Let's start simple. Really simple. So simple that you can actually just skip this entire part. Because I need to write filler down to make this guide seem more complete and in-depth than it is.
Don't worry. There is nothing of real value here (unless you have literally never played before).

SCP-914 is a machine that operates in one primary method -- refining objects. It does so by changing the properties any object stored in the Input booth and spits it out in the Output booth.

Not only that, but SCP-914 has five settings (controlled by a knob) that determine the end result of the input object.

The settings range from destructive (ROUGH, COARSE) to advantageous (FINE, VERY FINE). The objects that SCP-914 outputs are always indirectly related to the input object.


In this case, we'll be talking about SCP-914's relationship on keycards.

Keycards are about as simple as they come. They are keys in the form of cards. Specific keycards can open specific doors, and some can open other specific doors.

There is a hierarchy of keycards set in stone that starts low at Janitor and ends at O5. Understanding which keycard can access which door will save your life one day.

Since D-Class and Scientists start off with little to nothing, utilizing SCP-914 is almost a certainty in order to survive the horrors that trudge around the facility. By inserting a keycard into SCP-914's intake booth and setting the knob to a specific setting you can upgrade your keycard to higher tiers, giving you access to more areas than a low tier keycard.

Generally, most (if not all) people would set SCP-914 on FINE or VERY FINE and proceed to upgrade their cards using this mode. This is almost always the correct way to use SCP-914 with the intent of escaping, but there are shortcuts that save valuable time which you could be using to scavenge for items or juking out an opponent.

Alright, you probably skipped the previous section because I was feeding you information everyone already knows. And that's okay. I have to make this guide seem informative when it really just focuses on ONE SIMPLE CONCEPT:

REFINE JANITOR/SCIENTIST CARD ON 1:1 FIRST
REFINE JANITOR/SCIENTIST CARD ON 1:1 FIRST
REFINE JANITOR/SCIENTIST CARD ON 1:1 FIRST
(Except Major Scientist. This will be explained in the next section.)

I don't care who you are. I don't care how firmly engrained that thought of "putting everything on FINE" is. JUST DO IT. I can't stress this enough. It will save you a good fifteen to twenty seconds of meaningless refining. And those fifteen to twenty seconds could save your life when SCP-106 decides that he should poke his slimy buttcheeks into LCZ and check out what the D-Class are doing.

You might be asking yourself, "How the hell is this saving time? I have to adjust the knob again, and it's not like this skips some sort of extra step." WRONG. IT DOES. The normal mentality is to upgrade everything using FINE. The process that the keycards follow go something like this:

REFINING ON FINE:

• Janitor (If you started with this)
  
• Scientist
  
• Major Scientist
  
• Containment Engineer
  
• MTF Commander (Sometimes skips this step)
  
• O5

This means that if you started with a Janitor, it would potentially take you FIVE refines to get to O5. If you had a scientist card, it would take FOUR refines.

However, with 1:1, you take a competely different upgrade path that actually uses up less of your time, and also gives you the lowest tier card to open a checkpoint (meaning that you can escape VERY easily with ONE refine). In order to pull this off, you have to first refine your card on 1:1, and then FINE on every other step. Check this out:

REFINING ON 1:1+FINE:

• Janitor/Scientist (They both refine to the same thing)
  
• Zone Manager
  
• Facility Manager
  
• O5

This path takes only THREE refines to reach O5, and two of those cards (FM and O5) are one of the most valuable cards in the game due to their total containment access (Yes, I know CE has total containment access, but it can't open the gates which means you are forced to carry a second card).

Notice how both the Janitor and Scientist keycards refine to Zone manager. This means that if you are carrying a Janitor card, it could potentially save TWO refines instead of just one with the Scientist card. That's almost 30 whole seconds of waiting around, which is more than enough time to give yourself a safety blanket.

Now that you know this, there is something you should be cautious of. It's extremely important that you remember this, or else you could be wasting more time than just plain refine-ing it. Get it? Because the process of upgrading a card uses the FINE mode...

Anyway.

DO NOT REFINE A MAJOR SCIENTIST CARD USING 1:1+FINE
DO NOT REFINE A MAJOR SCIENTIST CARD USING 1:1+FINE
DO NOT REFINE A MAJOR SCIENTIST CARD USING 1:1+FINE

It's a common misconception that the Scientist and Major Scientist card are practically the same thing.

They have the exact same access priviliges.

They have the exact same upgrade tree for FINE (just setting it on FINE over and over).

So what gives? Why does the Major Scientist card throw a wrench in this strategy?


The answer is that the Major Scientist actually gives out a different card when it is set on 1:1. That is, the basic Guard card. And this is a really bad thing. Everything just screws up when you end up with the Guard card. Poor Facility Guards. Just look at the pain they (and you if you do this) have to go through:

REFINING ON 1:1+FINE:

• Major Scientist
  
• Guard
  
• Senior Guard
  
• MTF Lieutenant
  
• MTF Commander
  
• O5

That's FIVE steps. In fact, the 1:1+FINE method actually takes more time than if you just threw the Major Scientist card on FINE over and over, because that takes FOUR steps rather than five.

I'm sure there's a way to mess with 1:1 to allieviate the horrifying five step procedure to O5, but I haven't researched fully into it yet. For now, just don't do it. Unless you're a Facility Guard. Then good luck.

I didn't expect to spend so much time on one simple guide that is supposed to tell one simple message. But I did. And here it is.

Share it to everyone who needs a lesson because they were wasting time. Share it to your friends. Share it to your grandfather. Share it to your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ dog or cat. Don't remain ignorant. Ignorance is a sin and sinners burn.