Schedule 1 – Best Starter Guide

If you’re having trouble starting off in Schedule 1, we figure some of our best starter tips and tricks will help you out.

This is a fairly unique simulation game, after all. It’s important to really know how some of its unique mechanics work, like the Contacts system.

Fret not, though, just read on and we’ll give you our best starter advice for this unique dope-slinging simulator!

Best Starter Guide | Schedule 1

Don’t Skip the Prologue

If it’s your first time playing Schedule 1, our first starter is going to be a simple but very useful one. Simply put, do not check the “Skip Prologue” box when starting a new save.

This prologue chapter will double as a tutorial, giving you some pointers and showing you how the game works. It’s fairly quick, too, so it doesn’t drag and can get you into the game smoothly. Really, there’s no reason to skip it on your first playthrough!

On a similar note, we recommend following the tasks laid out in the in-game Journal app. They’ll give you directions to help you progress the game’s campaign, which is a requirement for a lot of unlocks in the game.

Be Friendly To Clients

Early in the game, you will get access to the Contacts app on your in-game phone. This shows you all of your clients and other contacts in one handy spot. Most importantly, it also lets you know your standing with them and what types of Effects they favor on their products.

Providing your clients with the Effects they like will make them friendly toward you. This, in turn, will allow you to meet their friends, who show up with lock icons on the Contacts app. Meet those friends and give them a good enough free sample and they’ll become one of your clients!

This is also a good way to get access to Supply Chains for certain ingredients, such as the ones required to cook Crystal. So, make sure to keep your clients happy to get more Contacts and expand your network!

Woop Woop, That’s The Sound of the Police!

Your criminal enterprise doesn’t go unnoticed by law enforcement in Schedule 1, so learning how to deal with the police is important as a starter.

If the police see you and think you are up to no good, they’ll initiate a body search minigame. In this minigame, an icon representing the police will flash over the items in your inventory. You can click and hold over illegal items to conceal them. Time this with the police icon to prevent them from seeing your wares.

Ideally, you should try to avoid carrying illegal goods as much as possible while out and about. However, when you do need to do it, try to spread them out in your inventory slots. This will make it much easier for you to conceal them as part of the minigame!

Use The Intercom

This is a short but extremely important tip! Unlike most modern games, Schedule 1 doesn’t feature an autosave system. Instead, you have to use the Intercom found at your safe houses to manually save your game.

You’ll get access to the first Intercom save point once you rent the motel room at the start of the game. It’s the one shown above. Just look at it and press E to save your hard-earned progress.

Curfew Is Risky But Worthwhile

There’s a mandatory curfew from 9 PM to 5 AM. If a police officer sees you out and about at those hours, they’ll attempt to arrest you. No questions asked! You’ll also need to pay a hefty fine when this happens.

However, while this does make going out extremely risky, it’s also a potentially worthwhile business opportunity. Completing deals while the curfew is in effect will give you a hefty bonus. So, if you’re feeling daring, schedule deals for 9 PM to 5 AM to get extra money.

If that sounds too risky for you, though, just stay at a safe house working on your goods or sleep through the night. Those are valid choices, too!

Pick Up the Trash

One of your first objectives in Schedule 1 will be to go to Dan’s Hardware store to purchase some tools and supplies. While you’re there, make sure to purchase the Trash Grabber tool. You can use this tool to, as the name implies, grab the trash and litter all over town.

Then, find a Cash for Trash machine and dump your trash into it. It will reward you with some money for your efforts. It’s not much, mind you, but this is the best way to make some cash as a starter in Schedule 1! There’s never a lack of trash to pick up, either.

Don’t Overload Yourself

An easy mistake for any starter to make in Schedule 1 is to think that it’s best to accept every request. However, the only thing this is good for is for making promises you can’t keep.

Be very careful with what deals you accept and when to schedule them. If you’re not 100% sure that you can deliver the goods, simply say no. Failing a deal after accepting it will greatly impact your relationship with your clients. As we covered before, it’s important to keep clients happy to expand your network. So, don’t set up deals if you’re not sure you can pull through.

Hire Some Help

Later on in the game, you’ll be able to start hiring employees. Having them around can help you automate your business at the cost of having to pay them for their services. Employees come in four different categories as of this writing:

• Cleaners – They maintain workplaces clean and make sure to empty trash bins.
• Botanists – They plant, maintain, and harvest plants.
• Handler – Deals with packaging the goods, making them ready for deliveries.
• Chemists – These handle anything related to chemicals, such as Mixing Stations and Chemistry Labs. They’re the most expensive, but also the most helpful overall!

If you want to know more about how to hire them, check out our guide on how to get and use workers. We highly recommend making good use of their services as soon as they become available! It eliminates a lot of the most tedious busywork in the game.

With that said, that’s our last tip on our best starter guide for Schedule 1. There’s still a lot more to see and do in this game, but these key tips will help you start your criminal empire with relative ease!