities. However, between January and March of 2014, they suffered semi-frequent attacks with what would later be recognized as Wretches. After their issue was resolved, the group resumed normal activities.


Followers of Jerry

Although not having much of a mainstay presence within Level 2 itself, the main base of the Followers of Jerry can be easily accessed through virtually any door of the level. Rather obscurely, however, many of the measurements of Level 2 originated from this faction in order to draw size-accurate maps that would lure people to their main base. Whilst some of these measurements were often regarded as crude and inaccurate, many were later used by the M.E.G. for their level examinations.


The M.E.G.

The M.E.G. briefly occupied a small section of Level 2, originally created to act as a secondary base to Level 1's Base Alpha. However, the tight space coupled with semi-frequent entities made occupation difficult for the small and expanding M.E.G. As such, the group moved the base to Level 3—which whilst still being a tough level to survive on—was deemed a better candidate to erect the base, which would later become the organization's third most active and most important location.

In the early years of their existence, the M.E.G. still sought out to use Level 2 for semi-frequent supply runs, mainly to scavenge its mechanical tools and assets. They also indulged in attempting to map out Level 2, mainly to function as an experiment for mapping out more levels later down the line.14 However, after a splinter group known as the B.N.T.G. diverged from the M.E.G., practically all interactions between the M.E.G. and Level 2 ceased.


The B.N.T.G.

el3adevelopment.jpg

An image retrieved from the B.N.T.G's database, believed to be an image of Office Space EL3A during its supposed construction.

As one of the the biggest inhabitants of Level 2, The B.N.T.G. has occupied the level ever since its inception in 2016. Primarily, the group's main base of operations has been within Office Space EL3A. However, The B.N.T.G. has previously saw fit to occupy and adapt more of the level's environment, to varying levels of effectiveness.

After establishing Office Space EL3A as their main base of operations, a process which is theorized to have required heavy terraforming, the B.N.T.G. were quick to attempt to establish Level 2 as a level exclusively occupied by only them, given the lack of any other competition besides the Survivors and the FoJ.

Whilst ideas were tossed around between the B.N.T.G.'s higherups, which included creating safe walkways to each of the known exits and attempting to terraform out entire chunks of the level to build homes with,15 it was decided that a narrow-gauge tramway would be constructed along a vast chunk of nearby land close to Office Space EL3A. This tramway would be seldom used by passengers, and would instead be used as a means to transport vast quantities of acquired goods to and from EL3A to sell to other groups, as well as between the B.N.T.G. bases that were already established.

After deciding the train would be powered via Level 2's electricity, various car batteries and generators were salvaged from Level 11 and Level 35, as well as various trades from Level 82, in order to collect enough units to store and transmit the needed electricity to keep the trains running. Approximately 20 were created, which would all be powered by the various batteries the group acquired. With modifications, these batteries would later be able to be recharged from Level 2's natural electricity each time they depleted.

2trainprogress.jpg

The modification work done to one of Level 2's tunnels before rails were implemented.

2track.jpg

A section of The B.N.T.G.'s finalized track.

After enough drawings and plans of which routes the train would take were devised, deconstruction of a vast quantity of Level 2's tunnels began. In order to clear room, tunnels that were extraordinarily slim had much of their piping, wiring, and machinery stripped from their walls, which would later be repurposed as trading materials. Many of these supplies and components were also recycled to charge these batteries, which aided in preparations for the tramway's completion.

This process, despite causing semi-frequent blackouts whilst attempting to understand which sections of wiring attached to the lights, was completed without any real hitch. Afterwards, the more difficult process of acquiring and gauging rails was initially done by measuring grooves into the track, which were used by upscaling the measurements of the model tracks present on Level 111, and subsequently sourcing rails from Level 172. Though this caused issues with the track being overly thick, as well as being extremely awkward to fit around the 45 or 90 degree corners of the level, enough modifications to the rails eventually secured the finalization of the track system.

2terminus.jpg

The terminus for three of The B.N.T.G.'s many railways, pictured with the direct access to EL3A on the right, hopper wagons within the middle track, two locomotives, and a flatbed of wires harvested from Level 522.

Although initially hailed as a success, being able to transport all sorts of goods from various levels and speed up trades with minor, unsubstantial groups within Level 2,16 mechanical problems were quick to manifest. Despite the work done to widen hallways, the trains would frequently hit walls whilst swinging around corners, and were also known to derail due to uneven gauging of track, the aforementioned tight corners, and general poor track quality.

Despite the faults, however, the operation kept running as standard, even incorporating occasional passenger excursions for those requiring safe transit to other levels. This, as one may expect, added extra strain and usage to the locomotives, as well as the batteries they operated on. As no new batteries were ever harvested after the workload of the trains increased, the batteries were needing to be charged more often—sometimes midway through journeys.

Not even two weeks into beginning to haul passengers and increasing the amount of daily freight services, the entirety of Level 2 short-circuited. According to miscellaneous reports from the organization, when a third—quite possibly faulty—battery was plugged into a designated charging area, the entirety of EL3A was plunged into complete darkness. Initially, it was believed that the blackout had only affected EL3A itself. However, it was quickly discovered that the lack of power was level-wide after a few of the organization's members set off to find help from other B.N.T.G. bases on other levels.


2dark.jpg

The state of Level 2 after its complete short-circuiting.

This blackout ceased all mechanical and electronic operations within Level 2, as well as cutting off travel to Level 126 and Level 811, due to both exits requiring some level of electricity to function. After the machinery failed, the pipes of Level 2 began to accumulate the various solids, liquids, and gases that they transported. This, on sparse occasions, caused certain pipes to burst, leak, or leave certain areas of Level 2 with a thick, pungent smell similar to that of rotting meat.

Alongside the pipes ceasing operation, the usually abundant lights of Level 2 immediately faltered as well. Most simply deactivated. However, a few of the fluorescents are known to have burst due to the sudden power outage. During this time, many flashlights were being given to any explorer from any group who wished to explored Level 2 after the word had travelled far enough of the damage. After a few days, violet lights seemingly began to activate at sparse portions of the level, resembling a form of soft, emergency lighting, which aided wanderers in navigating the level.

In addition, a select few entrances and exits ceased to work, and some of the previously locked doors of Level 2 reopened. This subsequently lead to the ability to enter the void rooms, which has unfortunately caused certain wanderers to go missing within them in their curiosity to see what was within them after the blackout itself ended.

Overall, this blackout lasted a total of two years, with all life suddenly springing back into Level 2 when the main lights reactivated and the pipes began their transmission of anomalous items again. After the blackout, the railway system The B.N.T.G. created was left to the elements, and the group quietly regained its main base in EL3A after a majority of its staff migrated elsewhere during the blackout.

Additionally, very few groups have shown interest in occupying Level 2 since its blackouts. Though for a myriad of reasons, from its claustrophobic design to the inherent danger, the main reason occupation of Level 2 has been so infrequent is due to the fact that any group, regardless of age, sees it a better fit to occupy elsewhere. Whilst a hub of a select few levels and mechanical tools, Level 2 has a severe lack of edible foods and medical supplies, with those that do live on Level 2 relying on imports or going to other levels for their needed materials.

After the lights reignited, virtually all of Level 2's machinery ceased functioning, only producing quiet and internal whirring noises as if pieces of their construction were dislodged or broken. In addition, there are still portions of Level 2 that are still trapped within a brownout, having only a few lights operational, and all machinery and piping quiet. As such, especially in the face of far more habitable levels such as Level 11 or Level 186, many major and minor groups have opted to migrate to levels with better standards of living, as well as better supplies. Whilst the B.N.T.G. still used Office Space EL3A as their main base of operations, no notable groups have occupied Level 2 since the blackout.

Entities

Due to the extremely explored and mapped nature of Level 2, a variety of common and exclusive entities reside on this level. Additionally, due to Level 2 once being a "social hub" level, many entities that are well known in the current day were originally discovered within Level 2. The complete list of entities, as well as the discovery documents for the creatures that were discovered on 2, are listed below.

Entrances And Exits

Level 2, due to how well-understood it has become over the last few decades, has had a variety of entrances and exits discovered that lead to other normal levels, sublevels, and enigmatic levels. This list is actively updated, and the entrances and exits currently known are below:

Entrances

Infamously, Level 2 is most easily accessible from Level 1 via traversing down any corridors that appear to go on for longer than most corridors do in the level. Many individuals have also noclipped into Level 2 directly from The Frontrooms, which is supported by groups such as The Survivors, and allows them to continue their main ethos and work even after the blackout.

These exits, whilst not necessarily common Level 1, are common enough that they are one of the main ways individuals access Level 2, especially those fresh inside of The Backrooms from Level 0. However, there are a large array of other entrances into Level 2, which are as follows:

Exits

The most well-known, easiest to find, and most commonly used exits from Level 2 come in the form of exits to Level 1, Level 3, and oftentimes even Level 4, all of which take the form of unlocked doors. These exits, especially in recent years, are especially easy to spot, as wanderers of years past often leave signs or engravings in the walls of anomalous doors that lead to these above levels.

Whilst not accounting for all of Level 2's exits, a vast majority of ways to leave Level 2 come from various anomalous doors that can be spotted semi-frequently. For the sake of categorisation, the exits section has split into multiple parts.




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