Thievery

Now that you’ve learned how to slink about with the best of them, the time has come to master the fine art of thieving.

Using Focus

After the Prologue, Garrett gains the ability to use Focus. By engaging Focus, objects of interest and value become clearly visible, helping you discover everything of use or worth in the area. This includes objects with which Garrett can interact, such as cabinets, ladders, and drawers, along with precious, precious loot. When using Focus...

• Loot and objects of interest glow blue.

• Threats and traps glow red.

Using Focus consumes Garrett’s limited supply of Focus energy, so engage it sparingly. First, search the area with the naked eye and grab everything you see, then briefly engage Focus to ensure you haven’t missed anything. Should Garrett run out of Focus, consuming a poppy will restore it. Open Garrett’s inventory to see how many poppies he’s carrying and consume one if you like.

Prying Windows

The most precious valuables are often hidden indoors, and Garrett has many methods of breaking and entering. One method involves prying open windows. Such windows feature soft light that shines through the sill and can be easily identified with Focus.

Approach a window and see if Garrett can pry it open. Ensure that no one is watching, then go about the illicit act. Not every window can be pried open.

Searching Drawers

Many loot items lie around for the taking, but others are kept inside of drawers, cabinets, chests, and so on. Open every compartment you see, using Focus to ensure you haven’t missed any. Once you’ve searched a drawer, cabinet, or the like, it no longer glows blue with Focus.

Picking Locks

If a chest, drawer, or cabinet is locked, you know there’s something good inside. Locks come in all shapes and sizes, but the most common are simple tumbler locks. These are short work for Garrett; inspect them and the master thief will whip out his lockpicks, ready to work.

Picking a tumbler lock is easy; just search for each pin’s sweet spot, locking each pin into position. The more pins a tumbler lock features, the more challenging it is to find their sweet spots. Picking a difficult tumbler lock takes time, so ensure that no one will spot you in the process. Certain upgrades and Focus abilities can hasten the process (read on for details).

Combination Locks

Combination locks are commonly found on wall safes, and they cannot be picked. Discovering the correct combination is the only way to open these advanced locks. Clues are usually found nearby, so search the area for documents or cleverly hidden numerical values. In a pinch, consult the walkthrough to discover the combinations to every lock in the game.

Special Locks

Some locks are even more advanced than combination locks, requiring special means to open. This could involve solving some sort of puzzle or discovering a unique key. Every lock can be opened, so don’t give up. The more challenging the lock, the more worthy the reward.

Hidden Switches

Hidden switches come in all shapes and sizes, and they all have one thing in common: They help you discover important secrets and precious valuables.

For example, wall safes are commonly concealed behind paintings. To access these hidden safes, you must first find one or more switches hidden around the painting’s frame. Use Focus to identify suspicious paintings, then inspect them to begin searching for their hidden switches. The process is much the same as picking a lock: feel around the frame for the switches, pressing each one when you find it. Once you’ve pressed all switches, the painting slides away, exposing the safe (or whatever else might be behind it).

Some switches are disguised as unassuming books on bookshelves. Slide your hand across the books in search of the hidden trigger book, then pull it to create a beneficial change in the environment.

Other switches are simply hidden in Garrett’s surroundings. It could be a small notch on a barrel, a little button on a desk, or a loose brick in the wall. These subtle switches can be tough to spot, so use Focus to ensure you don’t miss them.

Picking Pockets

Thieves needn’t resort to violence when it comes to relieving people of their valuables. Sneak up behind a person unnoticed, and you’ll be prompted to lift their coin purse (or any other valuables they might be carrying). Do so quickly, then quietly retreat with your haul. Or simply knock out the target afterward.

Some people carry multiple coin purses, and each one must be lifted individually—unless you possess the “Dexterity” Focus ability. Other people possess unique treasures, such as earrings, or even vital items needed for advancement, like keys. Not everyone has something to steal, though. If you don’t see a coin purse or similar sparkly object hanging from a person’s belt or earlobes, it’s a safe bet that they’re broke.