Somni's Engine Perks Tier List

Perks in Somni’s Engine come from the lockbox (1-star through 3-star), from recruit-exclusive traits, and from a shared intermission pool. This page ranks those names so you can trash-pick without a fake Trello. Pair it with the tier list hub for the stealth/fight split and with gear for the hotbar. Perks are passive. Gear is what you press.

A D6 rerolls a nearby perk of the same rarity. Do not gamble an S machine perk into a flashy fight icon unless the squad already agreed to a fight session on the run checklist.

1-star lockbox — take the job, not the glow

Perk	Effect	Rank
Contact Lens	+0.25 shooting / sight	A fight, B hide
Shoe Laces	+0.1 run	B — run feeds noise
Magnet	+0.25 scavenge	A if you are the scavenger
Machine Oil	+0.25 extract	S on Extract duty
Tool Kit	+0.25 repair	S on Repair duty

Machine Oil and Tool Kit shorten the quota. Magnet is the Scavenge twin. Shoe Laces look like free speed and then print Too noisy! — park them on fight kits only. Contact Lens is for Remmy / Popket nights, not for how to hide.

2-star lockbox — the real build layer

Perk	Effect	Rank
Amethyst	+0.25 stealth	Stealth S
Metal Tag	+0.25 strength	Fight A
Stop Watch	+0.2 walk	Stealth S
Cushion	+2% resist	A both columns
Spike Band	10% reflect	Fight A
Armor Plate	+2 armor, −0.1 run	Fight B, hide C (the run penalty can be a gift)
Herbal Cream	Debuff resist	A vs named bosses
Etherite	+5 HP	A both
Energy Gummy	+5 max stamina	Stealth S
Tooth Brush	+1s buff time	B until you know your buffs

Stop Watch plus Energy Gummy is the hide core. You walk faster without sprinting, and the yellow bar lasts. Amethyst is the stealth number. Etherite and Cushion are the cheap HP stack before you greed the engine. Spike Band pairs with Ferro-Mace reflect kits. Armor Plate’s run penalty is annoying on a kite and accidentally useful if you cannot stop sprinting.

3-star lockbox — high roll, still a job

Perk	Effect	Rank
Lucky Clover	+4 luck	B filler, A on Luckee
Cyan Balloon	Speed on hit	Fight A — hide D if it auto-moves you
Employee Nametag	Speed on work complete	A if you can walk the bonus, C if you sprint it
Loaf Bag	Extra slot	S quality of life
Glue	Melee durability	S on Sledger / Long Pipe nights

Loaf Bag is an extra slot, which is how you carry a med and a Candle without dumping the wrench. Glue keeps melee from rotting mid-commit. Lucky Clover is not a personality unless you already play Luckee’s D8 / Trick Token / Rigged Wheel kit.

Recruit-exclusive examples

These do not drop for every toon. Do not reroll a lockbox hoping to steal them.

• Loaffle — Feline Instinct, Extra Flour, Sour Dough, Nine Slices. Healer default; see starters.
• Magni — Ferro Thorn, Momentum, Magnetic Force. Machine crusher default.
• Peanut — Hyper Alert, Boxed Light Footed, Ambush, Prop Hunt. Box-form stealth; how to play Peanut.
• Luckee — D8, Trick Token, Rigged Wheel. Luck kit; how to play Luckee.
• Toasten — Overcook, Shocking Plug upgrades.
• Shermie — Atomic, High Explosive. Not a first-hour recruit. Do not buy Shermie with the Beta gift.

Full silhouettes and prices sit on the toon roster.

Universal intermission pool

Between zones you will see shared picks: Glass Orb, Harden, Rush, Work Supplies, Training, Patch Up, Extra Health, Hidden Shard. Work Supplies and Training help the quota. Patch Up and Extra Health buy mistakes. Rush is a fight-column speed toy that will betray a hide squad. Hidden Shard is a greed roll — take it when the speaker is quiet, not when Something Noticed You is up. Harden is a fight-column soak.

How to pick in a live zone

You will not read this page while the banner is red. Use a three-question grab:

1. Does this help Extract, Repair, Scavenge, or Valves? Take it.
2. Does this help me leave a noticed state? Take it.
3. Does this make a sound I cannot control? Leave it unless we are hunting the engine.

Loot on the way out of a finished machine, not on the way in. That rule from how to survive is a perk rule too. Getting Started still applies: beginners take Machine Oil, Tool Kit, Amethyst, Energy Gummy — not Cyan Balloon.

When official numbers shift after a restart, check updates and known bugs. Until then, honesty beats a fake Pokédex. If a teammate insists on a named tier graphic that is not in this table, ask where the name is printed in-game. No print, no rank.