The Art of Thievery question

[littlek]

I am playing on expert, but not ghosting this....not how I like to play.

I just started the mission and entered the building by climbing to the third floor and entered through a window into a room where 4 displays are. I am now stuck in the shrine to the wife where there are 2 mechanical spiders roaming about. I can easily get to the statue but get bombed once I grab the loot. I cannot find the switch to turn off those gold heads that throw the bombs. I have turned off the 3rd floor watchers in the control room but that is all.

[Peter Smith]

It's been a while, but as I recall there is a light switch next to the entrance door, to the left of the door as you enter the room. The ghosting trick is to enter the room and turn off the switch without being seen. Once the switch is off, you must use ghosting methods to avoid alerting the mech spiders. The route I take is sneak right from the door, across the back of the room, and up the right side of the room, paying attention to shadows. There is a sneaking route to get to the main altar unseen and snag the goods. Reverse procedure to go out.

There is no switch to turn off the monsters. You must find the ghosting route that keeps you relatively hidden and quiet. As I recall you go to the far corner and up to the altar the back way. I really do not remember the details.

If the lights are not out and you are stuck exposed, try saving the game and shooting a broadhead at the switch.

If, however, you have already alerted the little monsters, then your guess is as good as mine. :)

You may not be ghosting, per se, but it is necessary to stay hidden in much of this mission, so ghosting technique is necessary. You may need to revert to a saved game. You need to save often in this mission, using permanent slot saves for important resting places every so often.

[Huntress]

Well I guess the usual reply from me is: I guess you'll have to wait for Nightwalker :D It's been a long time and of course I don't play Expert so perhaps your circumstances are different? I don't recall the "Gold heads" (you mean turrets?) that accompany some of the Watchers? I remember only that I had to creep very quietly and time my movements to avoid Spiders and get treasure, no turrets that I can recall? If they were there, then I must have been able to resolve that somehow but can't remember as I said. There are many Watchers to turn off in all the levels and perhaps even more than one location for switches for all on that floor? Seems to me there was one additional location on one of the floors that was difficult to find..not as obvious as the others? However, I'm surprised you didn't get to this one a lot sooner :) It was one of the best made and not all that big of a download either. There was a small problem however in one area in particular in a library. The Guards were on extra high alert and even when in a good hiding place you could get busted...so be aware of your hiding places and that you are not too close to where they patrol by. If you get busted this way, that's the reason and so saving often is a very good idea in this game so you can figure out a better way ;) Because of this and my disappointment in this situation and some others, he was kind enough to tone it down some so I could get through it :)

Also his tip about using windows to go in and out of building at times to avoid some of the Guards or ?? comes in very useful too :) Ta and Good Hunting!

[Peter Smith]

Sometimes, but rarely, I will do. ;)

[Huntress]

Heh Peter, you weren't able to do it a lot in any case, but when it was feasable it sure came in handy :D Particularly when you needed to get into "His" room as I recall...Ta and Good Hunting!

EDIT: Sorry Peter about the duped other message. I was trying to do something when making a post on Deus Ex board and coming back to this forum to get some info...and somehow triggered that message to post again???

[Nightwalker]

Just ignore that room, littlek. On Expert, it's nothing but a trap. There's a note in the control room that says the loot in there is a dummy and the real one is hidden elsewhere to keep it safe. :)

[littlek]

Duh, I forgot to read the message in the control room when I turned off the watchers...thanks for all the help. :D

[littlek]

I did a search here and in TTLG and did not see if this had previously been asked....just that it was difficult to do....I cannot find the Talisman of Air. I read the instructions and that it was to magically decend in the chruch I believe but when I am in the church nothing happens. I even climbed around in the rafters although the instructions say I can go dry off after getting the water talisman and don't really have to be there for the Air Talisman. I have all the other Talismans. Right now I am in the elemental room....

[Nightwalker]

If you look in the center of the big wheel (I think that's what it is) at the front of the church behind the altar, you'll see the Talisman. You can get down to it from above without being spotted by the people in the church, if you're careful.

[littlek]

Is there a breath potion hidden anywhere? I used the two in my inventory raiding the loot in the pool room....I regret that, so now I am swimming in the vault and I run out of air while punching in the combination to open the vault. I use a speed potion and the only health that I have but I never succeed.

I am also not sure I have the right combination. Is the order

earth, air, fire, water so the combo would be 9561?

I noticed that this is the same combo I read from a post that I found while searching but I also read that the combo changes everyday and so I am unsure as to what is the correct combo.

[Nightwalker]

The only breath potion I recall finding was in a chest in the bedroom that has the woman dressed in red pacing around in it. Did you find that? As for the combination, I have a different one written down than the one you listed. Mine says 6195 As far as I know, it doesn't really change, though I can't say for sure. :)

[littlek]

Oh this could be bad....I already pilfered the "lady in red" room and so I used up that breath potion. Do you think RiCh could PM me another one?

I had the combo you mentioned too.....tried it and just before I lose consciousness and drown, I do hear a metal door opening. Is this the one that I can see while punching in the code or is a door opening elsewhere?

[Nightwalker]

You can do it without a breath potion though it's a bit tight. If you stand on the floor near the center of the room and look up, you can see which stream you need to swim up to be closest to the way in. You can also check which way you should turn to get to the central opening the fastest. What you hear opening is a big metal hatch in the ceiling of the room with the combination device. Good luck! :)

[Peter Smith]

That is correct. No breath potion is needed. It takes practice to find the fastest route throught the maze to the vault room and to get in there without any stutters. I think I had to try it at least 10 times to get that part down pat. Once in the vault room, you need to enter the combo from a distance and stay back from the door to let it open without hitting you. As with all long, difficult sequences, it may pay to use save games to your benefit. You could do a slot save and a quick save before swimming. When you think you have made a good run at the vault, you can do another quick save. Then you are in position to try several times to open the door smoothly without repeating the maze swim. The slot save is a backup in case you need to start over.

After you have done it once, it becomes easier. :)

As I recall, it is also possible to get all the stuff in the tanks without a breath potion, but that is even tighter than the valut. It takes several trips, one item per trip. A torch helps you find your way through the small holes without hitting the sides. Hitting the side even once slows you down to the extent that you cannot complete it.

[littlek]

blub, sputter, gasp, BIG BREATH

I made it and got the sword....it took me about 15 times (thanks Peter for your save tios) but I finally got it. Your combo was right NW. I was using the wrong one that I saw in another post. Not sure if this code changes or not.

One final item eludes me and I could not find it in the search. I cannot find the painting that is hidden in the rafters of "one of my libraries" as it is written in his diary. Which library is this blasted painting called "The Tricksters Stare" hidden? I know it will be easy and I am just missing something very obvious. :confused:

[Nightwalker]

There's a library that has an entrance door up on the top floor. I think that's the one where you'll find the painting in the rafters.