Non Lethal Weapons are Useless.

[Kolbe Howard]

So I'm trying to play this game for the first time, I have already beaten Human Revolution but the non lethal weapons in this game don't seem to do anything.

The crosbow just make enemies run around and alert all of the other guards and getting close enought to use the prod just isn't practical.

How are you even supposed to play this game non lethal when the weapons are useless?

Does anyone have any tips on how to do a nonlethal playthrough?

[J4MESOX4D]

Batons are pretty good; one or two hits and they're down. Non-lethals such as the crossbow are pretty weak though but there are a few alternatives.

[Kolbe Howard]

Originally posted by J4MESOX4D:

Batons are pretty good; one or two hits and they're down. Non-lethals such as the crossbow are pretty weak though but there are a few alternatives.

Been using the baton and the prod whenever I get the chance but I have to load my quicksave every five seconds if I play like that because of how often I get spotted from getting that close.

In HR the enemies were prety isolated and the Stun Gun had enough range so that I could take them out at a distance and the drag their bodies from sight.

[J4MESOX4D]

Originally posted by Kolbe Howard:

Originally posted by J4MESOX4D:

Batons are pretty good; one or two hits and they're down. Non-lethals such as the crossbow are pretty weak though but there are a few alternatives.

Been using the baton and the prod whenever I get the chance but I have to load my quicksave every five seconds if I play like that because of how often I get spotted from getting that close.

In HR the enemies were prety isolated and the Stun Gun had enough range so that I could take them out at a distance and the drag their bodies from sight.

The AI is not great but it's best to approach slowly by crouching and batton them to the head. It's worth looking at a few stealth videos on YouTube for tips about non-lethal play-throughs. Once you learn the ins and outs; you're good to go. It's a very different game compared to HR but it's very possible to get through tidily. There is also traquiliser darts in the game which help when you find them.

[alexraoul]

I think you pretty much have to get a headshot with the tranq darts for it to be at all effective.

[Kolbe Howard]

Originally posted by alexraoul:

I think you pretty much have to get a headshot with the tranq darts for it to be at all effective.

I upgraded my pistol skill and I am playing on easy, still even after scoring a direct headshot it takes a few seconds and in that time they end up alerting everyone.

[Alex]

You have to start putting points into whatever weapon category you're using in order for them to become effective. You'll also have to use weapon mods to upgrade your weapons as well so they have less recoil or have a silencer.

Weapons like pepper spray and tranq darts are niche ranged weapons to thin out groups/pairs when you can't isolate them to knock them out. If you're gonna play stealth/nonlethal, you have to sometimes avoid enemies as you don't have Jensen's punch always up like in HR.

[Crash Bandicoom]

tranq darts are good if no one else is around, or there isn't an alarm nearby. Gas grenades can help you easily clear a room. Sneaking past guards is a lot easier here than in HR. Having good lockpicking, electronics, or computer skills (or all) might help you bypass a lot of fights.

Going 100% non-lethal for your first play-through is probably a terrible idea if you want to have fun though. You won't know the map layouts or where enemies are, so you're gonna be loading saves all the time and it'll get frustrating.

[Kolbe Howard]

Originally posted by insomnia_ftw:

tranq darts are good if no one else is around, or there isn't an alarm nearby. Gas grenades can help you easily clear a room. Sneaking past guards is a lot easier here than in HR. Having good lockpicking, electronics, or computer skills (or all) might help you bypass a lot of fights.

Going 100% non-lethal for your first play-through is probably a terrible idea if you want to have fun though. You won't know the map layouts or where enemies are, so you're gonna be loading saves all the time and it'll get frustrating.

Thanks, your comment was extremely useful. I'm not going for 100% non-lethal. I'm trying not to kill anybody but I will if I have to, I was trying to play it like HR and take out all of the guards in an area, probably not the best idea.

I love the story, and the exploration so much that I'm just gonna start over and play it smarter.

[Kastuk]

I doing all nonlethal, but they call me killer =___=

[Boizaum]

There is no guarantees with nonlethal weapons. What if a NSF soldier was asthmatic? Would that gas bomb really be harmless? What if that baton caused a concussion, or internal bleeding of the brain?

[Hammer]

I did 85% of the game non-lethal... I had to get lethal at the last 15% (near end, won't spoil). I'll give you some tricks:

• Memorize their patrol patterns.
  
• Patience is key.
  
• Use regular darts and other objects for noise. (I found out my mini crossbow was more handy for shooting at far away walls to get them to look in the other direction, instead of trying to tranquilize them.)
  
• Baton is 75% chance for a one hit knockout (I've had it fail before, save before attempting a KO)
  
• Prod is 100% chance knockout (err, until you run out of ammo for it... use it sparingly!)
  
• Certain enemies can't be prod KO'd... avoiding spoilers, but you'll know when you see them... they won't be like most other people. Use darts to cause noise so they turn their back to you, and then baton 'em!
  
• When all else fails, use the muscle aug to lift heavy crates for cover, and do it Solid Snake style!
  
• (Added) NOT EVERY ENEMY HAS TO BE KNOCKED OUT! I really need to add this, the game can be played however you want, and that includes not having to knock out/kill every person. You could simply shoot a dart for distraction, get out, move on and forget they even exist if you really want. Nothing is stopping you (usually) from doing that! Play it smart, avoiding the situation is easier for stealth than trying to control it.

Can provide more hints and a bit more personalized help if you like.

[Rick]

@Bartender

That is some awesome advice, dude.

[Singularity's Marauder]

Originally posted by Hammer:

I did 85% of the game non-lethal... I had to get lethal at the last 15% (near end, won't spoil). I'll give you some tricks:

• Memorize their patrol patterns.
  
• Patience is key.
  
• Use regular darts and other objects for noise. (I found out my mini crossbow was more handy for shooting at far away walls to get them to look in the other direction, instead of trying to tranquilize them.)
  
• Baton is 75% chance for a one hit knockout (I've had it fail before, save before attempting a KO)
  
• Prod is 100% chance knockout (err, until you run out of ammo for it... use it sparingly!)
  
• Certain enemies can't be prod KO'd... avoiding spoilers, but you'll know when you see them... they won't be like most other people. Use darts to cause noise so they turn their back to you, and then baton 'em!
  
• When all else fails, use the muscle aug to lift heavy crates for cover, and do it Solid Snake style!
  
• (Added) NOT EVERY ENEMY HAS TO BE KNOCKED OUT! I really need to add this, the game can be played however you want, and that includes not having to knock out/kill every person. You could simply shoot a dart for distraction, get out, move on and forget they even exist if you really want. Nothing is stopping you (usually) from doing that! Play it smart, avoiding the situation is easier for stealth than trying to control it.

Can provide more hints and a bit more personalized help if you like. :balloon:

What perks should I level up when I m going stealth style of playing this game?

[Hammer]

Originally posted by Singularity's Manifest:

What perks should I level up when I m going stealth style of playing this game?

I wrote this 2 years ago, I haven't touched Deus Ex as much as I used to. As far as "perks", I don't know what you mean, so I'll tell you skills and augs I usually go with.


If you intend on stealth controlling all situations and incapacitating any would-be assailant, Low Tech is a priority to max. After that, take a rank in Computer and max Lockpicking and Electronics (computer hacking is really just a get-in and get-out thing, you really don't need to max it. Trained is probably enough, if you mess up you can just reload the save. Lockpicking and Electronics are resource skills though, and getting those maxed will save you a lot of picks and multitools, even enough to spare for pure exploration) After all that, work on maxing Rifle, and any spare points after that put in to Medicine.


I didn't have you do Medicine first because you shouldn't need it if you are properly stealthing... at least not very often, everyone does make mistakes and stealth is a hard, tedious path but with personal rewards. I didn't mention Pistols because frankly, they're worthless for stealth (Crossbow makes for great distractions hitting walls but not enemies, stealth pistol is only if you intend on killing and I'm not covering a stealth ASSASSIN build, pretty much all other pistol weapons are garbage). Rifle is second to last because nearing the end of the game, you'll pretty much be forced to fight as you face bosses. You could have alternatively done Explosives to lengthen detonation times for hostile bombs, but you really shouldn't have any issues disarming them if you're playing right (cautiously). Any other skill I haven't mentioned was either not helpful for this build, or was a crap skill altogether.


For skills, truthfully if you intend on not entering conflict AT ALL, you COULD shave off Low Tech entirely, but I absolutely do not recommend doing that unless you're seriously hardcore. Then if you take Rifles near the end you'd be able to complete the end game when you're forced in to situations where you'll probably have to fight. You can toy around with this build, experiment and see how it all works out. (If you're feeling cheesy, for quite a few keypads that require multitools you could just look up their code online, buuut... that IS cheesy. I only mention it if you want to save more skill points and don't care if it's cheesy.)



For augs, I actually don't really use the augs much. I find plenty of upgrade canisters, aug canisters and such, but I've never really had to use many augs with the way I play and build my Denton. However, Combat Strength could be handy if you short Low Tech and need extra hitting power to incapacitate someone, or if you have maxed Low Tech and just want to make sure they go down. Microfibral Muscle, on the other hand, can allow you to lift heavy objects (and if you're careful with how you throw them, you can set them down quietly and not alert the guards) and do the Solid Snake. You can only pick one of these augments unfortunately, as they both work on the same muscle group in different ways. Cloak can help in a tricky stealth situation where the patrols are just too airtight, Spy Drone can help with getting new eyes on an area for better stealth planning, and Run Silent can allow you to close distance on targets quickly and quietly, for again, those tight patrol routes. My honest opinion though, I haven't had to use many of these augs and I ended up having tons of biocells left over. They can help you get the edge and get through the game faster, but if you are patient enough, plan your attacks (or your avoidances), and use your arsenals wisely, there are few augmentations you'll have to use.




I think I've covered most of everything, but a few tips I really gotta put out there are, Save Often, Wait for the right opportunity, and Don't Get Angry. It's not an easy game to stealth, mostly as you move forward in the story, and sometimes you'll get stuck. Just distance yourself from the game for maybe an hour or so, and give it another go next time; You would be surprised what mistakes you will see you made when you take a second glance, and how easy the solution just... comes right to your head taking another look at it after a day's rest. Above all, just try to enjoy the game, some people can stealth the game and some can't, nothing wrong with it. If you find that stealthing it is very frustrating and you aren't having fun with it, play it how you want. Stealth is not a requirement, but a bonus; Enjoy the game's story and the adventure it takes you on.

[The Brown Hornet]

After a while you'll ignore stealth and shoot every thing that moves with a rocket launcher!