Running a criminal empire in Schedule 1 is more than crafting a fine product or dodging the law; you must scale smart. That’s where dealers come into play. They’re your boots on the ground, your street sales crew, and your source to automating the hustle while you focus on mixing, upgrading your hideout, or avoiding the fuzz. If you don’t know how to unlock more dealers and make the most of their abilities, this guide tells everything you need to know including where to find dealers, how to unlock them, and why they are important to get.
How to Unlock Dealers in Schedule 1
The process of unlocking new dealers in Schedule 1 is tied to two things: increasing your criminal reputation and building the right connections. Each neighborhood has its own dealer, and the only way to access them is to climb the ranks and build trust with the right people.
As you do your activities, such as selling products, completing side gigs, and sleeping, you’ll get more and more XP. The experience points bump up your criminal rank and result in unlocking new regions as you go. Every region has its specific dealer, and in each new area, you’ll meet new customers. Some of these people have connections to local dealers. Make good relations with these customers, and they’ll introduce you to the dealer in their region.
You can track all client connections through your in-game phone’s Contacts app, which is actually your relationship cheat sheet. It shows you how close you are to each client and, more importantly, who they’re connected to. In short: make friends, make money, meet dealers. Rinse and repeat.
How to Get Your First Dealer in Schedule 1
You’ll first unlock your dealer after getting out of the Motel and settling into the apartment above the Chinese restaurant, you’ll get a call from your uncle setting things in motion. The very first dealer you will encounter here, early in the game, is Benji Coleman in Northtown. You have to befriend at least one of Benji’s connections among Beth, Ludwig, or Chloe.
Once successful, head to Motel Room #2 and give Benji a $500 signing bonus to bring him on board. From there, you can start assigning him customers via your Dealer app, and just like that, the gears of automation start turning. He’ll take a 20% cut (standard for all dealers), but the time and stress you save are worth every penny.
All Dealers in Schedule 1: Locations & How to Unlock
Here’s a quick rundown of all six currently known dealers and what you need to get them onboard:
| Dealer | Region | Unlock Rank | Location | Fee | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benji Coleman | Northtown | Default | Motel Room #2 | $500 | Befriend Beth, Ludwig, or Chloe after moving into your second hideout. |
| Molly Presley | Westville | Hoodlum | Brown Apartment #1 | $1000 | Connect with her mutuals in Westville and sell to her contacts until she becomes available. |
| Brad Crosby | Downtown | Hustler | Tent under the parking garage | $2000 | Focus on Downtown clients and build trust. He lives rough, but he’s reliable once you get him on your team. |
| Jane Lucero | Docks | Enforcer | RV near the police checkpoint at the docks | $3000 | Target customers around the docks, raise your rank, and network your way to her. |
| Wei Long | Suburbia | Block Boss | Wooden shack in the woods | $4000 | Build your name in Suburbia and earn his trust through your mutuals. |
| Leo Rivers | Uptown | Baron | Shipping container near church | $5000 | He is the last and priciest dealer, and he doesn’t deal with nobodies. Work the Uptown, be generous with product quality, and wait for your referral. |
Every dealer works the same way; they take a 20% cut margin of what they sell and can manage up to eight customers.
Why You Should Hire More Dealers
The short answer is automation. Managing your entire client list manually is doable in the early game, but once things get busy? It becomes chaos, and you need helpers to do the business for you. Dealers take care of assigned customers, freeing you up to focus on production, territory expansion, or upgrades. When you stock ‘em up, they keep the money rolling in, essentially turning parts of your empire into autopilot. Another good factor is that dealers don’t get arrested, so it eliminates the risk of losing product or getting busted during deals. The more dealers you have, the more customers you can manage better, and that’s the backbone of a drug empire.
Best Customers for Dealers
Not every customer should be assigned to a dealer. Although it’s tempting to offload your entire contact list, some clients are worth keeping for yourself.
These are the clients you should assign to dealers:
- Mid-Range Clients: Regular buyers with decent volume.
- Nearby Customers: People who live close to your dealer’s region. It shortens their delivery loop and keeps transactions frequent.
- Low-maintenance Contacts: Customers who don’t request custom effects or strain adjustments all the time.
Keep these types of customers for yourself:
- Big Spenders: High-value customers who buy in bulk or place frequent orders. You’ll make more profit dealing with them directly.
- Demanding Clients: Those who want premium product blends. You can charge more when you’re customizing on the spot.
- Loyal Regulars: Some customers only tip the scales with their addiction level. When they rely on your product, you have leverage, like raising prices without losing them.
Common Dealer Problems and Fixes
Sometimes dealers bug out or stop dealing. These are the common issues with dealers, and here’s how to fix them:
- Dealer isn’t Selling Anything: Double-check their inventory. Do they have a product? And is it the one their assigned customers want? If your clients like energizing strains, but you’ve only given the dealer sedatives, sales will slow to a crawl.
- Dealer is Fully Stocked but Idle: Restarting the game resets pathfinding glitches and usually lets them move again.
- Dealer’s AI is Stuck: Strip their inventory completely and wait. Once they send you a message for more products, go back and give them fresh stock. This can reboot their behavior and make them work again.
- Desperate Measures: A few players report that knocking a dealer unconscious resets them. Sometimes, a light punch will reset their AI when nothing else works.
Lastly, should you expand even if you’re comfortable? Yes, you should. A dealer helps you scale your empire and reduces your daily grind. Whether you’re playing for story, simulation, or min-maxing profits, more dealers will result in more money with less micromanagement. Moreover, later Schedule 1 features like laundering, large hideouts, and even future updates require a great cash flow.
