How many times can you scavenge a night?
5 times as a normal shopkeeper. Proficient Scavenger adds up to 2, Careful Scavenger takes 2 away, and a wound ends the night early.
Probably Stolen Dumping Ground Scavenging Guide
The Probably Stolen Dumping Ground is where you scavenge after closing time. Travel there, press "Scavenge" up to 5 times a night as a normal shopkeeper, and each search either finds something, wounds you or turns up nothing. The more you search in one night, the more likely a wound, so carry a Flashlight, a Scav Scanner and a backpack, and stop when the panel's wound chances get high. Most of what you find is Junk, which a Furnace with the Junk Processing module turns into Scrap Metal.
How to scavenge the Dumping Ground in Probably Stolen
Here to dump radioactive waste instead? That is covered in our guide to getting rid of radioactive waste.
For what the game is and every guide we publish, start at the Probably Stolen guide hub.
Dumping Ground scavenging at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| When | After closing, as your after-hours trip. Source: In-game text. |
| Searches | 5 a night for a normal shopkeeper; some starting perks change it. Source: In-game text. |
| Each search | You find something, get wounded or find nothing. Source: In-game text; the game code. |
| Wound risk | Rises with each search that night; shown on the panel. Source: In-game text; the game code. |
| Lower the risk | Carry a Flashlight; the Careful Scavenger perk removes wounds. Source: In-game text. |
| More loot | A Scav Scanner in your backpack gives a chance of a second find. Source: In-game text; the game code. |
| Most common find | Junk. Source: The game code. |
| Cost of going out | You open late the next day and miss one customer. Source: In-game text. |
How scavenging works each night
After you close, pick the Dumping Ground as your trip. First the game asks you to "Select a Backpack To Take" or "Go Outside Without A Backpack"; whatever you find has to fit in what you carry. At the Dumping Ground the panel shows three things before every search:
- "Attempts Remaining"
- "Minor Wound Chance"
- "Major Wound Chance"
Press "Scavenge" and one of three things happens. You find an item ("You found something while scavenging!"), which lands on the ground for you to pick up. You get a minor or major wound. Or the search turns up nothing.
A normal shopkeeper gets 5 searches a night. Starting perks change that: Proficient Scavenger lets you "perform up to 2 additional Search actions", Careful Scavenger gives you 2 fewer "but you never get injured while searching", Degenerative Osteoarthritis takes searches away over time, and Maimed shuts you out of the Dumping Ground.
Some nights an event changes the odds, and the panel lists its effects. A "Fresh Dump" ("A fresh load just got dumped from the Upper Levels janitorial") makes Junk less likely and injuries more likely. "Georgio's Assistance" ("Georgio will come and help you at the dumping ground.") means "No injuries" and extra scavenge attempts.
Before you leave, pick up what you want: "Items left on the ground will be left behind, and lost." Going out also has a price the next morning: "You open up the store late due to last night's activities and missed out on one customer."
How to avoid wounds while scavenging
Every search makes the next one riskier, so the last searches of the night are the dangerous ones. To keep wounds down:
- Carry a Flashlight. "While carrying this, you are less likely to be injured while scavenging in the Dumping Grounds."
- Watch the Major Wound Chance. When it climbs, stop and go home; the remaining searches aren't worth a major wound.
- Pick Careful Scavenger at the start of a run if wounds keep ruining your nights. You never get injured, at the cost of 2 searches.
- Have good Luck. "Your luck saved you from an injury!" can cancel a wound. With negative Luck, a search can come up empty instead: "Your bad luck strikes. You dig through the pile and find nothing." What Luck does and when to boost it is in our Liquid Luck guide.
Once you are wounded, the night is over: the panel reads "Attempts Remaining: Can't scavenge while wounded!" With a major wound, "You can't leave the Store while you have major wounds!" Bandages and how wounds heal or get worse are covered in the scavenging section of our how to play guide.
What to bring to the Dumping Ground
- Scav Scanner
-
Flashlight -
Screwdriver -
Wire Cutter -
Plasma Cutter -
Satchel (Small)
Tools only work while they are in what you carry. The useful ones:
| Item | What it does while carried |
|---|---|
| Backpack | Holds what you bring back; without one you won't carry much |
| Flashlight | "You are less likely to be injured" |
| Scav Scanner | A chance of a second find on each successful search |
| Screwdriver | "Yields 10% more Screws" |
| Wire Cutter | "Yields 10% more Wire" |
| Plasma Cutter | "Yields 10% more Scrap Metal" |
| A bandage | Treats a wound once you are home |
Pick the biggest backpack you have; backpack sizes are compared in our backpacks section. A good kit for most nights is a Flashlight, a Scav Scanner, a bandage and whichever cutter matches the material you are short of.
Probably Stolen Scav Scanner: what it does and upgrades
The Scav Scanner is "A device that improves your chance of finding valuables when scavenging." It doesn't need to be equipped: having it in the backpack you take is enough. Each time a search finds something, it gives a chance of a second item; its tooltip shows that chance as "Double Loot Chance". Only one scanner counts: "You can only benefit from one Scav Scanner at a time."
Upgrades. "Can be upgraded with Electronic Parts." Each upgrade raises the Double Loot Chance shown in the tooltip. Once it is fully upgraded, it no longer accepts parts, so you can't waste them. If you scavenge most nights, upgrading is worth it; if you rarely go out, keep your Electronic Parts for other machines.
Where to get one. Dr. Jackson sometimes has one for sale when you don't own a scanner yet.
What you can find at the Dumping Ground
Most searches turn up Junk. The rest come from a mix of materials, everyday household items, packaged food, bandages and medical supplies, tools (including the Crowbar), makeshift weapons and, rarely, modules.
Now and then a search also turns up something extra:
- A backpack. You can find a Satchel (Small) and later a Kid's Backpack, each only once, and only if you don't already have it.
- A cassette.
- A Mouse Trap.
Supply crates are not among the finds. In the current version, locked supply crates come from other places, and the Crowbar ("Useful as a weapon in a pinch") does not open them; they need keycards. Where crates come from is in our getting supply crates section.
Probably Stolen Junk: what to do with it
-
Junk -
Furnace Module (Junk Processing)
The game describes Junk as "Broken scraps and useless rubbish. Barely recyclable, worth next to nothing." It still has uses:
- Smelt it into Scrap Metal. Fit your Furnace with the Furnace Module (Junk Processing), "A special Module that modifies the Furnace, allowing Junk to be processed into Scrap Metal." The module shows how much Junk makes how much Scrap Metal. How the Furnace works is in our Furnace section.
- Sell it. Junk counts as a material, so customers who buy materials will take it. During the cruise ship's Tourist Influx, one kind of Station Tourist looks for Junk souvenirs.
- Patch a Makeshift Micro Nuclear Reactor. Junk restores some of its integrity but lowers its maximum integrity, so use Scrap Metal when you have it.
Scavenging isn't the only source: taking a Ruined Module apart with a Screwdriver gives Electronic Parts, Printer Plastic and a piece of Junk.
Version notes and limits
This page doesn't give wound chances, how much of the loot is Junk or the Junk-to-Scrap ratio; the panel and the module show them in the game. We will check this page again when the public build changes.
Probably Stolen Dumping Ground FAQ
How do you avoid getting wounded while scavenging?
Carry a Flashlight, stop when the Major Wound Chance climbs, or start with Careful Scavenger, which stops wounds entirely. Good Luck can also cancel a wound.
Does the Scav Scanner need to be equipped?
No. Keep it in the backpack you take to the Dumping Ground. Only one scanner counts at a time.
Is upgrading the Scav Scanner worth it?
Yes, if you scavenge most nights: each upgrade raises its chance of a second find. It stops taking Electronic Parts once fully upgraded.
What do you do with Junk?
Smelt it into Scrap Metal with the Furnace Module (Junk Processing), sell it to customers who buy materials, or use it to patch a Makeshift Micro Nuclear Reactor.
Can you find supply crates at the Dumping Ground?
No. Supply crates come from elsewhere, and they open with keycards, not a Crowbar.
What should you bring to the Dumping Ground?
A backpack, a Flashlight, a Scav Scanner, a bandage and a Screwdriver, Wire Cutter or Plasma Cutter for extra Screws, Wire or Scrap Metal.
Sources and version history for this guide: Probably Stolen sources and versions.
Spot an error or a post-patch change? See how we label evidence and handle corrections in the Editorial Policy.