Kangra on 21/12/2022 at 19:32

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6. First City Bank & Trust
TKO: - Difficulty: **
KO: 29 (1 AB)
IB Disabled: 13
Loot: 2284
Secrets: 2/2
Pickpockets: 17/18
Locks Picked: 11
Time taken: 2:22:27

The bank is a massive level, and no matter which way you complete it, it takes a while to get through. Even with the active patrollers knocked out, there are still the numerous Watchers (cameras). The noisy marble and tile floors make the job of sneaking up on enemies even harder, and the long patrols of some of the mechanical creations only add to the complexity of planning knockouts. Since there are more bots to knock out than water arrows available, this is an inevitable bust. I added a bit more bust on top of that by needing to use a moss arrow at one point. It was an otherwise clean run with all loot taken, and no L2 alerts triggered.

The guards that patrol the outer perimeter tend to bunch up and they were pretty easy to clear. There are three standing guards on outside doors: two next to each other, and one on his own in the northeast corner. The lone guard is easy to get close to, and his door was my chosen entrance, since it's unlocked. The other two stationary guards required a bit more caution, as they seem to be on a hair-trigger for searching. What I did is rush in to the dark corner to the side of them. This spot is safe even if they start hunting (they did not, though). From there, I ran in and got them both from the rear. That was the exterior done, and no locks needed to be picked to enter the bank.

The guards inside simply require careful observation of their routes, so I could get them in an isolated spot. Since so many of them only start patrolling when you get in their area, I found the best policy was to knock them out as soon as I could. The wandering Worker Bots have much longer routes, so I also had to be mindful that they wouldn't cross paths with a downed body. Even if there are too many bots in the level, all those that patrol near humans can be taken out without issue.

Enemy positions can be a bit strange in this level. Several of the guards ended up standing on ledges, and the Worker Bot in the 'fountain room' got stuck inside the fountain somehow. I can't be sure if this happens more often in TFix or if I just got an unlucky randomization. It did not really change the difficulty in one direction or another. Most of the time rope arrows can be used to gain access to a spot behind an awkwardly-positioned guard, and they would likely have been necessary even if the guard had been in a more normal spot.

I cleared the east side first, working bottom to top, and then the west side, roughly top to bottom, essentially converging on the vault. It's not actually the vault that's any great difficulty. There are no guards inside it, and once it's unlocked, it's a simple matter of avoiding the cameras. The real problem is the nearby Guard Room. While easily bypassed on any other run, every enemy within it needs to be taken down. There are two stationary guards, a Combat Bot, and a patrolling archer. A good half of the lower area is monitored by a Watcher that can't be disabled, and to top it off the whole floor is noisy marble.

The guard on the second floor I saved for later, as he barely seems to notice anything below him. On the contrary, it seemed more important to hold off on hitting him, as it was likely that the patrolling archer on the ground spotted his body if it happened to fall near the edge of the platform. I went to take out the archer and Combat Bot first. The problem with these two is that any attempt to get close to one is likely to make enough noise to disturb the other one, or one of the other guards. A possible approach is to make a disturbance on the second level, which will clear everyone out of the room, but as likely as not this will lead them into other guards (or bodies, if anyone's been knocked out) and that would be even messier. I also tried to get down to the area of the room where the archer is most isolated, and though it seems dark enough to move around there, the Combat Bot always spotted me. I think even if I could get down there it would spot the archer's body after a knockout, so I imagine it's a no-go.

I went with a solution that's reasonably smooth, but does require breaking the evidence rule by using a moss arrow. From the vault-side second level, I used a rope arrow to descend quietly to the lower level, and set up right behind the pillar where the Combat Bot stands. The archer will come and stand to the right of the bot, and then turn to either head across the room or back toward the other guard. I had to put down a moss arrow near the pillar to move freely behind him. Once the archer was about to turn around, I hit the Combat Bot's boiler to temporarily disrupt it. Then I rushed forward and knocked out the archer as he moved away. Then I quickly moved back to hit the Combat Bot a second time to disable it. This move has a chance to alert the standing guard (near the Watcher), but he made no notice when I did it. I hopped back up the rope to take out the second floor guard. To knock out the last guard on the first floor, I got into the hall behind him, rushed in when he turned outward, and then got back out before the Watcher set off an alarm*. Luckily the Watchers won't notice bodies, so the room was clear. In theory it may be possible to get the archer and Combat Bot without using the moss arrow, but I just don't think it's likely.

I tried to pick only as many locks as were needed to get maximum loot, and made sure to re-lock all doors since the keys are available to do so. The time lock puzzle can be returned to its original state but it doesn't put the lock back in place. I did pick just one additional lock, which was for the safe containing two water arrows. I had hoped I could use them on a few more bots, but they turn out to be unnecessary as I had no useful target for them.

There simply aren't enough water arrows for purchase or in the level to hit the boilers of every patrolling iron beast. There are enough for all of those that patrol or are stationed in places where the guards are. I left the 'maintenance area' bots on their own, as it's the one area that really doesn't have any outside units coming into it, and doesn't need to be interfered with. I did disable the 'patrolling' Combat Bot in the room near the vault lock.

The two Worker Bots that are locked in 'conversation' I chose to leave unmolested as well. Using the extra two water arrows from the safe, those two could in theory be knocked out. I doubt it's really possible to do it without being caught by the Watchers*, though, or without having one bot notice the other one's body. I tried it a few times and failed. Alerting them both to get them in another position is maybe an option, but would most likely be a bust when they encountered a body, or if they were able to alert another enemy after leaving the room. Since there are still many more bots in the basement, it's not as if it would make the difference. Perhaps using a speed potion would have worked here, but I still doubt it.

Aside from the somewhat intriguing puzzle that is the Guard Room, I found this to be one of the least fun TKO levels there is. It's mostly a matter of moving around the big spaces and catching patrols as they happen, which doesn't need too much skill. It also lacks any of the enjoyment of breezing through the level with everyone knocked out, due to the numerous Watchers and maze-like routes that connect the various parts of it.

*Technically if these are the last knockouts then setting off the Watcher might be allowable (though it seems unlikely in the case of the two bots).

Kangra on 4/1/2023 at 19:23

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8. Tracing the Courier
TKO: + Difficulty: * (*** for challenge)
KO: 24
IB Disabled: 0
Loot: 830
Secrets: 1/1
Pickpockets: 14/14
Locks Picked: 0
Time taken: 28:11

Quite an easy level, as almost all the guards are isolated from each other. Once the pagan goes into the cemetery, the rest of the level can be cleared without any time pressure. Even the occasional guards that have an intersecting path can be knocked down in dark spots, with little chance of any body discovery.

The added challenge, then, is to get all the knockouts while also staying on the trail of the letter. You do need to go very quick at the start to do this, especially to get the guard stationed near the pub. It's something of an issue that Mosley and the pagan both have some randomness as to when they pause and turn around, and that can affect the timing of the run. I'd consider making some noise to get them cautious is acceptable here as long as they don't start hunting immediately (there are pre-set spots where they may stop to look around, which is fine). I didn't really have to do it on my run, as far as I'm aware, although it can be a bit hard to tell if they have actually noticed anything. There is also the handful of guards that they both pass by, adding to the difficulty. Personally, I think the challenge should be to get the guards when they are first encountered and not leave them standing for the pagan's route. That means either hitting the enemies far enough away from the pagan's route, or in darker areas that won't trigger a body discovery.

The only guard I missed during the trace was the one stationed on the bridge above the Whipple Gate (the gate where the drunk guard is). I'm not sure if it's possible to get there either while following the pagan on his last turn, or while Mosley is wandering through the marketplace, which would seem to be the only opportunities. There is also a civilian that cannot be reached at all during the 'tracing' portion, so the challenge is not perfectly possible. That exception is the woman back near Garrett's old house. She is sleeping in the bed across the way from his place. I have to imagine her presence here was an oversight on the part of the developers, since there's no real reason to have an extra person in a place the player would never go. This playthrough was actually the first time I discovered that she was even present in this level. It surprises me that I'm still finding new things in this game.

There is some slight weirdness to a couple of guards in this, namely the two who start out sort-of blocking the route to Garrett's old place. They 'teleport' to the street across from the lamppost where Mosley drops the letter and have a conversation about boots, but it seems as if the game counts them as two different sets of people. I found it impossible to KO them cleanly before the drop without the mission failing, though. Since the initial two 'disappear' I'd say they don't count, but it'd be a neat bonus if someone was able to get all of these. I should note that even getting two of them while also keeping up with the trace is no easy matter. It required me to run all the way around before their conversation finishes, and do a risky move of hitting one as he walked toward me after the discussion was done. It's otherwise quite hard to get behind them while keeping in range of the letter (not only that, but the exact position they go 'back' to seems to vary).

Mosley might also be a special enemy. I did once hear the pagan comment on seeing her body, but it wasn't scored as a discovery (he does discover downed guards for sure). I made sure my run did not include him noticing her in any way.

I started by heading more or less right near Mosley so I could hit one guard and then circle back towards her place to get a second one. Then I waited as she passed southward down the street, as a guard came up it. I had to wait here to let him pass by the building with a light on, as an archer guard patrols near it. I hit him quickly and then hopped up onto the wooden platform where the archer was. Luckily Mosley paused so I had a bit of time here. From there Mosley passes by the tower and gate near the pub. I found that sneaking past her into the dark corner gave me the best chance of getting to the pub, as long as I didn't set her off. One person passes her who I had to knock out, and then I booked it as fast as I could over to the pub, conked the guard and picked his pocket, and then ran back before Mosley had moved on toward the marketplace.

In the marketplace, I waited until the patrolling guard was in a dark enough spot, since I didn't want the pagan finding his body. Mosley spends a fair amount of time going through here and usually pauses at the turn on Whipple St., so there's a decent amount of time to work. As she crossed Helena Way I needed to leap across and hit a few of the guards on the opposite side. They went down in some bright spots, and I could only hope the pagan didn't spot them on his return trip. As Mosley went up and around Helena Way, I ducked over to Whipple and got the drunken guard at the gate. Then I returned in time to observe the drop, and knocked her out in the dark alley leading away.

After I rushed around to get the two guards talking about boots, the pagan finally showed up and I could start moving again. As he turned past the bridge near Helena Way, he did make a comment, either because I was too close or the body in the streetlight made him nervous. But he continued onward peacefully toward the south end of the map. One new guard shows up here, and it was hard to get her while following him if she didn't start moving right away. I was able to let him circle the building without losing the trace, so I hit her on the north side of it and waited for him to pass by above me. The noisy metal stairs meant I had to wait a little longer to follow him.

He passed through the marketplace without spotting anything unusual, and I was able to get ahead of him before he arrived at the cemetery, as I wanted to see what I could do there. While it is possible to interfere somewhat with the Mechanist ambush, I let it play out on its own (the violence is in no way connected to Garrett's actions, so it is not a bust). I then knocked the Mechanists out and finished off the knock-outs with the sleeping woman back near the old apartment. Of course, I also allowed the sleeping (un)dead to stay as they were. I did not pick up all the loot in the course of the tracing, and had to go back and get the remainder of it. I think it may be possible to accomplish that and could be considered one more extra challenge.

Adding the challenge makes this a fairly fun mission. It isn't that exciting otherwise. There's a bit of frustration in dealing with the randomness of the route while scoring knockouts, but the mission being really short makes even that relatively painless. I did enjoy being able to find out new things about the level and experiment with how much you can get away with while still completing the objectives.

downwinder on 10/1/2023 at 18:42

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did you take dewdrop for good luck???

also on trace the currier mission ,once you follow him where he goes into warp, and the next objective sounds, "do not go into warp", you then can go back to city and completely gut the city dry :)

Kangra on 18/1/2023 at 06:54

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10. Life of the Party
TKO: - Difficulty: **
KO: 61 (66 if alarm active)
IB Disabled: 6
Loot: 2853
Secrets: 7/7
Pickpockets: 22/24
Locks Picked: 9
Time taken: 2:41:18 (2:36:36 with alarm)

This is one of the biggest levels. Owing to its sprawling nature, the knock-outs are fairly easy to come by. Most of the people in the city buildings are so far from each other that it hardly matters where you leave the body, and there are many routes that let you get behind them. While Angelwatch is something of a different story in that regard, with the risk of body discovery much higher, it is still not too difficult to complete.

I really had high expectations that I could finish this one cleanly, since I had believed that in my previous attempt I had knocked out everyone but the Mechanical Cherub. It turns out I was wrong. I can conceivably justify ignoring the MC since he can't actually cause you any problems, but even then I was one knocked-out enemy short this time. It turns out that the nobles at street level will reset their patrols and be hidden from view, making it very easy to miss them. As it stands, there isn't enough gas available in the level to hit all of them, so this is a definite bust with or without Karras's golden boy. Nevertheless, I put my best effort in and almost no one was left upright at the end.

The initial rooftops can be traversed almost as quick as you can go, and the knockouts are easy. I saved a few lives by cutting short the famous archer shootout; stopping it from happening is not strictly necessary, but it allowed me to rack up more knockouts. I did it by sneaking into the circular tower as soon as the argument started. I knocked out the two guards in there without them noticing, and the guards across the way presumably thought they had shut them up. In vanilla Thief 2 I had some trouble with this point and sometimes had to douse the torch above them, but it was not necessary in TFix.

With that done, I moved up the street and took down more guards on the way. Getting to the lone thief in the 'hideout' required cautious movement as he seems pretty jumpy, but once I got inside it was easy enough to take him down.

The two housebreakers presented a bit of trouble, as they are facing each other and in a fair amount of light. I had to use two water arrows to darken the scene enough; one on the torch outside so I could approach the thief there, and another on the candle right next to the window, so that the thief inside wouldn't notice. It was then a matter of moving quickly, knocking out the one standing outside and then rushing at the window to take out the other one. Of course I'd already knocked out the guard in the house, but I think he would not have noticed anyway.

After that, I cleared the Necromancer's spire (being sure not to summon the zombies), and then made my way around through the Carleton Estate and into the back of the bank. The guard that patrols in the bank can take a random route on the noisy floor, but can usually be knocked out quietly enough. I lifted the key off him and looted the vault. Next I went to the front of the bank and got the guard outside the door, as well as the nearby guards; none of them seem to hear or see their friends go down so it was easy. I headed southward to finish off the Shemenov Estate and steal from the crazy astronomer. Heading in via this route allowed me to replace the crates that were moved out of the way, so no evidence of entry remained.

From there, it was nearly time to head to Angelwatch. I saved the Rothchilds and Carlyle Armory for later, although I realize now that I could have grabbed the gas arrow that Longdaddy guards and handled all of the Thieves' Highway portion before going into the tower. There's no loot or necessary equipment in Carlyle, so knocking out the guard is the only requirement there. Leaving the armory unlooted would have saved a fair bit of time, since I would not have needed to both grab the key and return it.

Near the final house before Angelwatch is of course the Keeper encounter at the window, the second of the level. Since both the Keepers on this level disappear, they are not necessary knockouts. That's a good thing for trying to get more enemies, as the Keepers can only be taken down with gas arrows, and those need to be saved. The two women in the house are easy to take down in TFix due to adjusted facing. In vanilla they needed to be rushed or alerted to get them to face away and let you sneak into the house.

With all that done, it was on to Angelwatch itself. The tower is not too complex to move through. The major issue is the number of people who 'patrol' up and down the stairs and into the various levels. Since the space of the tower is so big, it's possible for enemies to unexpectedly start moving through an area that was thought to be cleared, as patrols start, stop and rest depending on your movement elsewhere. There is some randomness to it, and on top of that some of them have quite a delay before they even begin walking around.

No less than six people appear to travel on some or all of the stairwells. There is a woman in red who descends from the ballroom, a guard who eventually heads down through the barracks (on Level 2), 'Margaret' and 'Christopher' (the couple who have a conversation about the servants, although Christopher heads out much later), another nobleman, and Vilnia herself. There's even a Worker Bot that passes through the library and heads down to Level 2 as well, making a total of seven enemies that could make an appearance on multiple levels.

To handle them, I decided to simply make sure they were all activated, and then start working from the top of the tower downward. That seemed safer than trying to work from the bottom up, as it feels as if one or more of them only spawn once you enter another part of a level. Once I was sure they were activated, it was easier to follow them and know where I could catch them. Thankfully, these are the only enemies that patrol into the stairwell, so I took care of most of them there. I ended up nearly having a long chain of bodies going down and around one of the landings. At least doing them all quickly gave me the peace of mind to clear the rest of the floors without worrying about them.

There were only a couple of other tricky spots in the tower. In the library, a Servant and a noblewoman stand facing each other; a quick blow to the one and then the other took them down with a bit of a shout but not any body discovery. In the halls on Level 5, I had to move somewhat quickly to get a series of enemies — the guard (who has a key), the woman who moves around the floor, and the Servant that heads into the dining room — without any of them bumping into the other's body. It was at this point I lifted Carlyle's key and headed out to the armory and back, so I could be sure I had picked up all the loot (I also took care of the Rothchilds then, but more on them later). Down on the floor level there's the door guard that in TFix switches his position, making him easy to get to. In vanilla, I don't think he moves, and an invisibility potion was required for him.

Level 5 itself is also where I ran into the questionable situations that this mission presents. Firstly, there's the Mechanical Cherub. Is he a 'reliable reporter'? He seemingly will run for help and does so in reaction to the thief's actions, not just at random. But at the same time, he is seemingly ignored when he tries to get help. I think I'd have to put him in a qualified category similar to ghosts or Hammer Haunts — apparently with agency, but not capable of actually being believed. Nevertheless, it does seem like a bit of a cheat to ignore his actions. So I did try to limit the alarm he could potentially have raised.

After I had read the scripture, I dashed out from behind the safe and to the pillar, close by the door. When I did this, the Cherub did hunt but then quickly returned to standing still. He would still make noises and claw at the air, so I don't know if he was permanently alerted or that's just normal for him. I snuck out of the room and left him locked inside. The invisibility potion would also be a pretty easy way around him; if the alarm's not set off he'd never have anything to react to in that case.

Whether or not to set off the alarm is naturally the other big question. By my own rules, this would be a bust, because there's no way to disable the alarm afterward (throwing the secret switch doesn't clear it), and thus it would still be active at the end of the mission. Yet setting it off brings more enemies in, and therefore more knockouts. I hadn't really accounted for spawned-in enemies in a situation like that; normally I would activate a thing just to increase the count, but I don't think the alarm bust would allow for it. I did notice that if the alarm is set off the Mechanical Cherub starts shouting inside the room, so that presumably alerts him completely and only makes it harder to argue for setting it off. My feeling is that the spirit of the TKO challenge would be to not set off the alarm; the spawned-in enemies don't seem to be a strict requirement. Even if it all was anticipated by Karras, triggering an alarm is still too much of an indication of the thief's presence. The totals above include my time and KO count both with and without the alarm (with alarm is shorter because I had already planned out the route when I did it the other way).

That brings me to the last 'clean-up' of the level. A few of the enemies in the city are in apparently inaccessible spots. The city streets cannot be touched, but there are two nobles, two guards, and two mechanical beasts down there patrolling them. The Rothchild couple (the ones who whine about not being invited) are also stuck behind a half-open window. Unfortunately, there are only two gas arrows and one gas mine, and that just isn't quite enough to get them all.

The Rothchilds are the easiest to handle, although still not super easy. Since they do not move on their own, a gas arrow is needed here and not a mine. I had to lean somewhat awkwardly and shoot it, almost while in motion, to hit the right spot on the carpet. It was doable with a bit of practice.

The Worker Bot on the streets travels a very long circuit, but almost nobody else intersects it, so anywhere that a water arrow can hit him is good. I found that the long alley north of where the one thief is hiding out was a good spot, as it gives a pretty good angle on him.

The last two City Watch guards patrol beneath the bank on Baron's Way, but don't intersect each other. There's a Combat Bot that heads along the same route as the one on the eastern side. There is also a nobleman here, who can be a bit tricky to coax out of hiding once his initial route is done. I had to hop down to the ledge past the banners that cross over toward the Carlyle Armory. The noble moves all the way along the street, and with him active it is possible to knock out all the enemies on this road. I set the noble off on his route, and then dashed back over and through the bank. When he crossed paths with the patrolling guard on the western side, a well-timed gas arrow got them both. Both his path and the guard's seem a bit randomized, and this shot can be really tough to pull off when they are farther from each other.

The other two don't head far enough under the bank to spot those bodies, fortunately, so there was no need to rush to get them. What I did have to do is wait for them to go well out of phase, so that the Combat Bot was far enough away from the guard that I could toss the gas mine down into the guard's path but not alarm either of them. As soon as I threw the mine I filled the bot's boiler with water arrows. When I did it one time (on the 'alarm' finish) I didn't get the second shot off in time and had to use a third arrow, but it still worked okay. Another option is to get the bot when they are heading in the same direction, then intentionally toss the mine a little ways in front of the guard. He will hunt toward it and get knocked out. However, I'd rather have it happen cleanly with no alerts of any sort.

There is then one final enemy on the streets, but no more gas weapons to use. I checked all the routes to see if there were any places someone might hide, and did not spot any. By using a speed potion, it's possible to descend into the street and run for a few seconds before the mission ends. That's just enough time to see who is (or isn't) around, since thankfully the fog effect makes even distant enemies stick out as prominent dark shadows. Initially I thought there really were none remaining, until I got back just near the bell tower and heard a cough. I had to wait another moment to be sure I hadn't imagine it, but indeed it was someone who had stopped patrolling. It's a noble who will start moving roughly when the mission starts, and can be triggered to come out again, but there's no way to knock him out in addition to the other people on the streets. I did even consider dropping to the ground, hitting him, and trying to get back up the vine, but tests showed that the instant the line is crossed to drop near the streets, the mission is over; there's just a slight delay before it actually pops up.

So that's where it stands. Sadly, not a proper TKO, but with only one enemy (and one little golden boy) left standing, it feels like a valiant attempt. Few would disagree that this is one of the most fun missions in the game, and it's no less enjoyable as TKO. The sheer variety of locations, enemy knockout puzzles, and shift in style between bashing as you go and careful planning of drops make it a proper (if ultimately doomed) challenge. It's a real delight to complete, no matter the outcome.

Kangra on 23/1/2023 at 21:21

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11. Precious Cargo
TKO: - Difficulty: *
KO: 28
IB Disabled: 3
Loot: 1627
Secrets: 1/1
Pickpockets: 4/4
Locks Picked: 2
Time taken: 1:19:27

On the whole, a pretty easy mission. Most of the guards are in isolated locations and can be freely knocked out at any point on their path. There are only a few moderately difficult spots. One thing of note is that this is one of the few times that particular items must be purchased the loadout screen — at least 4 gas arrows must be bought. They are actually not needed for this mission, but for the next one.

The starting area, below and around the lighthouse, presents hardly any difficulty. The only slightly tricky spot is on the second floor of the house. I had to wait for the guards to finish their conversation, so that one would be left alone in the room. I knocked out the one who'd left before he made it downstairs. To get the other one, I needed to douse the torch in the room in order to get inside safely. I'm not sure if there is any way to get at him via the windows. I doubt it, though.

I had to leave Lotus alive as he dies with one hit, and I have to stay true to the rules. Hopefully someone else could find him and drag him outside to safety, since the place would be left defenseless afterward. With all of the upper area cleared and things put back where I found them, I then descended to the sea-level base.

Here again, the enemies are largely separated from each other, or can be picked off in isolated locations. I took care of the lone guard at the initial bay overlook and opened the doorway. I cleared the bots in this initial area right away, so I wouldn't have to worry about sneaking much or having them catch me. If I headed directly toward the bases, it seemed as if the guard inside Post 2 could detect me through the closed pressure doors, so I decided to avoid that area entirely. Instead I headed toward Post 1 via the water tunnel.

The upper portion of this section, the old 'pirate base' area, only presented one trouble spot. The two guards posted at the top of the base alternate which way they turn, and there isn't much time to get to both of them. After I took out all the patrols, I took a semi-blind rush toward them to get them both when facing away from me. It's a bit random but I did not have to wait too long for it.

Down in the Sub-Aquatic Post there, I also had no trouble. It had been a somewhat different story in ordinary Thief 2. Sometimes in those runs, the guards would be stuck facing the wrong direction, and I'd have to use a gas arrow on them. Another one of the guards sometimes would fall into the bilge; I had to knock him out and put his body back on his normal route to keep him from drowning. With TFix, that did not seem to happen, so this seems to be something actually fixed by it and not a change for convenience.

I next went over to get Captain Markham's treasure in his hideout. Triggering the boulder trap is unavoidable and I don't consider it a bust (not that it matters as this level is a bust no matter what). I also don't count Markham as a reliable reporter since he's undead. Even if he seems to maybe have a bit more awareness than most undead, he also seems confined to his ship and so unable to alert anyone else. I still managed to keep him from fully alerting on me. What I did was make sure that only part of the door opened, and I stayed somewhat visible but far enough away (and partly underwater) that he would start to hunt randomly instead of turn toward the ship's door. I had to get a little lucky so that he would hunt in he area closer to where he started, but eventually when he did I could dash outside and to the dark area to the side. I ducked in to fully close the door, and then was able to sneak out with him only ever having gotten to Level 2; a halfway-decent ghost of the ghost.

With about half of the mission done, I then went into the Cetus Amicus itself, to clear out the guards on board. There are two patrollers that can be caught in the rear area. It's a bit hard to get behind them in the narrow passages, but they move into side rooms where I could hit them more easily. The control room at the bow has two enemies in it. The floor is too noisy, so I couldn't get into the room and knock both of them out. Instead I opened the door and fired a gas arrow to get them both at once. Lastly, there's the guard that patrols up on the deck of the sub. He has a diving suit that protects him entirely from being knocked out; neither gas nor blackjacks will affect him, and he's the one that busts TKO. There's another of these suited men over at Markham's ship, but he is already dead. This lone guard was the only one left standing at the end. I guess someone has to pilot the sub over to the KD site.

The remainder of the mission was simply clearing out the other few guards in Post 2 and the cargo storage area. I found it easier to keep the Watchers disabled so that I could move around on the wooden deck if I wanted (I switched it back on before finishing the mission). None of the enemies presented a problem, with the only mildly tricky one being at the cargo storage unit. I just swam under the walkway and then came around from the side, where I could quietly get behind him and knock him out. Then I finished off the objectives, sealed up the door again by jumping out the window after hitting the switch, and stowed away in the locker to end it.

This mission is nothing really special, but it doesn't give me much to complain about either. Sure, I'd like if it were possible to actually get that last guard on the deck, but it's only a minor issue as the mission is not that hard. That one guard being still standing doesn't really change things, since he is so easily avoided. I'd even say it's good to have a bit of a breather of a mission positioned between the previous one's frustration, and the following one's rather taxing length.