First-session checklist
- Read the complete request.Note whether the customer wants cleaning, repair, customization, or another service before opening the device.
- Inspect before shopping.Keep diagnosing until you understand the job instead of buying a part as soon as you find the first problem.
- Organize the workbench.Separate parts by condition and keep screws or connectors with the device they came from.
- Finish every requested service.A working device may still fail the order if cleaning, painting, or another requested task remains incomplete.
- Protect the next job's cash.Do not spend the entire balance on convenience upgrades while parts, licenses, or bills are still due.
These steps match several full-game playthroughs and community guides. They are not an official tutorial sequence, and an individual order may not require every action.
A reliable first-repair routine
Start with the order text, then move through diagnosis, sorting, cleaning or replacement, reassembly, and a final order check. The important habit is to delay purchasing until the device's problems are understood. That reduces extra trips to the shop and lowers the chance of buying one component before discovering another required part.
When pieces come off the device, sort them by what the game reports rather than by appearance alone. Player guides consistently distinguish dirty, broken, missing, and usable parts, although wording can vary by screen or version. Use the in-game notes or manual as a memory aid when rebuilding, and work from internal layers back toward the outer case.
For a step-by-step checklist and stuck-point table, continue to the complete repair workflow.
What should you buy first?
There is no universal shopping list for every opening. Use the next bottleneck instead:
| Decision | Do now | Wait until later | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic hand-tool improvement | When repeated manual actions are slowing every repair | When cash is needed for a required part or license | Repeated-time savings apply across jobs, but exact upgrade names and returns still need an in-game check |
| License | When the current device, supplier, or order is blocked by it | When it unlocks nothing you presently need | Several full-game playthroughs show licenses acting as progression and parts-access gates |
| Sonic Bath or another batch tool | When cleaning volume is a real bottleneck | During the opening jobs when it would consume the reserve | Players disagree on its early value, and patches can change capacity or timing |
| Cosmetic or optional convenience item | After essential jobs, parts, and bills are covered | While the purchase does not unblock work | It is safer to solve a current constraint than to copy a fixed upgrade order |
Licenses are progress gates, not collectibles
In several full-game playthroughs, licenses connect three things: the device families you can handle, access to suitable parts, and progression into more work. That makes a license valuable when it removes a real block, but not automatically the best purchase the moment it appears.
Before buying one, ask whether a current job needs it, whether the related device or supplier is already available, and whether the purchase leaves enough money to finish accepted work. A fixed full-game license order would require a controlled current-version playthrough, so this page does not provide one.
Choose orders without starving the shop
| Work type | Main commitment | Check before accepting |
|---|---|---|
| Customer device | Complete the requested service and return that device | Required services, available parts, and whether the device belongs to the customer |
| Online or email work | Finish within the deadline shown by the game | Time remaining, delivery wait, and the cash tied up in replacement parts |
| Marketplace device | Your own money is at risk | Unknown faults, salvage value, license access, and whether you can afford a poor outcome |
| Owned resale project | Diagnose, repair or salvage, then sell only what you own | Total missing parts and whether the project is worth finishing without relying on a fixed sale price |
Rent, internet, parts, tools, and licenses all compete for the same balance. Keep a reserve instead of treating the amount currently shown as free spending money. Bills appear in the released game and in the Steam achievement list, but their amounts, timing, and internet-plan differences are not fixed on this page.
Read the shop management guide for the full order and spending decision process.
Ten mistakes that create avoidable rework
- Buying a replacement as soon as the first bad part appears.
- Mixing parts from customer devices, donor devices, and resale projects.
- Cleaning only the visible face of a component.
- Rebuilding before checking that diagnosis is complete.
- Treating a powered-on device as a finished order.
- Spending the bill reserve on a convenience upgrade.
- Accepting more deadline work than the shop can finish.
- Assuming a marketplace description guarantees condition or profit.
- Copying an exact value from an old demo discussion into the full game.
- Using an in-game repair sequence as real-world electronics advice.
Beginner questions
What should I do first in ReStory?
Read the complete job, diagnose before buying, keep the workbench organized, finish every requested service, and preserve cash for required parts and bills.
Which tool should I upgrade first?
Choose the upgrade that removes your current repeated bottleneck. Tool names, prices, and returns can change, so check the values shown in your game instead of following one fixed order.
Should I buy every license immediately?
No fixed rule is supported. Buy a license when it unlocks work or parts you currently need and leaves enough cash to finish accepted jobs.
Does a working device mean the order is complete?
Not always. Recheck the request for cleaning, painting, or other required services before delivery.
Sources
- Official Steam store description ↗ — official high-level repair, shop, finance, license, and choice systems.
- Comfy Cozy Gaming beginner guide ↗ — full-game tips for organization, tools, orders, and bills.
- Skoottie 100 Days playthrough ↗ — long-form progression reference; the video discloses sponsorship by ReStory.
- Gab Smolders Part 1 ↗ — early repairs and shop progression; the video discloses sponsorship.
- Steam Community Fast Progress Guide ↗ — community strategy used only where it agrees with other sources.