How do I find the exit in Factory?

[rero_falcon]

Very new player here. I've gotten to the point where I can consistently reach Factory, but once I'm there, I have trouble finding the exit. Access(Main) isn't really reliable, and if I wander for too long, I eventually get surrounded by patrols and programmers. Does anyone have some good tips for finding the stairs?

[Kyzrati]

Some of the info is out of date (Programmers no longer only spawn from stairs since Garrisons were added), but Happylisk wrote a lengthy guide on this very topic

Others could perhaps offer additional/more recent advice since strategies have evolved since then. That guide doesn't quite cover all the possibilities, either.

[rero_falcon]

That was a good read, thanks!