Level -177 is the 177th negative level of the Backrooms.
Description:
The interior taken by a drone.
The exterior taken by a drone.
Level -177 is a hotel riddled to the brim with flashing lights. The lights will cause anybody to drop on the floor and violently shake their legs for nearly an hour whenever they are prone to flashing lights or not. This effect carries over to people who are blind. Nobody knows much about the level except that it is accepting your fate. This would change when a group with drones inspected the level for the first time. The footage from the group shows dead bodies everywhere without the lights. The structure of the building is that of a 1950's hotel, with the entirety of the "At Everywhere at The End of Time" composition by The Caretaker playing in the background in no chronological order. The hotel itself has decorations that were estimated to be from modern time.
Entities have been sighted here, twisting the layout with little to no effort. They resemble fake facelings. Unfortunately nobody can get close without becoming apart of this flashy hellscape for what feels like an eternity. Studies shown that when somebody dies, their entire body will make up one square kilometer of the level which will forever expand its reaches. Beyond the end of the level is a pitch black void that deems itself to be an exit. Nobody got here as they died immediately due to loss of senses. The interior resembles Level 5, while the exterior, Level -18. Observed by The Drone Squad, they say it has to do with the two levels combining at one point during their lifetime, causing this abomination to form.
Level -177 is extremely deadly to any human being who somehow enters the complex. It has been noted that the level has extremely faulty lighting, causing them to flicker on frequencies beyond what human are able to perceive. This phenomenon has been observed for weeks and still has not been fully understood. Theories from wanderers say it has to do with wiring being poor, while others say its just how the level wants to work. No matter what causes this event to happen, it isn't clear. The level clearly doesn't want to show what it is hiding, so for now, people are going to let the level keep it's secret. There have been instances of peoples flesh in certain rooms of the hotel. When taken DNA samples of the bodies and the rooms, the appeared to match.
Possible Future Scenarios:
- More drones can be built. They should be allowed to interact with each other and create a hive mind that may be able to traverse the level. Perhaps they can see or manipulate the forces at work here.
- Levels that are connected through the same wiring may be able to merge, creating some sort of "super level".
- It is said that Level 5 and Level -18 will merge again in the near future and create a new level. The next level, created by the same 2 levels colliding, will probably be called "The Dream Level".
Theories about the level
Perhaps an anomaly will occur, making it impossible to travel into or out of the level. There will be a level to try and get into, and a level to try and get out of. However, the level is so large, that getting into the smaller level will also put you into the larger one and cause the other level to expand even more. The most obvious possibility is that the light effects were caused by the wiring on the wall. When you step on the spot it is connected to (probably right on top of the speakers) it can either ground, causing a static other possibility, or it is simply providing an extra bit of power to the track, causing it to generate further pulses.
In short, this would mean that the flashing lights caused by the level will continue indefinitely. That means that the entities inhabiting the level must keep themselves moving to stay within the reach of the lights, while the lights keep on flashing. This means that this level will likely expand over time with every kill it can get. Every time one entity enters the area, two more will likely be created, unless they can move fast enough to stay away from the effects of the lights.
This level has been built around a malfunctioning electrical current that runs through the entire level, and causes all of the lights to flash in sync with the "At Everywhere at The End of Time" album, thus giving the impression that it is an infinite maze of flashing lights. This theory is mostly based on an unexplained observation of flashing lights when the level was first entered. The light sources of the level were later determined to be the wall in question, which is a perfect conductor for electrical charges. Anybody that steps on or touches the wall will send a pulse through the wall and into the lights, causing the lights to flash continuously.
The only way out is to use the light pulses to get out of the area, and it's safe to assume that anyone outside the area does not know about it. The level can only be entered via drone, and people who have entered on foot have been unable to come out. At the time of the initial entry, it was reported that the area was uninhabited. This could mean that someone must have died inside of the area or that a single person made the initial entry before any other people joined them in the area, or even a combination of the two. There may have been more people out there as well, but they had to stay close to the wall in order to avoid being caught by the flicker, which usually never works. This could also explain why the people who were actually entering the area and made it back out had no idea where they went. This is just a theory however, and it might not even be true.
There is a second, more likely theory which is based on the fact that the level expands when death occurs. Every time a wanderer dies, his or her body occupies a full square kilometre of the level. The bodies are in the same spot as before, but they're spread out in a new grid pattern instead of overlapping each other. This theory is supported by the fact that the drones used to inspect the level all seem to exist on a small section of the original floor. At this point, the only way to move around the level is on foot, so the idea of Level 5 and Level -18 merging is quite far-fetched, but there's no telling how much longer this level will expand, so it's probably worth considering.
Even if they eventually do merge, there will still be a large space in the middle for more people to die, so people will continue to die there regardless. But by then there might be other "super levels" to merge with. The most realistic chance of this theory playing out would be when there are no more people in the level, and it actually expands. The area would expand until the two floors meet, and the original level and the new level would become one large space with two ends. Once this has happened, people could make their way out by walking through the original levels until they meet an exit in Level -18, or they can just walk through Level 5 to get to their new level.
This means that, eventually, everyone can get out if they survive long enough. However, the biggest danger to the people in this new level is not the light effects, but rather the entities. The original level is probably a relatively stable area, but the new one has not seen much use, so the entities might be active and dangerous. Without knowing how many and what they look like, it's hard to say. You'll also need to assume that the level will keep expanding after it hits its maximum size, and so more people will die. Some of these people will never get out, and thus become a permanent part of the level. The most difficult part of this scenario to predict is how many people will die and how long it will take before that amount grows into a critical mass.
Of course, nobody thinks any of this is very likely. It's more likely that the people who had entered before all died, or they all died from some other reason that caused them to get separated. The only other possibility is that the lights are working perfectly, and this is an infinite labyrinth that will never end. This is probably not what the people intended, but it might have a nice surprise for people who have some imagination. In high sight, it would be safer to assume that the entities are dangerous and keep a distance. If you find that the level gets too dangerous, it's best to leave and head back to the entrance. That way you're at least safe when you die. There's also nothing wrong with waiting in the entrance area until you see a way out. If you know that there's nothing more dangerous than normal, you'll be safe.
Colonies and outposts:
Although no colony should exist, there is one. No people are in the level, but rather controlling drones to communicate from outside the level and learn more about the interior of the place. They call themselves "The Drone Squad". Again, their main purpose is to scout out the level using the drones they have. These people feel an odd connection with the drone as if they exit the level, they fall into the next with no explanation of why or how this happens. This could be explained by the levels anomalous effects, impacting man and machine to an extent to where they are man and machine. They also provide a good example of how to be within the level without having to travel on foot. Be aware of the entities however. They destroy the drone, they destroy your life. If you were to ever join, always watch your back. The entities from their respective level may have already found you by then. They are located outside of the level itself, so deeming them as an official colony for Level -177 is quite subjective for all beings sake. In actual terms of colonies inside Level -177, due to the nature of the lights always flickering once one enters, there is no physical way to form a colony or outpost on this level, as anybody who enters will die in a matter of minutes.
Entrances and Exits
Entrances
- You can enter from Level 5 or Level -18 by noclipping. This should not be attempted unless you have a drone.
- If you ever decide to be a cheater in my gameshow, I WILL SEND YOU HERE TO SUFFER THE FATE OF YOUR EPILEPTIC DOOM!
Exits
- Fall into the void with the drone. It is unknown where it leads to, so enter at your own risk.
- Kill Streak Kim sent you here, huh? They always think they're so much BETTER THAN US! Don't worry, we'll give you one more chance. Oh wait, one more problem, it all depends if you regret all of your bad decisions you made over the many years you lived among them. If you do, we will be generous enough to take you here. If not, then have fun dying.