Garrett will soon be sneaking his way onto the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Of course, his master thieving skills won't be his only means of success. He'll have to rely on his equipment to get him out of tough situations.
His equipment is comprised of three main items; the bow, the Blackjack and the Claw. Each one of these can be used in various scenarios to help Garrett be as stealthy as possible, or go all out and take out any guard he comes across.
Let's break them all down.
The Bow
Garrett's composite bow can be used in numerous ways, but for the most part, it's non-lethal. Much like say Marvel's Hawkeye, Garrett has access to a multitude of different arrow types that can turn the tides on any situation. Let's take a look at one scenario that has multiple ways to go about it, thanks to the various different arrow types Garrett can fire off.
One area of the game will have Garrett try to sneak by a patrolling guard while another guard is soundly asleep on a chair. To add to this, there's a cage with a dog that goes on alert as soon as he even catches a glimpse of Garrett. The area is littered with different things you can use to be as stealthy as possible.
The most stealthy approach involves your Water Arrows. These can be shot at any fire source to temporarily get a stealth advantage and blanket the area in darkness. Mind you, the enemies are pretty smart, and they will go and re-ignite the fire again, so Garrett will have to move swiftly.
The next approach is more lethal and will require the Fire Arrows. In that same area, flammable oil is spilled near one of the guards. This method requires some patience and timing, as the guard needs to be standing in the oil. A successful shot of the Fire Arrow will send him into a fiery panic, and though it will wake up the sleeping guard, he'll be too busy watching the flame and will allow Garrett to get by without notice.
The last example I'll give is with the Gas Arrows. These useful things will knock out any guard or animal in close proximity of the arrow. If Garrett has a few of these in his arsenal, he can fire one at the patrolling guard and one at the guard dog to sneak by without raising any alarms.
The Blackjack
This is Garrett's last resort weapon to knock out a guard if there is no other way around him. This short baton-like weapon is also wrapped completely in leather, which will nullify any loud impact noises, perfect when taking it to a guard's skull.
The best use of the Blackjack is when sneaking up on enemies from the back, giving Garrett the perfect opportunity to take out a guard without raising any alarms. However, it has one downside: the body. Since other guards will be able to notice the knocked out guard on the floor, it will be your responsibility to hide the bodies in darkness. Remember, shadows are your friend.
The Claw
This tool doesn't belong to Garrett initially. I won't go into a lot of spoiler territory here, but just know that he steals it from a fellow thief, and certainly puts it to good use. While originally opposed to it, thanks to its metallic design and seemingly loud nature, Garrett finds out that the Claw is actually quiet and quite stealthy.
The Claw is your primary movement tool. It allows Garrett to reach normally unreachable locations by grappling onto them and then pulling himself up.
Since direct combat is highly unadvised, the Claw will be Garrett's best tool for a quick escape. The environment highlights areas Garrett can grapple himself ontp, and these will usually serve as quick getaway routes from the guards.
Mastering all of Garrett's arsenal and knowing the perfect opportunity to use each one will take some practice, but is essential if you want to remain a ghost to your enemies and make your escape with the most amount of loot possible.
Thief makes its return on February 25th.
