The Thief Dossier – Tools of the trade

It doesn’t matter how good you are at the end of the day. Even the best of the best need some tools to help augment those swift hands that they possess. When you’re casing a joint, you’re going to need to know what weapons and items you’ll need for a successful robbery. And sometimes, you’ll need a bit of good luck to go with that job if you want to make it out alive.

Blackjack

Ah, the good ol’ blackjack! Small, light and able to knock out just about anyone. It’s your best friend when you’re sneaking through the shadows and a vital part of any practical thief toolkit. Garret’s first blackjack is made of soft leather and filled with lead shot at the end, allowing it to spread the blow it deals to be non-lethal.

The second blackjack is a far more solid object that can leave your skull fractured, but it’s non-lethal in the right hands of the right thief. The blackjack returns in the Thief reboot, and a little lovetap with that blunt instrument means naptime for anyone who has their back turned.

Bow

Garret’s most useful weapon however, is his trusty bow. Centuries of combat and conflict have resulted in the bow being honed into a truly specialist weapon, which Garret uses to devastating effect.

What makes Garret’s bow truly fearsome however, is the sheer range of specialist arrows available for it. Throughout the Thief series, Garret has used the following collection of arrows to accomplish his missions:

• Broadhead Arrows – Standard arrows that can be used to kill and distract enemies
• Fire Arrows – An explosive arrow that can deal a ludicrous amount of damage
• Gas Arrows – A non-lethal arrow that can knock out guards with the gas it emits
• Water Arrows – An arrow that can be used to extinguish light sources
• Moss Arrows – A noise-reduction arrow, that fills an area with vegetation for sneaky scenarios
• Noisemaker Arrows – Filled with fireworks, the noisemaker provides a perfect distraction
• Rope Arrows – Able to create new pathways for Garret, the rope area is also handy for escapes
• Vine Arrows – The vine arrow serves the same purpose as the rope arrow, and pops up in Thief 2
• Claw Arrow – There are plenty of new arrows in the new Thief, but it’s the claw arrow that be the spiritual successor to the vine and rope arrow of yesteryear

Short Sword and Dagger

Sometimes, a good piece of steel is all you need to get the job done. A more elegant weapon for a more civilised burglar, the sword is capable of defending Garret when stealth is no longer an option and it’s fight or flight time.

Not a full-length blade, Garret instead prefers to carry a short sword, which he swops out for a more useful dagger in the third Thief game. Perfect for backstabbing, the dagger is Garret’s go to weapon for quick kills from the shadows.

Oil Flask

Garret doesn’t just wield sharp-ended tools. He also has more subtle tricks up his sleeves, such as using oil flasks to slip up guards that are pursuing him, or as makeshift fire traps which can be ignited with fire arrows.

Explosives

When Garret needs to create a larger opening to escape enemies, there’s always the trusty black powdered magic of explosives. And Garret has used plenty of them in the past.

Flash Bomb Harmless as an explosive, the flash bomb is more useful for helping Garret escape detection, as it creates a blinding blast of light that leaves guards dazed and disorientated for a few seconds.   Gas Bomb Like a stink bomb augmented to Hiroshima levels, the gas bomb is just bad gas and fumes that’ll knock out even a donkey on the poop deck of a ship   Explosive Mine Sometimes, Garret just has to kill his way out of a situation, which is where the explosive mine comes in. Ready to be set off the moment that anyone steps on it, Garret can also detonate a mine prematurely by firing an arrow into it.   Flash Mine The flash mine on the other hand, is 100% non-lethal and able to knock out any enemy who steps on it.   Gas Mine Using the same noxious fumes as the gas bomb, the gas mine is all bad smells and a guaranteed method of plundering without murdering.   Frogbeast Egg The grenade of the Thief universe, Frogbeast eggs are filled with bad intentions and a thirst for blood that Garret is all too willing to satisfy when he chucks a few of these at enemies.

Magic

Last but not certainly not least, Garret can also wield a limited amount of magical items throughout his escapades, that served him well when he was confronted with undead foes in later games. Garret uses either holy water or a wand during these encounters, which massively damage any undead foe who crosses his path.

Thief launches 28 February for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Last Updated: February 7, 2014