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-=] D E A D L Y S H A D O W S [=-
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Crappy ASCII by Lasitus
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=============================
Surviving in the City
A FAQ/Guide by Andrew Lidwell
Version 1.0
E-mail:
[email protected]
=============================
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Survival Guide
2a. The People
2b. Cleaning Up After Yourself
2c. Remaining Unseen
2d. Remaining Unheard
2e. Behaving Yourself
2f. Making a Clean Getaway
2g. Pavelock Prison
3. FAQ
4. Contact Info
5. Version History/Update Info
6. Legal Stuff
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
1. Introduction
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The City is a new concept to Thief fans. In the previous two games, completion
of a mission would bring you to a loadout screen, in which goods you'd...
liberated would automatically be traded in for cash, which you could use to buy
equipment to liberate more goods and so on. This is changed in Thief: Deadly
Shadows.
Now, Garrett finds himself in the City's various districts after every mission.
He must seek out his fence(s) all by his lonesome, trade his goods in, and then
find a store that will sell him less-than-legal equipment - all the while
avoiding the City Watch and whoever else might be out to ruin his night.
But fear not, fellow Thief. After several difficult nights in the City, I've
decided to take mercy on the lot of you and compile all my survival tricks into
this guide. After reading this guide, you'll be well on your way to pilfering
your weasly little guts out without fear of the City Watch trying to hit you
with pointy metal.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
2. Survival Guide
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You're finally free after that long, grueling night of pilfering, and what
better way to celebrate but to pilfer some more? Before you go charging
through the streets looking for locks to pick and purses to cut, though, there
are things to keep in mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2a. The People
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
___________
1. Peasants
___________
These people are the working men and women of the City, and make up the group
of people you will encounter most. They have no fighting ability whatsoever,
and are often seen carrying valuables around.
How will they react to me?
It's complicated. At first, they don't know you. You can stand right in
front of them, fully lit, and they won't react. That changes in the face of
crime, though. If you threaten them in any way, attempt to harm them, commit
an act of violence they can see, or carry a body in front of them - basically,
any illegal activity - they will either cower in fear or run to get the nearest
guard, who will proceed to arrest you by stabbing you in the face until you
give yourself up. The way theese people work, however, is silghtly broken.
If they see ANY crime AT ALL, (even one you didn't commit) they assume you are
the culprit. This means that they will run for the guards every time they see
you, even if you've been behaving yourself. This becomes a major problem
later, but we'll get into that in a bit.
How will they react to others?
They belong to no faction, and so have no natural enemies. They will run from
any conflict they see, and get the guards.
How can I spot them in the street (especially if they're not lit up)?
They're the only people not carrying some sort of weapon.
_________________
2. The City Watch
_________________
The bad guys. They are fewer than the peasants, but still too many for my
liking. They are the enforcers of law in The City, which means they absolutely
adore thieving law-breakers like you. Even better, they all know your face at
a glance. Seems Garrett's been busy lately. There seems to be an unlimited
supply of these guys, so just because you've knocked out every single one you
saw doesn't mean it's all clear.
How will they react to me?
They will attack you on sight, with whatever pointy thing they are currently
carrying. (For some reason, even if they bump into you in the darkness, they
automatically know it's you. So don't rub shoulders with anyone you don't
have to.) If you climb to an unreachable place (unless they have a bow) or
get their health too low, they may run for backup.
How will they react to others?
They will break up any violence in the streets. If it's you fighting they'll
go straight for you, if you're not involved they usually end up killing
everyone who is.
How can I spot them in the street (especially if they're not lit up)?
Look at the shoulders. If there are points extending from the shoulders, that
means shoulder pads, and shoulder pads mean armor - and armor means the City
Watch. Also, they're the only ones that carry bows, so if you see a bow it
means an exceptionally lethal City Watchman.
________
3. Thugs
________
Thugs are usually found around illegal establishments. They don't know
Garrett – or if they do, they don't care, so long as he stays out of their way.
How will they react to me?
They'll ignore you until you harm them. Once aggravated (by anyone, mind you),
they'll attack you on sight. They will not run for backup if they can't reach
you or if their health drops too low. After all, who would they get - the City
Watch to arrest you both?
How will they react to others?
They become hostile if they see any violence. If you’re not around, they will
proceed to attack any City Watchman they see, or anyone else who pisses them
off.
How can I spot them in the street (especially if they're not lit up)?
They will look like peasants, but they're carrying swords (never bows). If
there's no armor, but you see a sword, chances are it's a Thug.
_____________
4. Hammerites
_____________
A religion obsessed with technology, mechanics, and progress. They talk like
someone right out of Shakespeare and are always on the lookout for sinners to
smite. This can be good for you or bad for you, depending on your actions
throughout the game.
How will they react to me?
Depends. Inside missions, they are always hostile. However, on the streets
that can change, depending on how much they like you. When Hostile, they
will attack you on sight. When Neutral, they will not attack you unless you
enter their territory (Fort Ironwood, Old Quarter). When Allied, you can come
and go as you please, and they will even attack anyone fighting you.
How will they react to others?
They will attack Pagans on sight. Aside from that, they tend to leave well
enough alone, unless attacked first.
How can I spot them in the street (especially if they're not lit up)?
They're decked out in red, and carry either a staff that glows red or a giant
hammer on their back. You literally cannot miss them.
_________
5. Pagans
_________
Slightly demented folk who worship the ancient Trickster god and speak a
strange, English-like dialect based around the letter "s". They live and
breathe nature, and seek to bring nature back to dominance and live as one
with it. This makes them natural enemies of the progress-driven Hammerites.
How will they react to me?
Depends. Inside missions, they are always hostile. However, on the streets
that can change, depending on how much they like you. When Hostile, they will
attack you on sight. When Neutral, they will not attack you unless you enter
their territory (An abandoned inn in The Docks and the park in Audale). When
Allied, you can come and go as you please, and they will even attack anyone
fighting you.
How will they react to others?
They will attack Hammerites on sight. Aside from that, they tend to leave well
enough alone, unless attacked first.
How can I spot them in the street (especially if they're not lit up)?
It's difficult, but they are usually wearing dress-like garments and have
swords. You'll almost never see them outside of pagan territory, though, so
it's not too huge an issue.
____________
6. Enforcers
____________
Keeper assassins sent after Garrett. Theese guys come in threes, and are tough
to kill. Avoidance is the best policy here. You won't run into them until
you hit Old Quarter, but once they're set loose they cause absolute chaos in
the streets. They communicate telepathically, which they don't know you can
hear. It's pretty cool, aside from the fact that you can't judge where they
are from the voice echoing in your head. Everyone and anyone who can fight will
attack Enforcers on sight. One of them has to die (usually not the Enforcer),
leaving a body in the streets for peasants to stumble upon and - you guessed
it - assume YOU are the murderer, making it difficult to move through The City
without the Watch being summoned at your every step.
How will they react to me?
They will actively hunt you at all times, and attack you on sight. Don't let
their apparent lack of ranged weapons fool you - they can throw blue homing
glyphs at you if you try to climb to safety.
How will they react to others?
Anyone who can fight attacks them on sight, so it's hard to say. They don't
seem to harm peasants, though. They will fight anyone who attacks them.
How can I spot them in the street (especially if they're not lit up)?
They're staking around hunched over at all times, so they're pretty easy to
see. If that's not enough, they're carrying crescent-shaped weapons in one
hand and are wearing hoods.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2b. Cleaning Up After Yourself
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What are you, the City maid? No, you're a careful thief that never leaves
behind evidence of his wrongdoings. A few careless mistakes - a body left out
in the open, a pool of blood left uncleaned - can spell the difference between
a clueless City and every peasant you see running for the guards.
First, bodies. Killed or simply knocked out, bodies serve as a warning sign to
anyone who stumbles across one. That person will then either begin searching
for you or run for help. If you ever run into them again, they'll recognize
you (somehow). If you create a body, don’t leave it lying around - find a
shady nook that nobody walks in to dump it. It'll save you a lot of headache
later.
Moving on to bloodstains. These are the main reason I use my blackjack to...
remove... my foes. Not only does it make lass noise, but it doesn't leave
behind any blood. Sometimes, though, killing is unavoidable, and you end up
with these. Blood is spilled when you first strike someone with a pointy
object, and again when you land the killing blow. Anyone who sees a bloodstain
will become suspicious, but won't actively seek you out. A single water arrow
will clean up all bloodstains in a generous area around the point of impact.
The weapons enemies drop are annoying. You'd think they'd tip off passerby,
and there's no way to move them, so they bug the hell out of you. Thankfully,
they seem to be invisible to everyone but you, and nobody cares if they walk
over a fallen sword.
[S. Baker has this to add:]
i just got something useful that i found out while running around randomly
pilfering from peoples houses, in the city, it may seem like a good idea to
hide bodies in places the guards don't use, well its really isn't, if you
can, store bodies in a certain house or other establishment, leave those
dark corners for yourself, otherwise when you hide there the guards will
find the body and just keep looking, and everytime they see it they prolong
the search.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2c. Remaining Unseen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stealth is still your greatest weapon. Just because you're out in the City
doesn't mean you can act much differently than you would in a regular mission.
Garrett has an amazing ability to blend in with shadows to become all but
invisible - don't ignore it. In every district there are plenty of doorways,
nooks, alleys and corners shrouded in shadows that Garrett can easily hide in.
Knowing how to move about stealthily can often spell the difference between
that guard walking by without a clue or trying to kill you.
Learn to gravitate towards dark areas wherever you go. Don't walk in areas of
open light in you can help it, and try to walk close to unlit walls. You can
crouch if you want. Pressing against a dark wall will drastically reduce your
visibility (unless you're right in front of a light source). All of these
actions will reduce your visibility, meaning that that guard only *thought* he
saw someone over there...
[N. Sabruka has this to add:]
If you are hiding in complete darkness but a guard or the like bumps into
you, they will spot you. Not, however, if you are hugging a wall. Wall
hugging, in perfect darkness, makes you perfectly undetectable. I like to
do this in tight spots instead of getting bumped into and having to run
like Hell. Remember though that you must be in perfect darkness for this
to work. The slightest light will cancel this effect.
Don't forget about your Water Arrows, either. They're a valuable tool if you
need a bit of shadow to duck into in a pinch. Gas Arrows will put out open
flames as well, but as they're rare and expensive you'd do well to only use
them in desperate situations.
If you've got the Climbing Gloves, an entirely new mode of travel becomes
available. A guard is patrolling that alleyway? Climb up above the light and
cross the alley, Spider-Man style. The guard will be none the wiser.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2d. Remaining Unheard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Almost everything you do makes noise. This matters less in The City, where
most of the people don't care how loudly you charge through the streets.
Noises will still tip off your enemies, however, (and running makes you easier
to see) so it still pays to be careful.
Pay attention to what you're walking on if you're trying to move silently.
Carpet and "natural" ground such as dirt or moss makes almost no noise, whereas
tile or metal will send your footsteps echoing for quite a while. Trying to
sneak up behind someone is no good if you're running across metal and they turn
to see what all the noise is. A blackjack only serves to piss off someone
looking at you.
By default, the Shift key will make Garret walk, which is quieter than running
but still makes noise. The Ctrl key will make Garrett Sneak, making no sound
at all, even if he were walking on bubble wrap with golf cleats. Crouching
will also make Garrett move slower, creating less noise. If you're crouching
and sneaking, you're not only hard to see but impossible to hear. You'll be
moving slower than a sleepy turtle, but you'll be stealthy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2e. Behaving Yourself
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But I'm a thief, damnit! You're saying I still have to act a certain way? Yes
and no. These aren't so much ways to behave as they are guidelines to avoid
getting in trouble with everyone in The City.
First: Please try not to kill any non-combatants. Not only does it look bad
on your record, but depending on who you kill your subsequent visits to The
City can become that much harder. Really. Take, for example, South Quarter.
Just outside of Black Alley, there's a man behind a booth selling bread. On
the booth are two loaves of bread, a candle you can pinch out... and 75 loot
in copper coins, every night. But! If you get too excited and kill him, the
booth disappears, depriving you not only of free money, but a great place to
hide from the Watch or stash bodies.
Second: Don't mug people. Really. It may seem like a great idea, but you'll
never make more than 100 loot a person this way, and every person you mug runs
off to get the City Watch every time they see you, making it more of a headache
then it's worth. If you're that desperate for money, there are plenty of
people to pickpocket – an action that nets you some cash and leaves the victim
unaware of your actions.
Third: Don't fight anyone that could damage your relationship with a guild.
Attacking them makes your standing with them decrease, then killing them
decreases it further. So, if you get attacked by Hammerites or Pagans, and
you want to preserve your relationship with them, RUN.
Last, try not to get caught trespassing. There's some great loot to be found
in homes, to be sure, but any peasant who sees you will summon the Watch and
yaddah yaddah. I'm not saying "don't trespass", I'm saying "don't get caught".
That, after all, is what being a Thief is all about.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2f. Making a Clean Getaway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Accidents happen. Maybe you thought you were alone, then turned the corner and
ran headfirst into a Watchman. Maybe that body you thought you hid got
spotted, and the Watch has been summoned. Maybe you're being chased, and need
to get the hell out of there. What do you then?
Simple. First and foremost, you get the hell out of there. Fighting is
unadvisable, messy, and noisy. Besides that, Garrett is not a tank, and can
easily fall in combat. Your best option is to turn trail and beat a hasty
retreat.
You have a large advantage when it comes to running away - Garrett does not get
tired from running around, and guards do. After running for a while, guards
will have to stop to catch their breath - affording you the perfect opportunity
to duck around a corner into a dark doorway or alleyway. Being unsure where
you want, the guards will be forced to search for you and - if you hide well
enough - give up.
Knowing when to hide is important. If a guard has spotted you and starts
running at you, it is no good hiding in the shadows right then and there, as
the guard already has a bead on your location. The guard must lose sight of
you first, even if only for a second. Otherwise they will home in on you like
one of the Enforcer's glyphs. Usually this means putting some distance between
you and your pursuers, then ducking around a corner and hiding.
Also, don't forget about the tools at your disposal. A flashbomb will blind
everyone (except you) in the area for a good while, giving you lots of time to
run away. A well-aimed Gas Bomb or Arrow, while expensive, could potentially
take down several opponents at once. Dropping an Oil Flask will create an oil
slick that will make anyone who runs over it (besides you) fall over, buying
you the precious seconds you need to escape. A Fire Arrow fired at said oil
slick will light it ablaze, damaging anyone caught in the flames and making
foes reluctant to pursue you.
When being chased, learn to love the Climbing Gloves. These little bundles of
joy will allow you to climb any surface made of stone or brick, allowing you to
scale sheer walls and climb to normally unreachable areas. Guards can't
climb not even up ladders), and so can't pursue you that way. Simply hanging
off the wall may work as an escape tactic as well - provided the guard doesn't
have a bow, and decides to run for help instead of stubbornly sitting down
there. This will let you hop down and find a better hiding spot before backup
arrives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2g. Pavelock Prison
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time you die in The City, you will be taken to Pavelock Prison and
tossed in a cell to await a public execution. Your equipment and items will
be removed, and put in a lockup (conveniently near your cell). A couple
guards will arrive to taunt you, and one of them has a key ring. Pick it off
his belt and escape. Be warned, however - the guards will not be so lenient
next time, and will kill you on sight. You only get one chance to cheat death,
so make it count.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last but not Least
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Never, ever stop learning! This guide alone can't tell you everything there
is to know about The City, and I guarantee that with a little experimentation
and practice, you'll develop your own tricks for Survival in the City.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
As much as I love getting e-mails from people who read my guide, I don't have
the time to answer every single generic question/comment that comes my way.
So, I've compiled some of the most common questions into this FAQ. Note that
I'm not saying "don't send e-mail", especially if you have something
constructive to say - and ESPECIALLY if you want to tell me how great my guide
is. I've got an ego to feed, you know. :)
Q: I love your FAQ!!!
A: Thanks!
Q: Your FAQ sucks!
A: *delete*
Q: Will you add my secret/tip/whatever to your guide?
A: Probably. I'm thinking of adding a section for player-submitted tricks
sometime soon, so if you have something by all means send it to me. I'll
either stick it where it'll be most useful or begin building a new section,
if I get enough tips that don't really fit into a single category.
Q: Why did you add Pavelock Prison to your guide?
A: Although it's not technically part of the city, I feel it has enough
significance to be mentioned.
Q: Well then, can you explain how to get out of Pavelock?
A: Does this look like a walkthrough to you? If you really need help, CyricZ's
walkthrough explains it very well.
I'll add more as they come. If they come.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
4. Contact Info
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You can e-mail me at
[email protected]. Note that I only want to talk
about the guide or the game. I don’t want to strike up conversations with
strangers or get spammed. Also, if you're going to e-mail me, make sure your
e-mail is legible. If I can't read it, it gets deleted.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
5. Version History/Update Info
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
7/25/06 - I finally christen the guide 1.0 and submit it. Yay, me!
7/14/07 - It's been nearly a whole year, but now there are some
speling/syntax/grammar corrections and two player-submitted tips.
Whee!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
6. Legal Stuff
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I, Andrew Lidwell, and only I wrote this guide. It is Copyright © 2006 Andrew
"Lasitus" Lidwell. In layman's terms, that means that this guide is mine and
mine only. Copying and redistributing it - in part or in whole - without
express permission from me is strictly forbidden.
Currently, the only websites with permission to post this guide are:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.supercheats.com
If you want to post my guide, e-mail me and I will probably
give you permission. If you want to link to my guide, you may link to the FAQ
listing for the game on GameFAQs, NOT directly to my guide.
If you see this guide posted on any unlisted site, or anyone else using this
guide without permission, e-mail me and they shall be dealt with accordingly.
If I find out that you are using my guide without permission, I will tell you
as politely as possible to stop. If you refuse, there will be lawyers, and
nobody likes lawyers... taffer.
