Probably Stolen Perks: Every Starting Perk and the Best Combinations

Starting perks in Probably Stolen unlock from your second run. You get 3 points and 4 slots: positive perks cost 1 or 2 points, negative perks give back 1 to 4, and every perk you take fills a slot. The best perks for most runs are Vigilant, Intimidating and Diplomatic at 2 points, with Savings, Model Citizen or Wild's Favorite as the 1-point add-on.

There are 48 perks in the game: 20 positive, 6 neutral and 22 negative. Each list below is sorted by cost and uses the game's own descriptions.

How do perk points and slots work?

Three rules decide what fits:

1. Points. You start with 3. Each negative perk adds its value to that budget, and the total cost of your positive perks cannot exceed it.
2. Slots. You can hold 4 perks, and free perks still take a slot. Colorful Character costs 1 point and raises the limit to 7, which is the only way to stack several negatives.
3. Exclusions. Opposites cannot be combined: Lucky and Unlucky, Wild's Favorite and On Wild's Bad Side, Model Citizen and Convict, Well Connected and Public Enemy, Prime Real Estate and Side Street, Welfare Program and Banned from the Commissary, Minimalist and Ascetic. Maimed blocks Proficient Scavenger, Careful Scavenger and Degenerative Osteoarthritis.

In practice, slots run out before points. Two 2-point perks need one negative perk worth at least 1, and that uses three of your four slots.

Positive perks

• 
  Diplomaticcosts 2 pt

  Reputation generated from trade is increased by 33%.

• 
  Intimidatingcosts 2 pt

  All committed crimes generate 33% less available evidence.

• 
  Vending Machinecosts 2 pt

  Start with a vending machine installed in front of your store. Allow customers to purchase items automatically during after-hours.

• 
  Vigilantcosts 2 pt

  You will never get robbed during the night.

• 
  Well Connectedcosts 2 pt

  Start with an additional 15 Reputation with all factions.

• 
  Working Pipescosts 2 pt

  You will start with the water lines already connected with unlimited Rustwater.

• 
  Handycosts 1 pt

  Start with a shabby toolbox and a set of shabby tools: a screwdriver, a wire cutter, a crowbar and a plasma cutter.

• 
  Luckycosts 1 pt

  Increases your luck. Probably.

• 
  Model Citizencosts 1 pt

  Start with an additional +30 Security Reputation and will receive 50% more reward for reporting customers on the Wanted List.

• Proficient Scavengercosts 1 pt

  You can perform up to 2 additional Search actions in the Dumping Grounds every time you visit.

• Revolution Sympathizercosts 1 pt

  Start with an additional 25 Reputation with The Revolution. You will receive Marketplace Requests from The Revolution more frequently.

• 
  Savingscosts 1 pt

  Start with an additional 150 Credits.

• 
  Sawyer's Crewcosts 1 pt

  The Underground Exchange is available from the start. Janitorial Service is always free, unless the Store is vandalized. Vandalism clean up cost is significantly reduced.

• 
  Secret Admirercosts 1 pt

  You will occasionally receive random items from a secret admirer when opening the Store.

• 
  Short Sleepercosts 1 pt

  You won't miss out on any customers when going out during after-hours activities the night before.

• 
  Sycophantcosts 1 pt

  Start with an additional +15 Upper Levels Reputation. Reputation gained with the Upper Levels is increased by 25%, and Upper Level customers have 10% more budget.

• Tapeheadcosts 1 pt

  You start with all music cassettes available inside the cassette player.

• 
  Tinkerercosts 1 pt

  When you upgrade an item, there is a 20% chance the material used is not consumed.

• 
  Welfare Programcosts 1 pt

  The Commissary is available from the start. On Mondays, you may receive Food Stamps depending on your total wealth.

• 
  Wild's Favoritecosts 1 pt

  All upgrades from Wild's Network cost 10% less. Insurance costs 50% less.

The 2-point perks are where the power is:

• Vigilant stops night burglary completely. Uninsured, the theft chance starts at 33% a night, so this perk also lets you skip insurance for the whole run.
• Intimidating cuts the crime value of everything you do by a third, which slows Security's investigation at every threshold.
• Diplomatic multiplies all trade reputation by 1.33. It is the fastest route to faction perks and to the 200 cap for the Diplomatic achievement.
• Vending Machine saves the 1,200 the Network charges for one, but you also need stock to fill it. Working Pipes gives unlimited Rustwater, which only pays off with purification gear. Well Connected is +15 everywhere: pleasant, rarely decisive.

Among the 1-point perks, Savings (+150 credits) matters most in week one. Wild's Favorite cuts Network prices by 10% and insurance by half. Handy saves you buying a Toolbox and a set of tools, including a Crowbar. Welfare Program opens the Commissary early and, on Mondays while your wealth is low, hands out Food Stamp payments that taper off as you grow. Secret Admirer sends small gifts, starting with a Galaxy Blend on Day 2.

Neutral perks

• 
  Aug Menacecosts 1 pt

  The Augmented content is unlocked at the start of the game. Earn 25% more credits for killing an aug. The aug menace never ends, and letting too many augs get away ends the game on every difficulty.

• 
  Colorful Charactercosts 1 pt

  Allows you to have 3 additional starting perk slots.

• 
  Makeshift Reactorcosts 1 pt

  You are permanently disconnected from the station power grid and are not affected by blackouts. Start with an upgradable Makeshift Micro Nuclear Reactor sold to you by Dr. Jackson. It powers the Store but needs regular repairs.

• Careful Scavengerfree

  You can perform 2 fewer actions in the Dumping Grounds every time you visit, but you never get injured while searching.

• 
  Hoarderfree

  Start with three piles of immovable debris along the bottom of your inventory. Each pile can be removed.

• 
  Prime Real Estatefree

  1 more normal customer will visit everyday but starting rent cost 75 credit more.

Neutral perks change the game rather than make it easier:

• Prime Real Estate is free but raises starting rent by 75, and the increase compounds. On Mark Up, a 275 rent reaches 365 by Day 49. One extra customer a day is usually worth it; on Thin Margins it is closer.
• Careful Scavenger is free: two fewer searches per visit, but you never get hurt.
• Hoarder is free and fills the bottom of your inventory with debris you pay to clear.
• Makeshift Reactor cuts you off the power grid and its bills, but the reactor needs repairs, and a neglected one ends the run in Meltdown.
• Aug Menace costs 1 point in the game, though some guides list it as giving one. Augs arrive from Day 1 and never stop, kills pay 25% more, and reaching full Aug presence ends the run on any difficulty.
• Colorful Character costs 1 point for 3 more slots, for runs built around stacking negatives.

Negative perks

• 
  Agoraphobiagives 1 pt

  After visiting an after-hours location, you must rest at the Store for 2 nights before going out again.

• 
  Alcohol Addictiongives 1 pt

  You will suffer a trade penalty of 8% if you don't consume alcohol regularly. The addiction can be cured.

• 
  Bad Leasegives 1 pt

  Your starting rent is increased by 40 Credits.

• 
  Banned from the Commissarygives 1 pt

  The Commissary is not available, and food stamps are never introduced.

• 
  Convictgives 1 pt

  Start with an additional -30 Security Reputation and will receive 25% less reward for reporting customers on the Wanted List.

• 
  Degenerative Osteoarthritisgives 1 pt

  Scavenging in the dumping ground works normally for the first week. After that, you lose 1 max scavenging attempt every week that passes. Once your max attempts fall below 3, you can no longer scavenge at all. Normal shopkeepers start with 5 daily max attempts. Start with 2 additional topical medication bandages.

• 
  Gambling Addictiongives 1 pt

  You will always buy some Lottery Tickets when possible. All lottery content is unlocked from the start. The addiction can be cured.

• 
  Illiterategives 1 pt

  You won't be able to read any guide.

• 
  Narcotic Addictiongives 1 pt

  You will suffer a trade penalty of 8% if you don't consume narcotics regularly. The addiction can be cured.

• 
  Nicotine Addictiongives 1 pt

  You will suffer a trade penalty of 8% if you don't consume nicotine regularly. The addiction can be cured.

• On Wild's Bad Sidegives 1 pt

  All upgrades from Wild's Network cost 10% more. Insurance costs 50% more.

• 
  Side Streetgives 1 pt

  You get one less random customer per day.

• Unluckygives 1 pt

  Decreases your luck. Probably.

• 
  Blabbermouthgives 2 pt

  All committed crimes generate 33% more available evidence. You will gain 50% less reputation with the Black Market and the Revolution.

• 
  Blackmailgives 2 pt

  You have a questionable past and a blackmailer is threatening to expose your secret. You will have to pay them a small weekly fee or they will expose you, leading to a major one-time loss to your reputation across most factions.

• 
  Known Snitchgives 2 pt

  Customers from the wanted poster will never visit your store. Start with -10 reputation with the Revolution and the Black Market.

• 
  Maimedgives 2 pt

  The Dumping Ground is not available. You cannot scavenge at all.

• 
  Minimalistgives 2 pt

  Your main inventory is reduced 20x10 instead of 24x10.

• 
  Public Enemygives 2 pt

  Start with -15 Reputation with all factions.

• 
  Awful Negotiatorgives 3 pt

  You cannot bargain with customers, and you suffer a permanent trade penalty of 5%.

• 
  Sentinel Collapse Disordergives 3 pt

  You suffer from a deadly, incurable auto-immune condition and must take a weekly Immunivax injection to stay alive. Start the game with 1 Immunivax Injector.

• 
  Asceticgives 4 pt

  Your main inventory is reduced to 16x10 instead of 24x10.

The trick with negative perks is to take ones that hit a part of the game you were not going to use:

• Known Snitch (+2) only hurts if you planned to report Wanted List customers. It also costs 10 with the Revolution and Black Market.
• Banned from the Commissary (+1), Unlucky (+1) and Agoraphobia (+1) are mild if you rarely go out.
• Bad Lease (+1) is 40 more rent, compounding. Fine on Price Gouge, painful on Thin Margins.
• Illiterate (+1) locks every guide book, which ruins water, chemistry and counterfeit checks.

Avoid these until you know the systems: Sentinel Collapse Disorder (+3) needs an Immunivax Injector every week or the run ends, and you have to tell real injectors from fakes. Awful Negotiator (+3) removes bargaining and costs 5% on every trade. Blackmail (+2) is a weekly bill with a big reputation hit if you stop paying. The addictions cost 8% on trades whenever you go without; Alcohol Addiction starts you with a bottle of Nudka, which buys a few days.

What are the best perk combinations?

These four builds work from what each perk actually does in the game. Each fits in 3 points and 4 slots.

Safe economy: Vigilant + Savings

3 points, 2 slots. Vigilant means no burglary and no insurance bill, and Savings gives you 150 credits of breathing room before the first rent. It suits any start, and the two empty slots leave room for a free perk like Careful Scavenger. This is the build to take into your first run with perks unlocked.

Clean face, dirty back room: Intimidating + Model Citizen + Wild's Favorite + Bad Lease

2 + 1 + 1 − 1 = 3 points, 4 slots. Intimidating shrinks every crime by a third. Model Citizen's +30 Security is not reduced by difficulty, so it keeps a Fence start off the Watchlist and takes 60 credits off every bribe. Wild's Favorite makes Fixers and Evidence Removal cheaper when you need them. Bad Lease pays for it with 40 more rent. Read the contraband and Heat guide for how these stack against an investigation.

Reputation climber: Diplomatic + Sycophant + Prime Real Estate

2 + 1 + 0 = 3 points, 3 slots. Upper Levels trades already earn 1.2 times the reputation. Diplomatic adds 1.33 times and Sycophant another 1.25 times, so each sale to them earns about twice the base rate, from a +15 head start. Sycophant's 10% bigger Upper Levels budgets and Prime Real Estate's extra daily customer give you more trades to climb with. See the factions guide for what each tier unlocks.

Scavenger: Proficient Scavenger + Careful Scavenger + Short Sleeper + Handy

1 + 0 + 1 + 1 = 3 points, 4 slots. Proficient and Careful cancel out on search count, leaving you five searches a visit with no injuries. Short Sleeper removes the lost customer after every night out, and Handy gives you the tools from Day 1. This is the build for Rock Bottom, where the Dumping Ground is your only supplier; the starting scenarios guide covers that start.

Which perks suit which start?

Your starting scenario already covers part of the game, so spend points on the gap it leaves:

Skip Vigilant on a Chemist run: the Cartel already keeps burglars away, so those 2 points are better spent elsewhere.

For every other system in the game, start from the Probably Stolen wiki home page.