now that v0.4.0 (“Rival Cartel”) for Schedule 1 is live. We’ll start in the RV, build a stable early-game cash loop, keep heat low, dip into basics of mixing, and—crucially—learn to survive (and even profit from) the Benzies Family prowling the streets in the latest patch. As of August 28, 2025, the cartel update is fully out, adding ambushes, dealer robberies, dead-drop thefts, truces, and more—so your beginner route needs to account for it.
What’s New in Schedule 1 v0.4.0: Rival Cartel
- The Benzies Family arrives as a hostile cartel that can jump you, rob your dealers, and even steal dead drops. This adds real consequences to sloppy routing and over-exposed stock. You can interact with them, even truce and trade—so it’s not only threat, it’s opportunity, too.
- Hyland Manor becomes a major late progression property—but you won’t get it until you’ve finished the Benzies storyline. Don’t plan your storage empire around it on day one.
- QoL & safety: the patch introduced an automatic save-backup when you load a new version. It’s enabled by default (Settings → Other). Backups aren’t strategy, but they do encourage you to experiment without fear.
Bottom line: Early-game missteps are riskier now, but smart, low-profile play pays off even more.
First Hour in Schedule 1
Your first 60–90 minutes should feel methodical, not frantic. Move with intent and keep inventory lean.
Step 1: Strip the RV (Before You Step Out)
Inside the RV, harvest the existing plants and take all the starter equipment: Grow Light, Rack & Pots, Scissors, Watering Can, Packing Station, and optionally a Shelf. RV plants tend to be healthier than your first seedlings, so don’t waste that head start.
Step 2: Cash Your First Sales (At Night)
Make your early street sales after dark. There’s a well-known quirk: operations “freeze” around 4:00 AM, which you can use to your advantage—push sales at night, and use daytime for setup, crafting, and calmer errands. This rhythm reduces exposure and helps avoid stacked disasters.
Step 3: Reinvest Into Small, Safe Production
Don’t overbuild your first grow. A compact, clean setup is easier to move and less heartbreaking if you’re hit. Keep stock split between your person and a stash so a single mishap doesn’t zero you out. Prioritize:
- Stable seed/clone flow for consistent harvests
- Enough packing to meet common bag sizes clients prefer
- A fallback stash close to early customers
Step 4: Learn the Blocks, Not Just the Map Pins
The city isn’t just icons—it’s patrol patterns, blind corners, and quick exits. Walk your routes empty a few times. Note alleys you can cut through, and get comfortable with the “feel” of Westville. That familiarity is what keeps your hands steady when a deal goes sideways.
How Not to Lose Day One in Schedule 1
- Travel light. Don’t carry more than you intend to sell. If you get ambushed or spooked, a small loss won’t kill your run.
- Rotate sell spots. Avoid running identical paths back-to-back. Patrols tighten where action clusters.
- Keep stashes small & spread out. One big stash is convenient; it’s also catastrophic if discovered or robbed.
- Use the clock. Schedule busywork in daylight and sales at night. The city’s quieter; your risk is lower.
- Expect cartel interference. After you unlock a few Westville customers, Benzies activity can start. Don’t leave fat dead drops unattended; assume someone’s watching.
Schedule 1 Beginner Guide: Your First Sustainable Cash Loop (Days 1–2)
Think of this as your “bread-and-butter” circuit—simple, repeatable, low drama.
- Evening prep (19:00–21:00): Pack small orders, split inventory into a body carry and a backup stash.
- Sales window (21:00–03:30): Run a short, repeatable loop of nearby clients. If a neighborhood feels hot, pivot—don’t argue with your gut.
- Cooldown & craft (after 04:00): Top up supplies, water plants, tidy your base, and check for upgrades you can afford.
- Repeat nightly. Increase volume a notch each cycle, but resist the urge to balloon inventory.
This cadence syncs beautifully with the city’s clock and keeps you off the radar while your foundations harden.
Mixing 101 (Beginner-Safe Approach)
You’ll unlock Mixing Station options as you progress (notably after hitting Hoodlum 1). At that point, controlled, small-batch experimentation beats chasing viral recipes. Start from reliable base strains (e.g., OG Kush, Sour Diesel, Grandaddy Purple) and supplement with low-cost additives to nudge profit and addictiveness without spiking risk. Craft, test, gather feedback, adjust. Rinse, repeat.
Beginner rules for mixing:
- Start tiny. Burn a small test batch; don’t overcommit.
- Track reactions. If clients ghost or complain, don’t rationalize—fix the mix.
- Balance margin vs. demand. A slightly cheaper, steady seller often beats a temperamental “max profit” blend.
- Don’t ignore packaging. Size and labeling affect flow. Keep it consistent for your loop.
Early on, consistency is a superpower. When your regulars know what they’re getting, they come back, and your route stabilizes.
Schedule 1 Beginner Guide: Customers, Routes & Growth
- Onboarding new customers: Add them slowly. Slot one or two new faces into your loop and see how heat responds before scaling.
- Geographic clustering: Aim for tight clusters you can sweep efficiently. Far-flung deliveries are time sinks and risk magnets.
- Nighttime rhythm: Two short loops are better than one long trek. If you feel a tail, cut the loop early.
- Dead drops: Useful, but the Benzies can steal them now. If you use drops, time them closely and keep the value modest.
The Rival Cartel: Surviving (and Profiting From) the Benzies
The Benzies Family brings a pulse to the city. You’ll first encounter them after unlocking a few Westville customers. Expect:
- Ambushes (stay light; keep an exit)
- Dealer robberies (check in on your people; diversify who carries what)
- Dead-drop thefts (tighten your timing; keep amounts sane)
- Cartel deals during a truce (opportunities if you can keep the peace briefly)
Treat the Benzies like weather: you can’t stop the rain, but you can bring a jacket. Keep redundancy in your operation—duplicate tools, backup stock, alternate routes. Hyland Point rewards the player who never relies on one brittle plan.
Mid-Game Foundations: Hiring, Scaling, and Not Losing the Plot
As your pockets get heavier, your risk surface expands. Scale with discipline.
- Hiring dealers: Train and equip people who can handle themselves and your standard mix. Keep their carry amounts reasonable so one loss doesn’t gut you. Check on them regularly—v0.4.0 makes complacency expensive.
- Vehicle & mobility: A reliable ride streamlines loops and stash shuffles. The update adds the Hotbox—don’t buy just for the name; buy when it shortens routes or unlocks safer storage/movement patterns for your city footprint.
- Properties & upgrades: Expand storage and processing only when your nightly loop outgrows it. Overbuilding too soon turns every police glance into a heart attack—and draws cartel attention.
Schedule 1 Beginner Guide: Hyland Manor & the Long Game
Hyland Manor is a tempting symbol of “made it,” but you must complete the Benzies storyline first. Plan your mid-game around flexible, distributed infrastructure—multiple smaller sites and stashes—with the understanding that the Manor is a future consolidation play, not a beginner target.
Police-Heat Craft: Quiet Hands Win
- Visual discipline: Don’t loiter at obvious corners. Make the sale, move on.
- Inventory logic: Carry what you can afford to lose. Keep real weight tucked away.
- Route variance: Rotate exits and entries. Even small changes throw off patterns.
- Pause button: 4:00 AM. That “world freeze” is your friend—sync sales to nights, maintenance to days. Your schedule becomes armor.
Quality-of-Life Tips You’ll Wish You Knew Earlier
- Back up (it’s built-in now). v0.4.0 adds auto save-backups on new versions. It’s a tiny guardrail that lets you test wider without sweating every patch day.
- Pack for the night you actually plan to have. Not the victory parade you imagine.
- Name your stashes. Even if it’s just in your head—“Alley Lamp,” “Blue Door.” Memory wins chases.
- Two loops > one marathon. Fatigue breeds mistakes—and mistakes breed heat.
- Don’t chase every whisper recipe. Build a customer base around your stable mix first; iterate later.
Troubleshooting: Common Beginner Pain Points
“I keep getting jumped.”
Lighten your carry, shorten your loop, and watch your approach angles. Avoid funnel streets with one exit. Remember that Benzies interference spikes after Westville customer unlocks—adapt by reducing per-trip value and keeping a stash close to your route.
“My dealers keep losing product.”
Switch who carries what, shrink their per-run amounts, and do more frequent pickups. Train them on one or two consistent mixes and keep them on familiar turf. Cartel robberies exist now—don’t make each dealer a single point of failure.
“Mixing feels overwhelming.”
Stick to base strains and one additive change at a time. Track feedback, keep batches small. The goal isn’t a perfect spreadsheet—it’s a predictable loop that scales.
“My growth outpaced my safety.”
Roll back volume for a night or two. Re-map routes, split stashes, and delay any flashy purchases until your loop is calm again.
A Practical Night-by-Night Blueprint (Days 1–5)
Night 1:
Harvest RV plants, pack small. Walk the nearest 3–4 customers. If a street feels “watched,” pivot. Bank the first cash, set a tiny stash away from your base.
Night 2:
Expand the loop by one or two clients, not five. Keep each order modest. Use the late-night window and head home before fatigue makes you sloppy.
Night 3:
If you’ve unlocked the Mixing Station tier, craft one safe test batch with a familiar base strain and a single tweak. Get two or three regulars to try it and listen.
Night 4:
Start stash-splitting if you haven’t already. If Benzies events begin appearing, lower your per-trip carry and tighten dead-drop timing. Don’t let any one place carry all your risk.
Night 5:
Consider a mobility upgrade only if it actually shrinks the route. Gear should bend to your loop, not the other way around. If you’re thinking long-term, sketch how you’ll transition into mid-game properties without counting on Hyland Manor too early.
Schedule 1 Beginner Guide: Hyland Point Whispers
They say the city remembers every footprint. The alley behind the diner still smells like the night I outran my first tail—wet asphalt, hot fear, cheap cologne. The RV ceiling has a nick where the scissors slipped the first time I learned to trim right. And somewhere in Westville, a wall wears my early graffiti under a dozen new coats, like an old scar under fresh ink. The Benzies leave their marks too—louder, sharper—but even they don’t own the night. The night belongs to whoever respects it.
The Beginner’s Mindset That Wins Long Term
Hyland Point rewards predictability and preparation more than bravado. Your edge is never a single trick—it’s a thousand small, boring decisions that keep customers happy, routes quiet, and inventory flowing. With v0.4.0’s cartel pressure, every corner has a little more story and a little more danger. That’s good. It teaches the right lessons early.
Walk the streets with purpose. Sell at night. Craft small and consistent. Split your risk. Truce when it makes sense; stand firm when it doesn’t. And when the city tests you—as it will—remember that you don’t have to be the loudest player in Hyland Point, just the last one standing.
You don’t need to be perfect—just deliberate. Follow the night-first cadence, scale in measured steps, and keep redundancy everywhere: routes, stashes, people. The city is loud; your operation should be quiet.
When the phone buzzes and the sky goes purple, step out of the RV, take a breath, and remember: this isn’t about a single big night. It’s about owning every night.