****************************************************************************** /| _________________|| /| |\ `--------|------'|| || || ________ _____________ || || || || /--------\\-|---------/ || || || || // |____ || ___||_______|| ||//________ -|---/ || `--||--------| ||\\ ------/ || || || || || \\ || || || \| || \\_______ || \| || |/ \-------` |/ \| -=] D E A D L Y S H A D O W S [=- ****************************************************************************** Crappy ASCII by Lasitus ****************************************************************************** ============================= Surviving in the City A FAQ/Guide by Andrew Lidwell Version 1.0 E-mail: crypticrite@gmail.com ============================= 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 crypticrite@gmail.com. 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.