TABLE OF CONTENTS (click a topic to jump to that section)

1. The Art of Sneaking
2. Combat - Know Your Enemy
3. Looting - Pillage & Plunder
4. Playing Styles
5. Ask Questions - Links to Other Help

THE ART OF SNEAKING:

1) Walk - Don't Run
There are three speeds - Running, Walking, and Creeping. In your control options, bind each to a key that is easy to reach and remember. Running makes a lot of noise, especially on staircases and tile floors, but you would be amazed how easy it is to creep down or across them.

2) Crouch
Crouching will allow you to sneak behind guards more easily. You can also conceal your visibility some by crouching. Make sure to use this feature when looking for secrets and loot. Corners and trap doors are hard to see standing straight up.

3) Climb
Don't forget to look up. Some areas may seem impassible, until you realize that you can avoid a guard by going over their heads, or even climbing a rope and letting them pass beneath you on a patrol route. Always retrieve rope arrows as they can be hard to come by.

4) Use Potions
Speed and Invisibility potions are invaluable ways to get through crowded areas quickly and peacefully. Experiment with both to learn their duration.

5) Stay Hidden
While this may seem obvious, fps players are used to blasting or hacking their way through enemy territory. In Thief, the best strategy is to hide, observe patrol patterns, and douse torches to provide more shadows for hiding. Note that most weapons (with the exception of the blackjack) cause you to be more visible - the sword even slows you down. Keep weapons concealed until needed, and make sure they don't expose you when drawn.

COMBAT - KNOW YOUR ENEMY:

1) Awareness Levels
Read up on the AI awareness levels in the FAQ under the AI section. Assessing the awareness level of the enemy is very important in knowing how much noise or movement you can get away with at a given moment.

2) Make Them Work For You
Did you know that zombies will attack Burricks and Spiders? Or other humans? One of the best way to distract humans or cause a diversion is to lead a zombie into their midst. They should forget about you and deal with their new friend while you make a quick getaway.

3) You Can't Win...But There Are Alternatives to Fighting
Though your first inclination is to grab your sword when facing an enemy, the flash-bomb/blackjack combo is more effective. If the enemy is far enough away, you may be able to toss a mine or gas mine in his/her path- just account for the time it takes to set itself. Even a flash-bomb will usually give you enough time to become scarce, provided you don't blind yourself in the process (T2). Do anything to avoid a swordfight.

4) Different enemies succumb to different weapons
Humans hate blades and arrows, while zombies are susceptible only to holy water arrows, fire arrows, or possibly a mine. Bug-beasts will only fall to a gas arrow or gas mine (though you can kill them with a sword if you can avoid the bug blast for the duration of the attack). Spend some time experimenting with weapons and enemies so you can better deal with them when the need arises.

LOOTING - PILLAGE & PLUNDER

1) Get it all!
The more loot you steal, the more equipment you can buy for the next mission. You can check the amount of loot available in each mission by looking at the 'STATS' screen after the 'mission failed' or 'mission complete' screen. If necessary, save your game and allow Garrett to be killed so you can check this. The 'stats' button is on the bottom right. Complete loot maps and lists are available here at The Keepers' Chapel.

2) Know where to look
Loot lists are available at here at Keepers' Chapel. One advantage to familiarizing yourself with 'DromEd'- the Thief level editor- is that you can look in each mission using the program and 'dump' items to find all the loot locations. Learn more about this process from the Thief Editor's Guild at The Circle of Stone And Shadow site. Knowing a bit about DromEd can also help you recognize 'secrets' by looking for uneven or discolored textures, misaligned areas in the maps, etc. DromEd is available in the TG and T2 install cd's, and you can download the DromEd2 patch from the TEG.

PLAYING STYLES

1) Expert Level
Many players avoid the expert level because Garrett is not allowed to kill humans at this setting. However, the expert level setting offers the most game play because there are more objectives, some of which are revealed halfway through, or at the end of the mission. There are new areas to explore, and greater obstacles to overcome, as well as a higher loot requirement. Expert setting is the true Thief experience.

2) "Lytha Style"
Read more about 'Lytha Style' in the FAQ. This style involves completing the mission without dealing any damage to enemies. Some players have completed all 12 TDP missions with a "0" stat for damage dealt! This is a challenge for the seasoned Thief, and takes the player beyond the boundaries of intended play. This style also involves collecting all of the available loot for each mission. For more info check out www.Lytha.com.

3) Climbing
Though not exactly a 'style' of play, many Thieves have taking to climbing anything and everything that can be reached in the map. This can involve the roofs of houses such as Constantine's and Ramirez, or the top of the Hammer temple or Haunted Chapel. Stack boxes, junk, skeletons, or anything else you can find to climb on and go for it. One of the best views is from the top of the Mage Tower arches in TG. Get climbing instructions in the Walkthrough.

ASK QUESTIONS - LINKS TO OTHER HELP

1) Listen & Look
In Thief, much of the information you will need comes from cut scenes, scrolls, papyrus', books, and conversations within the game. There are some missions in which it could prove impossible to complete the objectives without information provided in these sources. Read everything you come across for clues about the plot. Hide and listen to as many conversations as possible for hints about key or character locations. Be sure to watch all of the between mission cut scenes in order to understand your mission objectives. Thief is unlike other FPS's where you will 'eventually figure it out.' You must be observant and attentive to reach your goals.

2) TTLG Forums
A friendly community of fellow taffers who are more than willing to answer questions and give advice. There is no charge, but you must register and promise to use the search function before starting new topics. Others before you have probably had the same question. This is also the best place to find help for technical problems, software bugs, and general install difficulties. Thief forums are at the bottom of the page.

3) The Dark Forum
Run by our good friend Shadow Lurker at The Dark Site. Smaller community, but one of the best Thief sites on the web.

4) Contact Keeper Chapel
E-mail our site with specific questions regarding missions, loot, hints, maps, secrets, or strategies.

5) Lytha.Com
This site offers a 'newbie corner' with hints and tips from one of the most experienced Thieves on the web. Also contains tips for playing 'Lytha style' and many climbing excursions in TDP and TG.