Adventuring 101: Ten Author Tips for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Follow these tips to improve your stealth, combat, and puzzle-solving prowess in Uncharted 4.

1. Look up for grapple points.

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Nathan’s grapple hook is a super-handy travel tool. Whenever you reach what appears to be a dead end, be sure to look upward for a post or beam wrapped with rope and marked by the Grapple icon. Nate can sling his hook to this grapple point then swing or climb in order to advance. In rare cases you may need to make a leap of faith toward the grapple point – that is, make a leap toward it before the Grapple icon finally appears.

2. Steer your slide … and glance up at the brink.

Negotiating rockslides, mudslides and other slippery slopes can be tricky. Sometimes you can just ride the slide straight down, but more often you need to use the left stick to steer toward a jump target. Most slides end in a sheer drop-off, so when you reach the bottom, look upward for a grapple point. If you see one, punch the Grapple button to fling your hook up at it. If you don’t see a grapple point, then simply jump at the slide’s bottom to reach a handhold on an opposite ledge.

3. Use tall grass for stealth maneuvers.

When Nathan enters tall grass and crouches, even enemies looking in his direction can’t see him. One patch of tall grass often leads to another close by, so you can sometimes creep undetected across an entire area using grass and other cover. Execute stealth takedowns of foes in or near the grass … or just sneak past them and avoid conflict altogether!

Note: Stealth takedowns in tall grass keep you in stealth mode even if nearby enemies are looking in your direction.

4. Use the enemy marking system.

You should take advantage of the enemy-marking feature when moving stealthily through environments. Marking enemies allows you to keep track of enemy movement even when walls and objects separate you. This lets you time your moves in and out of cover without a direct line of sight from the marked enemy.

5. Don’t leave victims in plain sight!

Enemies go into a higher alert state and start searching the area if they find the body of a fallen comrade. If you’re trying to be stealthy, take down foes in tall grass where patrolling guards won’t find the bodies. Other good ways to dispose of bodies: pull/knock them off ledges into water, over high cliffs, or into non-traversable locations (such as a ravine).

6. Use “blindfire” from cover when vastly outnumbered.

When facing large squads of enemies, you can’t always risk exposing yourself from cover to get off an aimed shot. This is when blindfire becomes the practical option. Simply pull the right trigger while in cover to shoot blindly over/around that cover. Accuracy is low, and you tend to expend lots of ammo as you move the wide targeting reticle over foes to get kills. But sometimes taking down just two or three enemies from a large group can be enough to turn the tide and let you pop out of cover for aimed fire.

7. Use burst fire for better accuracy.

Stealth takedowns are challenging and fun, but sometimes you just want to lean on the trigger and let the bullets fly. Accuracy is the key to winning a gunfight. To increase your accuracy when using an automatic weapon, fire in bursts to keep the aim reticle from expanding to a wide, inaccurate spread. Burst fire keeps the reticle tight and accurate.

8. Watch for the “reaching hand” gesture.

Occasionally you see Nathan reach out his hand. This gesture can mean several different things, depending on the situation, but in each case it’s a really useful cue. When climbing, the reach indicates that the next grip point is in range (although you may need to jump to it). When rope-swinging, Nate’s reach at the end of a swing indicates that you can safely jump to grab the next handhold. Finally, if Nate is in hiding and an enemy is nearby, the reach gesture means you can perform a clean stealth takedown on that foe.

9. Check Nathan’s journal regularly.

The in-game Journal is where Nate writes and sketches notes for himself; he also scrapbooks notes, letters and pictures that he’s collected during his journey. Check it regularly for context, clues, and Nathan’s great sense of humor about things he encounters. It is particularly useful as a puzzle-solving tool.

10. Listen carefully to Nathan and/or his in-game allies.

If you get stuck, Uncharted 4 does not leave you hanging for long. If the game detects no forward progress, you may get a verbal cue from a traveling partner (if one is with you) or from Nate himself. Sometimes Nate’s companion gets more assertive and actually takes the lead, jumping or climbing to that next grip point or ledge.

Continue Nathan Drake’s adventure with the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End official guide!


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Prima Games Staff
The staff at Prima Games.