Joe Wild is a man of many perks; the most famous of them is his connections. His web of people extends all over the station, and whenever you need whatever, Joe Wild’s got your back, for a small fee, of course. I will talk about the extent of his services and abilities, and the best way to gain favour with Red Fedora Man.
Table of Contents
Who Is Joe Wild in Probably Stolen?
Joe Wild is a network operator. He is the man with connections to the top and bottom, with security and revolution. He is the man who can protect your shop from thieves, get you more customers, help you expand your shop, and get you out of hot water if necessary.
Without Joe, you will have the hardest time progressing through the game, as he is the gateway to unlocking content in the game, rat ranching, wine making and gun smithing as some examples.
How to Unlock Joe Wild’s Network
Your first contact happens on day 4, with day 7 being the day that you get his business card, allowing you to access his network services.
| Event | Day / Requirement | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| First Appearance | Day 4 | Introduces theft insurance |
| Wild’s Network Unlock | Day 7 | Gives his business card and starting Favor |
| Assistant Phone Number | After network introduction | Call 8376 |
| Phone Reminder | At least 5 days later, under eligible conditions | Returns if you have not contacted his assistant |
| Network Reminder | After 6 days without opening the network, under eligible conditions | Reminds you about the network |
| Financial Bailout | Once per eligible run | Awards 250 Favor when your estimated wealth has declined for eight days |
| After Buying the Store | Following ownership | Introduces an advanced smuggler-related opportunity |
He also opens post-endgame content after you buy the shop. Some very expensive tech that even the upside people can’t get their hands on.
How to Earn Wild’s Favor Fast
Wild’s network doesn’t just work on credits; you gotta earn the man’s favor to operate his network to its utmost potential. You start with a variety of base favor with Wild, depending on the difficulty you are playing on. Just remember one important note: Favor takes priority over credits.
| Difficulty | Starting Wild’s Favor |
|---|---|
| Price Gouge (Cozy) | 300 |
| Mark Up (Normal) | 200 |
| Thin Margins (Hard) | 100 |
| Red Ink (Challenge) | 0 |
There are several ways in which you can earn favor with Joe Wild. Let’s go over them very fast:
Earn Favor by Trading
Possible only on Cozy and Normal difficulty: A portion of trading eligible items automatically turns into favor with Joe Wild. The rate is different between Cozy and Normal, so I made a table to make it easy for you to understand:
| Eligible Trade Value | Cozy: 10% | Normal: 5% |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Credits | 10 | 5 |
| 500 Credits | 50 | 25 |
| 1,000 Credits | 100 | 50 |
| 2,000 Credits | 200 | 100 |
| 5,000 Credits | 500 | 250 |
This is not possible on a higher difficulty; that’s why you need to earn favors more directly.
Earn Favor Through Joe Wild’s Services
So when trade doesn’t bring you favor, it’s time to enlist Joe’s services and earn favor that way. One of the most useful services that also earns you favor is the “Customer Referral Service” which prompts Joe Wild to send more customers your way to answer. Just like the favor through trade system, this system also varies depending on your difficulty.
Suppose you run the “Customer Referral Service” that costs 7 credits per night for a whole week; this is how much favor you gain based on the 70 credits spent:
| Difficulty | Favor |
|---|---|
| Cozy | 52.5 |
| Normal | 35 |
| Hard | 17.5 |
| Challenge | 10.5 |
Bonus: Build Lower Levels Reputation
Joe Wild is closely related to lower levels, and while having a high reputation doesn’t directly translate into favors with him, at the highest level of reputation, Joe will give you a 15% discount on his services. The other bonuses you get to reach that highest level are nothing to scoff at, so keep an eye on the lower-level rep as you play the game.
| Reputation | Perk | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| +20 | Referral | One additional random customer daily |
| +40 | Rare Goods | More unusual goods become available through customers |
| +60 | Word on the Street | Advance information about some events |
| +80 | Tight Lips | Reduced evidence generation from certain contraband sales |
| +100 | Pillar of the Lower Levels | 15% discount from Joe Wild and Dr. Jackson |
All Joe Wild Perks and Network Upgrades
Here begins the meat of the article; I’m going to go over everything that Joe Wild has to offer, their costs, whether they are prerequisites for a further upgrade, and more.
Supplier Introductions and Investments
Joe Wild can connect you to the many big item suppliers that would make your different businesses much more consistent.
| Upgrade | Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Red Imp Brewery | 200 | Unlocks a beer supplier by phone |
| Lower Levels Chemist | 250 | Unlocks an illegal-drug supplier |
| Upper Level Pharmacist | 300 | Unlocks a legal-medication supplier |
| GP Mining Coop | 250 | Unlocks bulk Metal Ore orders |
| Minor Shareholder: Red Imp Brewery | 1,450 | Improves courier discount; weekly beer dividend |
| Minor Shareholder: GP Mining Coop | 900 | Improves courier discount; six Ore every Friday |
| Minor Shareholder: Lower Levels Chemist | 1,440 | Improves courier discount; eight Dream Dust on Saturday |
| Minor Shareholder: Upper Level Pharmacist | 2,500 | Improves courier discount; five Oxymore Injectors on Sunday |
| Jackson Investment I | 400 | Increases Dr. Jackson’s budget and module stock |
| Jackson Investment II | 650 | Further increases Dr. Jackson’s stock; requires Investment I |
| Monday’s Special Stock | 1,250 | Unlocks Dr. Jackson’s Monday special stock; requires Investment II |
Favors, Informants, and Protection
These are additions to your main game mechanics. Joe can stop you from getting evicted if you get Rent Grace, or can give you insurance against theft and such. This is the life-saver section of Wild’s network. Evading inspections and dodging security’s watchful eyes should be a priority.
| Upgrade | Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Rent Grace | 100 | Defers one missed rent payment to the following week |
| Clemency | 250 | Prevents one qualifying contraband arrest |
| Inspection Early Warning Service | 300 | Warns of scheduled inspections; 10 Credits/night |
| Wild’s Fixers | 350 | Reduces suspected crime; 25 Credits/night |
| Wild’s Fixers II | 450 | Stronger reduction; 45 Credits/night |
| Wild’s Fixers III | 550 | Strongest reduction; 70 Credits/night |
| Evidence Removal | 500 | Clears collected evidence; 14-day cooldown |
Customer Referrals and Specialized Contacts
Much of the game’s content and jobs are unlocked through Joe Wild here, and the referral systems make sure your shop stays in the flow of items and credits.
| Upgrade | Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer Referral Service | 200 | Adds a buyer and Display Case traffic; 10 Credits/night |
| Seller Referral Service | 200 | Adds a seller; 10 Credits/night |
| Criminal Networking | 350 | Provides periodic criminal customers and Black Market reputation; 45 Credits/night |
| Retired Winemaker | 200 | Winemaking Starter Kit and recurring supplier |
| Retired Chemist | 1,000 | Chemistry Starter Kit and recurring supplier |
| Ranching | 750 | Rat Ranching Starter Kit and Retired Rat Rancher |
| Ruined Machine Scrapping | 300 | Unlocks ruined-machine scrapping content |
Store Improvements and Services
Improving your store is a logical next step that happens in the game after you expand your income and gain rep with different factions in the game. You need not worry, for Joe Wild has that covered too. He can even give you vending machines, meaning you don’t have to add them through your landlord and pay him more rent.
| Upgrade | Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Showcase Expansion I | 200 | Enlarges Display Case; one additional buyer daily |
| Showcase Expansion II | 500 | Further enlargement and another buyer |
| Upgraded Dossier | 300 | Expands Dossier inventory to 17 × 10 |
| Upgraded Trash Can | 300 | Expands Trash Can to 17 × 10 |
| Vending Machine | 1,200 | Sells stocked goods overnight |
| Vending Fountain | 1,200 | Sells water overnight |
| Store Renovation I | 500 | +150 base store attractiveness |
| Store Renovation II | 750 | Another +150 attractiveness |
| Store Renovation III | 1,000 | Another +150 attractiveness |
| Power Line Hijack | 300 | Makes nightly Power Service free |
| Commercial Grade Power Supply Unit | 350 | Doubles Recharger and PowerBloc charging speed |
| Marketplace Requests | 250 | Unlocks buyer requests through the store computer |
Store Renovations and Customer Budget
Why is store renovation important, you may ask? Simple. If you have a more attractive store, richer customers would come to your store with way more credits to spend.
| Store Attractiveness | Customer-Budget Bonus |
|---|---|
| 300+ | +10% |
| 450+ | +25% |
| 600+ | +50% |
| 750+ | +75% |
| 900+ | +100% |
Farming, Water Trading, and Crafting
Water trading, farming, and gunsmithing can be unlocked in this section of Wild’s network.
| Upgrade | Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Water Trading | 300 | Water Trading Starter Kit and Retired Water Merchant |
| Gutterflow On Tap | 250 | Unlimited Gutterflow from shop tap |
| Rustwater On Tap | 350 | Unlimited Rustwater from shop tap |
| Retired Farmer | 350 | Hydroponic Starter Kit and seed supplier |
| Plant Genetics | 1,250 | DNA Manipulator, Gene Scanner and four DNA Data Disks |
| Retired Gunsmith | 650 | Gunsmith Starter Kit and specialist supplier |
| Weapon Permit I | 300 | Legal low-level firearm trading at 20 Security reputation |
| Weapon Permit II | 600 | Mid-level firearm permit at 50 Security reputation |
| Weapon Permit III | 900 | High-level firearm permit at 80 Security reputation |
| Aquaculture | 400 | Fish farming Starter Kit and Retired Aquafarmer |
| Aquaculture II | 1,200 | Two young eels and expanded aquaculture stock |
Advanced Perks After Buying the Store
This can only be unlocked after Joe Wild’s visit when you buy the store. He will come to you and congratulate you on the purchase and give you the choice to make these post-endgame upgrades.
| Upgrade | Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Wild’s Endorsement I | 2,500 | +25% customer budget |
| Wild’s Endorsement II | 5,000 | Another +25%, totaling +50% |
| Wild’s Endorsement III | 10,000 | Another +25%, totaling +75% |
| Hypertech Smuggler | 2,500 | Unlocks Hypertech Smuggler service |
Best Joe Wild Perks to Unlock First
Looking at Joe Wild’s many upgrades, it can be quite confusing for you to decide which one to take first and which one to leave for later; that’s why I’m going to give you a general guide on which upgrades are necessary to get as soon as possible.
Opening the game’s different content’s should be in your priority. I don’t mean unlock everything; that will be overwhelming. Look for one or two jobs at first (ranching and water trading) and then focus on QoL upgrades like fixers, powerline hijack, Unlimited access to Rustwater (for water trading), etc.
So all in all, the upgrade path really depends on the run you are trying to achieve, whether you are going to be a gunsmith, water trader, rancher, or chemist, and then focus on QoL upgrades related to customers and then to the store.
Here’s a general table of what I usually go for when starting a new run in Probably Stolen:
| Your Goal | Recommended Upgrade | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Get started on a profession | Buy any of the starter packs | Start building a source of income |
| Attract more buyers | Buyer Referral Service | More customer traffic |
| Expand displayed goods | Showcase Expansion I | Extra display space and buyers |
| Reduce power costs | Power Line Hijack | Eliminates nightly Power Service charge |
| Selling overnight | Vending machine | Semi-passive income |
| More Modules | Jackson Investment I | Dr. Jackson stock is expanded |
Is Joe Wild’s Theft Insurance Worth It?
This is the first service Joe Wild offers to reduce the chances of overnight burglary. The cost of this service scales with the estimated wealth of your shop. The formula is pretty simple: Estimated wealth / 400 + 3. This cost is doubled if you have negative rep with the lower levels and you are considered marked. If you have chosen Joe Wild’s Favorite perk, the insurance is halved.
But is the insurance worth it? Early game, yes. You don’t have access to an alarm system, and your rep with security is still low. But when you reach the end game, and you have quite a lot of wealth in the shop, it’s just better to have alarms installed and increased rep with security, as these two would do much better than the insurance, and the extra rep with security has its own benefits.
