Thief: The Dark Project Gold (v1.37)
FAQ v15.2 by Taffer (taffer-six@home.com)
July 22, 2000
"Ye shall not rob from the house I have built, or commit any theft or
unrighteousness, lest ye be struck down and driven into the earth forthwith,
and the land of the heathen consume you."
-- The Book of the Stone
"The paths of thief and god are worn as one in the earth."
"Thief wanted for the theft of the gems of Sarnoth."
"Woe be to him that defies the tree, for he shall be cast out into the world
through the veils of pain and fire."
Table of Contents
=================
Section 1: The Latest From Taffer
1.1: Personal Notes Regarding The Next Release
1.2: Small Tribute To Looking Glass Studios
Section 2: Updates Since Last Release
Section 3: Opening Notes Regarding This FAQ
3.1: Thief: The Dark Project Gold
3.1.1: Patches Available
3.2: Reading This FAQ
3.3: The Walkthroughs
3.4: Headers
3.5: Best Times
3.6: Contacting the Author
3.6.1: Contact Through Email
3.6.2: Contact Through ICQ
3.6.2.1: Unauthorized Adding on ICQ
3.6.3: Thief FAQ Mailing Lists
3.6.3.1: Bounced Emails
3.7: Experimentation
3.8: Mission Objectives
3.8.1: Changing Objectives
3.9: Recommended Purchases
3.10: Just What The Heck Is A Taffer Anyway?
3.10.1: The True Meaning Of "Taffer"
3.11: Victoria vs. Viktoria
3.12: Other FAQs By The Author
3.13: Thief II: The Metal Age
Section 4: Game Notes
4.1: Patrols
4.2: Bloodstains and Bodies
4.3: Doors
4.4: Water
4.5: Hard Surfaces
4.6: Compass
4.7: Jumping and Mantling
4.8: Leaning
4.9: Enemies
4.9.1: Human Guards
4.9.2: Spiders
4.9.3: Fly Swarms
4.9.4: Zombies
4.9.5: Burricks
4.9.6: Flaming Spirits
4.9.7: Hammer Haunts
4.9.8: Craymen
4.9.9: Hammer Spirits
4.9.10: Mages
4.9.11: Fire Elementals
4.9.12: Monkeymen
4.9.13: Insect-Beasts
4.9.14: Frogs
4.9.15: The Trickster
4.9.16: Sleepers
4.9.17: Non-Combatants
4.9.18: Chests
4.10: Arsenal
4.10.1: Sword
4.10.2: Blackjack
4.10.3: Broadhead Arrows
4.10.4: Water Arrows
4.10.5: Fire Arrows
4.10.6: Moss Arrows
4.10.7: Gas Arrows
4.10.8: Rope Arrows
4.10.9: Noisemaker Arrows
4.10.10: Flash Bombs
4.10.11: Explosive Mines
4.10.12: Gas Mines
4.10.13: Potions
4.11: Cheats
Section 5: A Keeper's Training (Training Mission)
5.1: Introduction
5.2: Objectives
5.3: Before The Mission
5.4: Walkthrough
Section 6: Lord Bafford's Manor (Mission 1)
6.1: Introduction
6.2: Objectives: Normal
6.3: Objectives: Hard
6.4: Objectives: Expert
6.5: Simplified Objectives
6.6: Before The Mission
6.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
6.8: Walkthrough
Section 7: Break From Cragscleft Prison (Mission 2)
7.1: Introduction
7.2: Objectives: Normal
7.3: Objectives: Hard
7.4: Objectives: Expert
7.5: Simplified Objectives
7.6: Before The Mission
7.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
7.8: Walkthrough
Section 8: Down In The Bonehoard (Mission 3)
8.1: Introduction
8.2: Objectives: Normal
8.3: Objectives: Hard
8.4: Objectives: Expert
8.5: Simplified Objectives
8.6: Before The Mission
8.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
8.8: Walkthrough
Section 9: Assassins (Mission 4)
9.1: Introduction
9.2: Objectives: Normal and Hard
9.3: Objectives: Expert
9.4: Simplified Objectives
9.5: Before The Mission
9.6: Notes Regarding This Mission
9.7: Walkthrough
Section 10: Thieves' Guild (Mission 5)
10.1: Introduction
10.2: Objectives: Normal
10.3: Objectives: Hard
10.4: Objectives: Expert
10.5: Simplified Objectives
10.6: Before The Mission
10.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
10.8: Walkthrough
Section 11: The Sword (Mission 6)
11.1: Introduction
11.2: Objectives: Normal and Hard
11.3: Objectives: Expert
11.4: Simplified Objectives
11.5: Before The Mission
11.6: Notes Regarding This Mission
11.7: Walkthrough
Section 12: Cutscene - "The Job"
Section 13: The Haunted Cathedral (Mission 7)
13.1: Introduction
13.2: Objectives: Normal
13.3: Objectives: Hard
13.4: Objectives: Expert
13.5: Simplified Objectives
13.6: Before The Mission
13.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
13.8: Walkthrough
Section 14: The Mage Towers (Mission 8)
14.1: Introduction
14.2: Objectives: Normal
14.3: Objectives: Hard
14.4: Objectives: Expert
14.5: Simplified Objectives
14.6: Before The Mission
14.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
14.8: Walkthrough
Section 15: The Lost City (Mission 9)
15.1: Introduction
15.2: Objectives: Normal
15.3: Objectives: Hard and Expert
15.4: Simplified Objectives
15.5: Before The Mission
15.6: Notes Regarding This Mission
15.7: Walkthrough
Section 16: Song Of The Caverns (Mission 10)
16.1: Introduction
16.2: Objectives: Normal and Hard
16.3: Objectives: Expert
16.4: Simplified Objectives
16.5: Before The Mission
16.6: Notes Regarding This Mission
16.7: Walkthrough
Section 17: Undercover (Mission 11)
17.1: Introduction
17.2: Objectives: Normal
17.3: Objectives: Hard
17.4: Objectives: Expert
17.5: Simplified Objectives
17.6: Before The Mission
17.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
17.8: Walkthrough
Section 18: Return To The Cathedral (Mission 12)
18.1: Introduction
18.2: Objectives
18.3: Before the Mission
18.4: Notes Regarding This Mission
18.5: Walkthrough
Section 19: Cutscene - "Payment"
Section 20: Escape! (Mission 13)
20.1: Introduction
20.2: Objectives: Normal
20.3: Objectives: Hard
20.4: Objectives: Expert
20.5: Simplified Objectives
20.6: Before The Mission
20.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
20.8: Walkthrough
Section 21: Strange Bedfellows (Mission 14)
21.1: Introduction
21.2: Objectives
21.3: Simplified Objectives
21.4: Before the Mission
21.5: Notes Regarding This Mission
21.6: Walkthrough
Section 22: Into The Maw Of Chaos (Mission 15)
22.1: Introduction
22.2: Objectives: Normal and Hard
22.3: Objectives: Expert
22.4: Simplified Objectives
22.5: Before The Mission
22.6: Notes Regarding This Mission
22.7: Walkthrough
Section 23: Cutscene - "Revelations"
Section 24: Blooper Reel (Mission 16 - Secret Mission)
24.1: Introduction
24.2: Objectives
24.3: Simplified Objectives
24.4: Before the Mission
24.5: Notes Regarding This Mission
24.6: Walkthrough
Section 25: Input From Other Thieves
Section 26: Thief Sites on the Internet
Section 27: Thief II
Section 28: Version History
Section 29: Disclaimer
Section 30: Endnotes and Copyright Notice
Section 1: The Latest From Taffer
=================================
This release of the FAQ has absolutely no new content about the game. But, I
have a new ICQ number and a new email address, so I decided to put out another
release to keep this information up to date. I also included some information
regarding the demise of Looking Glass Studios.
My new email address is taffer-six@home.com and my new ICQ number is 82595656.
Why taffer-six? Well, first of all, underscores are not allowed on my server
(can you believe that?). And "taffer" was already taken. I didn't want to
simply move to the next logical handle (taffer2), and changing to something
like "garrett" or "taffer-garrett" seemed somehow inappropriate. I finally
decided on "taffer-six" as a sort of homage to a great television show from the
late sixties called "The Prisoner", starring Patrick McGoohan. A man who once
worked as a spy of some sort is kidnapped by forces unknown and then placed in
a surreal community, called simply "The Village". He spends episode after
episode trying to either escape, or to find the person in charge of things. The
main character was only referred to as "Number Six". It was a fantastic show
that sadly lasted only about seventeen episodes. I love it and wish I had the
episodes on tape. :(
By now, everyone probably has heard the news that Looking Glass Studios has
closed its doors permanently. I now have a link with a very thorough, in-depth
and unbiased explanation of what happened. For the story, go to:
http://www.ttlg.com/articles/lgsclosing1.asp
"Through The Looking Glass", the friends of taffers everywhere, has a petition
online to try to get one of Looking Glass Studios' nearly-finished projects
finished. "Jane's Attack Squadron" has had about 2-and-a-half years work put
into it and is nearly finished. My theory is this...if enough people sign,
perhaps they will get to be able to finish it. And if they can finish it, then
who knows what else may be possible. Other projects that got shelved may be
able to be finished. I realize its a very small chance, but I believe in
miracles.
The petitions appears to still be up and active. When I went checked earlier,
they had 5,278 signatures. Way to go!
To sign the petition, go to: http://www.ttlg.com/jas/default.asp
There will be at least one more release of this FAQ. I intend to go over the
entire document to clean up any grammar and spelling mistakes, do a bit of
tweaking here and there, and just generally tidy things up a bit, as well as go
through several old emails and files that were sent in with information that as
yet has not been added. A few of the sections will probably disappear in the
final release (such as the sections regarding the mailing list, since it will
no longer be required), and one or two may be added (such as a section pointing
to the Thief II FAQ, which will probably have its first release before this one
has its next release). This "final" release (is a FAQ ever truly finished?)
will most likely be smaller in size than this one, due to the sections that are
going to be removed.
1.1: Personal Notes Regarding The Next Release
==============================================
To those waiting for more of this FAQ...what are you waiting for? It's
finished! See the section directly above for information about the next
release.
1.2: Small Tribute To Looking Glass Studios
===========================================
A little self-indulgence on my part here. Bear with me.
PvP, an online comic strip that did a small run of Thief related comics about
mid-June 2000, set aside about 75% of their usual strip one day to pay tribute
to Looking Glass Studios. In the final "tribute panel", they quoted from Lewis
Carroll (who wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", and "Through The Looking
Glass", which was the namesake of Looking Glass Studios). I would like to do
the same myself, with a few quotations from sources close to my heart, which I
feel aptly describe both the company that gave us these wonderful games, and
how we feel about both the company and their games. Firstly though, here's the
quotation that PvP used (from the first Alice book, "Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland"), which is quite lovely and fitting:
"Oh, I've had such a curious dream!" said Alice. And she told her sister, as
well as she could remember them...and, when she had finished, her sister kissed
her, and said, "It was a curious dream, dear, certainly; but now run in to your
tea: it's getting late." So Alice got up and ran off, thinking while she ran,
as well as she might, what a wonderful dream it had been.
The original PvP comic which contained this quote can be located at:
http://www.pvponline.com/archive.php3?archive=20000610
The first quotation I would like to cite is a different Alice quotation, from
the second Alice book, "Through The Looking Glass":
"How would you like to live in Looking-glass House, Kitty?...but oh, Kitty! now
we come to the passage. You can just see a little peep of the passage in
Looking-glass House, if you leave the door of our drawing-room wide open: and
it's very like our passage as far as you can see, only you know it may be quite
different on beyond. Oh, Kitty, how nice it would be if we could only get
through into Looking-glass House! I'm sure it's got, oh! such beautiful things
in it! Let's pretend there's a way of getting through into it, somehow, Kitty.
Let's pretend the glass has got all soft like gauze, so that we can get
through. Why, it's turning into a sort of mist now, I declare! It'll be easy
enough to get through --"...In another moment Alice was through the looking
glass....
Such it was with the games produced by Looking Glass Studios. They opened up
their worlds to us, and they were filled with oh! such beautiful things! And
for a little while, we were able to pretend we were a part of that world.
Another quotation, this one from the final episode of the longest-running
science-fiction television series of all time, and one of my favourites as
well, Doctor Who. The episode was, ironically enough, called "Survival", and
these are the final words spoken:
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning. Where the sea's asleep,
and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere
there's danger...somewhere there's injustice...and somewhere else the tea's
getting cold! Come on Ace, we've got work to do!"
A fitting description, I think...worlds filled with wonder, yet dangerous, and
with a touch of whimsy to take the edge of when needed. And a hero who "has
work to do"...you, the player.
Finally, the last quotation, which I think really says it all. It's paraphrased
from memory, from my favourite original Star Trek episode, "Balance of Terror",
said by my favourite character, Doctor McCoy:
"They say that in this galaxy, there is a mathematical probability of three
million Earth-type planets. And in all the universe, three million MILLION
galaxies like our own. And in all that, and perhaps more, only one of each of
us."
Here's to you, Looking Glass Studios. In an industry that constantly puts out
trash and dross, you shone through and provided us with our few small nuggets
of gold. You were truly one of a kind, and I fear that, as Shakespeare's Hamlet
felt about his recently deceased father, I shall never look upon your like
again. :(
Section 2: Updates Since Last Release
=====================================
15.2 -- Included new email address and ICQ number, and information on
Looking Glass Studios.
For a complete version history, see Section 28.
Section 3: Opening Notes Regarding This FAQ
===========================================
This is my first FAQ/Walkthrough. All input is appreciated, especially
regarding what you liked, and how I can improve it. Please send comments,
suggestions, etc., to taffer-six@home.com
This FAQ finally covers the entire game at the moment. There is one more
release planned, which will basically fix up any grammar and spelling mistakes,
fix up some tweaking, and generally just improve the overall content on a small
scale. The next release will probably not occur until the first release of the
Thief II FAQ, so that I can include a section to point you towards it.
This FAQ/Walkthrough is based on the PC version of the game. Does another
version exist? I don't know.
3.1: Thief: The Dark Project Gold
=================================
On November 3rd, 1999, my local computer store finally got their shipment of
Thief: The Dark Project Gold (from here on referred to only as Thief Gold).
Needless to say, I purchased the first one out on the shelf! I sold them my
original Thief game (at a substantial loss, but I didn't need the original
anymore, and I got some money to help pay for the new one!), and as a result, a
word regarding this FAQ needs to be said.
Those who have been following this FAQ will have received the original first
six missions (Lord Bafford's Manor, Break from Cragscleft Prison, Down in the
Bonehoard, Assassins, The Sword, and The Haunted Cathedral) while I was still
playing my original copy. Now that I no longer have the original, all missions
which come after "The Haunted Cathedral" will be done solely from the Thief
Gold game. I have replayed all the previous missions, and noted any differences
I spotted between the two games in the appropriate sections. However, once you
hit Mission Eight ("The Mage Towers"), there will be no further notes on
differences...everything will be pure Thief Gold.
From this point on, any references to "Thief Gold" refer specifically to that
game. References simply to "Thief" will most likely be a generic reference
which can apply to either the original or the Gold release. Any references that
are specific to the original will be so noted, probably with "Original Thief".
NOTE: Thief Gold does have higher recommended system requirements than the
original game. There had been a few points while playing on my old computer
where I noticed some "slowdown".
3.1.1: Patches Available
========================
I discovered this quite by accident, while reviewing the news at a Thief
website I visit frequently.
There is a patch file (of sorts) available for DromED, the editor that comes
with Thief Gold for making your own missions. It's a very small zip file (about
7k in total), and contains some missing Schema files. Apparently, without these
two files "reload_schemas" crashes DromEd with an error about a non-existent
voice.
I found this file at http://www.thief-darkproject.com/ I don't know if it
exists anywhere else yet. Anyone?
3.2: Reading This FAQ
=====================
I have had a few people email me saying that they are having trouble reading
this FAQ through certain programs (such as Internet Explorer). They say they
can't read it through their standard viewing programs, as the lines run off the
screen. This has so far only come from people who are on my mailing list.
When I type up the FAQ, I use the WordPad program which came with Windows 95. I
have the View/Options set to "Wrap to ruler". Then I type merrily away, without
having to worry about hitting the "Enter" key. Unfortunately, when the document
is later viewed in certain other programs, it prints the entire line of text
until the end, sometimes continuing off the screen (as described above).
If you are having this problem viewing the FAQ, then I suggest you do one of
two things:
1) Use WordPad to view it, with the View/Options set to "Wrap to
ruler",
2) Go to www.gamefaqs.com and download the FAQ from there.
Apparently (and I don't know how), when the webmaster puts the FAQ up on his
site, this problem of lines not wrapping disappears.
I'm afraid that's all I can suggest at this time.
3.3: The Walkthroughs
=====================
This FAQ is geared towards having you complete each mission with the maximum
amount of treasure possible, on top of completing all of your quests. Each
mission is done at the EXPERT level, and all statistics are given for that
difficulty setting (ie: what you find, where, how much, etc.). I have not tried
playing these on the lower levels, but I have heard there ARE differences. (For
example, on Mission 2, "Break From Cragscleft Prison", you find a Holy Water
Font on the lower level of the mines on the Normal level, and it is gone on
Expert, as well as there being different treasures found in different areas.)
Each mission walkthrough is presented in the following manner:
1) it allows you to find all the treasure that is available;
2) it attempts to give you the most expedient path through the mission,
with a minimal amount of backtracking, thus giving you a better
finishing time;
3) it attempts to present the SAFEST method of doing things.
A few words regarding numbers two and three:
The most expedient path means the fastest way through the mission while still
keeping numbers one and three in mind. Most missions have several "sidetrek"
areas, where there is nothing for you to do or to acquire. However, a lot of
these areas are just plain interesting...the designers have put a lot of time,
effort, and planning into some of these, and it would be a shame for you to
miss it all. So I suggest that when you are using the walkthrough, if you come
across a "sidetrek" area, save your game, and go and investigate it. A lot of
times, it is well worth your time. (Note: The Complete Loot Walkthrough webpage
noted in Section 26: Thief Sites on the Internet, contains information on these
various sidetrek areas. If you are interested, I recommend visiting the
webpage.)
[A good example of these sidetreks: In Mission 3, "Down in the Bonehoard",
there are several places where you can find members of a lost expedition and
read their journals. But since you need to go out of your way to get to them,
they are not mentioned in the FAQ.]
The SAFEST method of doing something is not always the fastest way. There are
some areas where there is a more risky way of doing something, but doing so is
faster. Sometimes it's not just a matter of risk, but of timing as well, since
a lot of the guards patrol. So if you've been wondering why you can't beat my
best times no matter HOW closely you follow the walkthroughs...well, that's
your answer. (See Section 3.5: Best Times, for more details.)
3.4: Headers
============
The beginning of each mission's walkthrough will have a list of "headers".
These are distrubuted throughout each walkthrough, in an effort to make it
easier for people to find a certain section that they are looking for.
Note that these headers are NOT always entirely accurate. A good example of
this is the headers for "Song of the Caverns" (Mission 10). When you read the
section marked "Ground Floor", you will note there is a small side-trip to the
2nd level. And the section marked "2nd Level" has a side-trip to the third
level! While I considered breaking these parts up with new headers, I also
wanted to keep them to as low a number as possible, to avoid cluttering up the
walkthrough needlessly. Hence, sometimes you will find situations such as the
one just described.
Similarly, another "inaccuracy" which occurs is that a section may change
before the header does. The walkthrough may move you through a bit of a new
section before changing the header.
Other than that, I hope you all like the new headers! Enjoy! :)
3.5: Best Times
===============
For those missions that have been included, I have also included my best time
for completing that mission. This is for various reasons, but mostly to do with
ego. :) (Note that my best time for a mission does NOT necessarily reflect this
walkthrough. For example, my best time for Lord Bafford's Manor was done with
mostly running, no body hiding, no door closing, etc. Each one was finished,
however, with the maximum possible loot, unless otherwise noted.)
All best times recorded are for Thief Gold. In every case, I was able to beat
my best times from the original game whilst playing the new one.
For those who may be interested, I've collected all my best times here:
Training Mission: A Keeper's Training -- 2 minutes, 6 seconds
Mission 1: Lord Bafford's Manor -- 13 minutes, 25 seconds
Mission 2: Break from Cragscleft Prison -- 45 minutes, 44 seconds
Mission 3: Down in the Bonehoard -- 22 minutes, 44 seconds
Mission 4: Assassins -- 15 minutes, 20 seconds
Mission 5: Thieves' Guild -- 36 minutes, 35 seconds
Mission 6: The Sword -- 22 minutes, 29 seconds
Mission 7: The Haunted Cathedral -- 36 minutes, 10 seconds
Mission 8: The Mage Towers -- 47 minutes, 54 seconds
Mission 9: The Lost City -- 35 minutes, 50 seconds
Mission 10: Song of the Caverns -- 22 minutes, 15 seconds
Mission 11: Undercover -- 9 minutes, 27 seconds
Mission 12: Return to the Cathedral -- 37 minutes, 14 seconds
Mission 13: Escape! -- 17 minutes, 2 seconds
Mission 14: Strange Bedfellows -- 7 minutes, 57 seconds
Mission 15: Into the Maw of Chaos -- 11 minutes, 29 seconds
Secret Mission: Blooper Reel -- 44 seconds
Total Campaign Time: 6 hours, 39 minutes, 40 seconds.
Note: The Total Campaign Time does not reflect all of my best times. It is just
what my campaign finished at, and sometimes I did not get a best time on a
mission for the campaign.
Without the Training Mission:
Total Campaign Time (using the best times above):
6 hours, 21 minutes, 35 seconds
Average Mission Time:
25 minutes, 27 seconds
With the Training Mission:
Total Campaing Time (using the best times above):
6 hours, 23 minutes, 41 seconds
Average Mission Time:
23 minutes, 59 seconds
None of the times given above include the Secret Mission.
3.6: Contacting the Author
==========================
You can contact me either through email, or through ICQ.
3.6.1 Contact Through Email
===========================
My email address is: taffer-six@home.com
Please note the new email address. It was changed early morning on July 9th,
2000. My apologies to anyone who has attempted to email me at the previous
address since then.
Why taffer-six? Well, first of all, underscores are not allowed on my server
(can you believe that?). And "taffer" was already taken. I didn't want to
simply move to the next logical handle (taffer2), and changing to something
like "garrett" or "taffer-garrett" seemed somehow inappropriate. I finally
decided on "taffer-six" as a sort of homage to a great television show from the
late sixties called "The Prisoner", starring Patrick McGoohan. A man who once
worked as a spy of some sort is kidnapped by forces unknown and then placed in
a surreal community, called simply "The Village". He spends episode after
episode trying to either escape, or to find the person in charge of things. The
main character was only referred to as "Number Six". It was a fantastic show
that sadly lasted only about seventeen episodes. I love it and wish I had the
episodes on tape. :(
I have received several emails since posting this FAQ...thank you for your kind
words and your input, everyone! I do read all your emails, and I try to reply
to every one of them. Sometimes I am unable to reply, simply due to the great
number I receive, time constraints, and any number of other. However, any
questions sent to me that are already answered in this FAQ will be ignored.
3.6.2 Contact Through ICQ
=========================
If you want to contact me through ICQ (all single ladies welcome! <g>), my ICQ
number is: 82595656. My handle is "Taffer".
Note that the same rules for email apply to ICQ as well. Also, if you have a
lengthy amount of information to send me, I would appreciate it if you would do
so using email.
Please Note: I do not use the "Chat" mode on ICQ. I only use the messaging
feature. My ICQ settings are currently set up to automatically decline any chat
requests.
3.6.2.1: Unauthorized Adding on ICQ
===================================
This refers to people who add me to their contact list using some sort of a
hack or crack program, without receiving my authorization first.
WARNING! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT add me to your contact list WITHOUT receiving
my authorization first! Several people appear to think it's a real laugh to do
this. Well, the first time someone did that to me, they erased my hard drive.
So consider this your first and only warning: Do NOT add me in this
manner...request authorization like everyone else. ANYONE who adds me without
requesting my authorization will IMMEDIATELY get placed on my ignore list. I
will not even bother reading any messages that person may have sent. (This may
seem harsh...but if you had had YOUR hard drive erased, I'm sure you would
understand completely.)
3.6.3: Thief FAQ Mailing Lists
==============================
Several people have contacted me, saying they have difficulty reading the FAQ
when it is emailed to them from me (see Section 3.2). That being the case, I am
altering the mailing list policy. There are now TWO mailing lists: a "Zipped"
list, and a "Notify" list.
Anyone currently on the mailing list will stay on the mailing list, and
automatically defaults to the "Zipped" list. However, from now on, anyone who
is NOT already on a mailing list who wishes to be put on one will have to tell
me which one they wish to be on. One list of people will receive a zipped email
attachment of the FAQ (the "Zipped" list), as has been the practice in the
past. The other list of people (the "Notify" list) will only be receiving an
email stating that the FAQ has been sent up to www.gamefaqs.com (and ONLY to
www.gamefaqs.com ...anyone else posting the FAQ does not necessarily have the
most up to date version, but I always send the latest release to the address
given above!). Anyone requesting to be put on a mailing list without stating
which one will default to the "Notify" list.
Please note that this does not mean that the FAQ has been POSTED there
yet...only that I have sent it up to BE posted. There may sometimes be a delay
in the posting.
Emails will be sent out AS THE FAQ IS UPDATED AND RELEASED.
Anyone currenly on the "Zipped" list who would like to be switched over to the
"Notify" list will have to send me an email stating so. Likewise, if you want
to be removed from either mailing list, you'll need to send me an email stating
so.
Anyone who is put on one of my mailing lists will also be put on a similar
mailing list (either "Zipped" or "Notify") for the Thief II FAQ, if and when it
comes out. (For more details, see Section 3.13: Thief II: The Metal Age FAQ.)
I have no intention of now or ever selling or giving out these email addresses
to anyone, nor will they be used by me for advertising or "spamming". It is
simply to get the FAQ out to those who are waiting for it.
3.6.3.1: Bounced Emails
=======================
Once when I sent out the FAQ to those on the mailing list, one of the emails
bounced back. Apparently, someone changed their email address and didn't inform
me. This is not good. I have a slow internet connection, and every email that
bounces back I have to download with the attachment. If more than one person
does it, well, that would be a long wait. Fortunately, it was only one person.
What's my point? Oh yes...from this point on, anyone who's email account
bounces back to me will be removed from the mailing list. Seems fair, since
they aren't getting the attachment anyways.
3.7: Experimentation
====================
Occasionally, I will note an area where some more experimentation could be
done. In some cases, circumstances did not permit further experimentation (for
one reason or another), and some experiments were thought of in hindsight, long
after I was past the point of no return for that area. If anyone cares to
experiment in the noted areas, I would be interested in hearing the results.
EXAMPLE: In Lord Bafford's Manor, I used to take out a certain guard as a
precaution against a future endeavor. However, I was not sure that this was
actually necessary, and had not tried to complete the mission without doing so.
Upon replaying the mission, I left that guard alone, and found it was
unnecesarry to take him out, and was able to make the walkthrough for that
mission that much better (and improve my best time for that mission by about a
minute or more!).
3.8: Mission Objectives
=======================
Although each mission shows the objectives for Normal, Hard, and Expert levels,
the walkthrough itself covers ONLY the Expert level.
The Simplified Objectives contain the mission objectives as viewed from within
the mission. They are less verbose, and more to the point than the wordy
objectives given before the mission begins. Although the only ones shown are
from the Expert level, you should be able to pick out which ones apply to your
game if you are playing on Normal or Hard instead.
3.8.1: Changing Objectives
==========================
During some missions which you will undertake, your mission objectives will
deviate from those which you started with as you progress through the mission.
This can be due to changing situations, the gaining of further information,
receiving new instructions, and perhaps other reasons as well. You are informed
in the game when your mission objectives change, and the mission's walkthrough
also reflects this. When your objectives change, the walkthrough will give you
a list of your new objectives.
Note that when your objectives list is displayed inside a mission's
walkthrough, it will also indicate which ones you have completed so far. If
your list differs from the one given within, it means that you have not
followed the walkthrough as it is laid out. For example, if you need 1500 in
treasure to complete a mission objective, and the walkthrough says you have
done so but your mission objectives do not, then you have not picked up all the
treasures indicated up to that point.
3.9: Recommended Purchases
==========================
At the end of each "Before The Mission" section, I've listed the equipment that
I personally use and/or recommend to complete that mission. In most cases,
these purchases will NOT eat up all of your funds. Use whatever you have left
over as you see fit.
Note that my recommended purchases are not always what is NECESSARY to complete
the mission. In some cases, it will make the mission easier for you, in others
it may simply be that there is NOTHING to buy to help you, but what I've
recommended is (in my opinion) the best you can do.
3.10: Just What The Heck Is A Taffer Anyway?
============================================
This is a question I am sure many Thief fans have asked countless times. I
received a few emails regarding this, and here is what I've derived from them:
There is a Mother Goose nursery rhyme that contains the line(s), "Taffy was a
Welshman, Taffy was a thief". "Taffy" is a slang name for a Welshman.
At least one other person has suggested to me that "Taffer" is a dilution of
"Trickster", much like in modern English "Darn" is a dilution of "Damn", and
"Heck" is a dilution of "Hell".
Someone wrote in to suggest that "Taffer" was merely a censoring word, that
could be replaced with any appropriate expletive. (Or perhaps more likely, a
sort of "medieval cuss-word", as he put it.)
I've been informed that in Suffolk, England, there is a verb, "to taff", which
means "to spit". So a Taffer would be a Spitter.
Apparently there is some point in the game (which I have either missed or not
yet gotten to), where a Hammerite makes reference to the fact that "Taffer" and
"Trickster" are synonymous.
If anyone can clarify, expand, or suggest another meaning, please contact me! I
seem to recall having once seen a definition online (on a message board
somewhere) that made much more sense.
3.10.1: The True Meaning Of "Taffer"
====================================
Lastly, someone sent me an email with the following information:
"I got this one from PC Accelerator. They interviewed Steve Pearsall,
project designer of Thief. The question, "What is a Taffer and where did it
come from?" The Answer, "One of our level designers, Laura Baldwin, made it up.
Taffer was meant to be a slang word that meant a common criminal, but has
evolved into meaning any sort of low life." So basically it is a fictitious
word. Hey, maybe it will become real if we use it enough."
So there you have it. I'll bet the people over at Looking Glass Studios have
been having a nice chuckle watching everyone go crazy and coming up with these
(admittedly inventive) possible meanings/origins of a word they made up! :)
Be sure you all use this word everyday! I want to see it in the next edition of
Webster's Dictionary! :)
3.11: Victoria vs. Viktoria
===========================
This is only a very minor point, but I thought it deserved mention here.
The character known as "Viktoria" in the game has had some (albeit minor)
debate on the spelling of her name. Most often, I have seen people spelling it
with a "k", and less commonly I see it spelled with a "c".
In your first mission (Lord Bafford's Manor), there is a scroll in the library
where someone has reported to Lord Bafford that he has been unable to find any
information regarding a woman named "Victoria". They spell it with a "c".
I was just fine with this, up until playing the new Mission Five in Thief Gold,
"Thieves' Guild". In there you find a ledger belonging to one of the thieves,
and there it is spelled with a "k".
So now we have conflict in the game. Damn. I was so sure it was "Victoria,"
thanks to Lord Bafford. Now it seems some upstart taffer has messed with my
reasoning!
It seems that in almost every other place her name is mentioned in the game
(and perhaps all other places), her name is spelled "Viktoria". So, despite my
preference for "Victoria", I have conceded, and renamed her "Viktoria"
throughout this FAQ.
Other ideas have filtered in from those kind enough to share their insights
with me. Someone has suggested that the man referred to in "Lord Bafford's
Manor" could find no trace of her BECAUSE he was spelling her name wrong!
Another person has suggested that the name Victoria was possibly ORIGINALLY
spelled with a "k", and over time got changed over to a "c". I've heard about
this theory of "consonental drift" before, and find it a completely plausible
one!
3.12: Other FAQs By The Author
==============================
This is my first FAQ. I have two others at present, both being written at the
same time, for the same game.
The Thief II FAQ is out, and currently covers the first two missions of the
game.
The other FAQ I am working on is a Companion Guide to Thief II, which will
contain (should I keep it up) the text of every document, scroll, parchment,
plaque, letter, report, announcement and palimpsest that I have been able to
find in the game. It is not necessary for either playing Thief II or for using
its FAQ, it is simply included as a "bonus supplement".
All of these documents, including this one, can be found at www.gamefaqs.com
3.13: Thief II: The Metal Age
=============================
Well, Thief II: The Metal Age is now out. I've bought it, installed it, and
left the room while my son checked it out to make sure it worked. :)
I know a lot of people out there are going to be buying it up as soon as they
can. I also know that some of you are going to write in to me asking for help,
or wanting to tell me something about the game.
DON'T!
I cannot stress that enough...DON'T! I've made mention in this FAQ that I do
not play a game's sequel until I finish the original game first. That means
that while you're playing Thief II, I'm still playing Thief Gold.
And I absolutely HATE it when someone tells me something that spoils a surprise
for me.
That being said, do NOT send me emails of any sort regarding Thief II. If I am
reading an email, and come across any indication that there is something
regarding Thief II in it (even in the message header!), the email will be
promptly deleted, unread.
Section 4: Game Notes
=====================
4.1: Patrols
============
Some areas have guards (of one sort or another) moving around in them, and
sometimes moving from one area to another. This makes it difficult to say for
sure when a certain task you may be told to perform should be done, as it is
unlikely that you will arrive at the area at the exact same time during the
mission that I did. In these areas, it's a good idea to save your game. (This
will be noted at the proper areas.)
4.2: Bloodstains and Bodies
===========================
According to the manual, leaving bodies out in the open where they can be seen,
or not cleaning up telltale bloodstains (by shooting a Water Arrow at them) is
inviting discovery. While there are certain points in the game where just
leaving your victims where they fall may be all right (and, in some cases,
unavoidable), for the most part, you should tidy up after yourself. After
telling you to take out someone, this FAQ is going to assume that you have the
prudence to hide your handiwork.
A note of macabre interest, regarding the various corpses of people you will
find and/or create. If you pick them up, then drop them again, their heads will
be at unnatural angles (probably indicating that their necks are broken), or
sometimes their heads just disappear!
Any bloodstains you leave behind that you don't clean up yourself seem to
disappear over time. I guess they "soak" into the carpet, stone, ground, etc..
4.3: Doors
==========
This FAQ also assumes that you will know enough to try to open doors before
walking through them, and to close them behind you. (An open door can also be a
telltale sign to patrols that something is amiss...namely, you.)
Note that in this walkthrough, most of the time when I refer to a door, there
is an actual, physical door. If there is not, the opening is generally referred
to as a doorway, or an archway.
4.4: Water
==========
Water is loud when you splash around in it. This occurs when you try to swim
quickly, or jump into the water. Try not to do it too often. Swim slowly (using
your WALK key). Also note that, while you can swim carrying someone you have to
rescue (ie: Basso in Mission Two), on the missions where you are told not to
kill anyone, you cannot dump bodies in the water to "hide" them. They drown,
and that counts as you killing them. (If they follow you into the water and
drown however, that does not count against you...that's just idiots trying to
swim while wearing armour.)
An important note regarding your weapons and water: if the water is deep
enough, even if you are simply wading (ie: walking, not swimming), you will
still be unable to use most of your weapons.
When the water is deep enough, you can dive underwater. This is useful for
finding underwater passages, searching the bottom of a lake for treasures, and
possibly even for hiding from enemies. You do have a limited supply of air
however (represented by a "bubble bar" in the lower right of the screen), and
when that runs out, you'll start to take damage. You'll take three hit points
of damage, get a small reprieve (you get a few bubbles added to your bubble
bar), and then take another three hits. This will continue until you surface,
take a Breath Potion, or die.
On a final note, whatever you do, do NOT try to swim in lava. It's not water.
You'll die. Instantly.
4.5: Hard Surfaces
==================
Hard surfaces include any sort of surface that makes a very loud or noticeable
noise when you're walking on it. Things like tile, metal, and even wood can
fall into this category. While Moss Arrows will allow you to walk over the
covered area silently, you never really have enough of them to go wantonly
shooting them everywhere you want to walk.
SNEAKING is the key. You have three movements available to you...walking,
running, and sneaking. The sneak key defaults to the SHIFT key, and makes you
move slower, though quieter. In some areas, I have noted that when you move
normally in the shadows, you are slightly more visible, but sneaking keeps you
hidden.
There is another way to sneak...CROUCH SNEAKING. This is is walking when you
are CROUCHED, either with the sneak key pressed or not. You make less noise
(although it is sometimes still very audible). You can minimize this even
further, however, by using the stop-and-go method. Move forward a SHORT
distance, and stop. You will probably have made no noise whatsoever. Now, move
forward another short distance, and stop. Keep this up until you get to quieter
ground, and you should be able to get through just about any terrain silently.
4.6: Compass
============
You have a compass in your inventory. Most of the time in this FAQ, I will
attempt to give you instructions without needing to resort to referring to the
compass. For example, I will say something like "On your left, as you face the
idol," or "Turn so the door is to your back." From time to time, however, it
may be necessary for me to refer to compass directions.
Your compass is in the shape of an eight-pointed star. The larger points
indicate the major compass directions (North, East, South, and West), whereas
the smaller points refer to the in-between directions (Northeast, Southeast,
Southwest, Northwest). One of the larger points is red in colour. This point is
your reference point. It will always be pointing towards the north. The
direction which you are currently facing will be indicated by the point which
is directed in (more or less) the direction you're facing. So if I tell you to
face east, look at your compass, and orient it so that the red arrow is
pointing (more or less) towards the left side of the screen.
An interesting note regarding your compass...if you spin around while it is
open in your inventory, you can watch the star spin with you. However, if you
change your vertical facing (ie: looking up and down), the star will also
rotate on that axis with you!
4.7: Jumping and Mantling
=========================
While jumping should be pretty self-explanatory, there IS an additional feature
to the game which bears mentioning.
Garrett's fastest mode of travel is not running...it's continuous jumping. Find
a long stretch of ground, start running, and jump. As soon as Garrett hits the
ground, jump again, so that the game doesn't register him walking. Continue
this process, and you'll soon see a noticeable improvement in his speed. It
takes a bit of timing to get right, and it only works in a relatively straight
line, but if you get it right, Garrett can go VERY fast. Unfortunately, once
you stop jumping, you're back to your regular speed.
After the sixth or seventh consecutive jump, assuming the timing is right for
jumping, you can apparently kill Garrett by hitting a wall at that speed!
Interestingly enough, I've discovered that once you've died, you can hit the
jump key, and Garrett will jump right back up. You can then spend the remainder
of your "death" (the screen fading out) walking around as if you're still
alive. I didn't do this around anyone, so I don't know if people still react to
you or not in this Zombie state. :)
Mantling is pulling yourself up onto a ledge of some sort, be it a railing,
fireplace mantle, or just a block of stone. To mantle, you press up against the
object you wish to climb, and jump. You will grab the object in question, pull
yourself up, and stand up on top of it.
It is important to note that some objects are just a touch too high to mantle
up onto in this manner. In these cases, you have to do a running jump/mantle
manouevre. Basically, you step back from the object, then run towards it and
jump before you reach it. Do not release the jump button, and when Garrett
strikes the object, he will grab onto it and mantle up.
4.8: Leaning
============
Leaning is a very important part of your pilfering profession. Leaning around a
corner will allow you, for example, to look into a brightly lit room while
still remaining unseen. In some cases, it will allow you to knock out a
patrolling guard when he walks by, when you can't move up behind him because of
the hard floor surface.
There are three types of leanings you can do. There is the left lean, the right
lean, and the forward lean. While I don't recall seeing the forward lean
documented in the manual, it does exist. Go to the main menu and choose
Options, then Controls, then Customize Controls. Move to the bottom of the list
and you'll find the key combination to do a forward lean. (The default is
Alt+Shift+W.) The forward lean can be very useful for picking pockets or
knocking out guards when there's an obstruction in the way, such as a small
wall.
It wasn't until I was playing Mission 10 (Song of the Caverns) that I
discovered the forward lean. I wonder how much easier some of the earlier
missions might have been if I had known about it then! I can already see uses
for it in Cragscleft, the Mage Towers, perhaps even Constantine's Home in "The
Sword"....
4.9: Enemies
============
"Enemies" is a general term used to describe anyone or anything you might
encounter during the game that would make your pilfering expeditions more
dangerous, either by attacking you or by raising the alarm and alerting others
to your presence. Not all "enemies" can attack you, but all are against your
best interests.
You face off against a number of different types of enemies. Here is some basic
information on the ones I've encountered so far. Note that the names I've given
to some of them are NOT necessarily official. They are just what I've called
them when I've had no official name to give them.
4.9.1: Human Guards
===================
First Appearance: Training Mission or Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor)
This includes your standard Guards (Swordsmen and Archers), Captains,
Hammerites, Priests, Thieves, but not Mages. (The Mages have their own section,
section 4.9.10.)
These guys fall easily to your Blackjack attacks, so long as they aren't
expecting it. If they are looking around searching for you, you can sometimes
manage to club them, but it doesn't always work. In these circumstances, your
best bet is to lean forward to knock them out. They don't seem to see you as
well then. Also, light plays an important role. The more of you that can be
seen (ie: check your light-indicator!), the harder it is to successfully put
the guards to sleep.
Most of the time, these guys are armed with some sort of hand-to-hand weapon (a
sword or hammer). Occasionally, one will have a bow instead (and don't think
that they can only fire Broadheads at you!). The guys in red, however, are
Priests and spell casters. Also, there is one type that doesn't seem to fight
at all, he just calls for help. He is the one in gray.
Occasionally, these guys will have a key, purse, or other item on their belt
that you can either lift off (ie: pick their pocket), or grab after you've
knocked them out. I prefer the pickpocket method.
NOTE: One time, I knocked out a guard, and because another was coming, picked
up the body and ran BEFORE getting the purse off him. After dropping the body,
however, the purse was gone. :( This, however, was while playing the original
Thief game. In Thief Gold, I have picked up bodies, then dropped them and been
able to get the loot from their waistband.
I have been informed now that sometimes in Thief Gold, this problem still
occurs. One suggested method of avoiding this is to knock out the victim, and
pick his pocket AS HE'S FALLING. This apparently works, and you still get the
credit for picking the pocket.
4.9.2: Spiders
==============
First Appearance: Small Spider - Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor);
Large Spider - Mission Two (Break from Cragscleft Priosn); Red Spider - Mission
Fourteen (Strange Bedfellows)
Spiders come in three varieties: small and annoying, large and annoying, and
large, red and VERY annoying.
The small ones are annoying, and that's about it. They can bite you for a bit
of damage, but not much. They die easily too...a single Broadhead Arrow usually
does the trick. These things are VERY difficult to kill using your Sword. I
suggest using Broadhead Arrows whenever possible. (It's not that they are
particularly resistant to your Sword...it's just that they are so small and
move so fast that you usually can't HIT them!)
The larger ones are a different matter. While unsuspecting, a single Broadhead
Arrow or a single sideswipe with your Sword will kill it. If it knows you're
there though, then it takes about five sideswipes to kill it, or at least three
Broadheads. Their bite does more damage than the smaller ones. Also, they
sometimes jump. I can't recall having ever seen the smaller ones jump, but
these big boys do. This doesn't seem to be for any sort of damage-dealing or
increased-movement reason...it just gets them out of the way of your Sword.
They are susceptible to your Gas Arrows and Gas Mines as well, and a Flash Bomb
seems to paralyze them temporarily.
The last type of Spider is similar in size to the larger ones, but is red. And
it's attacks are far more dangerous. It has two attacks. The first is a web
attack, which pins your arms to your sides so you cannot use a weapon. In this
respect, it is much like the "crushing vines" attack of the Earth Mages (see
section 4.9.10, below) except that it doesn't appear to damage you. You need to
"use" yourself (that means right-click) to break through the webs. Their other
attack method is usually reserved for after you're helpless. They fire some
sort of venomous energy at you, which damages you. About your only hope of
defeating these creatures is to either take them down while they are still
unaware of you, or plant a Mine nearby and lead them over it. These Spiders are
slightly toughter than their similarly-sized cousins, but a single Broadhead
will still take down an unaware one.
All types of Spider move very quickly, and are nearly impossible to get away
from simply by backing away.
Interestingly enough, I've actually seen the larger versions BLOCK sideswipes
from the Sword!
I find Spiders more annoying than a real threat. Personally, whenever I know I
need to get by one that can't be dealth with by a single Broadhead Arrow, I
tend to use a Gas Arrow instead. (But that's just me.)
4.9.3: Fly Swarms
=================
First Appearance: Mission Two (Break from Cragscleft Prison)
These are not really dangerous, just annoying. Fly Swarms find a corpse (or
sometimes a Corpse-Zombie) and hover over it. They don't move, they just swarm
around the body. Occasionally, you may find a Swarm where there is no body, but
they still don't move. Moving through a Swarm subjects yourself to their bites,
which do not always strike. You take minimal damage from a Swarm bite. (Note:
When you find a Zombie with a Fly Swarm surrounding it, the swarm DOES move,
but it sticks with the Zombie.)
To disperse a Fly Swarm, shoot a Fire Arrow into it (although personally I feel
this is a waste of a good Fire Arrow). Note also that you can disperse a Swarm
from around a Zombie simply by hitting it with a Water Arrow.
A word of caution: when a Fly Swarm disperses, if you are too close to it, you
may take some damage.
4.9.4: Zombies
==============
First Appearance: Mission Two (Break from Cragscleft Prison)
I hate Zombies. Don't ask why, I don't really have a rational explanation. But
when I'm playing the game, and Zombies start getting involved, my interest
level tends to drop dramatically. (I also can't play the game after dark when
playing a Zombie mission. Yeah, I know...I'm a wimp.)
"Sleeping" Zombies are pretty much indistinguishable from corpses, until you
get close enough to one to awaken it. When you do, it makes a noise, and you
have a brief amount of time (variable, sometimes maybe as much as 2 seconds) to
react before it stands up and moves to attack. (Throughout this FAQ, a corpse
that can "become" a Zombie is referred to as a Corpse-Zombie.)
Once awake, you can't destroy them by conventional means. Hacking them with
your Sword will make them drop, only to stand right back up again. Broadhead
Arrows are a little better, as when you cause them to drop with these, they
don't always stand up again unless you are close enough to "awaken" them.
However, Zombies are very SLOW. You can run circles around them. If you run
away from them, they will pursue, but not for long. (This will become evident
when you do Mission 3, "Down in the Bonehoard".)
Note that ANY human corpse can be a Zombie, not just the gray, decaying ones. I
believe that mission 3 ("Down in the Bonehoard") even has a headless Zombie, so
don't ever assume that a corpse is just a corpse!
Weapons that are useful against Zombies include Fire Arrows, Holy Water Arrows
(your Water Arrows dipped in Holy Water), Flash Bombs, and Explosive Mines.
With regards to the Fire Arrows, I've noted that, if you shoot the Zombie from
behind, it takes only one Fire Arrow to destroy it. If they see it coming
though, it usually takes two...although I am told that a Fire Arrow to the
"gut" will take them out whether they are aware of you or not.
4.9.5: Burricks
===============
First Appearance: Mission Three (Down in the Bonehoard)
These are big lizards with VERY bad morning breath. Best to avoid them if
possible. Engaging in melee with them is NOT a good idea, especially if there
is more than one around...while you cut into one, the other ones back off and
breathe at you. If you want/need to take them out, your Broadhead Arrows are
your best bet. How quickly they die seems to depend on where your Arrows hit,
and whether or not they are surprised. The average seems to be about 5 or so to
fell one of these beasts, although I have managed to bring them down with only
two (I have done this twice now). On one occasion, I somehow succeeded in
slaying one using a single Broadhead Arrow!
Melee CAN be done successfully with Burricks. First of all, it's best if there
is only one around. Then you can get close enough so that the beast cannot
breathe on you, and you can hack merrily away at it. (Although they do tend to
run away once the damage starts to get serious. They whimper too. <g>) The BEST
way to deal with a lone Burrick is to take it by surprise...run right up behind
it and slice downwards with your Sword. If you do it right, you've just done a
backstab, and killed the critter with one blow!
Note that Burricks HATE Zombies, and will attack them in preference to you. If
you can get Zombies and Burricks engaged in combat together, you can sit back
and watch as half your problems are taken care of. Since the Zombies cannot be
destroyed by the Burricks though, you always know which side will come out the
victor. (NOTE: A friend of mine told me about this hint...I have not tested it
myself, so don't hold me to it!)
I've also seen Burricks fight against Fire Elementals. However, I am unsure as
to which of the two combatants started the fight. Also, it appears that
Burricks can extinguish a Fire Elemental! (See the note regarding this in
Section 4.9.11: Fire Elementals.)
Flash Bombs will blind these creatures, and they will be knocked out by either
a Gas Arrow or a Gas Mine. If you try to use Explosive Mines against Burricks,
you should be aware that one Mine is NOT enough to kill a Burrick!
Another interesting thing about Burricks...apparently, you can use your
Blackjack on them and knock them out!
4.9.6: Flaming Spirits
======================
First Appearance: Mission Three (Down in the Bonehoard)
This creature is new to Thief Gold. Undead spirits whose bodies are afire. They
appear like Hammerite Priests, except that they are burning. My encounters with
them so far indicate that they must close to melee with you...they don't appear
to have a missile attack.
Fire Arrows are useless against these creatures, and it appears that Explosive
Mines are equally useless. I've been told that you can "destroy" them with your
Sword, but it takes a lot of damage (about 5 or 6 overhead swings). Water
Arrows do damage them...it seems that four Water Arrows will destroy it. If you
use Holy Water Arrows, then two seem to suffice (although one time it took
three). Broadhead Arrows appear to damage and eventually "destroy" them,
although it took a lot of Arrows when I tried. (Under the circumstances though,
I am not sure that all of my shots struck home.) I have not tried Flash Bombs
or any other weapon against them as of yet.
Once this creature is sufficiently damaged, it will run away, leaving behind a
Fire Arrow. It runs and disappears, sometimes through a solid wall. However, he
reappears again shortly to resume his patrol.
I have been told that this monster is, in fact, undestroyable. It was put into
the missions where Fire Arrows are required for something (such as the Fire
Arrow puzzle in the Bonehoard). They were apparently introduced so that players
who used up all the Fire Arrows before getting to the point where they were
needed would not have to restart the mission from the beginning.
4.9.7: Hammer Haunts
====================
First Appearance: Mission Three (Down in the Bonehoard)
These undead are the animated remains of Hammerite Guards, and they retain
their swordsmanship skills beyond the grave. They are VERY good swordsmen, and
they are also extremely fast runners...impossible to outrun. As with Hammer
Spirits, Flash Bombs and Explosive Mines work well with them (two Flash Bombs
take one out, and one Mine will do the same). I believe one Fire Arrow is
sufficient to take them down (it was in "Down in the Bonehoard", but on a later
mission it took two). I have not yet tried Holy Water Arrows against them.
NOTE: Anyone who has seen previous versions of this FAQ may recall that I used
to call these creatures "Restless Dead". While I like that name for them,
Mission 12 (Return to the Cathedral) calls them "Hammer Haunts". Since it was
said within the game, I guess it's official. So, I changed their name
throughout the FAQ.
4.9.8: Craymen
==============
First Appearance: Mission Seven (The Haunted Cathedral)
There are two versions of this creature. The common beige variety, and the
tougher blue variety. (The blue one only makes an appearance in the final
mission, "Into The Maw Of Chaos".)
Picture a humanoid Crayfish, and that's pretty much what a Crayman looks like.
If you catch the beige version by surprise, a single Broadhead will fell one of
these crustacean monstrosities. Otherwise, it takes about five Broadheads. Two
Fire Arrows also seem to do the trick against these guys.
Melee with a Crayman (either version) can be interesting. They can survive at
least two downswings, and their claws can be used to parry your attacks just
like you use your Sword to block. Note that Flash Bombs will blind them, and
that you can knock them out with your Blackjack. Unfortunately, you cannot pick
up their bodies. They are also susceptible to Gas Arrows.
Blue Craymen are much more difficult to kill. Even when they are completely
unsuspecting, a single Broadhead is not enough...you'll need at least three
more shots after the first one to kill this variety. If you go up against them
with your Sword, it takes more hits to kill the blue than it does the beige. It
takes about four downstrokes to kill an aware one. They are also more deadly in
combat. I've seen one take me down from full health to death with a single
swipe!
If you somehow manage to get these creatures into deep water, you should know
that they don't drown.
An interesting note about Craymen...someone sent me an email telling me that
they are immune to the damaging effects of lava.
4.9.9: Hammer Spirits
=====================
First Appearance: Mission Seven (The Haunted Cathedral)
These creatures are the undead spirits of Hammerite Priests. They look like the
Hammerite Priests, except that they are semi-transparent. They hurl ghostly
skulls at you, sometimes as many as three at a time. If you can catch one by
surprise, I've found the quickest way to dispatch one is to sneak up behind
them and deliver a downswing swordstroke. After that, a single sidestroke with
your Sword causes them to disappear in a puff of smoke. If you can't take them
by surprise, however, they are difficult to destroy. In one battle, I hit one
with three downswings, and it still took a couple of sideswings to finish the
job. In melee, constant side-to-side slashing seems to keep them from casting
their spells at you. An interesting note is that they do NOT appear to be very
good shots when they are not at close range.
Flash Bombs and Explosive Mines are also useful against them, although I have
seen one survive TWO Mine explosions. Using Fire Arrows, I have not been able
to destroy one with less than three Arrows. The only one I've destroyed with
Holy Water Arrows took SIX before it dissipated.
4.9.10: Mages
=============
First Appearance: Mission Eight (The Mage Towers)
Mages are, as their name implies, magic-wielding foes. There are four different
types of Mages, one for each element: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water.
Each type of Mage has a spell attack they use on you, and each one is relevant
to that Mage's area of study:
Fire Mages: These shoot fire at you, much like the Hammerite Priest does.
Nothing special about this.
Air Mages: They wield some sort of a hard-hitting air-attack. It comes at you
like a missile, which you can try to dodge. The only problem with that is that,
if it misses you, it starts looking for you, and keeps going until it either
hits you or "pops" out of existence! (I am assuming these are small Air
Elementals which the Air Mages are summoning attack you, and that they
disappear when the spell duration expires.)
Earth Mages: A curious attack, but effective. They cast a spell that surrounds
you with vines, which constrict until you die. This can be devastating, as the
spell does not wear off. However, every time you "attack" (press the left mouse
button) while covered by the capricious creepers, it weakens them, until they
are gone.
Water Mages: While you don't encounter any of these inside the Water Tower
itself, there are some Mages wandering around which wield an attack that makes
me believe they are Water Mages. Their attack is a piercing bolt of ice
projected at you.
It is also prudent to note that each Mage is immune to the element that they
study. Fire Mages cannot be harmed by Fire Arrows. Air Mages are immune to the
effects of Gas Arrows. I'm not sure how an Earth Mage would be made immune to
Moss Arrows, or a Water Mage to Water Arrows, though. (I am also assuming that
Fire and Air mages cannot be harmed by Explosive Mines or Gas Mines,
respectively.)
Something else I've noticed. When I've failed to club Mages in the darkness,
they sometimes will "plant" some sort of a light device, which illuminates a
small area around it! These devices also seem to be colour-coded to the Mages
area of study...I've seen a Fire Mage plant an orange one, and a Water Mage
plant a blue one.
Aside from the above, they are just like any other human foes: easy to
blackjack, and subject to the same attacks and damage from you as the others.
4.9.11: Fire Elementals
=======================
First Appearance: Mission Nine (The Lost City)
Floating balls of fire that roam around. They do have a "front" and a "back"
side, although it is sometimes difficult to tell which is which. They have a
trail which follows behind them (sort of like a comet), which will indicate
their back side (no pun intended). If you approach one of them from the back,
it will not see you. Thus it is possible for you to sneak past them.
Their method of combat is simple. They hurl small fireballs (smaller Fire
Elementals perhaps?) at their target. I am unsure of the damage that they do,
but when I was struck by one, I had only four hit points left, and it killed
me.
Obviously, don't even THINK about using Fire Arrows against them...it will just
alerts them to your presence. The best weapon you have against these
pyrotechnic terrors is your Water Arrows. A single Water Arrow will extinguish
the Elemental for good.
Fire Elementals will fight against other creatures. I've personally only seen
them fight against Burricks. Saved me the trouble of dealing with the overgrown
iguanas! (Although I am not sure which one of the two instigated the
confrontation.) Although I have not witnessed it directly, Burricks ARE capable
of extinguishing Fire Elementals...I was sitting listening to them fight it
out, and when the fight was over, went to deal with the two Elementals, only to
find that one was now missing!
I've been told that a single Broadhead Arrow is also enough to take down one of
these creatures. However, I've personally put THREE into a single Elemental and
only enraged the thing.
I've also been told that your Sword is also good against them, although you
tend to take a lot of damage before dispatching the fiery devil.
Although untried personally, I am assuming the following weapons are useless
against these creatures: Blackjack (no head!), Explosive and Gas Mines (they
fly!), Flash Bombs (no eyes!).
Gas Arrows CAN be used to extinguish Fire Elementals. However, it takes more
than a single shot to dispatch them. In my experiments, I was unable to
dissipate one without expending at least THREE Gas Arrows.
4.9.12: Monkeymen
=================
First Appearance: Mission Thirteen (Escape!)
These guys are humanoid, but appear to be simian in nature. At first I was
going to call these guys Ratmen, because of their tails. However, I got a good
look at the face and feet of one which I knocked out, and realized that they
resembled apes more than rats. But since apes don't have tails like that, they
had to be monkeys.
The Monkeymen move pretty quickly, and each carries a sword. They are pretty
lethal swordsmen...I've seen one do three strikes in quick succession.
Despite their frightening appearance and swordsmanship, they are not that
difficult to deal with. A single Broadhead Arrow will bring down an
unsuspecting Monkeyman, while it takes about three for one that is on his
guard. Your Sword is also a good weapon against them. One downswing, followed
by two quick sideswings, will bring them down. (A single downswing is
sufficient for an unsuspecting one.) I've noticed that if you hit one with a
downswing, you can usually get the two sideswings in before the creature has a
chance to recover. Also, your Blackjack will knock them out.
These creatures are susceptible to Gas Arrows and Gas Mines as well, and are
also blinded by Flash Bombs. An Explosive Mine will also take one down, whether
it's on its guard or not.
4.9.13: Insect-Beasts
=====================
First Appearance: Mission Thirteen (Escape!)
I originally wanted to call these creatures Mantises, bases on their
appearance. However, a latter mission refers to them as "Insect-Beasts", and
after seeing them in action, I know why.
These creatures patrol very slowly...their patrol movements remind me of an
educational film I saw in grade school of Russian soldiers patrolling outside
the Kremlin. :) Their slow patrol can be infuriating if you're waiting for them
to turn around. However, once they spy you, they can move quite quickly, so
don't be lulled into a false sense of security by their apparent lethargy!
They have a very interesting attack mode. They shoot Fly Swarms out of their
mouths! If you watch them do this from a distance, you'll see multiple Swarms
come out at the same time, in different directions. The Swarm will eventually
stop its forward motion, and remain stationary, just like a regular Fly Swarm,
and then it will disperse after a while.
These creatures can be knocked out with your Blackjack, but are very tough to
kill. Your Sword and Broadhead Arrows need to connect several times before they
will fall. Even Fire Arrows are not very effective against them. I shot an
unsuspecting Insect-Beast with a Fire Arrow once, and it wasn't enough to kill
it! Another time, I made TWO direct hits against one that was looking for me,
and even THAT wasn't enough! (Interesting note: They bleed green blood.)
Gas Arrows and Gas Mines work well against Insect-Beasts, and Flash Bombs will
blind them.
A final word of caution about these creatures. Whether you knock them out or
kill them, you cannot hide their bodies...for some reason, you are not
permitted to carry them. This can make it very difficult for you in those areas
when there are multiple enemies to deal with.
An interesting note: One time I killed an Insect-Beast with my Sword. He fell
right in front of me, but then I could swear he released a Frog out of his
mouth just before he died! Anyone have any comments about this?
4.9.14: Frogs
=============
First Appearance: Mission Thirteen (Escape!)
Yes, Frogs. Your regular, small, hopping, croaking Frogs. Sounds harmless,
right? Oh, did I forget to mention that they explode?
These Frogs hop around looking for you, and when their body hits yours, it
explodes, doing damage to you.
About the only way to keep these things from hurting you is to kill them before
they get near. I haven't done much experimentation with the various weapons
against these creatures. A single Broadhead will kill a Frog, whether he's
aware of you yet or not. However, when it dies, it explodes, so it will alert
nearby creatures that you're in the area. It appears that an exploding Frog
will also damage anyone close to it, including other Frogs. This sets up a nice
chain reaction if you have enough of them close to each other.
One time I tried a Sword attack...I think it connected, and killed the beast,
but I'm not entirely sure. However, using your Sword against these Frogs is
asking for trouble, as the resulting explosion will still damage you.
A "patrolling" Frog that is unaware of you is very difficult to hit with your
arrows, as it hops merrily, almost never pausing. However, if you attract its
attention without letting it know where you are, it will pause. Once it does
that, it becomes a sitting target.
Although I didn't do much experimentation with these creatures, I did discover
that they appear to be susceptible to Gas Arrows.
During the Secret Mission, I discovered that you can blackjack a Frog
unconscious. It will just lie there, and you can keep hitting it with your
blackjack as much as you like. It won't die. It can still be killed (and
explodes!) the same as if it were conscious. (Note: Since I discovered this
information on the Secret Mission, I am not sure whether it holds for the
regular missions or not.)
4.9.15: The Trickster
=====================
First Appearance (during a mission): Mission Fifteen (Into The Maw Of Chaos)
The final enemy you must defeat, and he's not very accomodating. Broadhead
Arrows don't seem to touch him, Fire Arrows don't bother him...I've hit him
with five and he didn't even flinch! And although he is unaffected by Gas
Arrows, he also seems oblivious to them. I hit him with one and he didn't even
stop to look for me. Your Sword and Blackjack likewise seem to pass right
through him.
He has a very interesting attack to use against you. He doesn't do anything,
but you start taking damage. Even if you're hiding completely out of sight
around a corner, you continually take damage until you're dead. As the British
say, it's not exactly cricket, but there it is.
I've also seen him throw a web on you, like the Red Spiders do, or similar to
the Earth Mages "Crushing Vines" attack. The Woodsie Lord's webs are at a
strength of 10 however, not 5 like the other two.
4.9.16: Sleepers
================
First Appearance: Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor)
Sleepers are what I call the people who are asleep when you find them. They are
not dangerous while asleep, and if killing is allowed during the mission, a
single Broadhead Arrow deals with them. Don't get too close to one of them,
however, or else they will wake up and either attack you (if the are capable of
doing so), or run away screaming (if they are Non-Combatants). In the latter
case, there is a chance that the alarm will be raised. Unless there is a good
reason to get near them (such as a chest at the foot of their bed), I suggest
you just steer clear of them altogether.
I should mention that, in some rare instances, I have been able to sneak up to
a Sleeper and blackjack them. When this happens, they stand right up as if you
had awakened them, then fall down unconscious.
4.9.17: Non-Combatants
======================
First Appearance: Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor)
This category includes anyone that doesn't fight against you in the game:
Servants, Civilians, Prisoners, etc. They are weak, falling easily to just
about any attack.
In most cases with other human opponents, once they are alert to you, they are
difficult to blackjack. This is not necessarily true of the Non-Combatants. In
most cases, they can be running right towards you, screaming for help, with you
in bright light, and you can knock them senseless. Some, however, will still
not fall, although they are rare.
4.9.18: Chests
==============
First Appearance: Secret Mission (Mission Sixteen - Blooper Reel)
Yes, Chests. These are the the same as any chest you normally encounter in the
game...the sort where you open it to find items, or in some cases pick the lock
before opening it. There are a few differences here though. You can never open
these chests, and they are alive.
They can't attack you. Or at the very least, they can't damage you. They
certainly try to attack you though. They are tough to kill, and sound like
Craymen.
Obviously, this is something of a "joke" entry in the Enemies list. The
creatures do exist, and they appear in the mission mentioned above, but they're
only function is as a joke.
4.10: Arsenal
=============
While your chosen lifestyle usually involves you hiding from foes rather than
fighting, it is sometimes necessary to make use of some of your weapons...and
some have more uses than the obvious.
Note that you are more easily seen if you have a weapon drawn than if you are
empty-handed (except for the Blackjack and, after mission six, your Sword).
Also, having a weapon out (except the Blackjack) can slow you down. So if you
are in a hurry, put your weapons away!
A word about your bow. Whenever you nock an arrow and pull back, after a short
wait your vision will "zoom in" and you'll be able to see much farther much
clearer. This can be handy if you ever need to see great distances. Nock an
arrow, pull back, and when you've seen all you wish to see, disarm the bow. The
default disarm key is the tilde (~).
4.10.1: Sword
=============
First Appearance: Training Mission or Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor)
Your basic hack-n-slash weapon. Your Sword does either a left cut, a right cut,
or an overhead smashing blow. To get the smashing blow, you need to hold your
attack button without releasing it for a short time. While it takes longer to
deliver, it does more damage than the simple cuts. Also, if your enemy is not
expecting an attack (ie: he doesn't know you're there), the Sword delivers more
damage than standard (usually killing with one blow).
Your Sword is also good for cutting down banners, tapestries, or other types of
wall-hangings that may hide secret areas behind them.
If you are trying to hide in the shadows, having your Sword drawn will make you
easier to spot. However, if you put your weapon in the Block position, it seems
to lessen your visibility somewhat.
NOTE: After Mission 6 (The Sword), your regular Sword is replaced with
"Constantine's Sword". I've noticed that you can have this weapon drawn and
still remain fully hidden in darkness, without needing to "block".
4.10.2: Blackjack
=================
First Appearance: Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor)
There's not much about the Blackjack that isn't obvious. It's got a short
reach, so you have to be pretty close to use it effectively. Interestingly
enough, when you knock out your victims, if you examine their faces, their eyes
are wide open. Curious that....
While most other weapons make you more visible, having this one at the ready
does not affect your visibility.
Two things worth noting about this weapon. First, it IS possible to kill
someone with it. If they know you're there and are attacking you, a few solid
clouts with this does send them to the Builder. Also, sometimes Non-Combatants
(ie: Servants, Prisoners, etc.) are so weak that a single blow from this weapon
kills them, even if you were just going for a knock-out.
Another interesting thing. If you knock someone out while you are in the middle
of a jump, when you look at your stats screen later, you will have an
additional entry for the number of "airborne" knockouts. :)
Sometimes there is a problem with knocking out a person, and picking up the
body BEFORE getting any goodies (like a purse or key) off of their belt. When
you drop the body and look, the item sometimes disappears. One method of
avoiding this (assuming you are in a hurry for some reason) is to knock your
victim out and then pick his pocket before he hits the ground. You will get the
item and, apparently, the credit for picking his pocket as well.
NOTE: Previously, this section noted that you had to hit a creature on the head
in order to induce sleep. This is what was said in the manual (page 16, about
halfway down). This is, in fact, not true. Someone emailed me saying that
everytime he uses his Blackjack on someone's ass, they fall. I tried it, and
it's true. (Although I prefer to think you are whacking them in the kidneys,
stunning them.) Apparently, this sort of a knockout counts as an "Airborne
Knockout". :)
One final word, which should be obvious: Don't try to knock out the undead.
4.10.3: Broadhead Arrows
========================
First Appearance: Training Mission or Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor)
Their use as a weapon is obvious. These weapons, like your Sword, do much more
damage to your enemies when they are not expecting your attack (usually killing
human enemies with one shot).
You may think these weapons are useless on missions where you can't kill
anyone, but that's not entirely true. They are great "distractions". Fire one
off against a nearby wall, and you attract the attention of nearby enemies. And
if you're hiding in shadows, instead of raising the alarm, they (usually) look
around for you. Lead your enemies into an ambush, and blackjack them. :)
Note that if you fire your Broadhead Arrows into soft surfaces, you can
sometimes retrieve them! (I'm afraid your target's body does not count as a
soft surface.)
Sometimes you can collect Broadheads that were shot at you and missed, if they
land in soft surfaces. I have been told that Garrett cannot carry more than 90
Broadhead Arrows, but I have not verified this.
Oddly enough, I've been told that these are effective against Fire Elementals
as well as your more mundane foes.
4.10.4: Water Arrows
====================
First Appearance: Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor)
Very useful for putting out unwanted torches, and also for cleaning up any
bloodstains you leave behind. If you find a Holy Water font, or use a vial of
Holy Water, you turn your mundane Water Arrows into Holy Water Arrows...very
useful against Zombies and other undead monsters. When trying to destroy
Zombies with these, it takes a minimum of two arrows to destroy one. In groups
however, nearby Zombies can take "splash damage". Note that it only takes one
Holy Water Arrow to dispatch a Corpse-Zombie (while it's still "feigning
death"). Water Arrows will also extinguish Fire Elementals.
A note regarding Holy Water Arrows: Someone has written in to tell me that if
you turn your Water Arrows into Holy Water Arrows, then change weapons before
your timer on them runs out, the timer will freeze, so that when you go back to
your Water Arrows, they will STILL be Holy Water Arrows, with as much time left
as you had remaining before you switched weapons! (Alas, now someone ELSE has
written to tell me that this is not the case. I'm going to have to start
verifying some of the items that come in to me....)
As an interesting side note, Water Arrows are ignored by human enemies when
fired at them. I've fired a Water Arrow right in the face of a Hammerite, and
he didn't even flinch!
NOTE: When extinguishing torches, it is not necessary to hit the torch
dead-on...or in some cases, even to hit it! A close hit will still put the
torch out. I am assuming this is some sort of "splash damage".
4.10.5: Fire Arrows
===================
First Appearance: Mission Three (Down In The Bonehoard)
These little beauties are devastating. They can destroy a Zombie with a single
shot (and he DOESN'T come back to life), although sometimes it takes two. Some
human guards which normally take several Broadhead Arrows to bring down will
sometimes fall with a single Fire Arrow. They can also be shot into a Fly
Swarm, dispersing them (burning them?). They are also useful for relighting
torches, should you decide you need a little more light in your life.
If your Fire Arrow detonates too close to you, you will take some damage, so be
careful!
If you are hiding in the shadows, arming a Fire Arrow will brighten your area a
bit, making you more noticeable.
A word about trajectory: When you fire most arrows, you need to take gravity
into account. That is, once the arrow leaves your bow, it starts to fall,
losing altitude. You need to aim high if you're aiming at a target that's a
long way off. This is NOT true with the Fire Arrows. It's like a mini-rocket.
Aim, fire, and it keeps going IN A STRAIGHT LINE, until it strikes something.
Keep this in mind when using them.
It is interesting to note that, while a Fire Arrow will continue on in a
straight line until it hits something, how far back you pull the bowstring will
determine how fast it flies. Try it out for yourself...it's like watching its
flight in slow motion. (Just for fun, if you fire your Fire Arrow slowly
enough, you CAN run after it, past it, then turn around and watch it hit you! I
assume the same can be said for Gas Arrows.)
4.10.6: Moss Arrows
===================
First Appearance: Mission Two (Break From Cragscleft Prison)
You fire a Moss Arrow at some loud sound-generating ground (tile,
grating,etc.), and it gets covered with moss. When you walk on it, you no
longer make any noise at all. So far, that's the only use I've found for them.
Firing Moss Arrows at items, people, or even the walls or ceiling, will cause
the initial clump of moss to fall to the ground at that point, and then the
remaining moss will shoot out.
It is important to note that the moss from one of these arrows covers an entire
square area, even though some patches may look "bare" in this area. These bare
patches are still considered "mossed", and you can walk silently on them.
4.10.7: Gas Arrows
==================
First Appearance: Mission 8 (The Mage Towers)
These are very nice to have on those levels where you can't kill anyone. It
allows you to knock out someone (or sometimes a few someones) at a distance. If
you use one of these in a crowd, there is a radius effect which knocks out the
primary target as well as those in the immediate vicinity. (I have personally
witnessed a single Gas Arrow take down three Burricks.)
While you won't be knocked unconscious if your Gas Arrow "detonates" too close
to you, you will take some damage from the shattering glass.
Trajectory with Gas Arrows is the same as with Fire Arrows: they keep going in
a straight line, never falling, until they hit something.
I discovered this completely by accident...I aimed my Gas Arrow at a Fire Mage,
and not only was he knocked unconscious, but a nearby brazier was also
extinguished! Apparently, in a pinch, Gas Arrows can be used to put out
unwanted fires!
Like Fire Arrows, if you only pull back on your bowstring briefly, the arrow
will travel much more slowly. (And I assume that you can chase it and hit
yourself with it, like the Fire Arrows.)
4.10.8: Rope Arrows
===================
First Appearance: Mission 3 (Down In The Bonehoard)
Very handy items, if you happen to have no way into or out of an area, and
there is a wooden (or similarly "soft") surface neraby. Fire one of these, and
you have instant access.
A word of caution: While these arrows are very useful to you in many
situations, it should be pointed out that there is a maximum length to the
rope. You could shoot a Rope Arrow at a ceiling very high up, and watch with
dismay as the rope tumbles down to stop several feet higher than your highest
jump.
Note that these arrows are re-usable. Once you've finished with the rope,
retrieve the Arrow.
A useful manouevre for any Thief is what I call a "jump-n-snatch" manouevre.
Basically, when you are ready to abandon your rope, position yourself in some
way to that your Rope Arrow is highlighted, then jump off the rope AT THE SAME
TIME THAT YOU GRAB THE ARROW! This retrieves your Rope Arrow for re-use later,
and accomplishes your goal of getting to where you wanted to go. (In some
cases, it is enough to just hang on the rope and grab the arrow, allow yourself
to fall.)
WARNING! Do not face a wall, standing directly against it, then look straight
up and fire one of these into a secure material! Yes, it will stick, but the
rope will be too close to the wall, and you will be unable to use it!
4.10.9: Noisemaker Arrows
=========================
First Appearance: Mission Two (Break From Cragscleft Prison)
An arrow that makes a noise as it flies. When it strikes a surface, it emits a
"cricket" sound for a short while. In most cases, I've found this completely
useless, although I have made use of it successfully in "Thieves' Guild". I'm
sure there are other instances that I am just not seeing where these devices
would prove useful.
These weapons are also retrieveable, like the Rope Arrows.
4.10.10: Flash Bombs
====================
First Appearance: Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor)
These devices are quite useful against undead monsters. A Zombie takes about
two of these to take him out permanently. They are useful against other types
of undead as well. Note that they work best against groups...one Flash Bomb
damages all nearby undead!
The damage a Flash Bomb does seems to be dependent upon its proximity to the
target or targets. It appears to do more damage to someone the closer it lands
to them. That being said, it should be obvious that you want a group of undead
to cluster together before throwing one of these at them.
A word of caution: If you use these against Zombies, sometimes they explode,
and sometimes they just fall to the ground. If a Zombie simply falls, it is not
out of action, it's just a Corpse-Zombie now. Approaching it will wake it up
again. (In cases like this, another Flash Bomb usually dismembers the
fiend...although you are free to use other methods to permanently disable these
guys.)
These devices also appear to blind Burricks for a short period of time.
4.10.11: Explosive Mines
========================
First Appearance: Mission Five (Thieves' Guild)
Although both the game and the manual call these items simply "Mines", I refer
to them as "Explosive Mines" throughout this FAQ, to differentiate them from
their non-lethal cousins, "Gas Mines".
These Mines are small, and sometimes hard to see when they are lying around
waiting to be picked up (or set off). These items are also useful against
undead creatures.
A note about setting Mines: Don't use the right mouse button like you do to
(for example) throw a Flash Bomb. Instead, use your "Drop" key (the default
drop key is the letter "R"). It will fall at your feet. Otherwise, if you use
the right mouse button, you tend to "throw" it a distance from yourself, and it
bounces and slides around for a short time before finally stopping and arming
itself. A word of caution: Once you've set a Mine, you CAN trigger it yourself.
BE CAREFUL!
Another interesting point about Mines. If there is one set, you can trigger
them without going near. I've fired Broadhead Arrows at them and had them go
off, although you have to actually HIT the Mine...the motion of the arrow
flying by is not sufficient to alert the Mine's motion detectors. Note that the
Mine has to be SET...one that's just lying there without being set will not be
triggered in this manner. Also, another Mine exploding nearby can set off a
Mine...they can be knocked back, and you can start a chain reaction this way!
One final note regarding Explosive Mines: if one goes off near an unlit torch,
it can ignite the torch.
4.10.12: Gas Mines
==================
First Appearance: Mission Ten (Song Of The Caverns)
A Gas Mine is like a Gas Arrow, as far as effect is concened. When trod upon,
they release the same knockout gas as the Gas Arrow, putting the victim to
sleep. Also like the Gas Arrow, it has an area effect, so if several persons
are nearby when it goes off, more than one will likely fall asleep.
Since it is still a Mine, it share a few characteristics with the Explosive
Mine. They are set the same way, and you can set them off yourself if you move
to close to it once it is primed. Also, you can set it off from a distance with
a Broadhead Arrow, just like the Explosive Mine. Finally, they do make a rather
audible noise when they go off, so anyone nearby has a chance to hear it.
4.10.13: Potions
================
First Appearance: Healing Potion - Training Mission or Mission One (Lord
Bafford's Manor); Breath Potion - Mission Six (The Sword); Speed Potion -
Mission Two (Break From Cragscleft Prison); Holy Water - Mission Two (Break
From Cragscleft Prison)
There are four types of potions you can get in the game, although one is not
strictly a potion.
Healing Potion: Exactly what it sounds like. When you quaff this potion, you
will start to regain health points. It heals you a total of four health points
(or up to your maximum, whichever is the lower value). It is not an immediate
effect (it doesn't take too long, it just doesn't happen immediately)...you
will regain these points slowly, one by one.
Breath Potion: This is extremely useful when you have a long underwater journey
to take. If you're supply of air is running low, drink this potion down
(actually it's just a bottle of air, but why quibble?) and you'll have a
replenished air supply. No matter how low your air supply is when you take
this, it is always restored to the maximum, so I suggest you wait until your
current supply is nearly depleted before using this, to gain the maximum
benefits.
Speed Potion: Another rather obvious one. You swallow this potion, and you are
granted a temporary burst of speed. You can run faster and, as a result, jump
farther. It doesn't last very long, so be sure you really want to use it before
you do. I am not sure if your combat skills are enhanced by this potion or not.
Anyone?
Holy Water: This is the "potion that is not a potion". You dip your Water
Arrows into this vial to turn them into Holy Water Arrows. At least, that's
what you're supposed to do. In game terms, all you do is "use" it the same way
you would any other potion. Your Water Arrows become Holy Water Arrows for 30
seconds, and they are now lethal missiles when discharged against undead
creatures.
4.11: Cheats
============
What? You want to CHEAT?? You want to deprive yourself of the experience of
playing and winning this game on your own??? WHY?!?!?!
The following cheats are known. I have personally verified all of them,
although I have not tried the trainer.
To skip the current mission and move on to the next one, press
CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-END.
To start a new game at a mission other than Lord Bafford's Manor, put the line
"starting_mission X" in your dark.cfg file, where X is the mission number you
wish to start at.
For extra money, add the line "cash_bonus x" to your dark.cfg file., where x is
an integer. That value will be added to your loot total for loadout purposes
(the before-mission screen where you buy equipment is the loadout screen).
NOTE: I tried setting x to 5000, and was given 0 gold. I tried setting it to
2000, and was given 2000. Anyone have any comments on this?
This next one isn't really a cheat, per se. In your dark.cfg file, you’ll see
the following lines:
vismeter_zoom 110 ; zoom vis meter in
hpbar_zoom 110 ; zoom hp bar in
Changing the 110 to a 90 shrinks the size of the gem and health shields and
gives you more visible area on the screen.
NOTE: Regarding the last one (vismeter_zoom and hpbar_zoom). When I went to
experiment with this in Thief Gold, the values for these two variables were not
110, they were 60. I do not know why. Perhaps this is affected by the
resolution you are playing the game at, or perhaps they made a change in the
conversion to Thief Gold. However, when I changed the 60 to a 30, the size of
my shield's and gem INCREASED. Changing these values to 110 DECREASED their
size.
Secret Mission: Use a text editor to edit the game's user.cfg file, found in
the Thief Gold root directory. Add the lines:
play
starting_mission 16
With that done, run Thief Gold, start a new mission, and Skip Training. This
will launch the secret Bloopers mission. (If you don't skip the training, then
afterwards you'll be playing Lord Bafford's Manor.)
Trainer: There is apparently a Trainer program you can download online for
Thief Gold. I am not sure if it also runs with Thief or not. This program (I am
told) will give you a lot of gold to purchase items with, and will also give
you a limited form of immortality. You can download the trainer program here:
http://www.cheatguide.com/cheats/pc/t/thief_gold_tr.shtml
Section 5: A Keeper's Training (Training Mission)
=================================================
My best time on Expert: 2 minutes, 6 seconds
Maximum Possible Treasure: 50
Note: I have played this particular "mission" on all three difficulties, and
the only difference I know of is the Secret Area: It is only available on the
Expert setting.
5.1: Introduction
=================
"The essence of balance is detachment. To embrace a cause, to grow fond or
spiteful, is to lose one's balance, after which, no action can be trusted. Our
burden is not for the dependent of spirit."
-- Mayar, Third Keeper
I was a kid. No parents, no home. Running messages and picking pockets to keep
my ribs from meeting my spine. One night I saw a man...folks just passed him by
like he wasn't there. I thought he must have something valuable, so I snuck up
on him and made a grab.
"Ugh!"
"That's not for you."
"Please, sir, I'm hungry. Don't tell the Hammers, I promise..."
"What is your name, boy?"
"Garrett."
"You have talent, lad."
"Let go of me, old man!"
"To see a Keeper is not an easy thing. Especially one who does not wish to be
seen. We have a need for those as gifted as yourself. If you've grown tired of
how you live, then follow me, and we will show you a different way."
"Leave me alone!"
"As you wish."
I caught up with him just before he vanished into the crowd. It was the
beginning of a very long education....
5.2: Objectives
===============
Your objectives for this mission do not change based on your difficulty level.
1. Follow the directions of your Instructor in order to pass the
training tests.
NOTE: The in-mission objectives will appear identical to the pre-mission
objectives. There is no simplified version.
5.3: Before The Mission
=======================
What You'll Encounter: Human Guard (Swordsman).
You start this mission with nothing but your shadowy clothing, and no
opportunity to purchase anything.
5.4: Walkthrough
================
A walkthrough is not really necessary for this mission...your Instructor will
walk you through it himself. Instead, I will point out a few things of
interest.
A. The Dark Room
B. The Quiet Room
C. The Sparring Room
D. The Basketball Court
E. The Mantle Room
F. The Treasure Room
********************
* A. The Dark Room *
********************
This is the room where you have to make it to the other side without being
seen. It is not actually necessary to wait for your Instructor to stop speaking
before beginning this section. If you stand on the bottom step, you can
successfully jump over the short wall keeping you from entering the room. Jump
off to the right, where it is darkest. Otherwise, you'll land in the light and
be seen immediately.
*********************
* B. The Quiet Room *
*********************
This is the room where you have to make it to the other side without being
heard. Again, it is not necessary to wait for your Instructor. Jump over the
barrier, but this time jump to the left (while not actually necessary, jumping
to the left will keep you from having to turn and backtrack, thus allowing you
to shave some time off your final clock score). Note that it is much more
difficult to successfully jump here then in the Dark Room.
When you get near the end of the room, instead of turning right to avoid the
metal grating, try jumping over it and landing on the stairs. They are
carpeted, and you can manage this without attracting your Instructor's
attention.
************************
* C. The Sparring Room *
************************
This is the room with the targets, the dummy, and the sparring area. Try to
pick up your Sword first, then your bow, so that the bow is readied
automatically. (Not only will you not have to ready it, but having your Sword
out slows your movements.) Move down to the targets, and shoot off an arrow.
Then, turn right around, draw your Sword, and attack the dummy. You will have
to keep attacking it until you have successfully connected with a left swing, a
right swing, and an overhead swing. (If you're interested in taking another
second or two off of your final clock score, try approaching the dummy with an
overhead swing at the ready.) Once this is done, you will spar with a guard.
(Note that in this combat, you cannot kill the guard, nor can he injure you.)
Once you've sparred a bit, you can leave the circle, and pick up the items off
the table. (Note that, even though your Instructor tells you to pick up ALL the
items, it is not required...you can simply pick up the key alone and proceed
from there.)
This part was a bit tricky for me, when I was trying to get through with the
shortest time possible. I would spar for a bit, then go to the table, but the
items were not there. Go back and spar, check the table again. Someone emailed
me and told me that the items will not appear until you have hit the guard a
minimum of five times with your Sword. I have confirmed this. So go find the
guard as soon as possible and whack him five times to minimize your time. (I
shaved about 40 seconds off my best time this way!)
NOTE: Although unnecessary, you CAN get into the target range area. Simply walk
along the wall which parallels the stairscase, aim yourself at the target area,
run and jump. You should land in the grassy area with no trouble. In here, you
can pick up your arrows that you've shot.
Another unnecessary-to-get-to-but-fun-nonetheless area is the balcony. Using a
running jump, jump onto the window ledge to the right of the table where you
find your Sword and bow. Once there, do another running jump towards the ledge
you can see out a distance. Hold down your mantle key, and you will pull
yourself up onto this ledge. Sometimes, you will land on the tree instead of
completing your jump. Simply jump again from there, and you should have no
trouble.
***************************
* D. The Basketball Court *
***************************
This is a "secret" area. Once you have finished sparring with the guard, go to
the table and pick up the key. Then, follow the guard out (or run past him)
before the exit is blocked off. You may need to fire an arrow at the guard to
slow him down in order to do this. Keep going until you come to a door. Unlock
it with your key, and you will find the basketball court. Try shooting the ball
through a basket. As far as I know, you don't get anything for doing so, but
it's a fun diversion. :)
Also, in the far corner is a bedroll. Pick it up and examine it, and you will
get to read some of the quotations overheard while the game was being
programmed ("Quotes from the Dark Team during the development of Thief: The
Dark Project"). Some of it is quite amusing. :)
Note that it is not necessary to get to this area. There are no bonuses that
affect the game whatsoever, as far as I can tell.
**********************
* E. The Mantle Room *
**********************
This "room" is outdoors. Once you've done your running jump across the gap over
the river, you have to pull yourself up (mantle) onto a block. In this room,
you can manage to get yourself onto the roof. At the end of the path you are
walking on, instead of falling, jump forward and LAND on the red beam which the
rope descends from. From here, take a running jump, and you'll land on the
roof. The only problem is, you can't stay there...you fall off in a few
seconds.
There is no reason to do this, other than for your own personal edification. It
contributes nothing to your game that I know of. Note that the same method can
be used in the other rope-room (the jump-across-the-gap room) to get on the
roof there.
************************
* F. The Treasure Room *
************************
This is the room beyond the red door. After entering, you will hear yourself
(Garrett) thinking about your (his) plans. Run down to the end of the hall, and
you will find a table with a golden vase on it. Pick it up. (50, Treasure
Count: 50.) It will give you another 50 gold pieces with which to purchase
items for the next (first) mission.
Game Bug: You are supposed to start the next (first) mission with 300 gold, or
350 if you picked up the vase. HOWEVER, if you do this little trick, you can
start with more. Save your game just before the end of the training mission.
Now, finish the mission, but instead of continuing, reload and finish again.
Each time you do this, the game apparently adds 300 (or 350, if you grabbed the
vase) to the total amount you had PREVIOUSLY. So, go in, grab the vase, and you
start with 350. Reload, go in, grab the vase, and instead of starting with 350,
you get 350 ADDED to the previous 350...700. Reload again, you start with
1,050. Keep doing this as much as you feel like it. (Note that to purchase all
the items available for the next mission, you only need to have 1,200.)
Congratulations! You've completed the Keeper's Training!
Section 6: Lord Bafford's Manor (Mission 1)
===========================================
My best time on Expert: 13 minutes, 25 seconds
Maximum Possible Treasure: 1429
6.1: Introduction
=================
"The most promising acolyte left us, not out of the lesser folly of sentiment,
but the greater folly of anger. His heart was clouded, and his balance was
lost, but his abilities were unmatched. Even then, we knew to watch him most
carefully."
-- Keeper Annals
I have a simple job planned for this evening. Break into a guarded mansion,
steal another fat nobleman's priceless trinket, and leave quietly. Lord Bafford
is out of town, and rumour has it that the captain of his house guard went with
him, as a bodyguard. The time is ripe for a bit of burglary.
The front gate of Lord Bafford's manor is always guarded, and the main street
is far too exposed. But Cutty tells me there's a better way in...around to the
side, more out of the way. One guard, and likely no witnesses to...complicate
matters.
The piece Cutty wants is a scepter...silver, jewels, the usual adornments. It
should command a high price. Bafford, like most of his kind, probably keeps his
treasures on the top floor of the place. Close to his heart...and far from his
servants.
No point in waiting. I have Cutty's old sketches of the place, and everyone
who's going to be asleep inside already is. It's time to begin....
6.2: Objectives: Normal
=======================
1. Sneak into Lord Bafford's Manor and case the place. The well house
in back is your best bet, if you can get the key from the guard --
blackjacking or pickpocketing him would be quietest.
2. Find Lord Bafford's prized jeweled scepter, and redistribute it...to
yourself. Try to do it without causing too much commotion.
6.3: Objectives: Hard
=====================
1. Sneak into Lord Bafford's Manor and case the place. The well house
in back is your best bet, if you can get the key from the guard --
blackjacking or pickpocketing him would be quietest.
2. Find Lord Bafford's prized jeweled scepter, and redistribute it...to
yourself. Try to do it without causing too much commotion.
3. In addition to pinching the scepter, steal 350 worth of valuables
while you're in the manor.
4. Don't kill any of the servants; they're harmless.
5. Once you've achieved your other objectives, get out of the manor
house and back to the city streets.
6.4: Objectives: Expert
=======================
1. Sneak into Lord Bafford's Manor and case the place. The well house
in back is your best bet, if you can get the key from the guard --
blackjacking or pickpocketing him would be quietest.
2. Find Lord Bafford's prized jeweled scepter, and redistribute it...to
yourself. Try to do it without causing too much commotion.
3. In addition to pinching the scepter, steal 700 worth of valuables
while you're in the manor.
4. Don't kill anyone while you do the job. No servants, no guards, no
pets...no one.
5. Once you've achieved your other objectives, get out of the manor
house and back to the city streets.
6.5: Simplified Objectives
==========================
1. Sneak into Lord Bafford's Manor, ideally by blackjacking or
pickpocketing the well house guard, for his key and case the place.
2. Steal the jewelled scepter with as little notice as possible.
3. Grab 700 in loot while you're in the manor.
4. Don't kill anyone.
5. Return to the city streets.
6.6: Before The Mission
=======================
What You'll Encounter: Human Guards (Swordsmen and Archers), Spiders.
Starting Funds: 300, or 350 if you grabbed the vase at the end of the training
mission. (Also, see the note at the end of Section 5.4.) If you did not do the
training mission, your starting funds are 300.
Starting Gear:
1 Sword
1 Blackjack
36 Broadhead Arrows
8 Water Arrows
1 Healing Potion
Items for Sale:
20 Broadhead Arrows (Cost: 25 each)
4 Water Arrows (Cost: 50 each)
2 Healing Potions (Cost: 250 each)
Since it is entirely possible to finish this mission using nothing but your
Blackjack and a Flash Bomb (or your Blackjack and four or five Water Arrows),
you can get away with buying NOTHING. You start with everything you need
(except Flash Bombs, which you find inside the Manor). Since you can't kill
anyone, you will not be getting into any fights, so buying Healing Potions is
useless, unless you plan to submerge yourself for too long under water, or
stick around when the Spiders are biting you. (Also, you find one almost
immediately after entering the Manor.) However, if you wish to spend your money
(remember, it doesn't carry over to the next mission), you may want to spend it
on Water Arrows, to maximize your chances of hiding in certain areas.
Recommended Purchases: 4 Water Arrows. Total Cost: 200
6.7: Notes Regarding This Mission
=================================
While this mission is pretty straightforward, there are some things worth
mentioning. Most notably, in the beginning section, unless you have a weapon
bared, everyone seems to ignore you. You can run all the way to where you want
to go, and not worry about hiding in shadows. This includes the drunk guard
outside the wellhouse. You can run right up behind him and no one seems to
care.
At the top level of the Manor, there are two entrances into a garden area, with
stairs up to some stone walkways. On this upper level, there are banners
hanging in the corners. If you follow this walkthrough, then you want to enter
the garden from the entrance on the OPPOSITE side from where you come into this
level (ie: you climb the stairs after clubbing a guard, enter the hallway, and
turn left...on your right is a garden entrance...you want the other one). Climb
the stairs, and there should be a banner facing you. Ignore it, turn right
around, and move to the banner at the far end. Whip out your Sword and cut this
banner down to reveal a secret passage. Follow it to the end, and you will find
yourself in the room just outside the throne room, with the lone guard standing
there. From here, you can jump down and club him with your Blackjack (a
difficult procedure). I do NOT recommend this method however, as doing so can
attract the patrolling guards outside this room, unless you've dealt with them
already. And without Rope Arrows, you will have to leave the room into the
hallway where the guards patrol, with them still moving about!
When playing Thief Gold, I discovered that using the secret entrance mentioned
above, I could take out all the torches in the room below, then fall down onto
the carpet and not be noticed. I do not know if this also works in the original
Thief or not.
Someone has written in with a suggestion for an alternate method of entering
the Manor: go in through the main gate! What you need to do is to get the three
guards at the gate to chase you. Then run down to the alley where you find the
cache of arrows. Keep moving forward and then turn left. This loops back around
to the main gate. The three guards will still be looking for you, so you can
just open the gate with the lever located on the right, and walk right in!
(While this creates problems with getting some of the treasures, such as the
one guarded by the Spiders, it is still a very original way of getting inside!)
6.8: Walkthrough
================
A. Outside the Manor
B. Beneath the Manor
C. 1st Level of the Manor
D. 2nd Level of the Manor
E. 3rd Level of the Manor
F. Escaping from the Manor
************************
* A. Outside the Manor *
************************
You start off facing the house you plan to burgle. However, this entrance is
guarded too well for you to attempt entry. Turn to your right, until you are
facing down the street, and move ahead. Ignore your first turning to the
left...continue on ahead. Follow this path for a while. Pass by the
clock...now, just past the lamppost, the street starts to rise. Once you are on
the rise, turn to your left, and you'll see a little alcove. Hidden inside this
alcove are some arrows: 12 Broadheads and 4 Water Arrows (you will have to look
down or back up to see the Water Arrows). [NOTE: You can probably ignore these
arrows...I find that I get through the entire mission with only using at most 5
Water Arrows, and none of the Broadheads.]
[NOTE: At some point around here, a servant will come walking down the street.
Hide from him, or don't, or blackjack him if you like. I have never found that
doing ANYTHING with this particular individual changes the game.]
Continue up the street. Shortly you will find a sewer entrance. Climb down the
ladder into the sewer. Move forward, and take the first right. When you reach
the four-way junction, continue straight ahead. There will be a left-hand turn.
Once you've taken that turn, stop before reaching the next intersection (which
is just ahead). Turn right, and you'll see a door. Go through it, turn to the
right. There is a lever in the wall here. Go up to it and pull it. Turn around,
but before you leave, look down and search the floor. Someone dropped some
treasure here for you. Pick it up, it's worth 200 to you (Treasure Count: 200).
Now, leave the way you came.
Once out in the sewer again, turn right and proceed ahead. Now, turn right, and
follow this tunnel. Climb up this ladder, and exit the sewers.
Turn left once you're out. This is the way you want to go, but be
careful....there is a patrolling guard in the area as well as the drunken lout
attempting to sing. (You'll want to start walking here, if you've been running
up until now.) Sneak behind Sinatra, and filch the key from his belt. Turn
around, and use the key on this door to unlock it. Go through, and you're in
the wellhouse. Jump up onto the edge, and then dive in.
************************
* B. Beneath the Manor *
************************
Once you surface, turn to face the direction that the water flow is moving you
in. Move forward (you can still run), until you enter a circular room with
water dripping down. Turn to your left, nearly 180 degrees, and swim down to
the opening below. Swim through the tunnel, then surface. You're in a small
pool with some floating barrels. Turn until you see a chest guarded by some
Spiders. Now, turn again, and climb out of the pool on a side with no Spiders
on it. Look down, then run over to the chest. Open it, get the ring out of it
(100, Treasure Count: 300), and then get back in the water fast before the
Spiders start attacking. Once in the pool, swim back out the way you came.
[Note: You can kill these Spiders without penalty. Broadheads work best,
although after killing some of them, the others start coming after you, and you
pretty much have to rely on your Sword, which is hard to use against them.
Alternatively, I've been told that by standing on the sloping side of the area,
and jumping up and down, you can lure the Spiders into drowning themselves. All
in all, if you're after the best possible time, the run-through-them method is
fastest.]
Back in the circular room with dripping water, continue following the flow
until you see a climbable area on your right (quite a ways down the tunnel). It
will be better lit than the other areas down here. Climb into the room with the
barrels, and you've entered Lord Bafford's basement. Go through the door. (I'd
start walking now if I were you.)
*****************************
* C. 1st Level of the Manor *
*****************************
Once you open the door, there is a chest partway across the room, almost
directly ahead. It contains a healing potion. Once you have that, turn left,
and head towards the exit. Uh oh! Voices! Hug the wall, and listen until the
guards move away.
After about two seconds, ease yourself out of the exit by moving sideways, and
sneak forward after the guard ahead (the other guard will not be able to see
your cross the lighted area). Once you're close enough, use your Blackjack
against his skull. [Note: Since this area is pretty dark, you SHOULD be able to
leave the body here without anyone noticing it.] Now, move forward, turn right
up ahead, and follow this passage into the Manor proper.
You should now be walking on carpet. Turn left, and walk forward, towards a
lighted archway you can see up ahead. You will hear your footsteps become quite
loud as you walk over some metal grating, but it appears that no one can hear
you when you do so.
[If you find that someone DOES hear you (although it has not happened to me),
try the following instead: Instead of turning left upon entering this room,
head towards the doorway that has a lit torch in it. Once you go through it,
turn to your left, and move through the exit you see ahead.]
Just inside this corridor is a chest. Inside you'll find two Flash Bombs. Now,
turn left, and head down this corridor to the stairs, and take the stairs all
the way to the top.
*****************************
* D. 2nd Level of the Manor *
*****************************
At the top, you should see an exit. However, in this room, directly across from
the exit, are two more chests for you. One is flat on the floor, the other
propped against the wall. Open the propped one to find a stack of coins (5,
Treasure Count: 305). Ignore the other one, it contains a vase that makes a
LOUD noise when you drop it. Turn around and exit the room. Then turn right,
and move forward, past the first hallway on your right, past the room with
sleeping beauty, and turn at the next right. At the end of this hallway, you
can turn either left or right. Take the right, and enter the dead end.
Turn to your left, and there's a door to the kitchen here. Enter, and you
should see some shelves in front of you. On the top one is a golden vase (100,
Treasure Count: 405). Be careful in here! There is a servant preparing a meal.
Leave the way you came.
Once you're back out through the door, turn right and follow the corridor all
the way, and turn right. As before, this should end at a darkened area with a
door.
SAVE YOUR GAME! This is a patrol area. There is a guard SOMEWHERE behind this
door, walking his rounds. We want to give to him the gift of slumber.
Open the door. With luck, your timing will be such that he is just ahead of
you, walking away. (If he's walking towards you, he may just see you and
attack....I hope you saved your game!) If he's not there, then wait for him.
You'll see him before he sees you. Once you see him coming around the corner
ahead, wait for him to approach and turn around. As long as you are hidden in
the shadows, you will not need to shut the door while you wait. Once he's
turned, sneak up behind him and send him to dreamland. Now, go forward into the
next room, turn left, and take the SECOND left you see...it should lead into a
carpeted area. Head down to the end of this area just BEFORE the doorway. This
is where we wait for the next guard. (You may want to save here, too.)
If you're feeling daring, you can peer around the corner and watch for him.
Note that it is possible to position yourself so that when the guard makes his
turn, you catch just a glimpse of him. (Be careful here...there's a servant
that sometimes walks through this area.) The guard you're waiting for will be
coming through the door directly across from you. When it opens, jump back, and
wait. Listen to his footsteps. Once they start receding, you can sneak out, and
bruise this guard's ego with your Blackjack. (Alternatively, instead of relying
on your ears, which I find is not always accurate, turn around and head back so
you're looking out of the room from the entrance you came in from. This way,
you'll see the guard walking away from you, and you can sneak up on him then.)
Okay, I'm a bit turned around here now, and you might be too. So use your
compass. You want to be in the room where you KO'd the last guard, and you want
to head west. At the end of this room you should find a set of stairs leading
up into a small, circular room. Take them. In this room on a bookshelf is
another gold vase (100, Treasure Count: 505).
Ignore the other set of stairs. Turn around and go out the way you came. Once
you're back in the other room, you should see two metal doors: one across from
you, and one in the wall to your left. Go through the left one. In this room,
turn to your right, and at the end there will be a bench, with a goblet sitting
on it. Take the goblet. (15, Treasure Count: 520). Leave the room the way you
came, and now head through the other metal door you noted previously. (You may
wish to save your game again, to avoid the roaming servant.)
Head to the other exit of this room, but before you reach it, turn to the right
and examine the items on the shelf...there are two you are interested in. A
gold plate (50, Treasure Count: 570) and a gold carafe (50, Treasure Count:
620). Now, leave through the new exit, and you will find yourself in another
large room like the patrolled one before.
There is a door in the wall to your left. Go through it, and head down to the
end. On a table to your left, you will find a stack of coins (12, Treasure
Count: 632).
SAVE YOUR GAME! This is another patrol area, and it could get interesting here.
Leave this room the way you came in. In large room your in now, you should see
an exit on your left with some stairs. Take this. Before getting to the top of
these stairs though, stop. Pull out your bow and extinguish the torch with a
water arrow. Now, enter the room, hugging the right wall, until you come to the
opening with the stairs leading up. Wait here. (Be sure you are waiting on the
RIGHT hand side (as you're facing the staircase)....while I've successfully
done this on the left hand side, it only worked once.) Eventually, a guard will
come down the stairs. Consider him Blackjack practice.
Once the guard is unconscious, head to the opposite end of the room, between
two tables, where you'll find a chest. Inside is a bottle of wine (50, Treasure
Count: 682).
Note: If you're fast enough, you MIGHT be able to knock the guard above out
without extinguishing the torch first. (I have done so once.)
SAVE YOUR GAME! You may want to start saving your game at regular intervals
now, if you haven't already. The uppermost floor here is patrolled, in several
areas.
*****************************
* E. 3rd Level of the Manor *
*****************************
Go up the staircase, then turn right and go down the smaller stairs into a
hallway. Turn left, and go through door at the end into the library.
In here there are a few items of interest, but most can be ignored. The one
that you are interested in is on a table against the wall, the furthest one
from where you entered (200, Treasure Count: 882). Now, go through the door
opposite the one you entered, and be ready for some fancy legerdemain.
[NOTE: In the library, you can find a scroll which is a report to Lord Bafford
from one of his underlings. It mentions that the person was unable to find any
information regarding someone named Victoria. This is probably a reference to
Viktoria, wh