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The story ofFive Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimictakes players into the mysterious depths of Murray’s Costume Manor, where there are plenty of secrets to find. Getting to all of those secrets is the challenge, however, and your Data Diver is the key to it all.
For all manner of progress inFNAF: Secret of the Mimic, you need to find and obtain every single Data Diver clearance upgrade. If there’s one you’re not sure how to solve, here’s how to find and solve the puzzles for each of them.
What are Data Diver Clearance Upgrades in FNAF Secret of the Mimic?
TheData Diveris a tool that you’re given at the start of the game inFNAF: Secret of the Mimicthat allows you to access any and all areas of Murray’s Costume Manor. You do so by plugging into special security doors around the facility that require various levels of company clearance, depending on what’s found within.
There are several tiers of clearance in the game, ranging from the lowest tier, literally called’Basic’all the way up to the highest tier,‘Executive’. Each one is represented by its own symbol. As you progress through the game, you’ll be able to unlock higher tiers of clearance viaClearance Upgrade Machines. These give you more flexibility to explore more areas of the facility. You can track what levels of clearance you have unlocked on your Data Diver by the symbols that are lit up on it.
Furthermore, as a bonus, you can use the clearance levels on your Data Diver to access various unique audio messages on the Mr Helper and Mrs Helper kiosk machines scattered throughout the game.The Executive-level messages in particular give even more personal details about Edwin, Fiona, and their son David, so ensure not to miss out on those.It may add to youroverall playtime, but it’s well worth the effort.
How to Unlock All Data Diver Clearance Upgrades in FNAF Secret of the Mimic
Upon receiving the Data Diver tool in the game, you automatically start with the first level of clearance, which helps you get through the first door from the entrance showroom. From that point, however, it’s up to you to find the subsequent Clearance Upgrade machines to raise your Data Diver’s clearance level. They’re directly tied to the story’s objectives, so they won’t be particularly hard to miss.
The real challenge comes withthe puzzle you have to solve in each Clearance Upgrade Machine to complete each respective upgrade. The higher the clearance, the trickier the puzzles will get. However, since they’re requirements for the story, they’re still not overwhelmingly difficult and actually simple enough to solve once you fully understand the mechanics.
The goal of each puzzle is toturn all functional “bits” (the numbered tiles) to the number ‘1’ by using the white cursor arrowthat moves through each row (or “track” as they’re called on the screen). As the cursor moves through a bit, it will change to either ‘0’ or ‘1’. Each puzzle will feature different patterns of these binary numbers, sometimes with corrupted bits mixed in (marked by X’s), and you need to solve them within two turns of the cursor (first turn is left to right, second turn is right to left).
There are actually different solutions for each puzzle, and you may come up with your own while figuring it out. Below are suggested solutions for each puzzle.
Security Level Clearance Upgrade
This is the first clearance upgrade you make in the story, and it’s fittingly found right inside the Security Office. To solve the puzzle for it, you need to flip each of the nine numerical “bits” from 0 to 1. For this one in particular,send the cursor through the middle track first (left to right) and then up through the high track second (right to left).Once done, the upgrade will be complete.
Repair Level Clearance Upgrade
The machine for the ‘Repair’ clearance upgrade is found inside an office down the left side hallway after you take the elevator up from the Main Hallway. To solve the puzzle for this one, start either on the High Rack or the Low Rack. Use the cursor to flip the bit to ‘1’, then quickly move to the Middle Rack to flip the center bit to ‘0’, then back to either the High Rack or Low Rack to flip either bit to ‘1’. Essentially, you’re aiming for a V-formation.
Going back from right to left, do the same V-shaped pattern to flip the bits you didn’t pass through initially.
Creator Level Clearance Upgrade
You’ll find this upgrade machine in the room just past the balcony area of theBig Top Showroom, after solving the hat puzzle to open the keypad door. You’ll need this to access the Rooftop area and beyond, so you literally can’t miss it.
Notice that there’s one corrupted bit in the center of this puzzle. To solve it, start by sending the cursor all the way across the Low Track, turning the first two bits to ‘0’ and the third bit to ‘1’. Going back from right to left, start on the High Rack and flip the top right bit to ‘1’. Then quickly move back down to the Low Rack and turn the first two bits back to ‘1’. This will complete the puzzle.
Admin Level Clearance Upgrade
This upgrade machine is hidden in the back left corner of the Doll Hospital section (where Nurse Dollie freely patrols). Once you make it to that side of the hospital, use the open vent shaft in the next room over to reach the room with the upgrade machine. There’s a trash cube in the room as well, so don’t miss that.
This puzzle has two corrupted bits on the High and Low Racks. To solve it, start on the High Rack. Flip the top left bit to ‘1’, then quickly move to the Middle Rack and turn the center bit to ‘0’. Quickly move back up to the High Rack and flip the top right bit to ‘1’. Basically, a V-shaped formation.
Going back from right to left, start on the Middle Rack and flip the center right bit to ‘1’. Before the cursor fully exits the column, move down to the Low Rack and flip the bottom right bit to ‘1’. Then move back to the Middle Rack and flip the center bit to ‘1’. Finally, move down to the Low Rack and flip the bottom left bit to ‘1’. This will complete the puzzle.
Executive Level Clearance Upgrade
The machine for the final clearance upgrade in the game is found on the second floor of the Admin Wing (you need to sneak past Chica to get up there). The door to the room the machine is in is blocked, so go to the adjacent room. There you’ll find an open vent shaft lit by a projector machine, and this leads to the machine room.
To solve this puzzle, start on the Middle Rack and flip the center left bit to ‘0’. Then quickly move up to the High Rack and flip the second and third bits to ‘1’.
The pass from right to left requires flipping several bits, so it’s a matter of quick thinking and likely a bit of practice. Start on the Middle Rack and flip the center right bit to ‘1’. Before the cursor fully exits the column, quickly move down to the Low Rank and flip the bottom right bit to ‘1’. Flip the second bit on the Low Rack to ‘1’. Now quickly move up to the Middle Rack to flip the center left bit to ‘1’, then before the cursor exits the column, flip the top left bit to ‘1’.
This completes the puzzle, and also gets you the’Executive Permissions' trophy/achievementfor obtaining the final clearance upgrade in the game.
