Signal → what to do
- A voice starts talking over the intercom—Honcho will appear in one of the next seven sectors. In sectors B to Z, this call almost always comes near door 25.
- The elevator terminal is locked and says you’re being redirected to the executive office. That means the meeting is coming up in the next sector.
- Music plays over the intercom. That’s not him yet, and it doesn’t change the terminal. But he can still call you in that same sector.
- The banging on the Mail Room door gets faster. That means there’s less time before he breaks through.
- You're Hired! starts playing. You’re meeting him or you’re already in the Mail Room.
How to beat the Mail Room
Here’s the deal: you can’t outrun or hide from Honcho. You have to beat him by getting the work done. He’s the fastest humanoid entity in the game, noticeably faster than Seek. Your tools are doors and terminals.
Here’s what I do when I land in the Mail Room: 1. Take a few steps toward the door, then immediately use the terminal to close the big door behind you. A closed door stops him from attacking as soon as he appears. 2. Find the boxes and put them in the depot with the matching label. This opens the next door. 3. Enter a new room and immediately close the door with the next terminal. 4. Listen for the banging. The faster it gets, the less time you have.
You get about 2 minutes 25 seconds in any of the 4 Mail Rooms before Honcho appears. In the Mail Room, he runs straight at you and attacks. If you don’t close the door in time, he’ll break through and attack.
The boxes can be tricky. You can’t carry a box through the gates—you have to pass it through a conveyor belt or an opening. The conveyor belt can drop a box or send it around in a loop, so after a miss, you’ll have to wait for it to come back. Vitamins help you move around the rooms faster, but you can beat it without them too.
Which sector does he appear in?
Honcho is the main enemy in The Archives and the only boss on this subfloor. He can appear in any sector after A. His office can show up as early as sector B or as late as Z. He usually appears in the first half of the sectors. Sector Z usually means someone planted a Lotus in one of the sectors from T to Y.
You can’t skip him with Gold. The encounter is guaranteed, even if you buy a sector skip. The last sector you can skip always leads to his office, and a locked terminal won’t let you buy a skip at all. Sometimes he simply hijacks the elevator at the end of a sector and takes you to his office.
Common Mail Room mistakes
- Running for the emergency exit. In the room with the gates and the exit, Honcho catches anyone who makes a run for it.
- Looking for boxes before closing the door. Do it the other way around: close the door first.
- Carrying a box to the gates. It can’t get through them.
- Thinking music over the intercom means he’s calling you. The music by itself doesn’t mean anything.
- Carrying a Starlight Bottle in your quick slot. He’ll take it and become more dangerous.
Who is Honcho?
His office terminal has dated entries that he wrote himself. They show that he remembers appearing on the first day and being able to write in rough English, but he doesn’t know where he came from. He chose his own name based on the place he ended up in. He melted his face by drinking too much coffee to stay awake, and his body is made of paper.
One day, he went exploring in The Archives because he was bored and got lost for about 26 years. According to his own notes, he lived for around 213 years. He thinks you work for Starlight and calls you to his office because he’s bored out of his mind. He calls Starlight “GOD” because it gives him a warm feeling. One theory is that Starlight created him unconfirmed.
One more detail: The Journal calls Honcho the boss of the Drones, who have a lot of respect for him.
The office meeting: what happens
4 statues lead to the desk in the office, with 2 on each side. The terminal is to the right of the office. At the desk, Honcho turns toward you and hits the desk with a sign bearing his name. Then he jumps onto the desk, grabs you, and plays a training video through his face. After the video, a hatch opens and you fall into the Mail Room.
Honcho is the only hostile entity who introduces himself. You can learn his name without dying to him. He also speaks pretty clearly, both over the intercom and during the meeting.
And one more thing about the ending. After the meeting, you can see Honcho praying to Starlight in Z-50, no matter how the encounter ended. He doesn’t attack or do anything special in Z-50.
The Starlight Bottle and Honcho
Honcho is interested in any Starlight Bottles you’re carrying. If you have one when you approach the desk, he takes it before dropping you down. He only takes a bottle in your quick slot.
After that, the encounter gets harder. Honcho glows bright yellow, his Starlight markings shine, and he breaks doors faster. Instead of about 2 minutes 25 seconds, you have around 1 minute 25 seconds before he appears in the Mail Room. He also deals more Damage: 70 normally and 90 with the bottle.
To keep your bottles safe, put all your Starlight Bottles in the Lunch Box. He won’t take a Starlight Vial or Starlight Jug. Curious Light notices if you hand over the bottle and says you shouldn’t have done that. I only hand over the bottle when I’m going for the Star Employee badge. Otherwise, it’s just the price of a tougher boss.
If he catches you: an ink stamp or a brand
He can catch you in different ways. If he grabs you near the exit, he stamps you with ink and throws you back into the regular office rooms. If he catches you earlier, he brands you with a hot iron, which deals serious Damage.
After the minigame, you return to your sector whether you succeed or fail, unless his attack kills you. So failing the Mail Room isn’t the end of your run if you still have enough health.
Honcho badges
- Most Valuable Employee — Sort the Mail Room before he breaks in. It’s an uncommon badge, with the description “I hope I get a promotion!”.
- Star Employee — Beat the Mail Room after giving Honcho something you shouldn’t have. Here’s how: collect and buy a Starlight Bottle in The Backdoor, then make it through The Hotel to The Archives, or enter through a Lotus and reach Honcho. He’ll take the bottle, and you’ll have to beat the harder version of the Mail Room. It’s a rare badge.
I wouldn’t go for Star Employee first. Beat the regular Mail Room and get used to the conveyor belts, then bring the bottle.
Fun facts
- His name comes from the phrase “head honcho,” which means the boss or person in charge. Maybe they dropped “head” because he doesn’t have a normal head unconfirmed.
- A cosmetic item skin featuring Honcho was released before he appeared in the game.
- A mug was the first thing to officially show Honcho’s back.
- In The Archives trailer, he wanders through a regular room next to Gold on the floor and breaks down the door in front of Doors Man.
- Honcho was added on August 28, 2026.
- The only other character who speaks clearly is Groundskeeper.
Where it appears
all locationsRelated badges
all badges
Frequently asked questions
How do you find Honcho in DOORS?
How do you beat Honcho?
Which sector does Honcho appear in?
I reached Z-50 but never met Honcho. Why?
What does Honcho do?
How much Damage does Honcho deal?
Can you skip Honcho with Gold?
See also
What’s Still Unconfirmed (2)
This information comes from announcements and rumors, or is outdated. The label will disappear once it’s confirmed.
Discussion
No one's written anything yet. Be the first to share a tip, ask a question, or tell us how you got through this part.