““I managed to set foot on a peculiar cargo ship—every level I have gone through beforehand was uninviting and life-threatening. Perhaps I took the wrong turns or was it just bad luck? In any case, at least take a break from whatever this place has to offer me next.”
— A note discovered in Level 17.
» General Description[]
Level 17 resembles the interior of an enormous cargo carrier spanning hundreds of thousands of square meters, composed of mostly stairwells, corridors, and rooms. It is believed to be closely linked to Level 7 due to its aquatic-like nature. The level itself seems to be moving at a slow pace, with the pace reportedly fluctuating from time to time, but never coming to a halt. The corridors are constructed from metal and have blue floors, white walls, pipes, fluorescent lights, and wires on the ceiling. On rare occasions, one can come across a flooded corridor. However, it is unadvised to stay in the corridor for a long period as it is known to eventually teleport wanderers to Level 7.
Multiple doorways can be found on both sides of the corridors which lead to small cabins. Despite seeming ordinary, they have an anomalous property where if one makes a mess within the cabin and leaves, the cabin will automatically organize and clean itself like a wanderer has never been there before. Every once in a while, one may come across a cabin with essential items, including but not limited to: Almond Water, Moth Jelly, etc. These are identified apart from regular cabins by their more luxurious interior. If one decides to head up several flights of stairs in this part, they will eventually end up on the upper floors.
The upper floors of the level are similar to the main floor, except the corridors in this part have more turns as opposed to the linear corridors. Whilst appearing to have glass windows and doors with light coming out of them, they are not able to open, nor can they be damaged. Being directly in the light emitted by these objects causes one to begin suffocating as if one were drowning underwater. This persists until the person either moves out of the light or until they asphyxiate to death. Many have debated if the objects emitting the light are a variant of Windows exclusive to Level 17, or if the light itself is an entity. However, both arguments are not confirmed.
If one were to head up even higher, they would end up in the level's navigation bridge. It appears just like a navigational bridge would in a real-life cargo ship; however, all the mechanics and control panels appear to not function or are deactivated; therefore, are unable to be interact with. Although one can interact with the level's steering wheel to make the ship "turn," it turns out to be mimicry of the windows in the navigational deck, which mimic the movement of a ship whenever one turns the wheel. Hence, the movement of the vessel cannot be influenced by the passengers. Additionally, the ship's ECDIS suggests that the level is located in the middle of a supposedly endless ocean. Other items that can be found here include an abundance of non-functional computers, maps of The Frontrooms, radio equipment, and server boxes.
If one descends several flights of stairs instead, they will end up in the cargo hold of Level 17. Immense cargo containers span the bottom of the level; these cargo containers are usually filled with seemingly random items, ranging from food products to military supplies. They appear to be awkwardly placed in the middle of corridors and doorways, blocking some pathways. Doors can be found at the level's hull in this part that leads to the outside area of Level 17. However, it is unrecommended to walk or even open the doors as the individual will immediately sucked out of the vessel by unknown means into the ocean and be subsequently dragged away by the strong water currents. It is noted that afterwards, they will fall unconscious and regain consciousness again in Level 7.
Due to these external forces, the appearance of Level 17's exterior remains unknown, as various methods such as using drones resulted in being sucked away from the level entirely before they manage to snap footage. It is unclear how the level isn't affected by the strong water currents, albeit most speculate that an unknown force counteracts the external forces and keeps the level in place.
If one goes even lower, they will end up in Level 17's engine room. Unlike the rest of the level, the engine room appears to be very disorganized, with random items, whether tipped over or not lying on the floor. It is recommended to be cautious wandering around the engine room, as these items pose as tripping hazards. On top of that, these items, if moved somewhere else, will teleport back to their original spot before being shifted. All the machinery in the engine control room cannot be interacted whatsoever; attempting to do so will lead in the wanderer being suddenly forced off the equipment. Despite being unable to interact with the machinery, the generators and engines function normally.
» Entities[]
Whilst mostly lacking any significant entities, Level 17 has 2 entities, which are Innocuous Windows and Imprints.
» Imprints[]
Imprints are ghost-like entities that are one of the only few real hazards present in Level 17. They resemble wanderers that have previously explored Level 17 and mimic the exact movements the wanderer made throughout the level, albeit they cannot mimic a wanderer's speech.
Interaction is not possible with Imprints and vice versa. Whilst not physically dangerous, looking at an Imprint causes great amounts of distress, and looking at one directly in the eyes will put one in a comatose state. It is said that looking at an Imprint for too long can turn victims into a Wretch.
However, according to eyewitnesses, any wanderer that falls to the Wretched Cycle simply vanishes into thin air; presumably being teleported to a random level. It is currently unknown why this occurs, though the M.E.G. is currently investigating this phenomenon. Should an Imprint reach the point at which the wanderer that it is mimicking leaves or perishes, the Imprint will simply vanish, and will inevitably reappear at their "entry point" 24 to 72 hours later.
» Theories and Hypotheses[]
Ever since the discovery of Level 17, many have started to create theories and hypotheses on Level 17. The following are the most popular and realistic theories/hypotheses, whether debunked or not:
Theory I, or the No-clip Theory suggests that Level 17 was a cargo ship that originated from The Frontrooms, but by unknown means managed to miraculously no-clip into Level 7. However, as time progressed, the ship started to develop its anomalous properties, which eventually made it a separate level from Level 7. In addition, the pristine condition of the cargo ship is supporting evidence of this theory, as an unknown property has kept the ship from deteriorating like a normal cargo ship would after a long period. Another supporting evidence of this theory is the maps of the Frontrooms in the navigational deck.
Nonetheless, this theory has been recently debunked by a M.E.G. research group since Level 17 has been confirmed to be way older than the advent of ocean transportation itself via metal samples. Moreover, the cargo ship is unrecognizable from any cargo ships in the Frontrooms, which suggests that Level 17 was created by the Backrooms like every other level was.
Theory II, or the Voyage Theory suggests that Level 17 is actively sailing through aquatic levels of the Backrooms, as wanderers have claimed to spot the ship in the distance in certain aquatic levels. This is further supported by the fact that if one gets onboard the cargo ship, they are taken to Level 17. Within the level, one can hear water the level is presumably sailing on, and the level occasionally shakes, which is more supporting evidence of this theory.
Regardless, those who disagree with this theory have brought up that the cargo ships sailing through the levels are in a much worse condition compared to Level 17's flawless condition. The cargo ships sailing through the levels are reported to be in such a poor state that they should not even be able to sail. Albeit, the possibility of these ships being directly linked to Level 17 rather than being Level 17 itself has been favoured.
» Colonies and Outposts[]
Due to the isolated nature, the overall layout of Level 17, and the little incentive to even establish one, colonies and outposts have not been established.
» Entrances and Exits[]
» Entrances[]
- Main Entrance: Various factors may cause the hallways of Level 16 to fade into the hallways of this level.
- Dilapidated cargo ships can be found sailing in the distance in various levels; wanderers who manage to reach such vessels are brought here.
- Salvaged ships near Level 41's shore may lead one here.
- Some doors within Level 54's Floor 2 have a chance of leading to this level.
» Exits[]
- Main Exit: sleeping in this level will take one to Level 18.
- Walking in a flooded corridor for enough time will eventually take one to Level 7.
- Long, skinny corridors comprised of wood may slowly fade into Level 27.
- No-clipping into the pipes in the corridors may teleport one into Level 2.
- Finding a spiral stairwell entrance in a corridor can lead one to Level 54.
- Entering a door named "Supply Room" will transition to Level 20.
- Entering through a door with Russian signage leads one to Level 245.