As a seasoned detective with years of experience under my trench coat, I’ve learned to navigate through the gritty streets of Shadows of Doubt with a blend of cunning and brute force. But when it comes to the Counter System, I say let the fists fly and dodge those blows! This game isn’t about being a hardcore street brawler; it’s about solving crimes and uncovering secrets.
After spending a satisfactory time in Early Access, the full version of Shadows of Doubt has been released. This sandbox murder mystery game offers a unique gaming experience that’s hard to resist. Dive into our comprehensive Shadows of Doubt guide for valuable insights to aid you on your path towards retirement.
All Social Credit Perks, Ranked in Shadows of Doubt
In terms of game mechanics, Social Credit serves as your rank or score, which increases when you successfully resolve cases. As your Social Credit level rises, it grants you ongoing benefits that persist permanently. These benefits may include subtle conveniences, or significant gameplay modifications, offering a variety from minor enhancements to major alterations.
Social Credit Level 2 – Apartments
Among the perks listed, Level 2 stands out as particularly useful because it enables you to buy properties specifically known as apartments. To put it simply, with this level, you gain the ability to make an apartment purchase. Before reaching this level, you might notice apartment listings on job boards within certain establishments, but regrettably, they wouldn’t be purchasable for you.
On the other hand, at Level 2, you’ll notice that you become a target for roaming NPC thieves, so remember to watch your back while strolling through town.
Social Credit Level 3 – Loitering
You might find that the Level 3 perk is more useful than you initially think, despite its peculiar description. This feature enables you to linger in establishments such as bars and restaurants without making a purchase, which can be convenient when you’re waiting on a suspect or an impending crime.
As a gamer, I’d put it like this: With this perk, I can linger in these establishments for about an hour; without it, my time seems to be significantly shorter, perhaps even limited to an hour or less.
Social Credit Level 4 – Fast Travel to Locations
Grants quick transportation from your residence to any place you’ve been before. This feature may prove useful in certain situations, like visiting unmemorable underground establishments, but for me, the speedy travel diminishes a bit of the charm this game offers.
Social Credit Level 5 – Fast Travel to Apartment
At Level 5, you can instantly teleport to your apartment from any location. It’s another feature that could potentially break immersion, yet it’s quite useful, particularly when combined with the benefits of Levels 6 and 10.
Social Credit Level 6 – Apartment Debuff Removal (Partial)
As a gamer, when I reach Level 6, it feels like heading back home for a quick respite. It seems that at this level, some of the non-injury related afflictions vanish. This includes being hungry, thirsty, or feeling any other negative effects not directly tied to injuries such as bleeding, broken limbs, or bruises.
Social Credit Level 7 – Echelon Zone Access
Level 7 provides an excellent advantage by granting entry to the exclusive ‘Echelon Districts’. These zones are off-limits to most citizens in Shadows of Doubt, meaning you can’t casually drop by or knock on their doors. This can make investigating cases connected to these areas challenging, making Level 7 a highly valuable perk.
Social Credit Level 8 – Crime Scene Access
Level 8 should be the most useful perk on the list, but frankly I find it a little high up in the social credit tree to be too useful. Level 8 means that Enforcers will allow you to access to crime scenes, which as a detective, is pretty important. I believe this perk should be replaced entirely, and think introducing some kind of P.I License for purchase to the City Hall would be an infinitely better way of introducing this mechanic.
Social Credit Level 9 – Home Invasion
At Level 9, residents tend to be more welcoming and invite you into their homes, which could be very advantageous for individuals with such privileges, albeit burglars might find it especially useful. However, it’s important to note that potential murderers would still be less inclined to let you in.
Social Credit Level 10 – Apartment Debuff Removal (Complete)
Reaching Level 10 implies that your apartment visit will now nullify any adverse effects, encompassing injury-related and survival mechanics. This essentially means you won’t require medical aid or food anymore. Moreover, at Level 10, you can opt for retirement if the game duration is appropriate, which signifies the successful completion of your gameplay.
Social Credit Level 11 – Stalking is Easy
At Level 11, citizens generally remain calm when followed, making it less likely for them to become agitated or frightened by your presence. However, it’s important to remember that this effect is not commonly triggered when following suspects, especially if you maintain a reasonable distance and avoid aggressive approaches such as using drones to approach them directly. Overall, this ability seems rather inconsequential.
Social Credit Level 12 – Trespassing Grace Period
Level 12 offers an extended ‘leniency’ duration when encroaching on private property. While I can’t provide specific time frames, it essentially implies that security systems will take a longer time to trigger alarms, and local residents will be slower to get agitated or rush to activate the alarm themselves. This last social credit privilege doesn’t seem… particularly appealing as a reward.
How to Retire
In the game Shadows of Doubt, retirement signifies the end of your character’s journey. To reach this point, you need to accumulate Social Credit Level 10. However, it’s important to understand how to attain such a high level in the first place. If you don’t adjust your game settings, you might never be able to. This is because the game length setting determines the maximum possible Social Credit level. For instance, on a ‘Very Short’ game, the maximum level is 3, while on a ‘Very Long’ game, it can go up to 12.
To retire and achieve Social Credit Level 10, adjust the “Game Length” setting in the “Gameplay” options to a minimum of “Long”.
After that, you should make your way to the city hall to retrieve a Resolution Form, which is used for resolving various issues – quite peculiar, one might think; if only there were some sort of hidden meaning in this.
How to buy an Apartment
To buy an apartment, you must initially achieve a Social Credit Rank of 2. Then, visit any location displaying a phone and job board, such as diners, restaurants, or City Hall. Keep in mind that not every board will have apartment listings, so you may need to check several. The listing you’re after is typically a square card with a house icon on it.
Engage with the card, and it will display the information such as the details, location, and a purchase button for the apartment.
How to find the Citizens Database in Shadows of Doubt
In Shadows of Doubt, the Resident Records system serves as one of the most potent resources at your fingertips, albeit not officially yours. This extensive database holds fingerprints, birthdates, physical characteristics, and addresses for every generated resident in your city. Remarkably easy to use, this highly powerful tool is surprisingly accessible, even though its utilization technically breaches the law.
Please be aware that using this tool can very quickly make your game extremely easy, as I remember on my second ever playthrough going through a bunch of names to try and find someone from only an initial. This had the unintended side effect of me knowing the names and fingerprints of a good 50% of the population, which made most of my murder cases a complete joke. If that’s your jam, that’s your jam, but if you’d like to keep some of the challenge, I’d suggest only using this system when you’ve got at least a little bit of information already. (Ideally either a full forename or surname.)
Fortunately, even though each city in Shadows of Doubt is randomly generated, there’s consistently a City Hall, and its layout remains identical every time.
To locate the Citizens Database, start by making your way to City Hall. Once inside, look for the reception desk located towards the rear of the room. After that, take the staircase you notice behind the reception area to access the database.
Ascend the stairs only until you arrive at the first platform (not going all the way to the uppermost level), then take the door located immediately to your left upon reaching that point.
Enter your workplace and proceed to the room with the distinct blue door that has a security camera. Normally, this door is open, but occasionally, you may find it locked, in which case, you’ll need to use the Codebreaker (details provided later).
Upon stepping into this room, please refrain from switching on the light. There’s usually no one here, but a camera is always present. Fortunately, if you keep the light off, the camera won’t capture your presence.
The computer in that room contains the Citizen Database. This computer being unlocked also seems to be luck based, and if it is indeed locked, you can go and get a Codebreaker straight from City Hall itself. Go to any of the ‘Locker‘ vending machines located in City Hall to purchase one for 75 Crows. There’s usually one directly across from the Database room. Handy indeed.
How to use the Citizens Database in Shadows of Doubt
As a gamer, I find navigating the Citizens Database a breeze. To start off, I engage with the computer and log in if I haven’t done so earlier; if necessary, I use a Codebreaker for access. Subsequently, I opt for the ‘Gov Database‘ application to proceed with my quest.
Here, I will provide you with a blank text box along with a keyboard. You can either type directly or click on each key using your mouse. To get any results, you should enter at least two letters. The results will be drawn from both first names and last names.
After choosing any item, click the “Print” button located on the bottom-left corner of the keyboard area. This action will generate a physical copy of the selected item from the computer, which you can review and affix to your bulletin board as desired.
All Murder Case Types in Shadows of Doubt
In the game Shadows of Doubt, while the main focus is on the murder cases, the secondary cases can be equally enjoyable or even more so. Here, I’ll explain each type of murder, detailing their features and how to recognize them. Each murder in Shadows of Doubt conforms to a ‘type’, meaning they have distinct traits that help identify them. Recognizing a murder type can significantly aid you, as it will guide you on what evidence to seek.
The Corporate Killers
In simpler terms, these types of crimes are typically straightforward to recognize and solve because the perpetrators often exhibit distinctive patterns. They frequently leave a message on a business card near the victim’s body, such as “DIDN’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES.” Notably, this card usually carries the suspect’s fingerprint. Interestingly, it’s common for the suspect to be an associate of the victim’s company.
Occasionally, they might be clever enough to leave no trace of their fingerprints. In such situations, search for any hints from the victim about a ‘stalker’. Often, one of these tips or messages will include a brief physical description which can help you narrow down the suspects. (The V-Love Sync Disc previously mentioned is particularly valuable in such instances.)
You can locate them swiftly by determining where the victim is employed, gaining access to the personnel records, and comparing the fingerprint on the card with those stored.
The Red Gums Killers
The mysterious assailants who target Red Gums are peculiar, standing out as the most psychologically unbalanced among their kind. They have an unusual devotion towards the Kola corporation and its deceased founder in particular. A distinctive feature of their crimes is the presence of red, cult-like symbols either near or on the body of the victim.
In addition, the perpetrator might leave a cryptic message, often containing phrases such as “FIND ME” or “LET’S PLAY,” and followed by a scrambled version of their name. This mysterious note usually carries the impression of their fingerprints, so make sure to scrutinize it thoroughly.
The Dating Service Killers
Ah, the creeps. No game is complete without ’em.
These individuals are not discreet and often leave signs of obsession at crime scenes. Examples include hearts drawn with lipstick or messages like ‘Victim and Suspect Forever.’ The computers of the victims could be a useful starting point for investigation, as they may contain messages from their perpetrator.
The Apartment Snipers
As a dedicated enthusiast, tracking down these elusive individuals can sometimes be quite challenging, given their knack for striking from afar – often other structures. Keep your eyes peeled for telltale signs such as bullet holes that you can scrutinize to ascertain the caliber. If you find no trace of a potential culprit in the vicinity, it won’t take long to realize you’re dealing with one of these characters.
In simpler terms, you should look for an individual who doesn’t leave behind spent bullet casings, footprints that don’t match the victim, and fingerprints. The key evidence will be a Hamilton or Faucon rifle in their residence, and not much else is expected to turn up. Occasionally, you might find notes revealing motive, or other hints about the suspect, but these cases can be tricky to solve.
The Revolutionary Killers
These murderers often choose victims who are significantly younger or older than themselves. They frequently leave behind messages and toy cars with a message implying the emergence of a new generation, such as “Yield for the New Generation.” Tracking down these individuals can be challenging due to limited connections between suspect and victim.
The Rooftop Snipers
As a gamer, I can tell you these guys are tougher to take down than Apartment Snipers. They don’t just aim from high places; they’ll fire at people on the street, often close to their victims. To increase your chances of success, scan for shorter rooftops in the vicinity and carefully inspect them for signs like footprints or bullet casings.
In my gaming world, spent shells often carry the telltale mark of the culprit, and I can follow their footprints for a good stretch, though it’s hard to say if they’ll lead anywhere fruitful. At crime scenes, the only real clues I usually find are the type of weapon used (caliber) and a potential fingerprint. So, when I’m in this kind of situation, my best move is to quiz folks nearby the victim about any suspicious characters they might have seen. Sometimes, they’ll provide a physical description of the suspect, which helps me narrow down the search.
Kidnapping
In the debut of Shadows of Doubt version 1.0, these cases are clearly marked as kidnapping cases, making them easily distinguishable. They pose significant difficulties compared to regular murder investigations, mainly due to a substantial decrease in available evidence. Key features include a strict deadline – if you fail to locate both the suspect and victim before the specified time, the victim is put at risk of being killed.
In this scenario, there are multiple options to proceed. You could settle the matter by stuffing a briefcase with payment and leaving it in a place of their choosing. Alternatively, you can take a traditional approach and mete out justice. Regardless of your choice, these cases add an interesting twist to the proceedings.
All Side Case Types in Shadows of Doubt
In Shadows of Doubt, side cases are a thrilling aspect that provides a wide range of case types and can even earn you substantial money, in addition to unique rewards such as hard-to-find Sync Disks. These cases tend to veer into the ‘questionable’ or ‘illegal’ realms more frequently, but honestly, it adds to the fun!
Keep in mind that the complexity of side cases can range significantly, often becoming more challenging as the reward increases. In other words, a higher pay typically indicates a tougher task ahead.
Outsourced Arrest Cases
Task at Hand: You will need to locate and apprehend a specific individual based on the information provided. The details you receive about the target can vary from extensive to minimal. I’ve personally encountered a situation where all I had was an initial first name and a clue that they have a fondness for ‘indoor greenery’.
Infidelity Cases
Indeed, it strikes me that many private investigators today are primarily engaged in tasks associated with their profession. I can’t help but wonder if some might secretly yearn for the opportunity to delve deeper into the unsolved mysteries that a few more cases of homicide could provide.
In these situations, your task is to gather evidence showing infidelity by a spouse, as well as information about the third party involved. Typically, you will also need to obtain a picture of them and, in some instances, provide an amusing twist by tossing food at them. These cases can be quite engaging, particularly when they present a challenge to solve.
Humilation Cases
To put it more straightforwardly: It’s peculiar, I must admit. These situations demand that you hurl food at the intended subject, but often, you have to determine who exactly that is. In other words, one would assume you already know who you’re humiliating before hiring a private investigator with 300 Aggravated Assault charges in his past.
Tailing Cases
Here are the ones that truly allow for the full immersion in the noir detective role. You will be assigned to follow a suspect, who carries a briefcase, as they proceed to meet someone. Your objective is also to capture a photograph of the ensuing encounter.
Additionally, you’ll need to determine the individuals they are interacting with, as this could prolong the situations. It’s rather intriguing to casually peruse a newspaper or an umbrella, then discreetly follow people around the city, ultimately capturing suboptimal photos of them.
Corporate Theft Cases
In some instances, I find corporate theft cases particularly fascinating. These cases often involve meetings with business proprietors to gather intel about the suspect. The subject of interest might have a distinctive brown and red envelope, which could be carried on them, found in their residence, or possibly at their workplace.
You really have to do some digging on these cases, and they typically require a bunch of breaking and entering, which is my favourite passtime.
All Illegal Businesses in Shadows of Doubt (Benefits, Tips to find)
As a devoted fan, I must say that the illicit operations in Shadows of Doubt add an intriguing layer to this game’s world. These secret enterprises may not be above board, but they certainly hold their own unique advantages. However, locating these hidden benefits can sometimes feel like a covert mission!
How to find Illegal Businesses
The best way to locate illegal businesses is to check basement areas, which can be identified by the images above. This is an example of streetside basement access, but you can also check them out by heading to any buildings elevator and checking for ‘B’ levels (B1 for example).
Firstly, you should begin examining each door, as many will bear signs reading ‘vacant address’ or ‘power room’. However, you might occasionally come across one with an unusual name. In my case, I discovered ‘Consult Inc‘, which turned out to be a clandestine Loan Shark operation, by investigating the basement of the building depicted earlier.
In some of the underground operations, such as those run by the Blackmarket Trader and the Weapons Dealer, you need a secret code to gain access. Keeping a sharp lookout during your journey is crucial, as you’ll have to spot these codes hidden in certain graffiti to decipher them.
As a gamer, I’ve got a tip here: this secret code cracks open a backdoor to a Black Market Trader. To access the Weapons Dealer, keep an eye out for the symbol of a gun emblem that’ll be hovering over the password.
Absolutely, every newly created city will come with different geographical spots, unique business names, and fresh passwords for those establishments.
All Illegal Business Services
In the game Shadows of Doubt, each illicit business provides distinct services, and certain ones prove more valuable than others.
The Blackmarket Trader
The Blackmarket Trader is an absolute must find in any run for Shadows of Doubt, as it serves as a Pawn Shop, but remains open 24/7. They’ll buy any stolen or not stolen goods from you, so long as you have the password to enter. They also sell a variety of goods, including some tools you can use, along with weapons and medication. You may need to check these guys out when you’re on a case, and you’re looking for gun purchases.
The Weapons Dealer
Apart from offering a diverse range of weapons and useful tools, these individuals are primarily known for tracing illegally obtained firearms. If your encounter with the Blackmarket Trader doesn’t work out, they could be an alternative source of information in such situations.
The Illegal Sync Clinic
At these locations, you’ll discover some exceptionally scarce synchronization discs, ones that are not common and are usually obtained through jobs or less frequently. Among these, remember the Tresspasser Sync Disc we previously talked about. You have the liberty to install them just like any other Sync Clinic here.
The Gambling Den
Unfortunately, the Gambling Establishment functions more like a regular bar, where gambling is not an option for spending your valuable Crowns. Nevertheless, it does offer job postings, making it a place you might want to visit even if the other spots don’t appeal to you.
The Loan Shark
Loan Sharks do what you’d expect, they lend you money. They’ll give you a flat payment of 2000 Crows, and take 250 back per day, on top of a 250 Crow fee for the service. Frankly, you shouldn’t need these guys. Doing a few quick jobs, and robbing married couples is a far greater way to earn a living.
Shadows of Doubt Tips
Here are a few additional strategies you might find useful while running, as they address aspects that may not be clearly detailed in the game itself.
The Detective Notebook
As a gamer, let me tell you, I stumbled upon this notebook surprisingly late in my 70-hour gaming journey, and boy, is it a game-changer! This isn’t your ordinary notebook; it’s like a treasure trove of information. It holds all publicly available knowledge – every public address, business detail, and the particulars of every citizen I’ve encountered. It’s almost like having an encyclopedia at my fingertips in this virtual world.
As a gamer, I can leverage this tool to navigate myself to any location I might require, and it’s brilliant at storing every password I unearth, even telling me who or where they’re meant for. For instance, when I need to meet a contact for a job, I simply use the notebook to guide me to the right spot.
To access this feature, simply open your caseboard, then tap on the magnifying glass icon located at the top-left corner.
The Counter System
In plain terms: I’m going to be straightforward. The advice here is to choose a reliable close-combat weapon and avoid engaging with this game’s system altogether. Despite its magical elements, the combat could use some improvement, which is understandable since it’s not marketed as a hardcore fighting game. Frankly, that user interface is overwhelming for someone who’s about to dive in (like me).
To counter an attack in combat, click the right mouse button when the red bar aligns with the blue bar. However, this technique is effective only against unarmed opponents. It won’t shield you from weapons such as swords from World War I or Lazarus 8 semi-automatic handguns. When executed correctly, it will stop your opponent from attacking you, but you won’t be able to strike back in return. Essentially, this advice boils down to: Get a baseball bat for self-defense.
How to sell items (Pawn Shops)
Instead of visiting Pawn Shops primarily for selling items acquired through illegal means, consider them as convenient destinations to offload various legal possessions that resemble evidence from crime scenes, such as diamonds from safes, elegant teacups, the aforementioned WWI era saber, and so forth.
To start off, you could find a local Pawn Shop, either by consulting your Detective Notebook (as we’ve previously discussed) or simply stumbling upon one in your daily routine. Interestingly enough, the Blackmarker Trader doubles as a pawn shop too, but what makes it truly valuable is its round-the-clock availability, making it an indispensable resource for any hour of the day or night.
To purchase an item, it would be best to approach the cashier and say something like “I’d like to make a purchase.” When the appropriate menu appears, locate the ‘Sell’ option, which is usually found on the right side of the clipboard or display screen.
Barging doors down
As a devoted fan, I stumbled upon an intriguing mechanic in Shadows of Doubt that I wish I’d discovered earlier in my gaming experience. Here’s a fun trick: when sprinting towards a door and clicking the right mouse button at the exact moment of impact, you’ll execute a barge instead of crashing through the door. Keep in mind, this tactic may require repetition, and it comes with the risk of minor injuries, like bruising, so remember to exercise caution!
Additional Guides
- How to find someone in Shadows of Doubt
- All Sync Disks in Shadows of Doubt
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2024-09-26 16:25