The five tiers
| Tier | How you get there | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hobo | Everyone starts here — “fresh out of prison with no cash”, crashing at Lenny’s motel | Nothing yet. Goal: money for your first plot |
| 2. Settlement Resident | Rent a plot in a settlement someone owns (Tier 1 rentals cost documents since Nov 4) | Your own base, base businesses, new Shipments motel dwellers can’t get, selling at the Sales Center, cheaper contraband |
| 3. Settlement Owner | Buy a whole settlement | Rent plots to others; tax residents’ laundered money and Black Market purchases; free base placement; can’t be seized before the wipe |
| 4. District Owner | Your clan takes control of a district | A cut of all taxes paid to settlement owners in the district + faster laundering (bigger the higher the district level) |
| 5. Shadow Governor | Lead the clan holding the central Highlands district | Prime laundering rates; your clan taxes every other clan on the map. Only one per world |
Who pays whom
Residents pay settlement owners → settlement owners pay the district’s clan → every clan pays the Shadow Governor’s clan. Kefir: “Settlement owners make bank off the residents, while your clan profits from the settlement owners.”
Things to know before you climb
- You can’t claim land in an unowned district — a settlement has to be owned (by you or another player) before plots in it can be rented.
- The desert is lawless: no cops, anyone can kill you, and neighbours can try to break into your base. Collecting taxes “is one thing; getting out alive with the cash is another.”
- District level matters: higher-level districts unlock more features and better items to buy — see the map.
- It all resets at the weekly wipe. The question Kefir asks: “who will hold the title of Shadow Governor when the wipe hits?”