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Mission 4: Shadowing the Enemy

 

LOOT LIST

VIDEO REPORT (Narrated Run)

VIDEO REPORT (Segmented Run)

 

[This report has been updated for TFix/NewDark 1.27. Situations affected by these patches and differences between them and OldDark have been inserted in green. All screenshots have been updated, and new ones have been added.]

 

Although a simple mission by premise, in terms of gameplay mechanics, Shadowing the Enemy is actually quite complex. Visiting a train station is something I haven’t seen done before, but both the location and the moving train itself are both quite believable. I love how all the missions so far seamlessly tie together Zaya’s story of vengeance. The Free Traders are effectively established as the main antagonistic group, although perhaps somewhat stereotypical. Two thumbs up for this one!

 

 

My main goal was to follow the smugglers to the train undetected. I had to get on board either by presenting a stolen ticket or sneaking on unseen. Once there, I was to wait for the carriage to start in the sitting room in the rear car. Only the smugglers would alert to my presence unless I was caught somewhere off limits.

 

There was an EMP grenade located on top of one of the cross monuments in the starting courtyard. I shot a vine arrow into the steam vent above the main entrance, leaped onto the torch to retrieve my arrow, and hopped over to pick up the grenade. To get down safely, I jumped onto the lamppost to the east.

 

Cog Carriage Station

The hardest piece of loot in the entire mission was in a footlocker in the control room to the north. First, this area was restricted, and I could bust if I got caught picking the entrance door. Two mechanists patrolled the foyer outside, but one of them was involved in a conversation to the south of the station, so I made sure not to trigger that until I was done with this area. The other patroller was easy to dodge by himself.

 

In the first control room was a patrolling iron beast. It had a predictable route and could be avoided fairly easily. It also entered the second control room where the loot was located. The loot was furthermore guarded by a pivoting camera at the eastern end. I could sneak around the corner a few inches before lighting up from the lamps, and prior to this point I was completely safe. Here I monitored the iron beast and planned a bit. LarryG (goldsla) way back in the day claimed he managed to run from this point to below the camera as it turned left, without triggering it to yellow (which is a second alert). He said the same move worked going back as well. I have never been close to making either of those moves, and this time was no different. I had to think of something else. Disabling the iron beast enabled me to experiment more freely, and I then discovered I could time the camera and get onto the control panels to the right (south) without any alerts (left image below). The timing had to be near perfect, but it was well repeatable. From here I could wait for the next cycle and get underneath the camera’s blind spot. There were three grated tiles in the floor before the footlocker, and if I got onto the middle tile being crouched, I was safe from the watcher. I had to use the same two moves going back to the shade. The last stretch was by far the most difficult, because I was now closer to the watcher’s field of vision as it swung right. I found that it was necessary to start strafe-running a bit early, so that I emerged exposed with maximum momentum. I also couldn’t snag anything on the control panels or even slightly bump into the corner of the wall, as that would slow me down too much. It was a very hard move, but I repeated it Ghost clean. I couldn’t avoid a first alert from the camera though, where it made an audible alert indication, but stayed green and continued its regular movement.

 

 

 

Now for how to deal with the iron beast. Again referencing LarryG’s run, he said he had to block the robot in the western hallway using three crates. This is considered an engine exploitation and only allowed as a last resort, so I wanted to see if something else could be done. First, would there be enough time to get the loot while the robot was patrolling the room to the west? If so, I wouldn’t have to worry about the crates. For this to work though, I had to moss the control panels and the surrounding floor. If not, the leap onto the panels always alerted the robot. That crushed all hopes of getting the loot Supreme clean, so I skipped the whole control room for that mode. Once mossed, I waited in the shade for the iron beast to pass (right image above), and on the first convenient camera cycle, I went for it. This time, the first three moves went smoothly, but the final stretch was a real test of patience. When I finally did it, I got no watcher first alert, and arrived about two seconds before the iron beast appeared in the doorway! Awesome!!

 

 

 

The only way to sneak onto the train unseen was to use a hidden chute in the aforementioned control room and drop onto the train’s roof in the main depot. I figured for Supreme taking a ticket was strictly speaking an unnecessary pickup, if you could sneak on board without it. However, there was no way to get to the chute without triggering at least a first alert from the watcher. Thus, obtaining a ticket would be required. One was located on a passenger roaming around the downstairs waiting rooms. It wasn’t in his pocket, but rather in his hand, so the only way to get it was to blackjack him and get it off his unconscious body. That was obviously not allowed for any mode.

 

The only other tickets were found on the ticket counter in the first foyer. A plaque in front of the counter said to stay away from the area behind it. There was an invisible line on either side that if crossed got me caught, but only if I had previously made my presence known to either the servant or the mechanist guard. They had seen me when I first entered the station, but since then had settled down. I don’t mean they had alerted and was looking for me, as they were both neutral, but enough time had passed where they would have forgotten my earlier visit. I found I could drop onto the ticket booth’s roof from either window above to the west (left image above). Next I could slide down to the floor behind the servant. Both of these drops had to be silent, otherwise they gave alerts when I landed on the floor. Now they were unaware of my presence and I could lean in to take any of the tickets (right image above). Weirdly, I could now sneak back out to the front without any reaction.

 

I could now trigger the conversation on the walkway to the south of the station. I had to enter this area to get the mission’s only secret and to collect the loot there. It required a vine arrow attached to a wooden ledge on the eastern wall of the lake (left image below). I stayed concealed until the woman was gone and the hammerite guard faced away, otherwise they would alert to the shot. The secret study had an exit back down to the hallway outside the ticket foyer.

 

 

 

When showing the ticket to the depot guard, the mechanist arbalist on the east side of the train took a step forward, enough for me to pass by (right image above). She also didn’t alert to my presence. If sneaking in, she is stationed farther back, blocking the entry. This requires a bit of nudging, which is only allowed as a last resort, so taking the ticket becomes the only viable option, even for regular Ghost. In NewDark, you can instead get past by mantling the railing.

 

This meant I could clean the back two cars in peace before the scene changed.

 

 

 

Choo Choo!

I moved my way forward to the gambling car once the train started moving. A cleverly hidden gas arrow rested on the roof of the dining car (left image above). Had to climb the ladder in the kitchen in order to reach it. Two stacks of coins on the first gambling table had to be skipped for Supreme (right image above). The patron immediately went over and said “Hey, somebody must have stolen that!” Although it was clearly scripted, I took it as a first alert. His cue didn’t set off the other people in there, so I don’t think the game counts it as an alert. He never gave a settling remark either. However, if I took the coins right in front of him, he went to hunt mode and the mechanist guard started attacking. The goblet on the second table he didn’t care about, only the roulette money.

 

Had to skip grabbing the loot off the guard in the second left sleeping chamber in the next car (left image below). He made a grumble entering from either side. I could take the purse through the balcony door, but that is an engine exploit and not allowed for Supreme. For Ghost it was just a first alert, so no big deal there. The two locked chambers in the rear of the car had to be entered from the outside if wanting to avoid picking the doors. Also, if you pick the doors, the keys worn by the passengers disappeared, which was strange. Same with the big chamber with the drunk nobleman. In order not to leave his door unlocked, I entered and left through the window. The last bedroom had to be picked open. I was able to get in by way of the window using a vine arrow and jumping from the adjacent window frame, but I couldn’t get back out that way. The rest was pretty straight forward. I reached the storage area below by frobbing the carpet in the last small sleeping chamber on the left (right image below). Another gas arrow lay on a ledge on the roof of this car, reachable via one of the side ladders.

 

 

 

I then found the smugglers in the very front. The first time, I found one of them standing on the bench to the right. I then thought it was a glitch, but the next time he was sitting down. I realized that the first time I had been spotted with a first alert through the door. Since there is an open window in the door, the smugglers can see straight through it. If he saw me through the door, he would give the alert and stand up.

 

Sunnyport

Once the train stopped, I followed the smugglers through the city streets. A couple of stationary guards caused some problems, especially the archer towards the end of the smugglers’ patrol, but I passed safely by crawling in the snow behind his back (left image below). The last elusive piece of loot was hidden on the roof ledge of a ruined building just before the mission ends (right image below). You can see the small statue from the ground. I mantled up from the broken wall section. That’s all!

 

 

 

STATISTICS:

 

Time: 42:02

Loot: 894 out of 894 (Supreme: 684)

Pickpockets: 4 out of 7

Secrets Found: 1 out of 1

Locks Picked: 5

Damage Dealt: 0 Damage Taken: 0

Consumables: 1 Moss Arrow (Ghost only)

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Thief: Success!

Perfect Supreme Thief: Failed!

Norwegian Thief: Failed!

 

Notes:

-          Had to skip the medallion worth 100 in the main security control room for Supreme. It necessitated using a moss arrow in order to avoid setting off the iron beast.

-          Skipped two stacks of copper coins worth 10 on the roulette table in the gambling car for Supreme. The patron gave a verbal cue, and although it was scripted, I counted it as a first alert.

-          Had to skip lifting the purse worth 100 off the guard in the nobleman’s sleeping car for Supreme. He made a comment opening either of the sleeping chamber’s doors.