The Swindle Gameplay & Achievements Guide

This guide should help you obtain 100% achievements in this game as well as better understand the mechanics within the Swindle. Please remember that the entire guide is based purely on my own experiences and things that other people discovered (in that case, they're fully mentioned next to the information).
If you have any feedback/tips or things that I should mention, please leave them in the comments below or message me directly :)

I've also played this game on PS Vita, but due to framerate issues in future stages game was very hard to beat, so I definetely don't recommend it, it's a bad experience.

Start of the game

Earning a lot of money at the beginning of the game isn't necessary, but it can definetely speed up the whole process.
My tactic for the start was getting 100% of the loot on the first heist without getting detected. This should give you rewards of ~900-1000$, which allows to buy both double jump and hacking skills.
From my experience, it's almost impossible to complete levels without double jump, some places might even make you stuck if you don't obtain it early and without hacking, you won't really be able to earn much money.

Hovewer it's important to remember, that the levels are randomly generated which means that you might not be able to earn 100% of the loot. In this case I recommend starting new game, because it's so early that you won't lose anything and it doesn't take a lot of time anyway.
Keep in mind that if you want to do 100% in a single playthrough you cannot die even once.

After the first heist I personally focus on getting bombs lvl 1, hack skill lvl 2, wall jump lvl 1, security clearance lvl 1 and bug lvl 1 (in that order). 25 000$ might seem like a lot, but the passive income is really worth it in my opinion, it will greatly pay you off. If you like to take a different route with your pucharses, it's totally fine, this is just what worked best for me and I've tested many ways of starting the game.

• Bombs is by far the most important skill in the entire game, without it you will most likely be cut off from rooms with computers. Early in the game they also allow you to take down cameras if you can get above them. First upgrade gives you 3 bombs, and every other grants you 3 more.
  
• Hack Skill (lvl2) allows you to hack locked doors, which is incredibly handy in all future areas, starting with the Warehouse district.
  
• Security clearances allow you to do heists in future levels which are far more profitable. Hovewer future levels also have stronger and more advanced enemies as well as more unreachable areas, which is why bombs are so essential.
  
• Bug is something I already explained above, but to explain it a bit more I should say how it works. You chose a bug from your skills (same as bombs) and plant it as close to computer as you can. After that it will give you a specific number (it depends on the level and distance from the bug to the computer) every single second. Also it's worth mentioning that you can place a bug on the computer that was destroyed.
  You still can hack the computer that you bugged, but it will quickly run out of resources. Those will be replaced as soon as you go to the next heist, and you will start getting money again.
  
• Wall jump is the least necessary, but it allows for very easy kills (you can reach enemies while "sitting" on the wall, if u're low enough). If you feel like you don't really need it, then skip it entirely.

The way bonuses work was greatly explained in the guide made by Basost. Hovewer, to quickly sum it up:
Ghost - Stealing 99/100% of the cash without triggering any alarm.
Aptitude - comes from the upgrade and gives more money from hacking.

General gameplay tips

As I said in the previous chapter, all the levels are generated randomly, which means you cannot memorize the layout of the map. However after a while you will start to notice patterns on the certain levels, which will make your heists way easier.

The thing I stupidly ignored for far too long were the skills used to manipulate enemies and boost your escape posibilities.
Steam purge allows you to pass enemies without them noticing you. Auto-steam purge is sort of quick-escape option, it can trigger only once in the moment when enemy detects you (the alarm isn't raised and you can freely escape/keep looting). You can kill enemies while being in the steam, and they still won't detect you.
Remote detonate allows you to trigger any mines/generators in your range that are close to the enemies. You can kill most of the robots by doing this but there are some in future stages that won't die instantly by doing this.
EMP simply disables cameras and drones in the close distance to you.
Bot confuse makes enemies attack each other. Keep in mind that they still detect (trigger an alarm) and attack you if you will get in their range of view.

The great thing about Remote detonate, emp, steam purge and bot confuse is that those skills recharge over time, so you can basically use them as many times as you want.

Other skills.

• Hack skill lvl 3 allows you to hack Security Stations, disabling all robots & drones which is very helpful, it's definetely something worth picking up. Lvl 4 is more of a bonus, allowing you to hack robots making them attack your enemies. It can be useful but isn't a must-have. Also hacked robots follow you and chose their targets randomly, so it's a good idea to clear the future rooms of enemies that are easy to kill for you, so the robots are used in the more sweaty enviroments.
  
• Melee strength is something that I really like, but it becomes more needed in future areas, if you don't feel like you need it, you can just buy it later.
  
• Bionic eyes weren't really useful to me, so I don't recommend them.
  
• Agility part is just the personal preference. Hovewer it should be noted that triple jump, stealth and jump reset when sticking to a wall are skills that are more useful in the future stages. Because of that and their prices I wouldn't recommend buying them before ~Belgravia/Casino.
  
• Hack Aptitude gives you more money from hacking the computer, those numbers aren't crazy but they can be helpful throughout the game (you're gonna hack a lot).
  
• Goggles upgrades are handy, but definetely not essential, don't put them as your priorities.
  
• Also, if you like clearing all the rooms while earning, upgrade ScrapYard is highly recommended. It costs 25000$ but gives you money for every enemy killed, which in higher levels can become a very high number.
  
• I personally tried to ghost the whole level/most of it, so for me the Police Interference upgrades were pretty much pointless.

Other than that I can only advise you to play slowly and try not to take many risks. If a corridor seems to be too hard, just try to enter the building from the other side. Sometimes it's better to leave a cash pile/computer than to die because of being too greedy. Remember to use all of your skills, there isn't any time limit in the game, and the 100 days are not really a challenge. People have finished entire game within 20-30 heists.

Tips and requirements for specific achievements

Affront Door
Kill a guard by barging through a door

Very simple achievement, in order to get it you have to obtain a skill called "Action Hero" which allows you to smash through doors and windows. It costs 4000$ and can be done at any point in the game, but it's probably easiest to do it in Slums.
Simply barge through the door when the guard will turn around.

So Close
Die on a heist with 100% of the loot.

This is quite self-explanatory, you can do it at the slums level.

Caw, Blimey!
Smash a crow through a window.

Crows seem to only appear from Belgravia. You just have to find both crow and the window, then wait a bit and hit it. U might be able to do it on the road for the other achievements.

You're a Mean One
Clear out a poor person's house on Christmas Eve.

You need to do a 100% slum heist on the 24th of December.

Manners Cost Nothing
At the peak of your career, take a day out to victimise a poor person but politely shut their front door on the way out.

This is a bit more complicated. After unlocking the bank level you have to go to slums open the door, 100% clear the level and then close the door while exiting.

I don't know if it's my personal problem but it only unlocked for me after I've done it a couple of times.
I've also had to buy the final clearance (instead of just the bank completion). Try not to destroy any objects in the building itself (walls, windows etc.) because it might interrupt the achievement.
Remember that entrance is on the left, so even if you spawn on the right, you should travel through the roof and start from the left.

By George!
Visit an address numbered 1138.

This is completely random, sadly you cannot do anything to make it faster/easier. You just have to pray for encountering a building with address mentioned in the trophy.

Butter Fingers
Set off all the alarms because you're rubbish at hacking.

It's most likely to unlock it while playing, but if you're just too good at hacking you have to fail the sequence at safety computers.

MoneyBags
Have £5 Million sitting in your bank account.

This might seem like a lot of money, but ghosting a bank few times should easily grant you required money. I got it with ~80 days remaining.
Bugs and other skills improving the payment are also very welcome here.

Lucky Streak
Complete 10 successful heists with a single thief.

If you're going for the Spring-Heeled Jack, you will get it anyway.

Stolen Time
Complete the game within the 100 day limit.

It's very easy to pull off, however it should be noted that you cannot use the "hack-day" function for it to pop.
100 days is definetely more than enough, you should be done before 50 days will pass.

Mine Furore
Have a CubeBot set off a mine.

Cubebots are weird square dudes rolling around. They start to appear in the bank district, with the hack on lvl 3 you can setup a mine and then lure cubebot into it. Obviously, this requires a good RNG, but other than that it's pretty simple.

Smash & Grab
[THE BANKS] Alert an enemy within 30 seconds of starting and escape with >50% of the cash.

The Ghost
Ghost a Bank and kill every enemy.

This can be tricky, I recommend doing this trophy at the very end of the game, when you will have all/most of the abilities unlocked. I tried to do it as slowly as possible while methodically killing every opponent. Nonetheless, the RNG has to be on your side, if you think that it isn't, just try it again and eventually you will get it.

Now to the hard part. These two are easily the toughest trophies in the entire game, but they can be done if you play safe.

The Hard Way
Complete the game without purchasing the Teleporter.

This becomes a challenge in the last level, which has a tone of walls between safety computers. The key element is very strategic bomb placements, that allow you to hack all computers without running out of bombs. Keep in mind that as soon as you steal the mask (final item) you will be chased by the cops, so prepare and memorize your escape route. You won't have much time before they catch you. That's why saving additional bombs is very useful, you can basically make your own route to the ship. Sometimes the map layout is randomized in such a way, that it's simply impossibile to complete it, in that case you should just restart and try again.
Gloves Off Games[http//Gloves+Off+Games] have a great video of doing it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2HmNzPXexU

Spring-Heeled Jack
Complete the game with your starting thief.
This might be the most annyoing trophy in the entire game. If you want to achieve it fairly safely, you should avoid unnecessary dangers at all cost.
There are two ways of doing it, you can play the game fully, and try to do it with as many skills as you can, or you can try to "speedrun" through the game so you don't lose so much time when you fail.
I chosed the first approach but I was already fairly experienced from playing on PS Vita and I still had to stop ghosting levels and clearing them out completely, otherwise I just kept on dying in stupid situations. Try to get at least one or two computers before leaving and remember to use all your gadgets.

Thanks for reading and good luck :)

[Stahlfrau]

For anyone that might be wondering, "Stolen Time" can be achieved if you bought and used the time extension, as long as you finish within the original 100 day limit. At least that's how I just got the achievement.

[ MisterFossil ]

Dzięki, królu.

[Prawie]

Glad u like it, miłej zabawy :)

[ MisterFossil ]

It's an very good guide, thank you, king.