Escape Academy 2 Red Herring Locations: How to Find All 50 Collectible Fish

Why Escape Academy 2 Red Herring Locations Are Worth the Detour

Fifty red plastic fish are scattered across the academy, and skipping them costs you both a chunk of Escape Bucks and a collectible achievement. If you've already walked the same hallway three times looking for a fish you swear you saw, this guide to Escape Academy 2 red herring locations will save you hours of backtracking. Below you'll find a repeatable search route, the hiding spots players miss most, and a tracking method that keeps your Escape Academy 2 red herring locations checklist accurate from day one.

The herrings aren't puzzle pieces — they never unlock a door or gate progress. They're pure collectibles, which is exactly why they're easy to forget about while you're deep in a cipher. But the payoff is real, and it stacks on top of the Escape Bucks loop that funds your zipline network.

Community reports consistently describe the full set as the single biggest collectible payout in the game, so treat the hunt as a side income stream rather than a chore.

What Actually Counts as a Red Herring

A red herring in Escape Academy 2 is a small red plastic fish, roughly hand-sized, that sits in the world waiting for an interaction prompt. When you're close enough, a "Pick Up" prompt appears — that prompt is your confirmation, because the fish itself blends into red, maroon, and burgundy surfaces surprisingly well.

Two things trip players up. First, the fish are often placed at eye level or just below it, tucked against trim, ledges, and wall decor, so scanning the floor only will miss a large share of them. Second, they're frequently behind geometry you'd normally walk past — boxes, planters, signage — meaning you need to physically move the camera, not just the character.

TheGamer's beginner tips guide for Escape Academy 2 makes the same point in its collectible section: the herrings hide on plaques, in bushes, and against walls where they visually disappear into the environment.

A Repeatable Search Route for Every Area

There's no in-game map marker pointing at collectibles, so the practical approach is a route, not a scattergun sweep. Player experience suggests working through the academy one zone at a time and clearing each zone completely before moving on — otherwise you end up re-searching rooms you already finished and guessing which ones you cleared.

The table below is a search order rather than an official per-zone count (the game doesn't publish one). Use it as a checklist framework you fill in yourself.

If you'd rather follow someone else's footsteps, this all-50 red herring video walkthrough shows the full set in order — useful when a single zone is down to one stubborn fish.

Tools and Movement Upgrades That Make Hunting Faster

Ziplines aren't just a convenience item; they're arguably the most important purchase for anyone serious about Escape Academy 2 red herring locations, because several fish sit on rooftops and elevated areas you can't reach on foot. Community consensus points to the science lab as the best first zipline investment given how often you return there, with the arts center a close second.

Two habits pay off enormously. First, bank Escape Bucks early through side quests so a zipline purchase never stalls your route. Second, keep a written tally per zone — players who track progress on paper consistently report fewer duplicate sweeps than those relying on memory, and the same logic applies to the game's cipher and sudoku puzzles.

Also lean on classmates. NPC dialogue frequently drops hints about where extra Escape Bucks are stashed — potted plants, toilets, and window ledges all come up in conversation — and those same spots are prime herring real estate.

The Spots Players Miss Most

Based on community reports and player experience, a handful of hiding patterns account for most of the "I'm stuck at 49" frustration:

• Behind movable-looking props. Boxes and crates near walls hide fish that only appear once you get the camera low or to the side.
• Above door height. Plaques and trim mounted high are outside the natural sightline.
• In restrooms and utility corners. Players skip these rooms assuming nothing is there.
• On rooftops reached only by zipline. If you're short a few fish late in the year, check your zipline-unlocked areas first.
• Red-on-red placements. A red fish against a red wall or banner is nearly invisible until the prompt triggers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many red herrings are in Escape Academy 2?

There are 50 in total, which matches the community walkthrough cataloging all of them. Collecting the full set is what triggers the Escape Bucks bonus and the achievement, so partial sets don't pay out the big reward.

Do Escape Academy 2 red herring locations affect puzzle progress?

No. Herrings are optional collectibles with no puzzle function, so you can finish the story without touching one. That said, the Escape Bucks they generate feeds directly into zipline purchases, which do make traversal and rooftop exploration easier.

Can I find every herring without buying ziplines?

Not comfortably. Several spawn points sit in elevated and rooftop areas that ziplines unlock, so if you're hunting Escape Academy 2 red herring locations seriously, budget for the science lab and arts center ziplines early.

Is there an in-game tracker for collectibles?

The game keeps a running total of what you've picked up, but it doesn't mark locations on a map, which is why a handwritten zone-by-zone checklist remains the most reliable method reported by players.

Do herrings respawn or carry over between playthroughs?

Treat them as a one-time-per-save collection. If you're planning a co-op run with a friend, decide early whether you're collecting on that save, since splitting the hunt across two playthroughs tends to leave both saves incomplete.

Start with the lobby, work outward zone by zone, write down what you clear, and buy ziplines sooner than feels comfortable. That combination turns a frustrating scavenger hunt into a steady income stream — and gets you to all 50 without a fourth lap around the arts center.