Chemist start and Dream Dust
Community guides describe the Chemist start as connected to the Sector 13 Cartel, with a contact, reputation and a recurring Dream Dust quota. The static analysis guide identifies build 26284217; a community guide does not state a build. These reports are not independent playtests by GuideWiki.
Plan the production side with the chemistry guide. Check the quota shown in your own save rather than assuming figures from an older guide apply unchanged.
Track the delivery
Both guides report a Monday delivery and say a partial delivery harms reputation. They also report that delivering no Dream Dust can end the run. Conditions may differ by build or save, and the guides may draw on related sources.
- Read the current quota and delivery schedule in the save.
- Prepare the Dream Dust production chain before the reported Monday deadline.
- Check the delivered amount and reputation after the visit.
These steps follow the reported schedule; the precise starting amount and weekly changes have not been independently verified across builds.
Reported quota progression
A community guide gives this example schedule. The build 26284217 static guide reports that each settled delivery adds five items and five percentage points of purity, capped at 70% purity, but says the first quota comes from the task record. Verify the actual request on your save. The sources may share underlying data.
| Collection day | Vials | Purity target |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 10 | 40% |
| 15 | 15 | 45% |
| 22 | 20 | 50% |
| 29 | 25 | 55% |
| 36 | 30 | 60% |
| 43 | 35 | 65% |
| 50 | 40 | 70% |
The static guide reports that submitted items are consumed and their purity is averaged. It distinguishes a short delivery from a fatal one: zero items or average purity at or below one-quarter of the requirement can end the run. It reports a base reputation loss of four per missing item; difficulty can change actual gains and losses. A high-purity small batch and a large weak batch therefore need separate checks.
Make and check the batch before Monday. The chemistry guide covers blending, heating, filtration, evaporation and finishing; inspect the final items and the requirement in your own save.
Leaving the arrangement
Reveal the reported exit route and story consequences
The build 26284217 guide and a community guide describe an initial protection perk that blocks ordinary night theft while normal insurance is unavailable. Their accounts say successful departure removes the Cartel and protection and enables normal insurance, subject to other restrictions in the save.
- Reach the reported +100 reputation to become eligible for Authorized Exit.
- Speak to the Handler through each eligible exit conversation. The reported requirements rise to +125, +150, +175 and +200 after deferrals.
- Meet the final requirement again after those stages; guides describe five qualifying conversations rather than automatic departure at +200.
- Continue deliveries during negotiations and inspect insurance and protection after release.
These figures are reports, not independently verified thresholds. The static guide explicitly cites community research, and other articles may derive from the same analysis.
The cartel guide and a community guide describe a route involving reputation and repeated requests to leave. They also report changes to protection and insurance along the way. Exact thresholds and timing are not confirmed for every version, and the sources may ultimately use the same underlying material.
The guides associate failure to deliver any Dream Dust with a run-ending outcome. Treat that as a reported consequence rather than a complete list of possible failure conditions.
Questions
Can every occupation start the cartel storyline?
The available evidence covers the Chemist start; triggers for other occupations are unconfirmed.
Does a partial delivery have the same result as none?
The cited guides distinguish reputation damage for a short delivery from the reported run-ending consequence of delivering none.
What reputation guarantees an exit?
A reliable cross-version threshold has not been established. Follow the available dialogue and check the state of your save.