probably stolen underground exchange
How the Underground Exchange and faction reputation work
Every deal in Probably Stolen shifts your standing between station Security, the Black Market, and wealthy Upper Level elites. Balancing faction reputation unlocks advanced licenses, expands the Thief's stolen inventory, and opens the Underground Exchange for high-tier smuggler directives.
Dynamic information verified 2026-10-28
Unlocking the Underground Exchange and Smuggler Bay priority
The Underground Exchange is the station's shadow trading board where you fulfill specialized item directives for underground rewards and smuggler infrastructure. If you select the Sawyer's Crew starting perk, Sawyer provides the Underground Exchange Directive early in the run (fixed in Update 049 to work whether Skip Intro is on or off).
In Update 049, the permanent Underground Exchange deal for the Smuggler Bay takes priority over temporary exchange deals, ensuring you can secure hidden contraband storage early. Furthermore, Patch 48.3.10 updated the `[Poison]` requirement icon on Underground Exchange directives to the cyanide pill sprite so required ingredients are unmistakable.
Black Market reputation, the Thief's stock, and Janitorial costs
Building positive Black Market reputation directly scales the Thief's available stock (added in Update 049), giving you access to higher-value stolen goods to flip or fulfill directives. Conversely, if your Black Market reputation plunges to -40, you still keep access to the nightly Janitorial Service, but its fee doubles.
Hotfix 1.0.0.1 also introduced an important faction change for criminal mastermind Lou's storyline: reporting Lou to Security no longer reduces your Black Market reputation.
Bribing officials and reporting Wanted List criminals
If you align with Security or take the buffed Model Citizen perk (+50% credit bonus for reporting criminal customers), cross-check visitors against the Wanted board. Calling Odin for a delivery and having him arrested crosses him off the Wanted poster, and expanding Wanted character backstories—including Butcher—is a headline feature of version 1.0.
When bribing the trade board official, you can donate items packed inside a container; Update 049 confirmed that boxed items count their full combined value toward the bribe.
Common questions
FAQ
Does reporting Lou to Security hurt my Black Market reputation?
No. Hotfix 1.0.0.1 specifically changed Lou's interaction so reporting Lou to Security no longer lowers your Black Market reputation.
What does the cyanide pill icon mean on an Underground Exchange directive?
Patch 48.3.10 changed the sprite representing any item with the [Poison] tag on Underground Exchange directives to the cyanide pill icon.
Evidence log
Information sources
- 01store.steampowered.comChecked 2026-10-28
- 02store.steampowered.comChecked 2026-10-28
- 03store.steampowered.comChecked 2026-10-28
- 04store.steampowered.comChecked 2026-10-28
- 05store.steampowered.comChecked 2026-10-28