8.6: Notes Regarding This Mission

Learn the ropes of lockpicking and navigate the tricky guard rotations in Mission 8.6 of Thief: The Dark Project. Get tips to beat your personal best time!

Alright, so Mission 8.6 is where we really start to get into the nitty-gritty of Thief, and thankfully, it's with a mechanic I actually enjoy: lockpicking! You've got a set of instructions for it already, so when I tell you to pick a lock, definitely give those a read.

This mission kicks off with a bit of a follow-the-leader vibe, but here's the catch: the folks you're tailing don't always stick to the same path on the way back. I've only seen one variation myself, which I'll walk you through, but if you stumble upon any other routes or interesting bits, let me know!

Now, my first run-through took me ages – over an hour! I like to be thorough, you see, so I cleared out all the guards outside the house first. Big mistake. When I came back out, there were new guards, looking like thieves, posted in different spots. Since I didn't raise any alarms, I'm guessing there's some kind of 'changing of the guard' that happens at a set time, maybe 30 minutes to an hour in. One of these new guys was even blocking the exit I planned to use! My best time now is under 30 minutes, so it really pays to be aware of this patrol shift. It's kind of funny, actually – while exploring with the new guards, I noticed one was practically standing on top of a guard I'd already stashed in the shadows!

Note: I'm planning to add a section for the