Community documented
Doppelganger
Customer inspection encounters
Verify the customer against the available evidence before choosing whether to shoot.
Open recordThreat records and encounter actions
Shift At Midnight Entities & Monster Database
Identify Shift At Midnight entities, see the safest documented action for each encounter and spot tactics that remain disputed between sources.
Entity database
Known encounters and source status
Detailed pages are limited to encounters with enough material for an actionable guide. Conflicts stay visible instead of being guessed away.
Community documented
Jack-in-the-Box
Music-box event during a shift
Follow the music, find the box and rewind it before the sequence completes.
Open recordCommunity documented
Marionette
Hunt encounter
Treat the music-box objective as the key encounter mechanic; do not rely on ordinary customer checks.
Open recordOfficial
Rakes
Endless mode after Story completion
In Endless Mode, shoot Rakes before they reach the playable area.
Open recordOfficial
Shrieking Doll
Named enemy in the official achievement list
The kill is officially recognized, but a reliable encounter procedure is not yet documented here.
No standalone guide yetOfficial
Demented
Named enemy in the official achievement list
The kill is officially recognized, but a reliable encounter procedure is not yet documented here.
No standalone guide yetDisputed
Dentist
Reported special encounter
Community sources disagree about effective weapons and traps, so no definitive tactic is published.
No standalone guide yetDisputed
Norbert (Gnome)
Suspicious customer encounter with later sabotage states
Serve him normally and do not harm him. Current guides agree aggression triggers later sabotage, but disagree on whether Norbert counts as a Doppelganger.
No standalone guide yetDirect answer: This database covers Shift At Midnight monsters, entities and special encounters. Find the encounter name, read the one-line action rule, then open a detailed record when the procedure is supported well enough to be actionable.
Why some entities have no standalone guide
An official name is not the same thing as an official strategy. The achievement list confirms enemies such as the Shrieking Doll, Demented and Marionette, but it does not document every mechanic. A standalone page is created only when the official material or multiple independent community sources support a useful procedure.
Shrieking Doll and Demented achievement targets
The official Steam achievement list confirms two separate kill targets:
- Shrieking Doll → Silenced: Kill a Shrieking Doll.
- Demented → Freed: Kill a Demented.
These descriptions establish the targets, not a weapon choice or a complete encounter procedure. Community guides describe possible methods, but this database has not yet established enough independent evidence to publish a complete identification and kill sequence for either creature.
Use the Silenced and Freed planning notes to keep these kill objectives separate from Hunt survival achievements.
Norbert: a safe action with a disputed classification
Three guides agree on the practical response to Norbert: complete his transaction and do not harm him, because aggression triggers disruptive return visits. They disagree on the label—one calls him a Doppelganger, while two treat him as a special chaos encounter. The database therefore publishes the shared safe action but keeps the classification Disputed.
Other disputed encounters
Sources still disagree about whether specific weapons or traps work on the Dentist. Until first-hand or stronger corroborated evidence resolves that conflict, this database does not turn one tactic into a definitive standalone guide.
Detailed records
- How to identify a Doppelganger
- How to handle the Jack-in-the-Box
- Marionette encounter guide
- Rakes in Endless Mode
The database will expand only when a new record has enough material to answer a real player task, not simply to increase page count.
Heading into co-op? Confirm Shift At Midnight crossplay support by storefront before you host, and check the player limit if you are bringing a full group.
Tracking encounter-related unlocks? Check the Shift At Midnight achievements guide.