Watch Dogs Mistakes New Players Make

Hack Chicago with Prima’s free Watch Dogs walkthrough. 

Go in-depth with the official Watch Dogs guide!

Players will soon discover that Watch Dogs is less forgiving than Grand Theft Auto 5. While in theory you can do what you want, when you want, there are stiff consequences for playing the game however you wish. Since we’ve logged countless hours hacking and whacking Chicago, here are the biggest mistakes you’ll probably make, at least until you read Prima’s free Watch Dogs guide and walkthrough. 

Pulling out your gun at will

Much like real life, don’t pull out and point a firearm unless you intend to use it. Doing so creates chaos, as civilians panic and run in the opposite direction, and here’s the worst part: one or more of these people will attempt to dial 9-1-1 and send the cops to your location. This also applies to stealing vehicles. Think you can yank someone from his or her car without consequence? Prepare to avoid the police.

Not utilizing cameras 

There are hundreds of cameras strategically placed throughout virtual Chicago, and you’re free to hack and gain access to them at will. Why is this important? Doing so gives you the high ground and a much better look at guard locations and all sorts of environmental objects you can use to your advantage, including forklifts, explosive items and other useful things. Ignoring cameras and running into a restricted area blind is a quick way to get killed. 

Not distracting guards 

This goes back to cameras. Ideally, you want to pay close attention to guard routes because this makes wandering into restricted areas much easier. Sometimes, however, a guard will refuse to budge and hold his post. That’s when you’ll need to create a distraction by activating a car alarm or an explosion. Failing to do this will make life difficult. 

Ignoring the crafting system

You don’t necessarily need to craft items to make significant progress in Watch Dogs, but why avoid it? Collecting items in the game world lets you create a handful of useful things, such as grenades and IEDs, both of which are extremely helpful for killing groups of enemies at once. 

Not upgrading Aiden Pearce’s skills 

Over time, you’ll collect skill points used to boost Aiden’s abilities, from hacking to combat. Watch Dogs becomes excruciatingly difficult, and Act 2 is the longest and most complex chapter in the game. Bottom line, you want to at the very least even the playing field. Upgrading skills is the best way to do that. 

Not taking cover

We’d like to think security guards are rent-a-cops with terrible aim, but the enemies in Watch Dogs are wicked accurate. Stay out in the open for too long and Aiden will quickly become a casualty. Duck to avoid gunfire. 

Refusing to hack 

Considering Watch Dogs is a game that involves hacking all sorts of devices (cameras, cell phones, ctOS towers, traffic lights), ignoring it makes no sense. Hacking is but one feature that separates the game from GTA5. Embrace it.

Watch Dogs is currently available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and PC.