One of the important abilities you should have in Probably Stolen is to identify augs or basically your AI enemies. To catch one, check the eight signs in Security’s identification guide, then confirm with the Aug Scanner from Dr. Jackson before you pull the shotgun. The signs can fool you, so don’t skip the scanner.
In This Guide:
What Are Augs in Probably Stolen? The Rogue Game AI Explained
Augs are normal people with an implanted chip that a rogue AI controls. They walk into your shop like any other customer and look fine until they slip. Why do they come shopping? Because they need materials to make more implants and medical supplies to implant more hosts. You shouldn’t call Security, because the Augs have taken over its communications. You deal with them yourself.
Don’t treat a purchase as proof, though. Augs need medicine and materials. It doesn’t mean they only buy those. One Reddit player missed an Aug on a day when nobody bought medicine or materials. Another scanned a calm, normal-sounding customer who was buying meds, and he turned out to be an Aug.
All Eight Signs of an AI-Controlled Customer
For identifying these Augs there are eight signs. Three are visual and five show up in how the customer acts.
| Sign | Type | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Visible augmentation chip | Visual | A chip you can see on the customer |
| Unusual pupils | Visual | Pupils that look off |
| Uncanny facial expression | Visual | An expression that feels unnatural |
| Unnatural stillness | Behavior | The customer stands too still |
| Twitching | Behavior | Twitching or shaking |
| Wrong clothes | Behavior | Clothing that doesn’t fit the customer’s faction |
| Robotic vocabulary | Behavior | Stiff, machine-like word choice |
| Overly formal speech | Behavior | Phrasing that is way too formal |
These are hints, not guarantees. The language clues cause the most arguments on Steam. Some human customers speak oddly or make grammar mistakes, and one player said several engineers sounded exactly like Augs until they were threatened with the shotgun and started talking normally. So don’t jump to the conclusion quickly.
How to Get and Use the Aug Scanner in Probably Stolen
Dr. Jackson sells the Aug Scanner while the Aug threat is active. You visit him after the shop closes, and his stock seems to change, so the scanner might not be there on your first visit.
The scanner has 100 percent accuracy; you can trust its result and act on it without needing any more confirmation. Scan anyone suspicious before you shoot. One Steam player also says scanner checks can expose false positives, meaning humans who only sound like Augs.
Don’t use the Threaten (Aug) bargaining option as a test. In one walkthrough I saw that using it on a normal customer cost reputation.
Once Security says the threat is over, Dr. Jackson stops selling the scanner.
What Happens If You Let an Aug Escape?
The Aug Menace starting perk changed things. It unlocks the Aug content from day one, gives 25% more credits for killing Augs, and stops the threat from ever ending. It also lets missed Augs cause a game over on every difficulty. The Augmented ending happens when Aug presence hits 100% with the perk on. So if you pick Aug Menace, you can’t really ignore Augs.
Without the perk, everything is different. Some players let every Aug live, and the Augs were still visiting around day 120 with nothing else happening and no security rating notification. Another player says you can keep Augs around forever if you never shoot one, depending on your difficulty.
Why Are Augs No Longer Appearing in Probably Stolen?
It’s probably because you triggered Security’s all-clear. A Security officer walks up, says there are no more Augs, thanks you, and takes your shotgun. You don’t get to say or do anything. Apparently it happens after you kill enough Augs and survive some days.
After the all-clear, Dr. Jackson stops selling the Aug Scanner. If you spare every Aug, the event doesn’t seem to happen. The Aug Menace perk keeps the threat going, so you wouldn’t get it with that perk.
