Beginner Tips and Tricks - Probably Stolen Guide - IGN

Probably Stolen provides a good introduction to the basic skills and tasks that you'll have to deal with daily as a shopkeeper. These help you keep your shop running and help you pay rent. Although barely enough. It helps to assist in getting by, but not enough to make a profit or to have an advantage over your renter. There's a lot the game does not tell you, and it helps to learn as you become more advanced. In this guide, we'll be covering some essential beginner tips and tricks you should learn while playing Probably Stolen.

Knowing what you're good at and what you'd like to sell to your customers is important in Probably Stolen. Your stall should be switching between various items you pick up from customers selling to you and offering them back to the public at a higher price. However, having a stable source of income that you can readily rely on and know you'll have available keeps the roof above your head.

Your focus can range from using the Furnace to make materials to setting up a chemistry lab and creating Dream Dust to sell to addicts, or creating a water purification station and selling clean water. You have limited space in your shop, unfortunately, and you'll have to pick and choose what works best for you. You won't be able to do everything you want, and specializing is key to your success.

The display case on the top left of your shop window is a good way to indicate to your customers what you have available, or what you're looking to buy. This also comes from understanding what your focus should be as a shopkeeper. You want to attract certain clients to your window, and you also want to bring people there who can sell you more material that you can either use to refine your craft or sell back to the public at a higher price.

Based on certain information you receive from shady agents, having multiple neon signs or items available to use at your display case is important. Swap it out regularly based on what's about to happen, such as an upcoming Nutrifruit shortage or a surplus in materials on the station. Gaining knowledge of these future events can make it much easier for you to buy low and then sell high as you bring people in using your display case.

You can only get so much from your base tools, regardless of what focus or specialization you choose to go down. Be it working on a furnace or blending up materials for your next Dream Dust batch. The basic tools are good, but they're not going to take you much further. You have to invest and upgrade them as you acquire more money, carefully choosing upgrades to buy first.

You can do this by setting aside funds and waiting for clients to come by who want to sell you components, or making your way to Dr. Jackson's shop, if he hasn't already shown up at your door. Checking out what he has available when you have a surplus of money is a good way to provide additional bonuses from your daily tools.

Knowing when and how to barter is always important as a shopkeeper. If you have little to no money, sometimes it's a good idea to press someone to make a larger payment, or you try to offer less money for items you desperately need. You don't want to do this too often, but doing it frequently while keeping an eye on the reputation meter is a great idea.

Bartering in favor of the customer is also an idea you need to consider as well. You can't always try to undercut someone or try to walk away having spent less money. Sometimes it's a good idea to give more money to someone, or offer to sell an item for less to someone of a particular faction. You'll gain a small benefit from a faction if you do this, and it could make life easier for you in the future.

When it comes to factions, everyone on the station is associated with someone. Even the Wanted Criminals that sometimes appear in front of you are a part of a known group, and if you have them arrested, you'll lose standing with that particular faction. You want to keep an eye on the growing and lowering of the faction numbers using the Feedback Box, on the left side of your screen on the door.

Not everyone will like you. It can be tough to work well with everyone in Probably Stolen, but you can try to roll with the punches better if you know how far down you are in a particular reputation. Bartering is a good way to increase a reputation with someone, or going out of your way to buy or sell with a specific faction representatives who show up. Keep an eye on the various factions that can show up, and be sure to see what happens if you go too far negative with one in particular. For example, if you go negative with Security, expect to have more inspections happening at your shop and to have to hide your illicit goods.

The Security detail gives you a list of wanted criminals who have a high likelihood of appearing at your stall. They don't immediately offer you a signal that they're wanted, but if you compare their appearance based on the images provided to you from their wanted posters, you can figure it out rather quickly. Your first instinct might be to hit the alarm button to have them arrested, but doing so too quickly could have you miss out on an opportunity.

Many of these wanted criminals are also trying to get tasks done throughout the station, or have an agenda that they want to complete. Odin Haraldsson, for example, is looking for various useful supplies that he and his group could use. Not having him arrested could give you access to a buyer who is guaranteed to show up shortly after you call them and offer particular items, such as weapons, ammunition, or random crates that you pick up. You don't want to immediately arrest every person on the wanted list, as it might be more worthwhile to keep them around. At least, at first.

This does not work with Augs, though. You want to kill them on sight if you confirm that you've encountered one.

Whenever you first start a run, you'll have the chance to choose from a variety of perks before you set up shop. These perks are a great way to optimize your current playthrough, and certain starting professions will benefit from specific perks.

For example, if you choose to play as a Chemist, you'll receive the start-up for building up a chemistry lab. However, you do begin with having to work for the Cartel, and need to meet their demands along with those of your renter. Still, you can choose to optimize your time in this role by selecting perks to aid you in this job, such as Model Citizen to have an additional reputation with the Security faction, or Intimidating, where your crimes produce less evidence. Planning out your focus on a playthrough, and how you plan to generate income can help influence the type of perks you grab from the very beginning.

Completing Appraisals is a small activity you can choose to accept close to the start of every run. The standard Appraisal is to review cybernetics for customers, and you have a manual that you can refer to before confirming the price for that customer. These might seem like easy, fleeting activities, but the money you can make from successfully completing these tasks and getting better at it can go a long way.

As you perform better and perfect Appraisals, the board approaches you to offer a promotion (for a price), and you'll get more money for the task. Although it might feel like a money sink, it's a great way to provide an easy-to-complete service, where the only requirement is to have a magnifying glass in your inventory, and to refer to the cybernetic book in your dossier. It's an easy activity can provide good padding for your income.