How to spot augmented customers, use the Aug Scanner, handle the rogue AI meter and avoid the Augmented ending in Probably Stolen.
Probably Stolen Aug Guide: Rogue AI Signs and Choices
Augmented customers are people with rogue-AI implants. They look normal until they do not: a visible chip, fixed grin, unnatural stillness, mismatched clothing or a robotic voice. Use the Aug Scanner when you are unsure, decide whether to serve, blackmail or shoot, and watch the Aug meter. At 100, the Augmented ending can end the run.
The Aug storyline is the game's horror layer inside a shop sim. It starts as a rumour, becomes a customer type, and ends as a meter you cannot ignore. The store page is explicit: the augs look normal until they do not, and all factions agree they should be shot on sight. That does not mean shooting is always the right answer.
What an Aug is
An Aug is a person whose brain implant has been taken over by a rogue sentient AI. The game presents them as customers, not monsters. They can talk, bargain and buy. The danger is not that they will attack you immediately; it is that they are part of a network that is spreading through the station.
The Augmented ending is tied to the meter. The exact difficulty rules changed in a patch, so check your current mode before you assume a high meter is safe. On the hard-mode version, reaching 100 at the start of a day ends the run.
The visual tells
The game gives you several signals. None is proof on its own; the combination is what matters.
- Visible augmentation chip. A port, scar or device at the temple or neck.
- Unusual pupils. Fixed, dilated or mismatched.
- Fixed grin. A smile that does not change with the conversation.
- Unnatural stillness. No breathing, blinking or shifting weight.
- Twitching. Repetitive micro-movements, especially in the hands.
- Mismatched faction clothing. A Security coat on a Lower Levels customer, or vice versa.
- Robotic voice. Flat affect, odd pacing, repeated phrases.
A single tell can be a red herring. The game wants you to doubt. That is why the Aug Scanner exists.
The Aug Scanner
The Aug Scanner is the confirmation tool. Use it when:
- A customer has two or more tells.
- A customer asks for an item that does not fit their faction.
- A customer offers a price that is too good.
- You are about to let someone into the back room.
- You are about to sell a weapon or a chemical.
The scanner is not a weapon. It tells you what you are dealing with; the decision is still yours.
The four responses
Serve them normally
Serving an Aug is a valid choice. They pay, they trade, and they do not automatically attack. The risk is the meter: every Aug you serve or let go can increase the station's Aug presence. If the meter is high, serving is a slow loss.
Refuse them
Refusing is safer than serving if the meter is high, but it can lower reputation and attract attention. An Aug who is refused may leave quietly or may become hostile. Have a weapon or a Security contact before you make it a habit.
Blackmail them
Augs can be blackmailed. They have a secret and a reason to pay. This is the highest-margin response and the highest-risk one: a blackmailed Aug is still an Aug, and the meter does not care about your profit.
Shoot them
Shooting removes the immediate threat and raises the station's attention. The Aug Hunter achievement requires shooting 10 augmented customers. The Aug Menace perk pays 25% more for kills but unlocks the threat from day one and ends the run if too many escape.
Shooting in the store can also produce a case, a reputation hit and a mess. Do not make it the default response unless you have committed to an Aug-hunting run.
The Aug meter
The meter is the run-level threat. It rises from Aug activity and falls when you deal with Augs. The exact rate depends on difficulty, events and the Aug Menace perk.
Rules of thumb:
- If the meter is below 25, you can afford to serve or refuse case by case.
- If it is 25–50, start confirming with the scanner and keep a weapon ready.
- If it is 50–75, prioritize removal over profit.
- If it is above 75, stop serving Augs and spend the day reducing the meter.
- At 100, the run can end. Treat it like the rent clock.
The meter is not visible in the same place as the rent, so check it at the start of each day. A run that ignores the meter can look profitable until the ending screen.
Augs and the factions
All factions agree on the Aug threat, which makes it a rare common ground. That does not mean they agree on the response.
- Security wants them removed and will reward reports.
- Lower Levels may protect an Aug who is a family member.
- Upper Levels may employ one and pretend not to know.
- Black Market may sell the scanner or the implant.
- Revolution may see the Aug as a weapon against the station.
The faction guide covers the reputation effects. The short version: shooting an Aug pleases Security and may anger Lower Levels; blackmailing one pleases nobody if it is discovered.
A practical Aug routine
- Check the meter at the start of the day.
- Watch every customer for two or more tells.
- Scan before you sell a weapon, a chemical or a back-room item.
- If the meter is low, serve or refuse based on the customer's behaviour.
- If the meter is high, remove the Aug or call Security.
- Record the meter change after each encounter.
- Never let the meter reach 90 without a plan.
The Augmented ending
The Augmented ending is one of the 17 documented endings. It is not a "bad customer" event; it is a run-level failure. If you are chasing Clean Hands, remember that shooting an Aug may count as a kill or a crime depending on the context. Plan the achievement run separately.
The all endings guide lists the ending and its trigger. The crime system explains how an Aug incident can become a case.
An augmented customer at the counter. The tells are visual; the response is a business decision.
FAQ
How do I spot an augmented customer?
Visible chip, fixed grin, unusual pupils, robotic voice or mismatched faction gear. Scan when unsure.
Should I shoot them?
Not automatically. Shooting is a reputation and case decision; blackmail or refusal can be safer.
What is the Augmented ending?
Reaching 100 Aug at the start of a day. Difficulty rules changed after patch 48.3.10.
Sources and version notes
- Steam store page description of the rogue AI and augmented customers.
- In-game Aug customer UI and scanner, checked 2 November 2026.
- Aug Hunter and Aug Menace conditions cross-checked against the community achievement and perk tables.
- Build 1.0.0.6. Difficulty rules for the Augmented ending changed in a patch; verify your mode.
Official source: Steam store ↗ · Steam guides ↗ · Steam Workshop ↗, checked 2 November 2026.
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