What Changed in 1.5

All of this shipped free, ahead of the Ashen Creek DLC. According to the official 1.5 announcement, the update "lays the groundwork" for the paid expansion that followed on August 11.

Chemist's Workshop: The New Money Loop

The Chemist's Workshop is the headline feature. The official patch notes describe it as: "Make drugs from ingredients found while looting."

The loop works in three steps:

1. Loot chemical samples during your runs. Samples are a new loot type that started spawning after 1.5.
2. Return to your hideout with the samples. The workshop is a furniture piece you place in the hideout, like the existing workbench or repair bench.
3. Cook them into product. The workshop converts samples into sellable drugs, which you can move through the normal fence and item request channels.

The official notes do not yet specify which containers spawn samples, what the cooked products are, or their sell prices. As of the 1.55 patch (August 16), the game is still iterating on the 1.5 systems. If you want sample drop data, check the loot locations guide for the current loot container map and treat sample spawns as an addition to those locations.

Why this matters for money: drug products sell for more than the raw components. Before 1.5, loot items were sold as-is. The workshop adds a value-add step that should improve your per-run income once you know which samples to prioritize. The fast money guide explains the base income loop this slots into.

The Other Four New Furniture Pieces

Mystery Box

Insert any loot item and get a surprise back - "better or worse," per the official notes. It is a gamble: a cheap item can roll into something valuable, or a good item can roll down. Treat it like a lottery ticket for items you were going to sell anyway.

Exchange Box

Swap one skill leaflet, golden card, or upgrade module for a different one of the same type. This is the fix for duplicate-leaflet frustration. If you keep finding Tool Maintenance copies while hunting for Hacking, the Exchange Box gives you a second path instead of selling the duplicate at the fence. See the skill leaflets guide for which leaflets are worth rerolling.

Trash Bin

Search it once per day for a random item. Free daily loot with zero risk. It is the lowest-effort furniture in the game - if you are in the hideout anyway between runs, click it. Over a full quota cycle this adds up to a handful of free items.

Forgery Workshop

Duplicate any item once per quota. This is the strongest of the new pieces if you have a high-value item. Duplicating a golden card or a rare leaflet beats selling it, and the gold bars and jewelry guide covers which valuables benefit most from duplication.

Scoring Rework: Stealth and Speed Now Count

The 1.5 scoring system now factors in "stealth, time spent playing, and more." The end-of-run score overview shows exactly where points came from, which makes it possible to see what the game rewards.

Practical implications:

• Stealth matters more. Clean, alarm-free runs score higher than loud ones. The police system guide and stealth tools matter for score, not just survival.
• Faster runs score better. Time spent is a factor, so the no-detection speed approach is stronger than before.
• Score is now diagnosable. The overview tells you which part of the run lost you points, so you can fix the specific weakness instead of guessing.

Saving System Fix

The saving rework stops items from disappearing after loading into a map - a bug that had been "driving some of you crazy," per the developer. Hideout inventory and carried loot should now persist correctly across loads. This matters most for co-op sessions and long runs where a reload previously cost you loot.

The Ashen Creek Connection

1.5 is the free foundation patch for the Ashen Creek DLC, which launched August 11, 2026. The DLC adds:

• A new neighborhood with 9+ locations to break into
• High-value targets: a jewelry store and a pharmacy
• New cars to steal
• Pressure floors - a new security trap that triggers alarms if you step on them
• New hideout furniture for parties (disco lights, dance floor, disco ball, LED panels)

Follow-up patches tightened the experience: 1.53 made pharmacy loot worth more, confirmed the jewelry store carries no fake jewelry except the window display, and added a drop-off box in Ashen Creek. 1.55 (August 16) added five new challenges and another car.

Version Timeline

My Priority Order for the New Furniture

Based on the official descriptions and how the existing hideout economy works:

1. Chemist's Workshop - it is the only new piece that creates a new income source. Place it as soon as you can afford it and start testing which samples cook into the most valuable product.
2. Forgery Workshop - one free duplication per quota on your best item is pure profit.
3. Exchange Box - only once you have learned the common leaflets; it turns duplicates into progress instead of fence money.
4. Trash Bin - free daily item, place it whenever.
5. Mystery Box - last. It can destroy value, and the other four pieces are deterministic.

Note: the official patch notes do not list prices for the new furniture. Prices in the tool and furniture shops have shifted between patches before, so confirm the in-game price before committing a large purchase.

Related Guides

• Complete Tools Guide - tools that pair with the new systems
• Skill Leaflets Guide - which leaflets to reroll at the Exchange Box
• Fast Money Guide - the income loop the Chemist's Workshop extends
• Gold Bars and Jewelry Guide - best items to duplicate with the Forgery Workshop
• Loot Locations and Values - where sample drops are likely to spawn
• Hideout and Safe Houses - where to place new furniture