If you have not encountered a Freak in Thief, consider yourself lucky. These powerful creatures are some of scariest you’ll face in the game. If you don’t have the proper tools, killing them is nearly impossible. Since we’re not the only ones struggling to overcome these monsters, we came up with five methods to surviving these dangerous enemies.
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5.) Environmental Kills
Thief provides players with many opportunities to exploit their environment. This is especially true when you encounter a group of Freaks. Pay special attention to the roof when you’re in the company of these creepy creatures. Use Focus to highlight objects of interest. Often times (Chapter 7 – The Hidden City), crates will hang above an unsuspecting Freak. Try throwing a bottle on the ground near the crate. With any luck, this will attract the attention of several nearby Freaks, allowing you to use a Blunt Arrow to drop a crate on their heads. Even though environmental kills may not be that common, they may open paths that allow you to reach your objective.
4.) Burn Them Alive
Similar to locating crates hanging above Freaks, you can almost always find a puddle of flammable liquid on the ground. In fact, this is much more common than the hanging crates. If you have a distraction device — Blunt Arrow or bottle — and a Fire Arrow, you’re set. Cause a distraction near a puddle of flammable liquid, and when one or more Freaks come to check it out, set the liquid and the Freaks ablaze using the Fire Arrow. This is especially effective if you haven’t upgraded your bow shot strength.
3.) Sneak Past Them
Luckily for Garret, the Freaks in Thief are blind. They have excellent hearing, however, so avoid making too much noise. In addition, don’t use Focus too often when they’re around; it gets their attention. Be patient in a room with several Freaks. As long as you don’t make noise, you’ll be able to plan your path after observing their habits. Be sure to keep an eye out for loose bottles and broken glass, as making any noise at all might spell the end for Garret. When you’re ready to move up, stay crouched and sneak forward slowly. You can get incredibly close to them as long as you’re quiet. Finally, never take them down with a melee attack; their claws are deadly.
2.) Blast Arrows
For good reason, Blast Arrows are the most expensive in the game. Whatever they hit — and usually anything nearby — is dead. Even though they will set you back up to 100 G or more, the damage they deal is worth the investment. Try throwing a bottle into the middle of a pile of Freaks. When they move to investigate, hit one with a Blast Arrow, hopefully taking several of them out with one shot. Blast arrows also work incredibly well if your position is compromised. Rather than try to get a perfect head shot on an advancing Freak, aim center mass with a Blast Arrow to quickly stop the threat. Even though it’s not the neat and tidy method a master thief is used to, you can’t argue with the results.
1.) Unleash a Fire Arrow
The benefit of Fire Arrows over Blast Arrows comes down to availability and stealth. Not only are Fire Arrows cheaper than Blast Arrows, you can carry more. Fire Arrows can be used to ignite the flammable liquid on the ground, burning nearby Freaks alive. It can also be used to take them down with a well-placed headshot, leaving the remaining Freaks unaware of your presence. In order to kill a Freak with a Fire Arrow, you must have the Bow Shot Strength upgrade, which can be obtained from the Shady Merchant. Taking a Freak down with a single head shot from a Fire Arrow is the simplest and most common way to kill them, making it our number one choice for dealing with these intimidating foes.
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