Level 2 - "Abandoned Utility Halls"
"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Originally made by u/M654z, subsequently rewritten by user 
1000dumplings.
Current writer, and ownership, falls under Boring Talking X_X
As they are the owner Level 2's sublevel, 
RestarttWrites has written the subsection for Level 2.2.
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 as 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, while complicated, has certain commonalities in its design which allows it to be mapped. The tunnels themselves, despite following no format on how they are structured, contort at strictly 45 degree angles. In fact, the rough length of hallways has always come to approximate multiples of 5 when measuring in the metric system.
The tunnels are rather tight and narrow, either because of the tightness of tunnels, their machinery and wiring, or other industrial equipment. The walls are built of both withered, dirtied concrete and brick depending on area, the latter of which are usually in muddy brown or black hues. The texture of all wall surfaces have a chalky surface that leaves powdery residue on one's fingers if touched or rubbed across. When in tight corridors, it is inevitable that much of this will end up on one's skin or clothes.
A thin corridor of Level 2, made even thinner by the heavy industrial piping on the rightmost side of the image.
In most hallways, the chalky and tattered walls are obstructed by imposing yet rarely operational machinery. These pipes and machines, despite being identified by the M.E.G. as replicating real-world prototypes, do not function in tandem with one another. Instead, these 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 emit an internal whirring noises, as if they are faulty. Additionally, each machine is often connected by long, thick pipes that transfer fluids, electricity, gasses, or even solid objects.
Flatbed trolleys are a surprisingly common appearance, which usually possess items such as miscellaneous machine parts, drum barrels, and boxes chocked full of liveable materials. Scraps of paper, old tools, and shattered glass from old light bulbs also cover the level's floor in random areas, creating a hazard for those with inadequate footwear.
A set of two, differently coloured fluorescent lights found within a darker area of Level 2.
A common door within Level 2.
Similar to level's between 0 and 4, Level 2 is lit by basic fluorescent strips and bulbs, illuminating it in white or orange hues. The wiring for these lights often exposed, which has led to various groups harvesting the level's copper, and even the fixtures themselves. The lighting in Level 2 is also not evenly distributed, oftentimes leaving some areas in darkness.
Due to the wiring's state, and because they are wired in series and not parallel it is extremely easy for the lighting to be disrupted. This can happen for a myriad of reasons, ranging from accidental, purposeful espionage, and even entity interference. Due to the kind of wiring, 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 are practically arbitrary, with no easily identifiable ways to determine what sections of Level 2 are wired up to which areas of circuitry.
The walls not coated with wires and pipes instead contain doors ranging in various colours, materials, sizes, and types. The "default" designs for these doors are usually of a steel construction, usually painted in various industrial hues. These doors also contain various amounts of additional decoration on them, usually patterns, locks, signs, spray-painted symbols, or windows. It is unknown how many of these signs are generated by the level itself, and how many have been left deliberately.
Normally, a large majority of these doors will be locked. For the doors that aren't locked, and for doors that don't lead to other levels, they open into a variety of different possibilities, some of those being:
- Sprawling complexes of hallways and rooms of various sizes that contain larger industrial equipment, wooden boxes with supplies, PC's, or often nothing at all.
- These rooms were often used for habitation, but now are used solely for quick internet access. 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.
- One or multiple hallways that all loop back around to the same door one came from.
- A singular room of varying size, usually just a simple square or rectangle shape, containing any items and furniture mentioned in the first bullet point. Like the first style of room, they are commonly 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 the majority of locked doors, and for the fewer amount that have windows, the other ends will be nothing but a black void. These rooms are usually inaccessible due to their doors being locked, but the heavy industrialisation of Level 2 in decades past has caused some to open inexplicably.
- These voids are infinitely wide and infinitely long, disregarding the rest of Level 2 entirely. It is extremely easy to get lost and perish in these infinite, lightless voids, and entering them is not recommended.
Bases, Outposts and Communities
For hundreds of years, this level has been a nexus for various groups to converge. It was 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 people enter Level 2 straight from Earth. That fact had also spawned many charitable groups in Level 2, who used to fine new wanderers to acclimate to their new, permanent way of life.
It 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.
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. Starting as simple, animalistic creatures in approximately 1000 BCE, They evolved sentience and a way to think above simple instincts. 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.
In many ways, this was a perfect home for The Macchina. They began to build cybernetic enhancements comprised of a bulky armour, armour that became crucial to 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.
An area formerly inhabited by The Macchina, pictured with various tools and various odd parts left behind by the group before their extinction.
Despite living in Level 2 for centuries, no former capital city has been found for them, though it is believed one exists. A large abandoned city near the exit to Level 811 has been discovered in recent years, but it is not known how instrumental to the Macchina's history it was.
The ultimate downfall of The Macchina was due to their resource draining of Level 2 itself. The Macchina's experience of a resource drought hit them hard, and quickly their numbers withered without a way to build and replenish their armour. Over the course of thirty years, their headcount had dropped to double digits across all the Backrooms, and to this day not a single Macchina has been witnessed since approximately 1850.
In the 200 years since the downfall of The Macchina, Level 2 had gradually come to regrow its depleted machines, though the healing process caused the disjointedness the machinery is now in.
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 but important group operated by around 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, the various objects, and other groups to look out for.
The 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 the Backrooms has. To compliment their altruistic teaching, the Aiding Stragglers also homed individuals and gave them small jobs like scavenging in Level 2 and surrounding levels. No single resident—besides its teachers—stayed within the base forever, as the final stage of teaching was to let their residents out into the wider Backrooms to prosper alone.
During the first year of the M.E.G's existence, the Aiding Stragglers were overrun by a large, migrating murder of Hounds. As many of the M.E.G's first members originated from the group, they were quick to try save the base from the attack when word of it spread. However, when en-route, the M.E.G. were flanked by a Wrangler. After regrouping, the base was already deemed lost, with many of its inhabitants either having been killed or fled.
Whilst not the same in spirit, a few of the original group members set out to recreate group under the name "The Survivors". They had mostly the ethos, though they also offered permanent residency for those they helped. 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 recognised as Wretches. After their issue was resolved, the group resumed normal activities. When the blackout hit, however, they ceased functions.
Though not in Level 2 itself, the group's main base can be easily accessed through virtually any door of the level. Surprisingly, many of the measurements of Level 2 originated from this faction so they could make size-accurate map sto their main base. Some of these measurements were crude and inaccurate, though many were later used by the M.E.G. and (later) the writers of this page.
The M.E.G. briefly occupied a small section of Level 2, originally meant to be secondary to Base Alpha. Tight space. coupled with semi-frequent entities, made occupation difficult for the growing group. Efforts were instead moved to Level 3, as working on two dangerous bases at once was deemed too big a task.
In the early years of their existence, the M.E.G. still sought out to use Level 2 for supplies. They also attempted to Level 2, mainly as a test-run for mapping out more levels. However, after the splinter group known as the B.N.T.G. diverged from the M.E.G., all major interactions between the M.E.G. and Level 2 ceased.
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 Level 2 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 attempted to adapt more of the level's environment, to varying levels of effectiveness.
After establishing Office Space EL3A, a process which is theorised to have required heavy terraforming with external aid, the B.N.T.G. wanted to make Level 2 solely theirs. Ideas were tossed around between the B.N.T.G.'s higherups, which included creating safe walkways between known exits and attempting a mass-housing scheme, it was decided that a narrow-gauge tramway would be constructed to transport goods from other levels to EL3A.
After many supply runs in Level 11, Level 35, and after many trades in Level 82, enough car batteries and generators were gathered to run the operation efficiently. Approximately 20 trams were created after further resource gathering excursions, and dozens of flatbeds along with them. With modifications, their batteries were later made rechargeable from Level 2's natural electricity.
The modification work done to one of Level 2's tunnels before rails were implemented.
A section of The B.N.T.G.'s finalised track.
After much conceptualisation and planning of routes, deconstruction of many of Level 2's tunnels began. Much of their piping, wiring, and machinery stripped from their walls and would later be repurposed as trading materials. Many of these supplies and components were also recycled to charge the batteries, or became spares for the train stock.
This process, despite causing semi-frequent blackouts, was completed without any real hitch. The difficult process of acquiring and gauging rails was initially done by measuring grooves into the floor, using upscaled 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 corners, enough modifications to the rails eventually secured the finalisation of the track.
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.
Though being able to transport all sorts of goods out of and into Level 2 with ease was initially a great victory, mechanical problems were quick to manifest. The trams would frequently hit walls whilst swinging around corners, and were also known to derail due to uneven gauging of already poor track.
Operations kept running as standard regardless, even incorporating passenger excursions for those requiring transit to other levels. This wared the locomotives further, as well as the batteries they operated on. Parts were needed to be replaced frequently, and the batteries were needing to be charged more often—sometimes midway through journeys.
Not even two weeks into beginning to haul passengers, the entirety of Level 2 short-circuited. According to miscellaneous reports from the organisation, when a faulty battery was plugged into a designated charging area, the entirety of EL3A was plunged into 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 when a few of the organisation's members set off to find help elsewhere.
The Blackout
The state of Level 2 after its complete short-circuiting.
This blackout ceased all functioning components of Level 2, and cut off access to Level 126 and Level 811. The pipes of Level 2 began to clog up with their obtuse cargo within days, causing pipes to burst, leak, or leave certain areas of Level 2 with a thick, pungent smell of whatever substances had rotted within them.
Most famously, the abundant lights of Level 2 immediately shut down also, either deactivating or bursting. Flashlights were being given by groups to anyone going to Level 2 after the word had travelled far of the damage, and many entrances were boarded up. As mentioned, some exits stopped working without electricity, and some of the previously locked doors of Level 2 reopened.
The blackout only lasted two years, with all life suddenly springing back into Level 2 with a flourish. Lights reactivated, pipes began their transmission of anomalous items again, and the machinery vaguely began working again. The railway system the B.N.T.G. created was left to the elements, and the group quietly moved back into EL3A from a temporary base on Level 4.
There are still portions of Level 2 that are still trapped within a brownout, having only a few lights operational. 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 and supplies. Though 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.
Whilst having always been a part of Level 2's ecosystem, smilers—especially in recent years—have been a common sight, becoming the main entity that one can spot on this level. Due to their love for darkness, Smilers were drawn to Level 2 after the blackout in droves. Their pre-existing nests and communities expanded during this time, and even after it they still occupy in great numbers.
In direct contrast to smilers, deathmoths on Level 2 have decreased within the past two hundred years. As they are attracted to light, many deathmoths left Level 2 in the blackout, and the ones that had not quickly became prey to the other creatures. Over the years that the blackout occurred for, deathmoths became non-existent within Level 2.
Deathmoths have developed to be smaller on Level 2, likely from the lack of edible supplies and so they can navigate the narrow corridors. These deathmoths, as with most, are rather docile in behaviour, but it is not recommended to interact regardless.
Clumps are one of the most common creatures on the level, both before and after its blackout. Due to Level 2's geometry, the creatures oftentimes hunt wanderers by hiding in blind spots, and pounce on wanderers the second they come into view.
During the period the blackout occurred, Jerry's cultists found it even easier to kidnap the few people still living in Level 2. Individual cultists would memorise the areas around doors that lead to Jerry's Room, and scout around the local areas in pitch black to find unwilling wanderers.
When the lights reignited, this practice ceased within days, and in recent years the organisation has been acting less in Level 2, and more in other levels such as Level 712. While Jerry's Room is still used, especially as it is one of Level 712's exits, general operation of both the group and the entity himself has dwindled drastically in Level 2.
While not noteworthy in Level 2, especially after The Blackout, Hounds were once a semi-frequent sight, travelling slowly in packs. Their behaviours have been constant in Level 2 for centuries, which remained true both during and after its blackout and reactivation. Hounds are still a general, common threat in Level 2 to this day, but are not noteworthy to write about in detail.
Incredibly intelligent entities, Facelings have inhabited Level 2 in various forms even before The Macchina, albeit not in any form of civilisations. The entities wander the halls in groups, and do not usually attack wanderers unless disrupted enough.
It is mainly "adult" Facelings that roam Level 2, though "child" varieties of Facelings have been noted in the past, despite the fact that child Facelings would be more adept in surviving Level 2.
Though still inhabiting level during its blackout, the population of Facelings dwindled due to the FoJ's previously described kidnappings. Despite the success in them stealing wanderers, eventually the group only began to steal Facelings on accident after the pool of potential wanderers dried up.
Skin-Stealers used to be an entity that resided on Level 2 prior to the blackout. However, they have since vacated the entire levelt. Before leaving Level 2, Skin-Stealers were an extremely dangerous threat, usually because the extreme heat of certain areas was known to aggravate them, as well as melt the decaying skin that these creatures wear. Due to their irritability and hunger, Skin-Stealers often displayed traits considered as feral, and would ravage across the halls in search for any kind of food.
When Level 2 deactivated, Skin-Stealers quickly dispersed from the level after most remaining wanderers had either fled or been killed. As Skin-Stealers solely eat humans, they were left without any food at all, which lead most to leave or starve. Once the lights reactivated, Skin-Stealers do not appear to have returned, and now populate many other Backrooms levels instead.
Due to the nature of how Wretches exist, these entities exist on practically every level, with Level 2 not being an exception. However, the M.E.G's discovery of the Wretches first happened on Level 2 in 2014, the same year the group was officialised.
These entities are a relatively common sight in Level 2, and other indoor industrial levels as a whole. The corpses of Death Rats are, intriguingly enough, more frequent than the sight of a Death Rat themselves, as many are either killed by other entities, or suffocate or boil inside the machinery.
In addition, Level 2 Death Rats appear to have gone bald in order to survive some of the hotter temperatures. While the blackout and subsequent reactivation subsided how many hot areas of Level 2 actually exist, Death Rats on Level 2 still appear to have kept this mutation. It is unknown whether or not this mutation will undo itself with further generations.
Initially discovered by the M.E.G after the fall of The Aiding Stragglers, Wranglers are an uncommon sight on Level 2, despite boasting a large population. With the exception of young Wranglers, who have not been seen once on Level 2, these entities burrow around levels by noclipping through the ground and re-emerging at other areas.
Having done this even during the blackout, Wranglers—especially male Wranglers—often hunt by burrowing through meters of Level 2, only to noclip into a hallway and snatch its nearest available prey before they have time to react. Before the discovery of Wranglers in the modern day, there were many stories from old or extinct groups such as The Lost, The Macchina, or The Leaders about people vanishing in Level 2 inexplicably.
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 unnumbered levels.
Entrances
Infamously, Level 2 is most easily accessible from Level 1 via traversing down any corridors that appear to go on forever. Many individuals have also noclipped into Level 2 directly from The Frontrooms, mercifully skipping the hell that is Level 0.
- Within this level's sprawling and confusing cave system, small air ducts or vents occasionally manifest within the stone walls. Whilst most are too small to climb in, entering the ones that are large enough lead to Level 2.
- Entering the doors of random buildings, mainly the ones that lack interiors, have the potential to lead to Level 2, among other levels.
- By exploring the staff halls of the aquarium, individuals can suddenly appear within Level 2, or Level 4.
- Touching or noclipping with virtually any of the terrain within the Clipped Park section of Level 84 for long periods of time may trigger teleportation to Level 2.
- Climbing into any crematorium furnaces within the above level will cause oneself to spontaniously arrive in Level 2.
- By climbing any stairs or utilising an elevator, wanderers can arrive at Level 2, as well as a myriad of other levels.
- Entering the subway tunnel within Aries station before its train has arrived leads to Level 2.
- By entering waterfalls within this level's caves, individuals have a slim chance of entering Level 2, as well multiple other levels.
- By travelling three miles down The Path, one can arrive within Level 2, most notably at a location close to Office Space EL3A.
- Some hallways that connect the various stores of Level 480 together can sometimes lead to Level 2 instead of their actual target destination.
- By submerging oneself into the thick sets of wiring on Level 522, one can arrive within Level 2 when they re-emerge.
Exits
The most well-known exits from Level 2 are to Level 1, Level 3, and Level 4, all of which take the form of unlocked doors. These exits, especially in recent years, are easy to spot thanks to wanderers of years past leaving relevant signposting and graffiti.
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.
- By finding plywood doors, one can enter Level 31 and Level 127. In a similar vein, wooden doors that appear aged lead to Level 137 instead.
- Any doors that appear larger than usual lead to Level 283, and are painted in rainbow colours.
- Some unlocked doors go to Level 101. In a similar vein, any unlocked doors that have an echoey piano emanating from the other side lead to Level 126.
- Opening a metal door and entering it leads to Level 2.
- Any blue doors in Level 2 lead to Level 175, and by contrast, all pink doors in Level 2 lead to Level 997.
- Level 811 can be accessed by following blue pulsating lights on select pipes in Level 2 to a door with a Macchina blade embedded into it. Pulling the knife will then take individuals to Level 811. During the blackout, all exits to Level 811 ceased to function, and only a few have returned to normal since the level's reactivation.
- As one of the more common exits, elevator-like doors will lead to Level 998.
- Finding any rooms behind Level 2's unlocked doors that resemble fully furnished and decorated houses will lead to Level 64.
- For reasons unknown, any areas of Level 2 that become unreasonably hot become hotspots for noclipping into Level 127. Much like the exit to Level 811, this particular exit ceased to function during the blackout.
- By traversing the halls for long enough, or by finding small dugout passageways at perpendicular angles to the rest of Level 2's layout, individuals will find themselves in Level 158 and Level 902 respectively.
