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With health regeneration and a precise play you can beat the game on max difficulty without much effort.
Good luck with finishing Deus Ex, I hope you enjoy it c:
With that said don’t try to be sneaky. If you must be sneaky then use the stun prod, mace, or a head shot tranq shot (anywhere else they fire none stop zeroing on you). Don’t try to upgrade everything and just stick with one type of weapon class. In my opinion the best weapon upgrade is one to the heavy and fully upgrade the melee.
The two best guns in the game are the flamethrower and gep gun. Seriously the flame thrower is the best as it makes anyone scream and run in circles. The gep gun is surprisingly the sneakiest way to move around the map. You get a gep gun on your first mission and you can find a flamethrower very early in the game.
Well… it’s a pretty good game story and exploration wise. I fee the game is rich and something worthwhile to play. However as a “stealth” game or just general gun play, you should know this is one of the first games that introduced stealth. I think prior to this you had some gems like Metal Gear Solid or the likes. Nothing close to the stealth games or ai you have today. So I think it is unfair to call it a stealth game but remember the advertisements for the game was back in 1999/2000 timeframe and comparing to games of that era this game was pretty advanced.
I just think it sucks when a game seems to promote the idea of freedom of approach but then forces you into specific playstyles. I really wanted to complete the game using mostly stealth and non-lethal tactics. Using lethal weapons and "loud" tactics only when absolutely required. Just playing it like a regular shooter sounds boring given that we are in 2021 and plenty of game did that part way better by now.
Without this freedom... I hardly see the point of playing this as far as I am concerned. I'm just a bit annoyed at all those people that sold me this game as the pinnacle of player freedom in an FPS.
Clearly ain't for me. But, at least I did enjoy my time with it for what it's worth. I just won't bother completing it at this point.
The whole Deus Ex freedom thing came out of Thief having combat as absolute last ditch might-as-well-reload-your-save type deal. If you absolutely can't sneak past something in DX, you almost always have an option of shooting your way through, turning the security system against the enemies or bypassing the area completely.
For 1999/2000 timeframe the game did deliver on its promise. Not 100% but at least for the time period it was pretty stealthy and you had so much choice to do things.
In today’s world no. Part of the reason why I think gamers these days miss out. You’re comparing this game to a future title. Kind of like comparing a fast horse back in 1800 to like a car today. Was it true they advertised it as fast? Yes at the time but in today’s world no.
Not my fault if some people wear nostalgia goggles thicker than a ship's hull.
I disagree with the premise that ‘the game claims to be stealth based but in fact it’s not’. It’s certainly ‘more difficult’ to play things the non-lethal way, especially if you’re trying for a ‘completionist route’ and going for every bit of experience possible. But it is definitely not impossible to complete the game using non-lethal weapons only.
I’m currently playing through a non-lethal run at the moment. Aside from a lack of Tranquiliser Ammunition, I’m not finding it too difficult, though I of course am at an advantage of having played the game before. I’ll see if I can write up a ‘non-lethal build’ and play style when I get home, which doesn’t spoil too much (on a phone atm so can’t remember exactly what I’ve done).
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From what I can gather, Deus Ex was ‘indeed’ designed so that stealth could be used to complete a large majority of it. What I ‘don’t’ think it was optimised for however, was using specifically ‘non-lethal weapons’ to knock out all enemies in the game, or to complete the game as a complete ‘pacifist’.
Whilst non-lethal weapons generally are ‘the most stealthy option’ generally speaking: there is limited ammunition for them, creatures (Dogs, Greasels, Karkians) CANNOT be knocked out using non-lethal means (i.e. they can only ‘die’ and not be rendered ‘unconscious), and ‘non-lethal’ dialogue trees for the missions do not extend beyond the Battery Park/Airfield mission (Mission 3). It was only AFTER the game came out, that people REALISED that the game could be completed 100% non-lethally.
Thus, the ‘Pacifist Run’ was not an original design feature of Deus Ex; it was just a consequence that ‘arose’ from the way the game was designed. Which is in a way, testament to how open-ended and ‘free’ the design of Deus Ex is!
As has already been mentioned, it is possible to complete Deus Ex with just about any character build, with just about any augmentations and skill set … but ‘having already played the game’ certainly helps out here. It is a lot more difficult to do a ‘stealth-heavy run’ from complete scratch, without knowing where everything already is.
So. Let’s talk about a ‘Stealth Build’, that can potentially complete the game blind, including the items it might use, and what augmentations are best.
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First, skills to get early in the game.
There’s a glitch whereby you can get extra skill points from the pistol skill … which we’re going to ignore, because breaking games is silly.
You start with 5,000 skill points. For the first mission (Liberty Island), if you visit: the bunker (250), the north dock (150 for Filben), the underwater ship at said dock (50), free gunter (150), and reach the top of the statue (150 + 750), you get another 1500. So 6500 xp for the first mission and not including any of the UNATCO buildings.
To start, taking Computing (1125), Lockpicking (1800), Swimming (675), and Demolitions (900), leaving 500 spare. After finishing the first mission, take Electronics (1800). That’s 6300 skill points to form the backbone of a Stealth build.
Computing (trained) will help to hack terminals and quickly turn off cameras, as well as take money from ATM’s.
Lockpicking and Electronics (trained) will allow for 1 pick/multitool to remove 25% from locks/keypads as opposed to 10%. There are also some items that can ‘assist’ in opening doors, which can save on Lockpicks and Multitools.
Swimming (trained) grants effectively 2.25x distance travelled in a single breath over untrained, which can help to infiltrate some locations and find some goodies, without being perpetually worried about running out of breath.
Demolitions (trained) is not so much for extra damage, but to allow for a 2 second window to disarm explosives close-up as opposed to 1 second. Which can be enough to save your life if you’re going through the game blind.
After taking these ‘backbone’ skills, a good question to ask then is: Am I going full Pacifist? Or do I not mind the odd ‘silent kill’ as well?
If you don’t mind ‘killing people’, then you should focus all future skill points after these 6,300 into Rifles, and keep a hold of a Pistol with a Laser Sight attached (but leave Pistols at Trained). Once you hit Master level with Rifles (which ‘should’ be easy enough to do before Paris at least), a Silenced Sniper Rifle can one-shot just about anything in the game that isn’t a Karkian or a robot. It can also remove Cameras and Alarm Pads from walls.
If you’d rather stay ‘full pacifist’, then you’re better off going Low Tech. This will increase the damage done with the Baton (the only ‘non-lethal’ weapon that requires no ammunition), Prod, and Dragon’s Tooth sword (which at Master Level or Advanced level + Combat Strength, can remove cameras/alarm pads similar to a Sniper Rifle).
After this… take whatever you think looks fun! I’d probably leave Swimming and Environmental training as they are but hey, the choice is up to you.
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Next, there’s items.
The items that a ‘stealth focused pacifist’ should keep with them include: Baton, Prod, Xbow, Gas Grenades, Pepper Spray, LAM’s, EMP Grenades … and the GEP Gun. Optional items include the Sniper Rifle, Pistol and Dragon’s Tooth sword. It’s worth mentioning that Tranquiliser Darts do nothing to creatures, and the Prod only makes them run away. Any other method of ‘non-lethal takedown’ against creatures just counts as killing them.
The Baton is your bread and butter as a Pacifist. Even at Untrained level, a Baton is capable of taking down standard troops (Terrorists, Mercenaries, UNATCO, Cops, MJ12 soldiers) with one well placed sneak-attack to the lower back above the belt (i.e. ‘the torso’). Terrific for picking off lone soldiers after studying their patrol routes. If you get spotted however, the Baton in a straight up fight is rather weak without training or Combat Enhancement.
The Prod is better for dealing with soldiers ‘head on’ in close quarters, as it additionally stuns them. One hit to stun a soldier, plus one hit to the front or rear TORSO, is enough to drop any standard trooper. Against Commandos and MIB’s, you’re better off aiming for sneak attacks from the back. MIB’s can be stunned from the front, Commandos cannot.
The Mini Crossbow is … kinda weird. Tranquiliser Darts are your main ammunition: Normal Darts deal lethal damage (but can kill in one headshot), and Flare Darts can be kinda-sorta used as a distraction by shooting them at a wall for troops to look at.
Tranq Darts meanwhile don’t exactly ‘knock out enemies stealthily’, unless you happen to score a headshot (in which case they’re ‘a bit less noisy’). They also cannot knock out an MJ12 ‘without’ landing a headshot, even at Master level Pistol training. Where they ‘do’ shine, is if you need to take out a bunch of troops in a close quarter setting and can hide behind some cover in between shots, ESPECIALLY if you can lock them up with a Gas Grenade first. Pity that Tranquiliser Darts become such a precious commodity after the first few missions…
Gas Grenades on their own do little, but when combined with the Xbow, can be used to ‘non-lethally’ take out a group of enemies from a short distance … such as the terrorists holding the hostages in Battery Park whilst remaining inside the air vents (Mission 2), or any room full of MJ12 soldiers. Enemies affected by Tear Gas take 4x damage from all other sources. Which is sadly ‘not’ enough to one-strike-combo enemies in the the Torso with a Baton (unless you have Combat Strength/Low Tech training to amp up Baton Damage), but 'is' enough to one-strike gassed troops with the Prod.
Pepper Spray is effectively ‘a Gas Grenade in gun form’, stunning enemies that get sprayed and providing the same 4x multiple to damage for 4 seconds. They have a range of a few metres, which can be enough to close the distance on an enemy with a tricky patrol route and finish them off with a Prod. Though as with Gas Grenades, Master skill/Combat Strength are recommended if you wish to combine Pepper Spray with the Baton. Pepper Spray uses 7 ammunition ‘per burst’, which is enough to stun a small clump of opponents if they’re bunched together.
LAM’s and EMP Grenades are handy for blowing up terrain, or disabling bots. They can be thrown, or placed on a wall for a patrolling bot to wander into. LAMS, like Flare Darts, can also be used to lure a group of troops away from an area (say, a doorway that they’re guarding) to investigate the explosion , allowing you to sneak past.
And then there’s the GEP Gun. You can opt to receive this from Paul for the first mission on Liberty Island, and even on a Stealth character, I would recommend taking it. Why? Two words: Ranged Lockpick. The GEP Gun is not exactly ‘silent’, but in situations where you’d rather not spend lockpicks opening a door/chest/closet/etc with less than ‘infinite integrity’ … you can always just blow it up instead! Plus rockets can destroy bots, if you don’t mind categorising killing bots as ’non-lethal’.
Then there’s the three ‘optional’ stealth items.
The Pistol is the archetype early game weapon in Deus Ex , and whilst it cannot be silenced ... it can be given a Laser Sight very early (Bunker on Liberty Island) which gives it perfect accuracy at the start of the game. Allowing you to boom-headshot your way through any opposition you desire, with no Pistol skill points required. Not exactly balanced but hey, it's the year 2000, right?
The Sniper Rifle can be found on Liberty Island and other locations … but a Silencer for it cannot be found until you’re captured and taken beneath Liberty Island. With training however, it’s arguably the most versatile gun in the game, between one-headshot takedowns of any soldier in the game and the ability to remove pesky cameras from a distance. The caveat, of course, is that it’s not strictly ‘non lethal’, and Master level rifle training is not worth it for the ‘camera-removal’ aspect alone.
The Dragon’s Tooth Sword is probably a better fit for non-lethal characters, as Low Tech is a more applicable skill to specialise in. It can destroy cameras at Master Level, or Advanced level with 3/4 ranks of Combat Strength.
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Finally, there’s Augmentations.
Augmentations in Deus Ex, sadly, are not really balanced very well. There are some Augmentations that are basically better than their alternative no matter what the play style is. The archetype example is ‘Speed Enhancement’, which provides exactly the same benefit as Silent Running if you just, you know, crouch while moving quickly. Whilst retaining the ability to leap over tall obstacles when required, and render the ‘Microfibral’ enhancement redundant as well…
Here is what I would recommend for Augmentations as a Pacifist character. I won’t reveal their locations, but suffice to say, all Base Augmentations can be found before finishing Hong Kong.
Combat Strength: Hit enemies harder with melee weapons, which includes the Baton, Dragon’s Tooth Sword and for some reason … LAM’s and EMP Grenades.
Environmental Resistance: Take less damage from environmental hazards, which includes Gas Grenades and Tranquiliser Darts. Useful for traversing contaminated areas, which may be required if you’re being stealthy.
Speed Enhancement: Gotta run fast! This augmentation is pretty silly, and can allow Denton to jump off of high buildings without dying, or run quickly past foes when combined with Camo (item) or Cloak (Aug).
Ballistic Protection: Take less damage from bullets, which is handy when most enemies use bullets! Even the stealthiest agents can botch an approach, and a little temporary tankiness could save your life (or, you know, enable you to go on a Baton spree in relative safety and ‘non-lethally’ submit your enemies).
Spy Drone: Scout a room potentially full of hostiles from the safety of a vent. The drone is not targeted by enemies and so is free to explore as long as you yourself are safe from harm and have enough Bio energy. It can be detonated as a pseudo-EMP grenade, though this only becomes effective with upgrades.
Regeneration: Heal damage off and render Medkits almost obsolete. This Aug ensures that you only ‘really’ need to worry about Bioelectrical Energy, and is also why I don’t recommended taking any points in Medical skill.
Cloak: Invisibility vs humans and creatures, but not robots/cameras/turrets/tripwires. Once you have this Aug, along with the Speed Enhancement and Power Recirculator, you can sprint past battalions of soldiers with ease (just don’t get spotted by bots or cameras!).
Vision Enhancement: night vision and at high levels, the ability to see through walls. An amazing aug late game for navigating obstacles from the safety of vents and other hidy holes.
Power Recirculator: Reduces the energy consumption of other Augs while active. This makes it the ultimate ‘combo aug’, and should be combined with ANY OTHER AUG once it is fully upgraded (which should be done ASAP).
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Which leads to Aug Upgrades. Without spoiling locations, there are a total of 19 that can be found, and 7 can be found before finishing Hong Kong. Here’s the order that I would aim for:
Speed Enhancement x3
Cloak x1 (requires saving upgrades in inventory)
Power Recirc x3 (requires saving upgrades in inventory)
And then whatever you see fit for the other 12.
Want to reprimand heathens with your trusty Police Baton? Combat Strength/Ballistic Enhancement might be wise.
Want to stick to the shadows? Spy Drone/Vision Enhancement/Cloak can help there.
Environmental Resistance can be handy either for combat ‘or’ stealth, depending on the circumstance.
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Well, this ended up longer than first anticipated … but hopefully answers some of your questions about how to make and play a stealth build.
Give it a try! :)