Get into the right account first
Open the browser alpha and sign in with the Google account you intend to keep using. Give the first asset load time to finish. The game is in development, and loading a new area can take longer than returning to one you've already visited.
Browser and Steam inventories are separate. If you're arriving from the Steam listing, don't expect a browser Case File to appear in Steam. Getting this straight at the start is easier than trying to untangle two collections afterward.
The route below is a suggestion for a relaxed first session, not a timed challenge. You may spend most of the hour inspecting cards. That counts.
First, understand the two places money can sit
During a vault, your bag holds the loot you're risking. Your banked Take holds what you've already brought out. Flip adds a card's Haul to the bag and its Heat to the shared alarm. Bag It ends your part in that vault and banks the bag.
Keep your first lesson narrow: notice the moment you're carrying something worth protecting. You must flip at least once before leaving. After that, leaving is a decision, not an admission that you failed to find a bigger number.
The alarm busts crews still inside when a flip takes it above 18. A hidden Tripwire can also end the vault, even with room on the meter. Don't treat an empty stretch of alarm as a guarantee. The rival is adding Heat too.
Play a second Job with one question
On the first run, let yourself learn where everything is. On the next, choose one question to pay attention to. Did you stay because your bag was small, because the rival was ahead, or because you were one role short of Full Crew?
For example, imagine a bag you would happily bank and only Wheels missing from the four-role set. Another flip might finish the bonus, but it might also put the entire bag at risk. Name the reason before clicking. You'll learn more from the outcome if you know what decision you were testing.
Make one crew change
Visit the Roster after you've seen a Job. All 120 card-game characters are available; you aren't waiting for packs to give you permission to build. Your crew needs twelve distinct cards, at least three Heat values and no more than seven at one Heat.
Auto-build is a useful starting point. If you edit it, change one thing you can explain. Adding a missing role or trading a loud card for a quieter option gives you a concrete difference to notice. Selecting twelve impressive portraits doesn't tell you how they'll behave at the alarm.
| Stop | Learn one thing |
|---|---|
| The Job | The difference between bagged loot and banked Take |
| Roster | How one card changes your crew's Heat or role coverage |
| The Fence and Appraisal | How Cred becomes five collectible copies |
| Stash | Why a copy has four subgrades as well as an overall grade |
| BLACKOUT | Where your car is before you commit to a vault |
Open a file when your balance allows it
A Case File costs 100 Cred and contains five collectibles. Inspect one slowly after the reveal. Compare its artwork with the role and numbers you know from the Roster. Its grade is a condition detail, not a damage or reward multiplier.
You can earn Cred through play; this route doesn't depend on buying currency. Nor does it promise a particular pull. A favorite may be the card whose portrait catches your eye, not the one with the highest number.
Take a runner into BLACKOUT when you're ready
Your collected characters supply BLACKOUT's runners. A desktop keyboard and mouse are a good starting point for the browser controls. Start with the BLACKOUT field guide, find your car and learn the path between a vault and a safe return.
You don't have to master both modes in one sitting. Finish the session able to explain one good exit, one crew choice and one detail you like about a collected card. That's a stronger start than racing through every menu and remembering none of it.