SCP: Secret Laboratory is a free multiplayer horror game set inside a Foundation site during a full containment breach. Each round assigns your role at random: Class-D trying to escape, a Scientist waiting on rescue, a Facility Guard, or one of the anomalies hunting everybody else. Death is permanent for that round, and the facility runs on hard timers that will kill you whether or not anything else does.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Decontamination begins at 11 minutes 45 seconds, earlier than the fifteen minute figure players quote
Decontamination begins at 11 minutes 45 seconds, earlier than the fifteen minute figure players quote. Start your own clock at round start and be out of Light Containment with a full minute in hand.
2. SCP-173 is frozen while any living player has it in view, so a group should have one person walking backwards watching it while everyone else moves
SCP-173 is frozen while any living player has it in view, so a group should have one person walking backwards watching it while everyone else moves. The moment all of them turn to run at once, the group dies.
3. On SCP-914, 1:1 never destroys an item and recharges radios and the Micro H
On SCP-914, 1:1 never destroys an item and recharges radios and the Micro H.I.D. Fine upgrades with a chance at a better keycard, and Very Fine upgrades faster but can delete the item entirely.
4. Class-D spawn with nothing while Scientists spawn with a Level 2 keycard and a medkit, which is exactly why Class-D groups hunt Scientists first
Class-D spawn with nothing while Scientists spawn with a Level 2 keycard and a medkit, which is exactly why Class-D groups hunt Scientists first. As a Scientist, avoid the cell block and head for Entrance Zone.
5. The three Emergency Power Stations in Heavy Containment re-contain SCP-079 once all of them are running
The three Emergency Power Stations in Heavy Containment re-contain SCP-079 once all of them are running. Each takes time and makes noise, so start one only with somebody watching the corridor behind you.
6. The Alpha Warhead runs a 90 second countdown on default settings and kills everything in the Light, Heavy and Entrance zones
The Alpha Warhead runs a 90 second countdown on default settings and kills everything in the Light, Heavy and Entrance zones. If you are Class-D when it arms, you run for the Surface and abandon the loot.
7. Escaping as Class-D turns you into Chaos Insurgency and escaping as a Scientist turns you into Nine-Tailed Fox, so the Surface is a checkpoint rather than an exit
Escaping as Class-D turns you into Chaos Insurgency and escaping as a Scientist turns you into Nine-Tailed Fox, so the Surface is a checkpoint rather than an exit. Plan for a second life with a rifle in it.
8. Nine-Tailed Fox lose most rounds where the squad splits to clear faster
Nine-Tailed Fox lose most rounds where the squad splits to clear faster. The MTF-E11-SR trades well with SCPs, but only when three or four of them are hitting the same target inside the same few seconds.
9. SCP-106 pulls victims into the Pocket Dimension where several exits kill instantly
SCP-106 pulls victims into the Pocket Dimension where several exits kill instantly. Keep moving and check tunnels rather than standing still, because the dimension has its own timer working against you.
10. A Janitor keycard is not worthless
A Janitor keycard is not worthless. Feed it into SCP-914 on Fine and you have a genuine chance at something that opens doors in Heavy Containment, which beats carrying it as a souvenir.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Class-D Personnel (A-Tier):
- Focus on Role assignment and respawn waves combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: COM-15
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Scientist (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: FSP-9
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how SCP: Secret Laboratory's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Role assignment and respawn waves + Keycard access levels: You spawn as Class-D, a Scientist, a Facility Guard or an SCP with no say in the matter. Combined with Keycard access levels, doors and lockers are gated by keycard permissions, running from low tier janitor and scientist cards up to o5.
SCP-914 refinement + Light Containment decontamination: The clockwork machine in Light Containment has five settings: Rough, Coarse, 1:1, Fine and Very Fine. When paired with Light Containment decontamination, at 11 minutes 45 seconds into the round, light containment starts decontaminating and then kills everything still inside, scps included.
Emergency Power Stations and the Alpha Warhead scaling: Three Emergency Power Stations sit in Heavy Containment, and activating all three re-contains SCP-079. The Alpha Warhead is the other ending: once armed it runs a 90 second countdown on default settings and kills everyone left in the Light, Heavy and Entrance zones.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| COM-15 | Class-D and Scientists who need something rather than nothing. | A slow firing 9x19mm sidearm from PG Arms with high damage per shot. |
| FSP-9 | Guards holding short corridors in Light and Heavy Containment. | The standard issue submachine gun of Facility Guards: light damage per hit, high rate of fire, and a magazine that empties quickly if you panic. |
| Crossvec | Anyone who picks one up in Heavy Containment and wants accuracy at short range. | A compact automatic weapon sitting between the FSP-9 and the rifles, controllable enough to land headshots in a corridor fight without a rifle's weight. |
| MTF-E11-SR | Trading with SCPs at range while three teammates fire at the same target. | The Nine-Tailed Fox rifle and the strongest general purpose firearm in the game, which is why an organised respawn wave usually flips the direction of a round. |
| Logicer | Chaos Insurgency pushing Entrance Zone or holding the Surface for escaping Class-D. | The Chaos Insurgency light machine gun, carrying enough ammunition to keep firing through the window where everyone else has to reload. |
Location Efficiency
Light Containment Zone (First 11 minutes 45 seconds of the round): Class-D cells, SCP-914, SCP-173's chamber and the airlocks. Busiest area of the round for eleven minutes, and lethal ground after that.
Heavy Containment Zone (Mid round, after decontamination begins): Three Emergency Power Stations, SCP-079's server room, SCP-106's chamber and the route toward the warhead. Most SCP fights happen down here.
Entrance Zone (Mid to late round): Offices, checkpoints and the road to the Surface. Nine-Tailed Fox arrive through here, which makes it the main human against human battleground.
Surface Zone (Late round): The escape point for Class-D and Scientists alike, and where both respawn teams arrive. Escaping as Class-D turns you into Chaos Insurgency, and escaping as a Scientist turns you into Nine-Tailed Fox.
Pocket Dimension (Any time SCP-106 is loose): Where SCP-106 drags its victims. There are real exits and there are lethal ones, so the answer is to keep moving and read the tunnels rather than freeze in place.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Staying in Light Containment past the decontamination announcement to finish one more SCP-914 run.
- Splitting the Nine-Tailed Fox squad to clear rooms faster, then losing four players one at a time.
- Sprinting past SCP-173 with your back turned instead of walking backwards while watching it.
- Arming the Alpha Warhead while half your own team is still down in Heavy Containment.
- Looking directly at SCP-096's face and then trying to hide, when it will hunt you across the whole facility.
Pro Quick Tips
- Decontamination begins at 11 minutes 45 seconds, earlier than the fifteen minute figure players quote. Start your own clock at round start and be out of Light Containment with a full minute in hand.
- SCP-173 is frozen while any living player has it in view, so a group should have one person walking backwards watching it while everyone else moves. The moment all of them turn to run at once, the group dies.
- On SCP-914, 1:1 never destroys an item and recharges radios and the Micro H.I.D. Fine upgrades with a chance at a better keycard, and Very Fine upgrades faster but can delete the item entirely.
- Start with Scientist, switch to Class-D Personnel when ready
- Invest in COM-15 above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Light Containment Zone → Heavy Containment Zone → Entrance Zone → Surface Zone → Pocket Dimension. See our maps guide
- Role assignment and respawn waves + Keycard access levels together are stronger than either alone
More SCP: Secret Laboratory Guides
- SCP: Secret Laboratory SCP: Secret Laboratory Overview
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Best Builds
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Tier List
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Walkthrough
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Beginner's Guide
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Weapons Guide
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Combat Guide
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Boss Guide
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Maps & Locations
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Crafting Guide
- SCP: Secret Laboratory Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy SCP: Secret Laboratory, check out these related guides:
- Phasmophobia Tips & Tricks: horror game with similar mechanics
- Lethal Company Tips & Tricks: horror game with similar mechanics
- Dead by Daylight Tips & Tricks: horror game with similar mechanics
