Shift At Midnight: Monster Guide

The night shift throws several kinds of trouble at you: doppelgangers hiding among customers, and a rogues' gallery of entities that hunt you in the late hours. Here's how to survive all of them.

Last updated: Aug 22, 2026 · compiled from top-rated Steam community guides

Doppelgangers

Doppelgangers are monsters wearing the shape of ordinary customers. They don't announce themselves — they wait, watch, and strike when you're isolated or distracted.

• Identification beats combat: the best weapon against a doppelganger is recognizing it early. Check IDs, dates of birth, and the people they mention (full tells on the Beginner's Guide).
• Traps are the clean kill: once you know who's wrong, funnel them into a trap rather than confronting them.
• Serving them still pays: doppelgangers with no bounty can be served for income — just be ready for the attention it draws.

The Entity (it's blind)

The Entity is the game's apex hunter — and its biggest weakness is a surprise:it can't see you. You can stand right in front of it and it won't react.

• It hunts by touch and hearing. If it touches you or hears you, it pinpoints your location instantly — and once it's aggroed, it's hard to shake.
• Vents are the escape. Entering a vent gets it to lose you — but don't overstay, because something in there is worse.
• It brings friends. On the second Blood Moon, the Entity arrives with backup if you're not careful.

Demented

Demented are hard to avoid — community reports say looking at them isn't always enough to freeze them. The reliable way to dispose of them is traps:

• Land mines and bear traps are the most effective tools against them.
• Players have reported killing them by accident with well-placed traps — set up chokepoints and let them come.

Shrieking Dolls

The least dangerous entry on the list: Shrieking Dolls can be swatted away with melee weapons. They're squishy — a few swings and they're done. Just don't let them shriek near other threats.

The Marionette

The Marionette is the community's most-hated monster, and the best strategy isprevention:

• Stay on top of the music boxes. The Marionette only spawns if the music boxes wind down — you cannot disarm a music box while taking damage, so deal with it before things get loud.
• Don't use fire. Community reports: fire hurts you more than it hurts the Marionette, and once it's on you the damage is brutal.
• Going outside briefly has reportedly shaken it off — risky, but it works when you're out of options.
• Kill the Entity first. Fighting both at once is a death sentence; clear the big one, then deal with the Marionette.

Blood Moons

Blood Moons are the game's difficulty spikes: attacks are inevitable on these nights, no matter how perfectly you do your job. The Entity is coming regardless.

• The second Blood Moon is the worst — the Entity brings its buddies.
• Pre-position boards and traps at all three entrances (front, bathroom, back) before night falls.
• Keep bandages on you — they can be applied while running. Health kits require standing still, which is a death sentence mid-attack.

FAQ

Related:Beginner's Guide ·Traps Guide ·All 3 Endings