13 Days to Escape Jobs and Cash Guide

Cash is the gate to OJ’s Deals — and OJ’s Deals is the gate to escaping Cell 13. This Jobs and Cash guide for 13 Days to Escape [ALPHA] explains where money comes from, how much you typically need for the Screwdriver and Saw, and how to grind inside the day schedule without looking like a problem inmate. Pair it with the Tools Guide and Getting Started checklist.

All payout figures below are commonly reported ALPHA values. RoDark Studios can retune numbers overnight. If a job pays differently in your build, trust the live reward popup and update your mental math.

Cash goals that matter

Plan purchases in this order:

1. Screwdriver — ~25 cash — opens toilet bolts / Move aside / shaft access
2. Saw — ~110 cash — cuts window bars on RETURN TO CELLS

Combined, budget roughly 135 cash if those prices still hold when you open OJ’s menu in cell 13. The Power Drill is not an OJ purchase in the current loop — it is free on the lockdown workshop bench after bars are removed. Do not over-save for a drill that is sitting on a workbench.

Always check the live OJ’s Deals list before a long grind. Alpha price tags move.

Job board — what pays

Library books (~10 cash each)

After ROLL CALL, library work is the steadiest early earner. Deliver or shelve books for about 10 cash per completion. Chain multiple books while the phase lasts. Stay on marked paths; cutting through STAFF areas for a shorter walk is how suspicion stories start.

Tips:

• Queue the next book interaction before you celebrate the last payout
• Avoid sprinting past guards with arms full of props if that spikes attention in your build
• Use library time to calm the meter after a messy morning

Lunch potato station

During LUNCH, work the potato station and related cafeteria tasks. Payout varies by action chain, but the phase is reliable because everyone is funneled into the same wing. Blend with the crowd. Do not turn lunch into a parkour exhibition.

Tips:

• Finish the station loop even if a friend pings you to dig early
• Keep interactions clean; failed spam clicks look worse than one slow correct sequence
• Leave lunch with enough cash progress to hit Screwdriver the same day if possible

Yard litter (~20 cash for ~8 pieces)

YARD TIME litter runs pay about 20 cash when you clear roughly 8 pieces. Path a wide loop so you are not double-back contesting the same scrap with three other inmates. Yard is open — cameras and guards still exist.

Tips:

• Prioritize clusters of trash over heroic fence-line pickups
• If co-op, fan out; four players on one napkin wastes the phase — see Co-op Guide
• Bank yard cash toward the Saw once the Screwdriver is owned

Kill popup (~35 cash)

Some sessions surface a kill popup style job worth around 35 cash. It is optional and higher risk for brand-new players. Take it only when you understand the objective and your suspicion headroom. Skipping it is fine; library + yard still fund OJ.

Day schedule money map

HUD phase	Money focus	Notes
ROLL CALL	Survival, not income	Show up; protect the meter
Library	Books ~10 each	Best early chain
LUNCH	Potato station	Crowd cover
YARD TIME	Litter ~20 / ~8 pcs	Spread out in co-op
RECREATION	Shop or scout	Visit OJ in cell 13
RETURN TO CELLS	Spend Saw charges	Cutting bars, not grinding
LOCKDOWN	Vehicle cash stacks + free drill	Optional loot after window climb

LOCKDOWN vehicle cash stacks inside the prisoner transport are a bonus, not your primary Screwdriver fund. Treat them as Saw top-ups or dig-day spending money after the window is open.

Shopping priority at OJ’s Deals

OJ stands in cell 13 in the orange jumpsuit. Talk when RECREATION or other downtime allows.

1. Hit ~25 → buy Screwdriver immediately
2. Open the toilet that night so dig prep is ready
3. Return to jobs until ~110 for the Saw
4. Be Saw-ready before RETURN TO CELLS so the phase is not wasted

Holding 200 cash while still lacking a Screwdriver is a planning failure, not a flex. Tools beat a fat wallet when lockdown hits. Full use instructions sit on the Tools Guide.

Suspicion-aware grinding

Money means nothing at 100% suspicion — police end the run. While grinding:

• Attend every ROLL CALL
• Respect CCTV cones in library halls and yard corners
• Do not AFK in restricted doorways between jobs
• Holster or hide freshly bought tools during daytime sweeps

Deep stealth habits are on Suspicion and Stealth. Spy class (200 Gems) takes 50% less suspicion and starts with some cash — relevant if you keep dying broke; see Classes Guide.

Sample day-one earning plan

1. Survive roll call cleanly
2. Complete several library books toward ~25
3. Top up at lunch potatoes if short
4. Buy Screwdriver at OJ during a safe gap
5. Yard litter toward Saw money
6. Finish Saw purchase before RETURN TO CELLS
7. Cut bars, then LOCKDOWN for drill + optional vehicle cash
8. Dig — details on Digging Tunnels

If alpha pacing dumps you into Day 2 after digging, keep the same job discipline. Multi-day escapes still run on library and yard loops.

Co-op money splits

With up to four players:

• Assign two to litter / books while one shops OJ
• Avoid four people waiting in OJ’s face animation
• Share callouts when vehicle cash is contested on lockdown
• Never stack the whole party in one camera trapezoid for a 10-cash book

More role ideas: Co-op Guide. Narrative timing: Walkthrough. Index: Guides Hub.

Related pages

• Getting Started
• Tools Guide
• Walkthrough
• Suspicion and Stealth
• Classes Guide
• Codes — redeemables when live
• Updates — payout patch notes

Earn quiet money, spend it on the right tools, and let lockdown bring the free drill. That is the Cell 13 economy.