Augs in Probably Stolen: how to identify them and what to do
Augs are customers whose brains have been taken over by an augmentation chip. From day 12 they start visiting your store to buy medical supplies or materials, and Security wants every shopkeeper to shoot them on sight. Spot them with the Augmented Identification Guide, confirm with the Aug Scanner (100% accurate), and shoot only when you are sure: shooting a normal customer starts a manslaughter investigation.
When do Augs appear?
On day 12 the Mentor visits, tells you the news about rogue implants, and gives you a shotgun and the Augmented Identification Guide. From then on:
- The first Aug customers, looking for medical supplies, arrive on days 13 and 18. After that a new Aug turns up every 6 to 8 days, starting around day 24 to 26.
- Most of the time (an 80% roll) the Aug is disguised as an ordinary event customer or display-case buyer. Otherwise it arrives openly as a buyer of medical supplies (budget 150 to 250 credits) or of materials.
- With the Aug Menace perk the whole thing starts on day 1 and never ends.
On Price Gouge and Mark Up a night report warns you that an Aug is likely to visit today. On Thin Margins and Red Ink there are no warnings.
How do I identify an Aug?
The Augmented Identification Guide lists the tells.
| Visual features | Other features |
|---|---|
| Unusual pupils | Unnatural stillness |
| Uncanny expression | Twitching |
| Visible Aug chip | Outfit not matching their faction |
| Robotic vocabulary | |
| Overly formal phrasing |
Augs come in four tiers, which change how much they give away:
- Tier 4 (the clumsiest) speak like machines: “I am a normal human. Process this efficiently,” and they name a budget.
- Tier 3 gives two hints in what they say, tier 2 one hint, and tier 1 sounds like an ordinary customer. A typical hint in a Medical Supplies request: “The installation requires preparation.” or “The augmentation requires proper preparation.”
- Early in the threat the clumsier tiers are common. About a week after the Augs are introduced, and over roughly the next 100 days, the odds shift toward tier 1 (from 5% to 75%) and tier 4 disappears.
Augs also accept almost any price when you bargain, and explain that price does not matter to them, which is a clue by itself.
How do I confirm with the Aug Scanner?
The Aug Scanner (200 credits) confirms a suspected Aug with 100% accuracy. It needs a battery in its slot and uses 25 charge per scan; you can scan each customer once. An alarm sounds if the customer is an Aug; a ping means “No Aug detected”. The Lower Level Inventor sometimes has it in stock while the threat is active.
What do I get for killing an Aug?
A correct shot gives:
- A reward of 100 credits plus 1 credit per day since the Augs were introduced, capped at 250 (25% more with Aug Menace), paid with an Incident Slip.
- +8 Security reputation and +2 to Revolution, Black Market and Lower Level reputation.
- A drop in Aug Presence.
Player-reported, unverified: You can trade with an Aug first and shoot afterwards: sell them what they ask for (they reportedly do not check whether goods are genuine), leave them some budget so they do not walk out, then fire. Players also advise against pushing the price up beforehand, saying the shotgun may then be unavailable.
What happens if I shoot the wrong person?
Security comes to check the body. If the customer was not an Aug, they open a manslaughter investigation, and you keep the gun. A Manslaughter crime worth 250 (before day 25), 500 (from day 25) or 750 (from day 50) is added to your record, and you lose reputation: −15 with Security, −15 with the Lower Levels, −10 with the Revolution and −10 with the Black Market.
What is Aug Presence?
Aug Presence starts at 15 when you get the shotgun. Killing an Aug lowers it, letting one go raises it.
| Difficulty | Kill | Left alive | Warning | Game over at 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price Gouge | −25 | +10 | yes | no |
| Mark Up | −25 | +10 | yes | no |
| Thin Margins | −10 | +15 | no | yes |
| Red Ink | −8 | +16 | no | yes |
At 100 Presence on Thin Margins or Red Ink (or with Aug Menace on any difficulty) the Augs break into your store and you are augmented (the Augmented ending). If 50 days pass since the Augs were introduced and Presence is at 0, Security tells you all Augs have been eliminated and takes the gun back.
FAQ
How do I tell an Aug from a normal customer? Look for unusual pupils, a strange expression, a visible chip, stillness or twitching, clothes that do not match their faction, and robotic or overly formal speech. Confirm with the Aug Scanner.
What do I do with an Aug? Shoot it if you are certain, and collect the reward. Letting it go raises Aug Presence.
Where do I get the Aug Scanner? The Lower Level Inventor stocks it with a 50% chance a day while the Augs are active and you do not own one.
Can I call Security? The Mentor warns that the Augs have access to Security’s communications.
What does the Aug Menace perk do? Augs are unlocked at the start, kills pay 25% more, the threat never ends and too many escapes end the game on every difficulty.