At various points in Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, you will split into groups of three to explore different parts of the mysterious facility you are trapped in. After moving to Floor B of the facility, you can choose to open the Blue Chromatic Door, leading you to the PEC, or Pressure Exchange Chamber, with Clover and Tenmyouji.
The PEC can be accessed after moving to Floor B and completing at least one of the Floor A areas. This room can be difficult and confusing, so let's take a detailed look at each puzzle in the PEC, and how to escape it.
PEC Room Layout
First, let's understand the layout of the PEC and get a general feel for where things are.
The PEC is separated into two floors, the preparation floor and the exchange chamber. On the top floor, to the right of the entrance, are four lockers. To the left of the entrance door, you can find the safe and a bench with some symbols on it. Sitting on top of the bench is a manual explaining the hazmat suits. Inspecting the manual will also unlock the PEC: Outside file in your archive.
To the left of the bench is another set of four lockers. Beside the lockers is the door you will escape from, and a scanning machine. Near the machine you can find a USB cable and a blue, green, and magenta set of squares. A third set of lockers lies on the other side of this machine.
To move to the bottom floor, you will ride the elevator. On the elevator control system, you can find a glass door with the numbers 25113 printed on it, and a key kept inside. Just below that is a series of symbols that you can change around, with a yellow input button to the right.
On the bottom floor, you can find more lockers, a cardboard box, a barometer, and the door to the exchange chamber. Inside the exchange chamber is a large blow-up Zero III, a second bench, and a series of cables.
How To Escape The PEC
Now, let's seek a way out of the PEC.
First, head to the top floor and open the lockers next to the entrance door. The first one will be locked for now, but the other three will open to reveal hazmat suits. After equipping the hazmat suits, move to the bench and pick up the manual, adding the PEC: Outside file to your archive. While you're near the bench, make note of the symbols on it; you'll need to remember these for later.
Now, take the elevator back down to the exchange chamber floor. Interact with the door to the chamber, which will prompt you to complete the first mini-game of this room. You will need to connect the dots in pairs without intersecting any of the lines. The pairs you need to connect the dots in are represented on the file you picked up earlier.
- Magenta to Orange
- Green to Yellow
- White to Black
The solution can be found in the image below.
Once inside the exchange chamber, grab the Tablet from the bench to your left, making note of the numbers on the bench. Then, move to the right side of the chamber and pick up the key on the control panel. Before you can use the decompression controls, you will need to interact with the exit door that is opposite from the door you came into the chamber from. Doing so will cause Clover to go back upstairs just before the decompression sequence begins and you and Tenmyouji are trapped in the chamber.
To escape the chamber, you will need to equalize the pressure inside. First, inspect the Zero III inflatable that has now grown in size and pop it, revealing a small Zero III doll. Now, remove the panels from the cable wall and pick up the Purple and Yellow Laser Emitters. Your goal here is to connect the cables so that the red powered cable reaches to the end and powers the control panel.
To do this, place a Yellow Laser Emitter on the bottom, where the red cable connects, then a Purple one across from it. Then, put a Purple Emitter on the top spot, where the cable has now turned red, and a Yellow Emitter in the middle spot on the opposite side to connect the power to the console. Now, press the red button on the control panel to repressurize the room.
Move back to the door you came in from and inspect the panel, which will prompt you to complete another mini-game, similar to the one to get in. However, the colors don't pair in the same way as last time. Instead, inspect the glass wall next to the door to get Clover's attention. She will show you the PEC: Inside File, indicating the correct pairings for this puzzle.
- White to Purple
- Yellow to Magenta
- Blue to Green
The solution to this puzzle can be found in the image below.
Next, get inside the elevator and inspect the glass panel and buttons. Matching the two benches, you can pair a number with a symbol. Then, use the provided hint from the number 25113 to get the following password.
- Cylinder, Hourglass, Star, Star, Diamond.
Doing this will open the panel, allowing you to pick up a second small key. Now, move back down to the bottom floor and open the two lockers next to the barometer. Inside these will be a small hazmat suit and a blank journal with a picture inside, which will be added to your archive.
Go back up to the top floor and interact with the scanning machine. First, combine the small hazmat suit with the Zero III doll, then place it on the stool. Plug the tablet into the USB cable to turn it on and begin the third and final mini-game of the PEC.
Here, you will be scanning the Zero III doll for colors that pair to a digital number segment. You will need to use the image you received earlier, which displays the following information.
- Cyan, Red, Blue, Yellow, Magenta, Black
- Cyan, Green, Black, Blue, Yellow
- Cyan, Green, Black, Magenta, Yellow
To complete this puzzle, select segments of the digital number that correspond to the color in the image. For example, the first line of the image shows Cyan, Red, Blue, Yellow, Magenta, then Black. Selecting the segments on the digital number creates the number six, which will be the first number that you enter into the number selector on the right. Repeat this process for the next two lines, which will give you two and three, making the password for the machine 623. Entering this password will grant you the Green Safe Password, allowing you to open the safe and escape the PEC.
How To Get The Gold File
To get the hidden Gold File, you will need to enter a different three-digit number into the scanner machine. Using the diagram on the machine itself, you can determine the following order.
- Green, Magenta
- Green, Magenta
- Cyan, Green, Magenta
Using the same method as before, this will give you the number 117. Put this password into the machine to receive the Blue Safe Password, which will reward you with the secret Gold File.