|
Patriot, Mission 9: Enemy Enemy
is an astonishing mission; it’s Zontik’s masterpiece in this gem of a
campaign. Break into a heavily guarded, yet stunning Victorian mansion,
protected by cameras, robots and alarms. Watch the story unfold through
in-game cutscenes and clever plot twists. It will
have you scratch your head in frustration, yet amaze you with ingenious surprises.
Still, below the surface is an evil and sinister tale of jealousy, strife and
murder. To
begin with, the only objective was finding information on the whereabouts of
the tunnel leading to the Citadel, along with the key for said tunnel. I also
couldn’t hurt the count and other noblemen, but that was already a part of
the ghost rules. I had no rope arrows in my starting inventory, and although
they were available for purchase, this isn’t allowed for Supreme. To my
knowledge, only one was available in the mission. Basement I
was unable to move past the main entrance courtyard without a first alert.
Sneaking along the southern wall, the patroller always caught me (left image
below). [Thanks to WheretIB2, I have
since managed to sneak past this guard without first alerts. You have to stay
close behind him and go left right as he turns, making sure not to hit the
lights from the lamppost.] That meant the only viable entrance into the
basement was via the coal chute west of the main entrance doors. I could
dodge the patroller and camera above and wait out the guy shoveling coal
below. Fortunately, he didn’t have any voice lines and thus didn’t first
alert. There were lots of patrollers in here, but the room was quite dark. I
left through the wine cellar. One
object I had to get in the basement was a fuel can past an engine room. A
stationary robot gave a first alert when I opened it, so I had to use the
patrol of a mechanist worker who used the door to my advantage. I could block
the door and then sneak right into the dark corner without any Supreme busts
(right image below). The engines kept me hidden along this wall. Next I
mantled over onto the desk and furthermore into the corner by the next door.
I used the same method going back. To get back out, I listened for the same
patroller to come along, then frobbed the door as
he was walking through. He would budge it open before it fully shut and I
could scoot out before he closed it behind him. No alerts at all.
The
only accessible area from the basement was the kitchen. There were two cooks
in there, but one of them was stationary and never said anything. The other
one was patrolling, but had predictable stations. I timed the lift going up
and when he stationed himself by the south cabinet, I ran for the dark spot
behind the oven. A nobleman did come through here also, but it was far
between each time. Picked up three pieces of loot here, but then my progress
was halted. The great hall doors were locked for now and a stationary guard
covered the northwest hallway, so I was forced back down and had to find a
different way into the manor. Both staircases from the basement led to foyers
well covered by guards; no chance of using those. [WheretIB2 told me he was able to ascend the foyer stairs by the main
entrance without first alerts, and this is indeed possible. Jump from the
staircase into a mantle as far north as possible. Since the mantle doesn’t
register as movement, the foyer guards should stay quiet and you can sneak
into the hall from there. I must be honest, I never even tried this in my
Ghost run, which I am somewhat embarrassed about.] Getting Inside The
only place left to explore was in the coal chute courtyard. A climbable vine
close by took me up to the second floor balcony (left image below). There was
only a locked door and a goblet here, but there were also tiny ledges
possible to utilize along the manor’s outside. I had to stand and run towards
the wall in order to get on it. Rounding corners were also tricky. Heading
east didn’t get me anywhere, only to a slippery roof above the main entrance.
West, however, took me all the way to an unlocked window in the family wing
(right image below). It was tricky to get in, as I had to mantle the left
shutter in order to open the right one. No matter, as I had now circumvented
a major obstacle for Supreme.
First Floor I
couldn’t get downstairs via the west foyer, I got caught by one of the first
floor guards with a first alert every time. Instead, I picked open one of the
doors in the southwest and gained access to the elevator. This door could
later be relocked with the valet’s keys. From the garden, a guard in the east
hallway prevented progress, but luckily there was a hidden door that took me
to the upper servants’ quarters (left image below). From here, I could
descend via the laundry room further north, out of view of said guard. Getting
the valet’s keys was crucial in order to open up previously inaccessible
areas in the manor. An extremely convenient secret passage was found in the
hallway outside the west foyer, a switch on the back of a pillar (right image
below). This gained access to the valet’s quarters and his keys. From here I
could also turn off the camera outside the count’s quarters, but that wasn’t
necessary. This same set of passages also led to a gallery in the northwest
with some valuable loot items. There were two cameras and a patroller here,
but they could all be evaded. I could use the main hallway to the north for
hardcover, as nobody patrolled through here, and the stationary guard further
east was too far away to see me.
From
the main hall I had two options: the art wing or the library. I chose the
latter, as I knew I could access the art wing through it. The library wasn’t
as tough as I anticipated. I could jump from the pedestals to the upper
walkway quite easily, where I could hide from the patroller. I dropped down
in the east to get a piece of loot, out of the way of the stationary guard.
In order to get back up without an alert I had to do a series of mantles in
the southeast corner (left image below). Taking the walkway back spawned a
first alert, so I had to hop from the railing to maintain hardcover. Thanks
to inside information from Glypher, I knew that two
out of three possible items had to be obtained in order to trigger the baron
and count’s arrival in the hall. The scribe’s petition and the Secret Passages
and Dungeons book from the library were two of those three items. The third
was obtaining the citadel key from the sealed house west of the family wing.
However, the scribe’s petition wasn’t necessary for any objective, plus it
couldn’t be returned and thus was in Supreme’s best
interest to avoid. Having this information was crucial to planning my route. One
of the most important secrets in this mission was the hidden elevator in the
library. It accessed key areas around the map and circumvented having to deal
with guards. It was the main reason I visited the library at this time.
First, I used its route to the first floor art wing. Picked up the pump room
key from the stage; it was necessary to get loot. I also had to take Angie’s
note to make the key highlight. The note stuck to my inventory, which was
somewhat annoying.
Upstairs
in the barracks I was halted by two guards outside the palace guard’s
quarters (right image above). There was no way to get past them even for
regular Ghost. I tried nudging them, but that didn’t work even for an inch.
This would be a big problem later, unless I found a different way to end the
mission. This meant I had to skip loot from the palace guard’s safe, plus two
more pieces from the nearby bedrooms. Unfortunately,
I couldn’t enter the art gallery for Supreme. Both doors that led here were
guarded by stationary swordsmen who first alerted to the doors (left image
below). There was a rug in the art gallery closet that thus had to be skipped
for that mode. The valuable painting in there also had to be skipped for
regular Ghost. In order to get it, I had to turn off the alarm. The only way
to do that was to kill the power by twisting a chandelier in the nearby room
until the wires ripped. This was property damage and not allowed for any
ghost mode. It was not just a matter of removing a light source; sparks were
literally flying and there was no way to turn on the lights again after, so
the light fixture was clearly broken. This meant that the phoenix ashes,
required to find the secret mission Reanimator,
also had to be skipped.
Upper Floors Back
in the passageway I used another hidden door to access the royal apartments.
Looted this area without issues. In the attic I next found the mission’s only
rope arrow. This was required to take for Supreme for an event occurring
later. Taking it now also made me able to descend the south attic elevator,
and so I did. This lift accessed two other levels, one of which reached a
room southwest in the guest wing on the second floor. It wasn’t possible to
ascend any of the normal staircases without getting spotted, so this was a
welcomed access point. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get too far for Supreme, as
a stationary guard alerted to the opening of the hallway door (left image
below). I stand by my assessment that non-pivoting stationary guards are the
toughest obstacles in Thief for ghosters. This
meant all the loot in the guest rooms, the bar and the east foyer was
inaccessible for Supreme, at least for now.
I
was, however, able to get into lady Fauls’ bedroom
in the southeast for Supreme. She had been brutally killed by a sadistic bed
trap below her room. This contraption was located at the bottom level of the
elevator. Her body wasn’t there, only her ring. This could be used along with
her scroll to trigger a bonus objective in the temple (if you have read her
story in mission 3), but this wasn’t possible to do for Supreme. But along
with the scroll in her room was the attic key, which could access loot in the
family wing. I experimented a lot trying to ascend to the trap chute to her
room. I found a predictable way to mantle the floodlight and jump over to the
ledge on the south side (right image above). It was tough to get onto the
floodlight properly; I had to drop to the outer edge of the railing to get
onto it fully. The hop to the opposite was tough, but the floodlight’s
clipping border extended farther than anticipated, so delaying the jump a bit
made it possible. From
this ledge, I tried multiple ways of attaching a rope, but although the bed
was wooden and the rope gave a sound of fastening to something, the arrow
just disappeared and no rope extended. I ended up visiting her room from
above to experiment more. Then I suddenly realized the bedroom floor was
wooden and rope attachable. I headed back down and tried shooting a rope into
the air and then it land on the floor on the way down, leaving the rope
hanging for me to climb. After practicing angle and velocity, soon enough I
struck the perfect shot (left image below). Although it would only yield an
extra 100 gold, this move was very fun and definitely worth it! Next
I looted the temple. I used a potion to cushion the jump to get the statue
above the doorway. Fauls’ items could not be put in
the safe without making a clang. That is, you could put the ring on top of
the scroll, but the bonus objective didn’t trigger until it fully landed on
the metal. Silly, I know. Skipped it for Supreme, and used a moss arrow for
regular Ghost. Then headed back to the family wing to get the remaining loot
and visit the attic. Also remembered to relock the door that I had picked
open earlier with the valet’s keys. [WheretIB2
did discover a way into this attic without using the key. In the second floor
game room, you can open the chimney grate by first removing a piece of
plaster in the upper right hand corner. This can be done from either side. I
don’t consider removing the plaster property damage, since you are not using
force or weapons. This actually eliminates the need to visit Fauls’ room at all for Supreme.]
Sealed Wing Since
I wanted to avoid reading the scribe’s petition, it was now time to find my way
to the sealed house west of the family wing. The two entries were boarded up
and breaking the planks busted my Ghost run. There was an unlocked attic
window, but it was difficult to reach. Galaer
reported being able to jump to it with a crate on the fence, but I was not
able to repeat that. Instead, I brought the healing potion and Fauls’ letter from her room and made a small stack atop
the window I had previously entered the manor via (right image above). I was
able to mantle up the attic roof like this. I couldn’t get much momentum up
there and quickly would fall back down, but with a strafe-run slide I could
make it to the sealed house roof. Next, I could drop and mantle up the ledge
by the attic window and go inside. Using the fuel can in the basement turned
on all the lights. This was not a bust; only removing light sources are. Got
the citadel key, watched the very impressive cutscene
and left. Slid
down from the attic roof onto the fence, then dropped on the south side and
returned to the front courtyard. I now climbed the vine and entered via the
balcony door. I had the valet’s keys after all. Left the items on the window
for now, as it turned out I’d have to make the trip one more time. Count vs. Baron I
now headed to the library and got the book in the scribe’s quarters in order
to trigger the baron’s arrival. The only way I found for Supreme to get to
the second floor to overhear the baron and count’s conversation in the great
hall was to ascend into the window above the hall foyer using a rope arrow
(left image below). All the other entrances were covered by guards. For
regular Ghost I could use the door on the southeast balcony; the guard only
first alerted to that. But for Supreme, the rope was required. The patrolling
guard upstairs saw the rope occasionally, so I listened for his step and
timed the shot accordingly. After the conversation and looting this part of
the manor, I had to go back down the same windows, as the great hall upstairs
doors weren’t unlocked yet. To get back down, I had to lean out and shoot the
rope into the south end of the windowframe, so that
it would hang close enough to the side of the window for the patroller not to
see it. Then I inched off the edge and grabbed hold of the rope before I fell
down. The archer atop the stairs could easily comment, but I learned the
technique of getting down unseen. I naturally couldn’t grab the rope from
down below, so I entered the great hall from the first floor and then used
the lift to get up and retrieve the arrow, as the doors now magically were
unlocked.
Count’s Quarters At
this time, normally the gate leading to the count’s quarters in the northwest
would be open (right image above). However, this is triggered by reading the
scribe’s petition, which I had deliberately skipped. Opening the door behind
the gate would have first alerted the guard anyway, so for Supreme I was forced
to think of a different way in. This would prove to be a conundrum. First I
tried using the tiny ledge heading south off the second floor balcony east of
the main entrance. This took me counterclockwise around the entire manor.
However, the camera outside the north library entrance caught me along the
final stretch. My thoughts instead went to the sealed section roof where I
had been before. The count’s window entrance was just north of this (left
image below). However, I couldn’t drop down onto the tiny ledge, as the slope
was so steep it dropped me right off. After a lot of experimenting, I
realized that although I couldn’t jump, I could run and if fast enough, the
momentum would carry me on top of the eastern roof. By maximizing my speed
and finding the right angle, I managed to get far enough north where, when I
dropped off the edge, I could catch the ledge on the north wall and mantle
myself up. Luckily, this ledge was much thicker than the others, otherwise
the mantle wouldn’t have been possible. I seriously thought my Supreme run
was done for until I discovered this move. I
could clean both the top and the bottom floor of the count’s quarters easily
enough. Before I continued, however, I needed to return the items to Fauls’ bedroom. But how to do that when I needed them to
enter the count’s wing? Well, fortunately the count’s elevator accessed the
basement, from where I could get upstairs either via the kitchen (the double
doors in there were now open) or via the vine outside the coal chute. I could
also now get the loot accessible via the pump key in the basement; just a
coin pair, but everything counts. What counted even more was a torc at the bottom of the elevator shaft. However, in
order to get it, I had to raise the lift to the top floor and crawl
underneath it. The only way to get the lift back down afterwards was to shoot
a water arrow into the bottom button on the level above. Luckily I had two of
those in my starting inventory.
An
additional piece of tricky loot was in the service shaft next to the
elevator. There was a drill bit in a toolbox with no way of getting down
besides dropping. I couldn’t do it without taking damage, so I had to try
something else. Conveniently, the mission’s only two crates were in a room
close to the basement elevator. I brought those to the ledge above the shaft.
The only way to drop both crates without at least one of them breaking was by
leaning out from the northwest corner. They still gave a cracking sound, but
both stayed intact. Next, I had to run so that I bounced off the east edge of
the crate, both without taking damage or breaking either crate (right image
above). After a few attempts, it worked! As if that wasn’t enough, I could
stack the crates on top of the grate and mantle back up, which meant it
prevented me needing to use the water arrow from before. Awesome! Then
I finally returned the pump room key, Fauls’
healing potion, scroll and attic key, and lastly the valet’s keys. For the
latter, I had planned ahead and lock-blocked the second floor balcony door,
so that I could reenter the basement and head back to the count’s room. There
were so many things to remember at this point: returning keys, resetting
elevators to their original locations, closing up all secrets, reflipping all levers. I think I got them all in the end. I
knew that once I found the count’s fake body and triggered that cut-scene,
all the exterior windows and doors would lock up, with no chance of escaping.
This was part of the intended progress of the mission. However, the only way
to exit at that point was by blowing open the wall in the north hallway by
using the palace guard’s keypad. Getting into the palace guard’s quarters I
had already established forced a Ghost bust, so I desperately wanted to avoid
this. To circumvent this, I placed the potion from the sealed house in front
of the window of the south room on
the count’s second floor (left image below). Repeat, this was not the window in the room where the
fake-body-in-the-wheelchair event occurred. That window was pointless to
block, because leaving through it would fail the mission. But this other
window was not set up like that.
However,
when I was about to trigger the whole scenario, something odd happened. Since
I had entered the count’s tower by a way other than
what was normal (as in via the sealed house’s roof and not the first floor
door), one of the guards had spawned in a slightly different location. This
caused the servant in green (the guy who starts shouting that the count has
been killed) to not be able to finish his route (right image above). Once I
realized this, I expected him to eventually push his way past said guard and
break free. However, this required the guard to do his idle fidgety movements
and that he wouldn’t do unless I was actually looking at him. The dark engine
has a tendency to shut off enemy visuals if the player isn’t seeing it.
Problem was, the only place to see him was from the second floor windows. An
additional problem was that while this servant was running, if I saved and
reloaded, he stopped on a dime. This prevented the script from completing and
the objective never triggered. I thus had to climb the chute to start the
script, loot the third floor, drop back down the next chute to the second
floor, sneak out the window and into the count’s bedroom, all without needing
to reload. This was extremely frustrating, since it was very easy to make a
huge clang in the elevator shaft. Luckily, I found a predictable way to shut
the elevator door as soon as I dropped down the first level. After
all the exits had been shut, I got an additional idea. I knew several new
guards had spawned throughout the compound. I wanted to see if any of them
utilized doors that I had previously been unable to open for Supreme. And I
found precisely such a thing! Remember the door west of the guest rooms on
the second floor? I hadn’t been able to loot any of those rooms because of a
stationary guard. A newly spawned guard was now patrolling a lengthy route
from the foyer all the way south to this room (left image below). He moved as
if he was second alerted, but he first alerted like normal. I could wait in
this room and block the door as he went through. This gave me access to 210
more loot in the noblewoman’s quarters. Awesome!!! Unfortunately, I had to
wait another whole loop to reclose the door. By the way, in order to get to
this room from the count’s quarters, I had to use the kitchen exit from the
basement. A running guard had a tendency to get stuck in the door, forcing a
first alert when opening it. To circumvent this problem, I opened the double doors
from the great hall to the kitchen before heading to the count’s quarters the
first time.
Leaving To
leave, I had to mantle up to the count’s third floor ledge from atop the
window I had previously blocked open. However, I had to do this and at the
same time close the window, which was easier said than done. It required a
forward jump, a very quick frob of the window, and then looking up to complete the
mantle. I wasn’t out of the woods yet though. I still needed to get back to
the sealed house’s roof. This move was slightly different from before. I had
to do an angled running jump and mantle up to the flat surface (right image
above). The jump didn’t elevate me, but still gave me a boost in order to get
across fully. Overall, this was more difficult than going the opposite
direction. I then returned the healing potion and dropped to the fence from
the attic window like before. Ended by climbing down the manhole. Wow!! Enemy
is officially in my top 3 manor missions of all time. It is staggeringly
good. Statistics: Time: 3:18:09 Loot: 4055 out of 4500 (Supreme: 3740) Pickpockets: 5 out of 10 Secrets: 15 out of 16 Locks Picked: 1 Back Stabs: 0 Knock Outs: 0 Damage Dealt: 0 Damage Taken: 0 Innocents Killed: 0, and others Killed: 1 Consumables: None Ghost: Success! Perfect Thief: Failed! Supreme Thief: Success! J Perfect Supreme Thief: Failed! Notes: -
Had to skip a coin stack (25), a coin pair (20) and a
purse (100) from the upstairs barracks. The swordsmen outside the palace
guard’s entrance couldn’t be approached without getting spotted. -
Couldn’t enter the first floor art gallery for Supreme,
as opening either door spawned a first alert from stationary guards. This
meant skipping 290 loot for that mode. 200 of this also had to be skipped for
regular Ghost, as turning off the alarm required busting a light fixture,
which constituted property damage. -
Had to skip the loot from the bar and second floor east
foyer for Supreme, a total of 225 gold. Three guards covered all entrances
and forced first alerts. -
Had to skip the relic worth 100 from the north gallery
for all modes. It only became frobable after
setting off the activator, which blew open the manor hallway. -
I have no idea what the kill is from. I certainly
didn’t deal any damage or cause any event leading to a death. |
|
|
