Probably Stolen: Water merchant progression guide
Build a stable water business from sourcing and testing through purification, storage and sales. The route focuses on repeatable decisions and uses the current game label whenever a purity boundary or machine result is uncertain.
The daily water loop
Secure containers and rent money first. Obtain water, test only when the grade is unclear, separate batches by the label shown in game, then purify or sell. Do not buy a large low-grade batch before you have the equipment, power and empty storage to process it.
When to scale production
Add a purifier or collector only after identifying the current bottleneck. Check input access, power, filters, output space and processing time before upgrading. Keep one buffer container free so a completed batch or by-product cannot stop the line.
Display, buyers and margins
Use the display and relevant signs to attract the customer type you want, but verify the result in the current demo. Price each grade with the profit calculator, keep tested and untested water apart, and compare throughput with actual demand before adding another machine.
Known exploits and version notes
10 entries shown
Advanced Water Filter
Will recover 50 durability at the start of each day.
A premium water filter for pitchers used in the Upper Levels. Slowly self-cleans.
AquaScan
A device used to accurately determine the quality of a water sample. Displays detected impurities.
Bottle of Water Purification Tablets
A small bottle of tablets used to purify water.
HydraTech Micro Water Purifier
Use on a water container to bring its contents up to Basewater purity, whatever's in it. It will use 1 durability per 100ml.
A disposable advanced water purifier, common in the Upper Levels. The discarded ones wash up in the Dumping Grounds, still good for a few more pours.
Jug of Water
Moisture Farm
Produces Water when provided with a container. Requires Energy. Overnight.
A machine designed to extract Water from the humid ambient air of the Station.
Water Filter
Slightly improves water purity when used inside a filter system. Ineffective above a certain threshold.
A lightweight, consumer grade filter.
Water Pitcher
Holds a water filter to strip some contaminants from the water poured through it.
Water Testing Kit
A small bottle of color strips used to test water quality.
Water Testing Strip
A testing strip used to accurately determine the quality of a water sample.
No matching entries.
In-game reference
Water Trading Manual
1. Grading
The quality of water is determined by its purity:
Pure Water (99.9%+)
High-Quality (99%-99.9%)
Basewater (98%-99%)
Ghostwater (96%-98%)
Rustwater (90%-96%)
Gutterflow (90%-)
Safe to drink
Consume if necessary, prolonged use not advised
Unsafe and risky for human consumption
Warning: Highly Toxic, Do No Consume
2. Identification
Water sold on the station may not be labeled correctly, whether intentionally or not. Always verify water quality before purchase and consumption.
A Water Testing Strip is a cheap and easy way to test the purity of water.
3. Purification
Water on the station can contains multiple types of contaminants. Each method of purification is effective against only certain types of contaminants. If repeated attempts do not improve the water's purity, your chosen purification method cannot remove the remaining contaminants in the water.
Water Purification Tablets can remove large amount of microbial contaminants and partially reduce chemical contaminants.
Water Filter: When officially analyzed inside a pitcher, it filters water as it is poured in. It removes impurities, microplastics, and organic waste. Filters have limited durability.
Using Purification Tablets and a Water Filter together should result in Ghostwater, or even Basewater, depending on the initial purity.
To reach higher water purity, a dedicated Water Purifier with properly officially analyzed Modules is required.
Purifying Gutterflow using basic purification methods is not recommended, as it rapidly degrades Water Filter durability.
4. Types of Water
Hard to procure even for those living on the Upper Levels. Incredibly expensive and used primarily in sensitive environments like Hospitals and Laboratories. In Upper Levels societies, offering pure water to guests demonstrates high social status.
The standard on the Upper Levels. Safe for drinking, cooking, and most household uses, it is more accessible but still costly.
The standard for Lower Levels. Adequate for short-term use, but prolonged exposure can contribute to development of chronic disease.
Indistinguishable by eye from other higher quality water, yet unsafe to drink unfiltered. Ghostwater is most commonly used in farming and industry. The sale of mislabeled Ghostwater is a common scam in the Lower Levels.
Unsuitable for farming, and dangerous to drink. Can be identified visually.
Heavily contaminated and toxic. Seek immediate medical attention if consumed. Can be visually identified.
5. Common Water Trading Scams
Rustwater and Gutterflow
Rustwater and Gutterflow are harder to mislabel since they are visually distinguishable from other types of water by color.
Ghostwater
The sale of Ghostwater mislabeled as Basewater is a common scam in the Lower Levels. Selling large volume of mislabeled Ghostwater is a crime.
Customer Behaviour
Scavengers are typically too poor to carry a Water Testing Kit. Citizens of the Lower Levels and Scavengers will usually not buy High Quality Water or Pure Water. Tourists and Upper Level Citizens are often too oblivious to test the purity of the water they buy. Customers requesting large amounts of water will typically carry a Water Testing Kit.
WARNING: IF CONSUMED GUTTERFLOW, SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION
Official game analysis
Names and rules follow the in-game reference material. Availability, prices and unlocks can change; your current game takes precedence. These are reference tools, not a live connection to your save.
Official demo page