Probably Stolen Tier List: Choose a Start for Your Goal

Starting scenarios do different jobs. Water Merchant teaches the water economy, Rat Wrangler teaches animal upkeep, and Rock Bottom is a challenge run. Ranking them on one ladder hides those differences.

Perks are a separate decision. Each run combines a scenario with positive and negative perks, and mixing all three into one list makes the criterion impossible to follow. We rank them separately and say what each ranking measures.

Start with Apprentice to learn trading, appraisal and rent without a specialist burden. When you are comfortable, try Water Merchant to learn a production chain. The developer describes it as test, purify, re-label, with the liability being yours.

After that, choose by interest. Animal-focused starts suit players who enjoy production and maintenance. Save Rock Bottom for when you know the systems well.

The developer's October 21 preview lists the starts available in version 1.0. The descriptions below come from that announcement.

The Demo is not the full nine-start roster. Community scenario data separates the Demo starts from the announced launch list. Chemist, for example, is reported as locked in the current Demo.

Check the selection screen in your own build before planning around a start. A start appearing in a preview or a video does not mean it is playable today. Our Demo guide covers what the free version includes.

Community scenario data says Water Merchant begins with testing and purification equipment. That makes it the most direct way to learn the water workflow from day one. Read how to make water before you start.

The same data lists Rat Wrangler with a cage, rats and food. The developer unhid the Rat Wrangler start in an August playtest patch; it had been a secret start before that. Our rat guide covers cages, feeding and repairs.

Aquafarmer arrives as a launch start in 1.0. In the Demo, aquaculture is available through a Wild's Network upgrade added on October 19. The developer describes aquaculture as slower-paced, lower-maintenance and more beginner friendly than rat ranching.

That makes fish a sensible second production system for players who find rats demanding. See the aquaculture guide for the upkeep loop.

Rock Bottom was added in an August playtest patch as a hardcore mode where you start with nothing. The developer's 1.0 preview calls it maximum difficulty. The September playtest summary also mentioned that it had become a big hit with players.

Many community videos are recorded on Rock Bottom with extra modifiers such as Hard Mode or Sentinel Collapse Disorder. Their stakes do not apply to a normal run. Watch them for ideas, not as a baseline.

The two HumbleSeal videos below rank positive and negative perks. They are opinion-based, and the negative-perk video states its criterion: how easy each perk is to tolerate. Neither is a profession ranking.

Perk balance also changes between builds. In Update 049, Model Citizen and Intimidating were buffed, while addiction perks got a heavier trading penalty. Version 1.0 adds new starting perks, so older perk lists will need rechecking.

If you want your own tier list, pick one criterion and stick to it. Useful ones include learning difficulty, maintenance burden, available starting equipment and economic risk. Score each start on that criterion alone.

Disclose the build you tested. Older playtest videos cannot rank launch starts such as Gunsmith or Chemist, because those have not been tested in the release build. Label any website ranking, including this one, as editorial.

What is the best start in Probably Stolen? For beginners, Apprentice, the developer's own recommendation. Other starts suit specific goals.

What is the hardest start? Rock Bottom, which starts you with nothing and is described as maximum difficulty.

How many starts are there? Nine in version 1.0, with Organ Trader, Junker and Street Food Vendor planned after launch.

Are perk tier lists reliable? They are opinion-based. Use them for ideas and check perk balance in your build.

Once 1.0 is out, every start can be tested with the four difficulty options. We will revisit this page with release-build observations. Until then, Apprentice remains the safest recommendation for a first run.