Streets of Rogue beginner guide: Infiltration and missions by class
Edition: Original Streets of Rogue, PC (Steam), standard rules. Excludes the sequel and rule changes from custom characters or Mutators. Sources checked: October 14, 2026. No hands-on reproduction performed.
Think of Slums missions in two parts: entering the building and dealing with the objective inside. Before entering with guns blazing, check the objective type, guards, and who carries keys or safe combinations to put your class tools to specific use.
Your starting class and actions to try
| Class | First tools to use | How to try them in the Slums |
|---|---|---|
| Soldier | Machine Gun and Door Detonator | Secure an exit before shooting your target. When using explosives, avoid positions where nearby residents or police will be caught in the blast |
| Doctor | Chloroform and Tranquilizer Gun | Use Chloroform from behind when nobody is watching, then search the unconscious target's belongings. Consider the Tranquilizer Gun if you cannot get close |
| Thief | Sticky Glove、Lockpick、Safe Buster | Steal keys or safe combinations from behind and unlock things out of sight. Check your tools' remaining uses too |
Check the objective before focusing on the entrance
- Open the map and mission list to distinguish objectives such as retrieving an item, eliminating someone, or rescuing someone. A Big Quest is a separate, class-specific goal, so check it separately from regular missions.
- From outside, observe doors, windows, patrols, and security cameras. If the mission item is in a safe, entering the building alone does not complete the mission.
- Talk to NPCs and check for options to be let through, pay, or hand over a requested item. Negotiation options differ with your class and relationships; they are not the same with everyone.
- After dealing with the objective, check the mission list for completion. Preserve enough health and an exit to return to the elevator instead of opening every container nearby.
Different solutions to the same safe-retrieval mission
These examples assume a safe with its owner nearby. Maps, inventories, and negotiation options are random, so choose an approach whose requirements are met.
| Approach | Action order | If it will not work |
|---|---|---|
| Steal as the Thief | Check behind the owner and watch other people's sightlines → use Sticky Glove to take the safe combination → open the safe → retrieve the mission item | Do not use it from the front. If guards are nearby, wait for them to leave |
| Use the Thief's tools | Use Lockpick at an unwatched entrance → enter the building → use Safe Buster on the safe → retrieve the item and leave | Choose somewhere you will not be discovered while the action progress bar is active. Find another route if you lack tools |
| Use nonlethal methods as the Doctor | Get behind an isolated owner → use Chloroform → inspect the dropped keys or combination → go to the safe | Do not approach the same way where other residents can see you. Check your Tranquilizer Gun's line of fire and your escape route |
| Negotiate entry | Talk to the Bouncer at the entrance → meet the displayed demand → enter → use a separate method to open the safe | Permission to enter does not grant permission to take a safe's contents. Watch for surveillance inside too |
| Fight as the Soldier | Check your escape route → deal with hostile guards → collect keys or the combination → take the mission item and leave | If residents or police also become hostile, stop shooting and leave the building. Avoid drawing unrelated people into the fight |
When the Thief keeps getting caught
- Use Sticky Glove behind your target. Even when the target is facing away, you are not safe if their companions or police see the theft.
- Start cutting windows, picking locks, or breaking into safes after patrols move away. Check whether anyone will return before the progress bar finishes.
- The Thief's Suspicious trait may cause shopkeepers or Bouncers to throw you out. Do not assume negotiation lets everyone enter; switch to windows, back doors, or tools.
- If a failed theft starts combat, use your speed to escape instead of trading blows with low durability. Do not lead pursuers into your next building.
Early class unlocks to work toward
| Class to unlock | Requirement | How it is counted |
|---|---|---|
| Gorilla | Free a gorilla from a laboratory cage | Operate the laboratory computer or cage door. Merely finding the cage does not fulfill the requirement |
| Investment Banker | Hold at least 500 money | This means your current cash, not your total earnings. Do not spend it before reaching 500 |
| Cop | Bribe police 3 times | Counts across multiple runs. You must pay, rather than merely talk to them |
| Scientist | Put chemicals into air filtration systems 5 times | Counts across multiple runs. Operate the system; merely picking up a syringe is not enough |
Milestones on the way out of the Slums
- Complete the regular missions on a floor and return to the elevator. Before breaking into more unrelated shops, check whether you can advance.
- Read the Traits you gain between floors. Choose upgrades affecting tool uses or sight range to suit how you intend to handle the next missions.
- After the Slums' 3 floors, you enter Industrial. The third floor has special circumstances, so do not rush in as if it were an ordinary city floor.
Frequently asked questions
Do missions just require defeating everyone?
Each mission has a different objective. For retrieval, identify the target item; for rescue, identify the person. Fulfill the condition that marks the mission complete in the list.
If I negotiate entry to a shop with a safe, is retrieval safe too?
Permission to enter and being caught stealing are separate matters. Watch sightlines and surveillance inside, and prepare keys, a combination, tools, or another way to open the safe.