Beginner guide: your first shift
The first night is a tutorial disguised as a shift. If you follow the objective feed instead of wandering, you will learn every tool you need before the real mess starts.
1. Learn the door first
You start as a bouncer, not the owner. That means watching the entrance, judging who walks in, and stepping in when a quiet night turns into a brawl. Fights are hand-to-hand: light attacks, a heavy attack, and a slap that the Demo's tutorials use as the "this person is a problem" button. Getting through the door segment without a knockout is the goal, not perfect combat.
2. Then learn the tool wheel
Everything you do all night comes from one radial tool wheel — hammer, mop, plunger, trash bag, and (later) cigarettes. The Demo's hotfixes exist because these were the things people got stuck on:
- Mop — stains on the floor, which the HUD counts as
STAINS. - Plunger — whatever the plumbing equivalent is. You will find it.
- Hammer ("Molly") — repairs broken furniture.
- Trash bag — clears debris left after a fight.
3. Serve in this order
The objective feed is a priority list, not decoration. When several things are waiting, take them in this order:
- "Customers are fighting" — fights get worse and break furniture.
- "Beer / shot orders waiting" — an unserved customer drinks less, tips less and gets angrier.
- "Delivery is waiting" — supplies you cannot restock without.
- "Attraction needs attention" — pig races, slots and other entertainers stall without you.
- "Stains" / "Vending machine needs restocking" — cheap, quick, and they keep the Hype meter honest.
Attaching a fresh keg when a tap runs dry is its own interaction, and there is a dedicated objective hint for it in the builds so far.
4. Keep an eye on Hype, not just money
The Hype meter (star icon, with INFLUENCE under it) is what turns one customer into five. More guests mean more orders — and more of everything that goes wrong. Early on, aim to stay busy but not drowned: if your objective feed shows three simultaneous brawls and no beer left, you have over-hyped a one-person bar.
5. Bank the shift, then spend it
Closing time is when you actually get to plan. The management side includes staffing (bartenders, servers, cleaners, bouncers), expanding the bar, and attractions. Do not buy furniture you cannot defend yet — fights break it, and replacement costs more than repair.
6. Do your homework before the law does
The police are a system, not a random event. Mess, evidence and snitching patrons bring inspections, and inspections bring fines or worse. Cleaning up promptly is cheaper than a fine, and cheaper than a bribe.
Common first-night mistakes
| Mistake | Why it hurts |
|---|---|
| Chasing every fight across the room | Orders pile up and lose value; the mop and hammer work waits for you |
| Serving anyone, any drink, fast | Different brews hit customers differently — the wrong drink at the wrong time starts a brawl |
| Ignoring trash and stains | Bodies, stains and debris on the HUD translate into evidence |
| Over-hyping before you have staff | More crowd than you can serve means more mess and less profit |
| Buying furniture instead of repairing | Repair limits are finite, but a replacement costs full price |
What we could not confirm yet
The released build unlocked on September 21, 2026 and we have not been able to verify the full-game objective order, the exact Hype thresholds or the mission list. The order above comes from the Prologue/Demo flow, the official devlogs, and the objective feed visible in official screenshots. We update the page as the launch build is verified.
Next: Money & Upgrades · Serving & Drinks · Hype & Customers