Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s delve into the area in which Garrett truly shines. This section teaches you how to maneuver through Garrett’s world without leaving a trace.
Light and Dark
Light is a thief’s worst enemy while darkness is his greatest ally. By keeping to the shadows, Garrett can move right past even the most attentive patrol without being noticed. By contrast, Garrett is easily spotted when moving through light, even by distant persons. When plotting your course through an area, always look for darkness that Garrett can exploit.
Creating Darkness
Some areas are just too well lit for Garrett to risk moving through. In these situations, look for opportunities to turn out the lights.
Snuffing Candles
Though they produce little light, even the tiniest of candles can give Garrett away. Fortunately, candles are the easiest lights to deal with. Approach one, and you’ll be prompted to snuff it out with a pinch of Garrett’s fingers.
Extinguishing Flames
The larger flames of torches, braziers, and open fires aren’t so easily quelled; Garrett must use valuable water arrows to extinguish these larger blazes. Strike an open flame with a water arrow, and it quickly goes out. This often causes nearby guards to become curious; inspect the torch, brazier, or fire; and relight it. During this time, Garrett can opt to slip past the guards, pick their pockets, or knock them out from behind.
Light Switches
The invention of the lightbulb has made life challenging for the humble thief, but even electric lights can be put out in some cases. Look for light switches on walls, and press them to shut off the surrounding lights. Again, this may cause nearby guards to become curious, inspect the light switch, and turn the lights back on. Light switches can also be triggered from afar with blunt arrows, but doing so causes a louder sound that may cause nearby guards to become suspicious instead of merely curious.
Peeking and Leaning
The seasoned thief searches his environment thoroughly before making his move. By moving close to the edge of a wall, crate, or similar object, Garrett is prompted to peek around the edge, scouting whatever may lie ahead.
While peeking, Garrett can opt to lean out for a better view. If there’s another wall or crate nearby in the direction that Garret is leaning, he’ll have the option of changing his cover by darting over to that neighboring object. As long as he’s careful, Garrett is unlikely to be noticed while swiftly changing cover.
Silent Movements
Remaining hidden is only half of the stealth game—keeping quiet is equally vital. Even if Garrett is completely hidden from view, nearby guards may become curious or even suspicious if he makes too much noise. Fortunately, Garrett is well versed in the art of silence.
Crouching and Sneaking
Garrett makes little noise while walking, but even less while sneaking. Crouch and then move to sneak. Sneaking has the added benefit of making Garrett more difficult to spot. Unless you have good reason to stand up and walk, remain crouched and sneak around to create as little noise as possible.
Swooping
Whether standing or sneaking, Garrett can perform a swift, silent dash known as a swoop. Swooping allows Garrett to quickly cover short distances without being noticed, for the master thief appears as little more than a shadowy blur. This vital move can hasten Garrett’s approach toward unwary guards, and it allows him to dart from shadow to shadow without being seen. Whenever you need to get somewhere quickly and quietly, swoop.
Terrain Effects
Every self-respecting thief wears padded shoes that muffle their footfalls, and Garrett has no shortage of self-respect. Still, even the most softly padded footwear will create sound if one foolishly moves too quickly over noisy surfaces. Carpet and stone are unlikely to produce much sound when traversed, but wooden boards may creak and groan under Garrett’s weight. Crossing shallow water is also quite noisy if you don’t sneak very slowly. Consider the terrain carefully before you cross, and whenever you’re in doubt, sneak.
Broken Glass
Crossing shards of glass won’t harm Garrett, but it can produce unwanted noise. There’s almost always some way to avoid broken glass, so take a close look at your surroundings and see if you can devise an alternate route. If you absolutely must cross broken glass, crouch and sneak as slowly as possible to soften the sound.
Breakable Objects
Breakable objects, such as glass bottles and ceramic vases, are a ubiquitous threat. Carelessly bumping into such objects may cause them to shatter, raising the curiosity or suspicions of nearby guards. Of course, Garrett can pick up and throw (or shatter with his blackjack) many of these same objects to create useful distractions that can lure guards out of your path or into the shadows, where no one will witness their demise.
Birds and Dogs
Animals are no friend to the thief (aside from Basso’s raven, Jenivere, of course). Caged birds will stir if Garrett makes too much noise, bumps into their cages, or if he makes any sudden movements near them, such as swooping, running, or even walking too fast. Stirring up birds causes Garrett to become detected, ruining his chances at certain Thieving Challenges. Worse, riled birds can rouse their owners’ curiosity and suspicions. Sneak to ensure you don’t startle caged birds, or stir them up intentionally to create a distraction.
Caged dogs are even more bothersome. Should their keen eyes pick up Garrett’s unfamiliar form, dogs will begin to growl. If Garrett isn’t quick to retreat, dogs will soon bark, raising the suspicions of their masters. Keep well away from dogs, and if you must sneak past them, try to do so from behind to reduce the chances of being seen.
Stealth Takedowns
Stealth has its advantages, the most beneficial (and fun) being stealth takedowns. Sneak up behind a victim and tap the Melee Attack/Takedown button to knock them out with a swing of Garrett’s blackjack. Performing a stealth takedown does not kill the victim, but merely knocks them unconscious for the duration of the mission. Each stealth takedown you perform increases your chances of earning the “Opportunist” Playstyle.
Aerial Takedowns
Another form of takedown involves dropping down on the victim from above. Garrett can perform these stealth takedowns by perching above an unwary target from a significant height. Look for opportunities to perform these exciting takedowns. Each aerial takedown you execute increases your chances of earning the “Predator” Playstyle.
Opportunist Takedowns
By exploiting his environment, Garrett can achieve a variety of clever takedowns. Though each of these takedowns results in the victim’s death, they all increase your chances of earning the “Opportunist” Playstyle due to their ingenuity. In addition, these noisy takedowns are almost certain to draw the attention of nearby guards.
Explosive Barrels
Most barrels are nonvolatile, but these special, reddish barrels are filled with explosive substances. Loose a fire or blast arrow into these barrels, then sit back and enjoy the fireworks. The blast radius is quite large, but it’s best to wait until the victim(s) are right near the barrel to ensure fatalities.
Flammable Liquids
Whenever you see explosive barrels, there’s usually an oil or kerosene spill nearby. These flammable spills can also be found on their own when no barrels are present. Use a fire or blast arrow to ignite the liquid when threats walk through it, and they’ll be set ablaze. After several agonizing seconds, the helpless victim collapses, dead.
Hanging Objects
Heads-up: Garrett can use blunt arrows to knock down hanging objects, potentially crushing unsuspecting victims. Such objects include hanging crates, boards, and even chandeliers. Use Focus to identify the object’s hinge, then send it crashing down.
Volatile Valves
On rare occasions, Garrett can use blunt arrows to shatter pressurized valves. Depending on the substance flowing inside the pipe, this can result in a burst of flame that kills the victim or a jet of gas that briefly stuns them. It’s great fun either way.
Headshots
Scoring a headshot on a victim results in a clean kill that won’t draw attention—that is, unless someone hears or sees the murder. Headshots are about as silent as stealth takedowns, and they have the added advantage of eliminating threats from afar, with little risk of being detected. Broadhead and sawtooth arrows are ideal for scoring headshots.
Sadly, most guards are smart enough to wear helmets that protect their skulls. To execute a headshot on a helmeted guard, aim for the face or throat. If you strike the helmet, the guard will merely be stunned. Naturally, headshots kill the victim and therefore increase your chances at earning the “Predator” Playstyle.
Hiding Bodies
Should a guard notice a fallen comrade, they’ll immediately become alarmed, and a thorough search of their surroundings will ensue. It is therefore wise to conceal the bodies of Garrett’s victims after performing a kill or knockout.
Approach a fallen body and hold the Interact button to pick it up. Now you’re ready to hide it somewhere. Carry the body into the shadows where no one will see it, then either press the Interact button to toss it to the ground or press the Cancel button to gently set it down. A true pro, Garrett automatically loots any body he picks up (though this does not count as picking a pocket).
Escaping Detection
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. If Garrett slips up and is detected by guards, he’ll be forced to either fight his adversaries or flee to safety. The former option is covered later in this chapter; the latter is discussed here.
Hiding in Cabinets
If guards are merely curious or even simply headed Garrett’s way as part of their normal patrol route, then cabinets make for excellent hiding places. Curious guards won’t bother searching them, and neither will guards on their normal patrols. Look to exploit cabinets whenever possible—hide in them and wait for guards to walk past, then slip out and advance before they return. As a bonus, your progress is saved whenever you enter a cabinet (unless guards are currently searching the premises).
Once hidden inside a cabinet, you have the option of exiting quietly or barging out. The latter is useful if a guard is about to search the cabinet, for it will surprise the guard, letting you take the advantage in combat or flee to a new hiding spot.
Fleeing to Higher Ground
When hiding spaces aren’t available, fleeing to higher ground is a sound backup plan. Look for tall walls that only Garrett can climb with his claw, and scamper up to safety. Guards will throw darts or fire arrows at you, so retreat out of range and remain hidden until they lose interest and resume their patrols. If you’re feeling particularly vengeful, move into position for an aerial takedown after they’ve lost track of you.
Ducking into Crawl Spaces
Crawl spaces also serve as excellent hiding places, for no guard will think to enter or search them. Duck into a crawl space when you’re being pursued, then simply wait for the guards to lose interest. You may need to retreat into the crawl space a bit for this to occur.