MYSTIC GEMS I: UNLUCKY SOUL

 

LOOT LIST

VIDEO REPORT

 

 

I beta-tested the sequel ‘Heart of Bohn’ a while back, and based on its quality I wanted to give the original a shot. Once again the Mystic Soul was on my list of to-dos, located in the mansion of Lord Gillian. In addition to the gemstone I needed 2,000 in loot. To reach the inner city of Bohn I had to finish the mission catching a ride in one of Gilbert & Son’s express crates. It’d been some time since my last Thief encounter, so I was up for anything.

 

 

I started in the Eastport warehouse, with one patrolling hammer covering the night shift. There was nothing to report here or in the sewers. Also passed Lord Gillian’s basement patroller without any trouble. Standard Ghosting was all. The subtle ambiance and high attention to detail made the trip around the ground floor enjoyable, despite posing few challenges. The kitchen floor was tile, but the maid took long enough breaks for me to steal the room unnoticed. There was even a spot on the counter where I was completely hidden (left image below). The spice bag on the mantelpiece was cleverly placed, and hard to spot. Had to approach from the eastern side-door to reach the front yard swordsman’s purse (right image below). The alley here was dark, plus he was stationed on the east side of the stairs.

 

      Description: screenshot1      Description: screenshot2

 

With only one guard roaming the top floor, reaching the prized gemstone proved effortless. The guard had a rather lengthy route at that. Fiddled a bit with the keys back and forth; three of which was needed to get all the loot. I was certain replacing the safe key would wake Gillian and bust Supreme, but he must have had a fair bit of wine this night. His chest key unlocked the chest (surprise!) in the living room attic, containing the Mystic Soul. The opposite end of the crawlspace was available from the hallway hatch. The lost ring mentioned in one of the readables was placed here (left image below). Locked up all doors and left the bedroom key along the patroller’s path.

 

Supreme got busted on my way toward Gilbert & Son’s. First of all, I had to leave the sewer gate open after pulling the lever. Unsure whether that is a bust as it is impossible to close it and also complete the mission. [UPDATE Aug 5th, 2022: You can easily block the gate using two crates from Gilbert & Son’s. After you’ve flipped the lever back, the gate will lower as you return the crates.] Supreme was busted from not being able to return the control room key without waking the drunk anyway, so it didn’t matter much. There were no soft spots close by to dampen the noise of the key. After all these years of playing, I am still baffled as to how Garrett is completely unable to quietly lay a key (or any metallic object) onto a hard surface. Oddly, he seems compelled to drop it from waist height.

 

      Description: screenshot3      Description: screenshot1

 

The warehouse almost had more guards than the rest of the mission combined, which says more about the rest of the mission. Gilbert & Son’s was the best area in terms of layout if you ask me (at least for Ghosting). An easy way for authors to up the challenge on higher difficulties is to give one or more guard a lantern. You don’t have to cramp a floor full of people to increase tension. Well-positioned AIs and awareness of light sources can serve the same purpose, with a better outcome in my opinion. The basement guard was a good example of where this came into effect. Giving him a purse also provided an optional challenge for purists. Excellent Wille!

 

Entered the upstairs office through the window. Found a hidden room with a purse frobbing one of the books (right image above). Could steal the stationary guard’s purse through the door, but I assumed this to be a glitch so I grabbed it coming up the stairs to his left instead. Stole the remaining objects from the crates and finished by hiding in the large shipping container. Nice mission!

 

 

Statistics:

Time: 36:17

Loot: 2500 out of 2500

Pickpockets: 7 out of 8

Secrets: 2 out of 2

Locks Picked: 6

Damage Dealt: 0 Damage Taken: 0

Consumables: None

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Thief: Failed!

Perfect Supreme Thief: Failed!

 

Notes:

-          Hung on to the control room key heading for Gilbert & Son’s. Couldn’t drop it by the drunk without reaching second level alert state. Supreme bust.