In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, there are two main different ways you can choose to tackle missions: stealth and assault. Each one has its own unique pros and cons that gives players unique ways to experience the game their own way. Couple this with the multiple different paths you can take and you have a re-playable gold mine of a game here. This is the first part of a two part guide that will cover how to craft an excellent stealth and assault build that grows with you as you progress. Our first focus is on stealth so let us begin.
The very first thing you will need to do to kick off your stealth build is choosing the non-lethal approach in the beginning and taking your pick from either the tranquilizer gun or the stun gun. I personally went with the tranquilizer for the greater range since I could just perform a takedown should I get too close. That leads me to my second point, if you are going for a stealth build DO NOT PERFORM LETHAL TAKEDOWNS! They generate too much noise and will have every enemy within earshot running to your position to mow you down.
The next big focus is on the upgrades. The first chance you get, start by upgrading the motion tracker and the augment upgrade branch titled stealth. These will improve your ability to track your enemies with things such as vision cones on your radar and the ability to tag up to 7 enemies so you can keep track of them and avoid them (or silently remove them, your call). It may also be wise to put some points in the strength section so you have access to more ways around enemies and the ability to carry more items, but that is entirely up to you (I found this to be really helpful on my stealth playthrough). After that you may want to look into purchasing the cloaking ability and extra batteries so you have plenty of energy to stay hidden for awhile and move around enemies. The cloaking ability allows you to remain undetected from your enemies as well as cameras, robots and laser sensors. Very helpful later on in the game.
Cloaking, however, does not mask your footsteps so your next objective should be to upgrade your leg enhancements so you can gain the ability to walk quietly no matter what you are doing. this will allow you to move quicker while cloaked without the risk of being detected by enemies. Be careful though as this combination will drain your batteries rather quickly. Some miscellaneous perks that you can invest in to make life a little easier for your stealth playthrough are the improved reflexes, which allows you to perform a double takedown, and the Icarus Landing System, which allows you to fall without taking damage. Those of you that want to open up even more paths for your playthrough should dabble in the hacking portion of the augment upgrades as well. These will allow you to hack harder doors and open up more paths and even lead you to some nice loot that could help you out later (such as door codes).
The final point you need to worry about is self-defense. This will differ from player to player depending on if they are going for a no-kill run through or not. If you are going for a no-kill run then your best bet is to stick with the stun gun, tranquilizer gun and P.E.P.S (which will knock your enemy unconscious in close range). If you aren’t tied down by morals, and you enjoy the sound of racking a pistol slide then you may want to go with lethal weapons. You have a wider variety at your disposal in the form of a pistol, a machine pistol, an assault rifle and a crossbow. The 3 firearms can be fitted with silencers making your life easier while the crossbow is a silent killer right out of the box. Be warned though, hitting someone with a crossbow will cause the enemy hit to writhe in pain, attracting attention to him. So make sure you are well hidden before firing. This can be useful for setting traps up. Throw a gas mine by a stationary enemy, nail him with the crossbow, then watch as his buddies pass out from the gas grenade that goes off.
Of course, this is just my suggestion on making a stealth character. Those who read this article may take these suggestions and use them in their own game, while others may get ideas from it and apply it to their own Frankenstein build. That is the fun of Deus Ex: Human Revolution: you have the freedom to play the game how you choose. Freedom of choice is your weapon, and in this case it’s deadly.
