Game Notes
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.)
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...
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.
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 (i.e., 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 (i.e., 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.
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 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.
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 (i.e., looking up and down), the star will also rotate on that axis with you!
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.
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"....
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.
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.)
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 (i.e., 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 (i.e., 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.
Spiders
First Appearance: Small Spider - Mission One (Lord Bafford's Manor); Large Spider - Mission Two (Break from Cragscleft Prison); Red Spider - Mission Fourteen (Strange Bedfellows)
Spiders come in three varieties: small & annoying, large & annoying, and large, red & 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 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 tougher 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 dealt with by a single Broadhead Arrow, I tend to use a Gas Arrow instead. (But that's just me.)
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.
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.
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.
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! 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! (See the note regarding this in the Fire Elementals section.)
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 alert 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.
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.
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?
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.)
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 accommodating. 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.
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.
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.
Chests
First Appearance: Secret Mission (Mission Sixteen - Blooper Reel)
Yes, Chests. These are 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.
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 (~).
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 (i.e., 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".
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 (i.e., 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 every time 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.
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.
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".
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.)
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.
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.)
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 nearby. 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!
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.
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.
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.
Gas Mines
First Appearance: Mission Ten (Song Of The Caverns)
A Gas Mine is like a Gas Arrow, as far as effect is concerned. 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.
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.
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.
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.)