Ice Pick
What it does
When Michael grabs you, use it to stab him and break free far faster than struggling. The Pocket Knife and Butterfly Knife work the same way.
The ice pick is one of three small blades that do the same job. When Michael grabs you, you use it to stab him in the eye and break free far faster than struggling would. The Pocket Knife and Butterfly Knife work identically.
Patch 1.0.2 cut how many Pocket Knives and Icepicks spawn on each map, listing them as Grab Escape Items. There are fewer on each map than there used to be, so the first one you see is worth taking.
Struggling free without a blade has become easier. Patch 1.0.3 made grabs easier to escape at Stalk Tiers 0 to 2, and 1.0.4 fixed grabs at Bloodthirst 3 being far harder to escape than intended. High Capability helps less in the struggle than it did, though, so a strong civilian can't rely on mashing their way out either.
How do you use the Ice Pick?
Keep it in a slot and forget about it until Michael picks you up. Then mash the stab prompt instead of the normal struggle. It is the one thing that makes a grab survivable on your own, short of an Ancient Amulet.
Pick it up whenever you see one, even if your slots are full of throwables. A brick staggers Michael for a moment; a blade decides whether his grab kills you.
If you are about to be stuck in one place for a while, opening an exit or working on the car, try to have one first. It matters most once Michael has you at Stalk Tier 3, where a plain struggle is hardest.
From 2:39
The 5 Best Items to Pick Up in Halloween: The Game
MattZephy
Starts at the section on ice picks and the other blades, including which button does the stab on keyboard and mouse.
Good to know
- When Michael grabs you, use it to stab him and break free much faster. The Pocket Knife and Butterfly Knife do the same.
- On keyboard and mouse the stab is a separate button to mash, X by default.
- Carrying one is the main protection against the grab Michael lands after Reality Tear.
Keep going
Ancient Amulet
Negates Michael's first grab and blinds him for roughly three seconds. No button press needed.
Fragile Hourglass
Throw it beside a downed Michael for a possible longer arrest window. Extra time is unreliable; it does not guarantee an arrest.
Brass Lantern
Switched on, it shows Michael through a green glow, even while he is invisible in Shape Jump.