South Hell Locked Doors: Crowbar Boards and the Four-Lock Exit

In South Hell's basement you meet two separate barriers, and each has its own unlocking action. The boarded passage that leads up out of the basement is pried open with a crowbar: five boards, removed one at a time with E. The basement EXIT DOOR is the main locked door of the escape: it has four locks, and each key you bring back from the lockers is used with E Unlock at the exit door. Clearing the boards does not unlock the exit door — it changes your objective to "Find the keys 0/4."

The boarded passage: crowbar first, then five boards

A run begins in the locked basement with the objective "Find a way out of the basement." The on-screen text points at the problem: "The way up is boarded shut. Go look at the BOARDS." When you look at the boards, the character says the nails will not come out by hand and that a crowbar is needed.

The crowbar is in the starting basement, between a green electrical cabinet and the toilet. Use "E Pick up crowbar" to take it.

Go back to the boards and press E. Each press removes one board, and the objective reads "Pry the boards off 0/5" with the instruction "Now go to the BOARDS and press E to pull them off." After the fifth board comes off, the game says, "The way is open. I'll leave the crowbar here." The crowbar is left behind at the boards, and the objective switches to "Find the keys 0/4." That new objective is what turns your attention to the exit door and its locks.

The basement EXIT DOOR: four locks, four locker keys

The tutorial's "GET OUT" card states the goal directly: "Find the KEYS in the LOCKERS. Unlock the EXIT DOOR in the basement." The EXIT DOOR is the escape's main locked door and has four locks. Its progress counter reads "Unlock the exit door 1/4" and climbs to "4/4," one step for every key used on it.

For example, Blue opened the first lock (1/4), Yellow the second (2/4), Red the third (3/4), and Green the fourth (4/4). In the observed run, each key was used on the lock of the same color — Blue for 1/4, Yellow for 2/4, Red for 3/4 and Green for the final lock — and the counter rose by one per key.

When the fourth lock opens, the game shows "The exit door is open. Get out!" Pressing "E Escape" then finishes the run.

The keys themselves come from lockers. The South Hell keys page covers where each one is found.

What happens to a key while you carry it

After you pick up a key, the game directs you back: "You got a KEY! Take it to the EXIT DOOR in the basement - it GLOWS." The glow marks the door so you can find it again once you are back in the basement.

The risk is in the trip. If Cartman catches you while you are holding a key, you drop it. You respawn in the basement with the objective "Pick up the dropped key," and the key can be collected again where you died. In one example, the player dropped "A Red Key," picked it up from the spot where they died, and delivering it raised the exit door counter from 2/4 to 3/4. A catch costs you the walk back to the key, but the key itself is still retrievable.

The fourth key and the RUN alert

When you pick up the fourth key and the counter reaches "KEY FOUND 4/4," the screen flashes red with "RUN," "CARTMAN: GIVE ME THOSE KEYS!!" and "HE KNOWS YOU HAVE THEM ALL. NOWHERE IS SAFE NOW - RUN TO THE EXIT!" From that moment the task is to run to the basement exit and unlock it. The drop rule still applies if Cartman catches you while you hold a key, so the final return to the door is also when that rule matters most.

Doors that are closed instead of unlocked

Not every door in South Hell is a key-lock. The tutorial's "SAFE ROOMS" card says the BASEMENT and the SAFE ROOM are safe because Cartman cannot come in. The door of the red-lit maintenance safe room works as another barrier you control: the player ran inside and closed the door with "E Close"; Cartman reached the door but could not enter, and the player took no damage.

That is a different interaction from the four-lock EXIT DOOR. The exit door is opened by using locker keys on its four locks, while the maintenance room door is shut by hand and keeps Cartman outside while it is closed.

Related South Hell guides

• South Hell walkthrough — the full run around the basement and school.
• South Hell keys — where the keys for the exit-door locks are found.
• South Hell basement guide — the basement area that holds both barriers.
• South Hell beginner guide — the basic rules, including lockers and safe rooms.
• South Hell survival tips — general advice for surviving the run.
• South Hell monster — the threat behind the dropped-key rule.
• South Hell ending — what the escape leads to.