Troubleshoot your way out.
Escape from L3 is a point-and-click adventure where every locked door is a broken network you must debug to escape.
Why does Escape from L3 exist?
Escape from L3 exists to teach network troubleshooting the way you actually live it: not through slides, but hands-on. Behind it is an official MikroTik Trainer who turned years of tickets, diagnoses and lab scenarios into puzzles you solve by playing. The idea is simple: you only understand a network once you fix it. Here you fix one room after another, learning to read the symptoms, form a hypothesis and test it: the real skill of the job.
What is the game about?
You’re locked in a Layer-3 prison. Every room is a router, and every door opens only when you diagnose and fix the network. There’s no trial-and-error way out: there’s a network to understand.
At the core is a terminal inspired by the RouterOS CLI, where you learn and type real commands. Underneath runs a deterministic network simulator: when you change the configuration, the simulated network reacts like the real one, with the same effects, the same errors and the same diagnostic logic.
It’s a classic point-and-click adventure: you explore the rooms, gather clues, talk to characters, inspect objects and keep a notebook of what you find. No reflexes, no rush: it’s about reasoning. Difficulty grows level after level, from the fundamentals up to advanced topics, and reaching the end is anything but easy: even seasoned admins will find a real challenge.
The journey spans the full breadth of the craft, from the fundamentals up to the most advanced scenarios: the same headaches you meet on real tickets. What you’ll run into, and how it’s solved, you discover only by playing.
What’s in the game?
- Every room is a router: doors open only by fixing the network.
- A terminal inspired by the RouterOS CLI, with real commands to learn and use.
- Deterministic network simulator: diagnoses behave like the real thing.
- Eighteen levels of growing difficulty, plus a prologue and a finale.
- Point-and-click adventure: exploration, inventory, notebook, dialogue.
- Complete in Italian and English.
- Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux. Free.
- Plays offline too (a quick email sign-up is needed to start).
Who is it for?
For network admins, students and RouterOS enthusiasts, for people preparing for the MTCNA, and for experienced people who want to put themselves to the test. You train the thing that really matters: reading a configuration, figuring out why something is broken, and fixing it, the troubleshooting you meet in the field. Which topics you touch, you find out by playing.
Where is it at?
In beta: the adventure is playable from the start all the way to the escape, in Italian and English. Still missing are signed and notarized installers and some polish; the public progress board will come later. The beta is invite-only and spots are limited: if you want to try it, ask below.
Want to try Escape from L3?
My RouterOS troubleshooting game is in invite-only beta. Leave your request here and I'll reply by email.
Where can I download it?
Indicative requirements, to be confirmed at release:
- Windows: Windows 10 or later, 64-bit (x64).
- macOS: macOS 10.15 Catalina or later, Intel and Apple Silicon.
- Linux: 64-bit (x64); AppImage (most distributions) and a .deb package (Debian/Ubuntu); requires GTK 3.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a MikroTik product?
No: it’s an independent educational game, not affiliated with or endorsed by MikroTik. MikroTik and RouterOS are trademarks of SIA Mikrotīkls.
Do I need a real router or hardware?
No: the whole network is simulated inside the game; all you need is your computer.
Do I need to know RouterOS already?
To be honest: solid networking and RouterOS basics help a lot, and finishing the game is far from easy. Starting from scratch you can still make it by studying the official MikroTik manual, one level at a time: it’s good training for the MTCNA, too.
Is it free?
Yes: the game is free; to start you only need to sign up with an email.
Can I play offline? And my data?
Yes, you can play offline; your email and the level you reach stay private by default (details in the privacy notice).
Escape from L3 is a game by MikroTik Dojo, an independent educational platform: it is not a MikroTik product, nor affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by MikroTik. MikroTik and RouterOS are trademarks of SIA Mikrotīkls.