The Cosmetics Update for R.E.P.O. finally gives your semibot a personality beyond a coat of paint. With over 500 unique items spanning hats, jackets, jeans, and even a hamburger hat, your robot can now look exactly as chaotic as your squad deserves. The catch: none of this drops into your lap. You have to earn it through a specific loop involving cosmetic boxes, Tax Tokens, and a very memorable cry-laugh emoji machine.
How does the cosmetics system work in R.E.P.O.?
Cosmetics in R.E.P.O. do not spawn as regular loot you can grab and pocket. Instead, the system runs through a dedicated currency called Tax Tokens. You find cosmetic boxes out in the levels, extract them through the Extraction Point, and each box converts into one Tax Token. Take that token back to the Service Station and feed it into the Tax Token dispenser, a large pillar decorated with a spinning cry-laugh emoji. Out comes a randomized cosmetic item matching the rarity of the token you inserted.
This means cosmetics never directly reward you with money, and you can't sell them. They exist entirely outside the normal economy, which keeps the grind focused and separate from your quota pressure.
Cosmetic boxes take damage if you drop them or knock them into walls. You can heal a damaged box by holding the hand icon on its side, which transfers 10 HP per tick from your own health pool to the box. Keep that in mind before tossing a rare box across a room.
Where do cosmetic boxes spawn?
Boxes only appear in four specific levels: Headman Manor, McJannek Station, Swiftbroom Academy, and Museum of Human Art. You will not find them in every level, so plan your runs accordingly.
As documented by Polygon, cosmetic boxes are very rare in the first three levels of a run. From level 4 onward, your chances of encountering one or more boxes improve noticeably. The further you push your quota, the better your odds of seeing them appear.
Boxes show up as large square or rectangular objects with a distinct colored glow that tells you the rarity before you even pick one up.
Common cosmetic box in the wild
What are the cosmetic rarity tiers?
Every cosmetic box glows a specific color tied to its rarity, and that rarity carries through to the Tax Token and the cosmetic reward you receive. Rarer boxes are physically larger and heavier, making them harder to transport to the Extraction Point.
Yellow legendary boxes are the hardest to carry out of a level. Coordinate with your squad before attempting to extract one solo, especially on later floors where enemy pressure is higher.
How to customize your semibot
Once you have cosmetics in your collection, you can access them without even loading into a game. The Customize option sits directly on the main menu, and a number badge next to it shows how many new items you have waiting. Open it before or after joining a lobby.
Inside the Customize menu, every item you own is sorted by body part across four categories: head, body, arms, and legs. Select a category, scroll through the sub-categories (hats, shirts, pants, and more), click any item to equip it, then hit Confirm to lock in your look.
Semibot Customize menu layout
Most cosmetics come in multiple color variants. Click the small palette icon in the upper right corner of the menu to swap colors on any piece. You can also repaint your semibot's base appearance here, essentially changing its skin tone. Save any combination you like by opening the Presets tab at the top of the screen and selecting an empty slot, or overwriting an existing saved outfit.
The Customize menu tracks your unseen items with a counter badge. Check it after each run so you never miss a new unlock sitting in your collection.
Tips for farming cosmetics efficiently
The randomized nature of the system means you cannot target specific cosmetics, but you can improve how many Tax Tokens you generate per session.
- Prioritize runs through Headman Manor, McJannek Station, Swiftbroom Academy, and Museum of Human Art since those are the only four levels where boxes spawn.
- Push past the first three levels before expecting boxes to appear with any regularity.
- Assign one squad member to watch and carry cosmetic boxes while others handle the main loot, since rarer boxes are heavy enough to slow you down.
- Heal damaged boxes before extraction rather than gambling on a broken legendary arriving at the Extraction Point.
- Check the Customize menu after every session to see what you unlocked and plan which body parts still need filling.
With co-op games like R.E.P.O., coordinating the cosmetic carry with your group turns what could be a solo chore into a natural part of the run rhythm. One person on box duty, the rest on loot and threat management, and everyone gets to enjoy the Tax Token machine together at the end.
For more strategies covering every part of your runs, the full R.E.P.O. strategy guides collection has you covered on everything from quota tips to enemy handling.