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THE DARK MOD - Thief’s Den 2: The Chalice of Kings Another
solid Dark Mod mission, though still not as epic as some of the recent Thief missions
I’ve played. I have a feeling the next two in this campaign might be in that
category though. This one seemed very difficult to ghost when I did my
blackjack run, but once I got going, it was mostly standard sneaking. The
beautiful atmosphere and lighting is probably enough to keep me invested in
this mod for a while still, but I need something with a bit more oomph in
order to elevate this mod from a ‘very good’ to ‘great’ status. My
job was to break into Mudgeon’s residence and steal King Aldreth’s Crown and
Death Mask, in addition to the Chalice of Kings. There was an optional part
to the crown objective to leave a worthless duplicate in place of it,
primarily to avoid alerts. I had to pick up 2,000 worth of valuables, before
leaving to the starting courtyard. I
mantled over the first gate. It was operated by a switch, but that meant
moving a board and having to replace it later; it just seemed too messy. The
initial door was pickable and led to a tricky situation. A stationary guard
in the distance gave a level 1 alert if sneaking around the left corner (left
image below). Guards’ peripheral vision is just brutal in this mod,
especially on the hardcore vision setting. The only way to get in unseen was
to wait for him to look to his left. Part of guards’ idle movement is them
looking around. This isn’t just a visual display; their cone of vision
actually shifts left or right. The only thing to do here was get the yard
key. I then had to leave and lock the door I previously picked, then reenter by
way of the other courtyard door into the kitchen.
The
next problem was in the dining hall and getting to the death mask on the
western wall above the fireplace. A hooded guy roamed around here. He stood
by the fire for a bit, then left to either doorway and waited there for a
while, facing away. That’s when I mantled the table, then the above rafter
(right image above). I could reach the mask from here. Getting back down was
tougher. I eventually found the best method was to hop and mantle onto the
mantelpiece, then drop onto the ash heap just north of the fireplace. I
had to access the parlor via the fireplace secret. If I instead had picked
open the north door, I had to take the parlor key inside to relock the door.
Since the key couldn’t be replaced, this was an unnecessary pickup and thus a
bust to Supreme. The
only way to reach the second floor was by way of the elevator. The foyer was
well-guarded and could only be approached from the west. Nothing to report
from upstairs. Plenty of shadows and corners to hide in. Mudgeon’s chamber
was the only place with a little tension, but not what I would call
difficult. Descended again by way of the staircase in the northwest.
Now
I could approach King Aldreth’s Crown from the west. There was a patch of
shadow that stretched close enough for me to stand up undetected and still be
within reach (left image above). Leaning forward got me caught instantly. The
two stationary guards didn’t react to the crown missing, but the patrollers
did. As long as I replaced the fake crown before either of them came by, I
was good. I read reports about other players still upsetting the guards after
using the replacement crown, but I never had any issues. If that was due to a
bug, it might’ve been fixed in recent updates. I
now had to backtrack all the way to the library via the upper floor. A secret
compartment in the desk there hid a key for the top floor safe, which I
needed to get all the loot (right image above). The room moreover was bereft
of enemies. I then returned to the northwest tower and ascended the
staircase. The intended way of getting the chalice was to use the armory key
to obtain rope arrows, then climb the rafters and raise the dome that
protected the chalice. Instead I found you can jump onto the pedestal and hop
to click the button without ever needing to use a rope. That way I could
leave the armory key untouched in the safe. Since I couldn’t return it, it
would’ve been an unnecessary pickup at that. Lowered the glass dome the same
way afterwards. Left via the kitchen and ended the mission safely thereafter. Statistics: Ghost
– Success! Perfect
Thief – Success! Supreme
Ghost – Success! Perfect
Supreme – Success! Time
– 50:35 Times
saved – 99 Damage
Dealt – 0 Damage Received – 0 Health
Restored – 0 Pockets
Picked – 3 Loot
Acquired – 3081 out of 3081 Killed
by the Player – 0 KOed
by the Player – 0 Bodies
found by AI – 0 Alerts
– 0 Suspicious, 0 Searches, 0 Sightings Stealth
Score – 0 Consumables
– None |
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