9/14/16 UPDATE: Having run through the game a few more times (mostly for fun) I discovered a few things in my guide that are not valid, and I will correct below.
1.) Unlike Deus Ex: HR,
there are no scripted alarms at any point in this game. There are, however, two points where an
automatic alarm trigger will occur if:
- You talk to Miller after meeting Marchenko at GARM
- You fail to take out all 11(10) guards at the Apex Centre
If you do either of the above, it will trigger an automatic alarm, and void this achievement.
2.) If you activated the drill in the GARM facility, and
fail the dialogue (as specified by
DarthSolidKevin in the comments), then you have voided Foxiest.
3.) I had originally thought that one required completing both primary and secondary objectives for main missions in order to acquire this achievement, and it was primarily from failing to take out all 11(10) guards during the London mission. Having run through the game once more on a seperate account, I can confirm that secondary objectives are not necessary (however not taking out the guards will trigger an automatic alarm at the end).
So, to make things easier for everyone, I will list the
main missions below, and which ones have actual alarms which will void your Smooth Operator bonus -
Bold missions have alarms that can be triggered,
Strikethrough missions have no alarms, and thus have no Smooth Operator bonus to be acquired.
DubaiM1: Black Market Buy - No AlarmsPrague (First Visit)M2: Morning Comes Too Soon - No AlarmsM3: Getting in Top Shape Again - No AlarmsM4: Checking Out TF29 - No AlarmsM5: Claiming Jurisdiction - AlarmsM6: Taking Care of Business - No AlarmsGolem CityM7: The Rucker Extraction - AlarmsPrague (Second Visit)M8: Tracking Down the Real Terrorists - No AlarmsM9: Checking Out the Men in Charge - AlarmsM10: Facing the Enigma - AlarmsM11: Confronting the Bomb-Maker - No Alarms OR M12: The Heist - AlarmsSwiss AlpsM13: G.A.R.M. - AlarmsPrague (Third Visit)M14: Hunting Down the Final Clues - Alarms (literally everywhere in the streets)LondonM15: Securing the Convention Centre - AlarmsM16: Stopping Marchenko - AlarmsM17: Protecting the Future - AlarmsAs I stated above, this is just for
main missions. If you wish to take on some side missions, as well as this achievement, be warned that some also have alarms at some point during the mission (Neon Nights and Cult of Personality for example). I highly advise sticking to the main missions only if you are going for Foxiest as a means to mitigate the possibility of accidentally setting off an alarm.
HELPFUL HINT: Wherever there are alarms, there are also security terminals that will
deactivate alarm panels. That means, if you can find your way to a security terminal, hack/multi-tool/use passcode on it, and gain access to the system, you can literally make the Smooth Operator bonus a garuntee for that area. If the alarm panels (things on the walls with a hand print) do nothing when a guard touches it, then no alarm will sound.
I tested this in a few areas and found it very amusing making lots of noise while I massacred a room, only to see "Smooth Operator" pop up at the end of the sequence.
4.) If you ever see the "Alarm Tutorial" item appear on the right side of the screen, that is a great way to determine if you set off an alarm. The tutorial info will not pop up for anything until you trigger the specific in-game characteristic associated with the tutorial, so if you see the one for "Alarms" pop up on your screen, reload your previous save and try again.
How alarms get triggeredBasically, the alarms will start sounding if:
- An enemy spotted you, turned "red", and brought the entire world down on your shoulders (via either him, or someone else hitting an alarm panel - the terminals in the game with the hand print on them)
- You stood too long in front of a camera, and it went from White >> Yellow >> Red.
- You got spotted by a turret, and it started firing bullets at you.
- You thought "Hey, if these cameras and turrets don't exist, then I can not get spotted", and decided to destroy them
- You failed a hack on a terminal - this means that when the system caught wind of what you were doing, and started searching for you. then the time went all the way down to zero without you backing out of the hack. Insta-Alarm, and your achievement is gone.
- You tripped one of the many laser grids that exist in the game.
- You fired an unsilenced weapon within earshot of an enemy. Big no-no.
- You lobbed a grenade that goes BOOM! at earshot of an enemy. Another big no-no.
What abilities can help you get this achievementObviously there are augs that will help you much more than others regarding this achievement. Here is what I did right off the bat to get Foxiet in my
initial playthrough. Yes, you can do this on New Game+, and have everything basically unlocked, but I wanted my New Game+ experience to be more of a badass run and have fun with the experimental augs
.
1.) Sarif Series 8 Energy Converter: Max this out as soon as possible. This will be your backbone for nearly every single thing you can do, whether it is takedown an enemy if you are in a tight spot, or needing invis to get through a section. Nearly all of your active aug abilities requires energy, and unlike in HR, not everything takes just 1 cell of energy. Different abilities drain at differing rates, and penalize differently with initial consumption. Having your cells recharge at a faster rate, with less of a delay, is more than ideal - it is crucial.
2.) Glass-Shield Cloaking: You are going to find a lot of areas with patroling guards. Taking them out via mano e mano is a drain on your energy, and opening yourself up to a stray guard turning a corner. The vast majority of the time I went from Point A to Point B without touching a soul - just activated invis and crouched out of the area.
3.) Smart Vision: Do not think there is only one path you ca take to get to your objective. Smart Vision, even not maxed, will help you find alternate routes in an area fairly easily with the Wall-Penetrating Imager. If you are stuck at a door, do not have a password and hacking it is unsuccessful, then take a look around and see if there is another route.
4.) Wayfinder Radar System: Seeing where enemies/cameras/turrets are, where they are looking, and identifying patrol patterns is invaluable in a Foxiest run.
5.) - OPTIONAL Cybernetic Leg Prosthesis: It is actually surprising how much noise you make coming out of a vent 5 feel in the air - the Leg Silencers mitigate that for you.
6.) - OPTIONAL Icarus Landing System: There were a few bits I bypassed completely just by jumping down an elevator shaft
. It comes in handy.
That is essentially all I had in this run. I did not do much of anything with
HACKING CAPTURE
HACKING STEALTH
Why? Because 9 times out of 10 you can find a pocket secretary kicking around that will give you the passwords. Take a second, give the room a thorough sweep and see what you can find.
What items/weapons will help you1.) Zenith Zap Stun Gun: At the very start of the game, you will be asked to choose between a "Lethal" or "Non-Lethal" playstyle. Choose "Non-Lethal.
Then you will be asked if you want something with "Distance" or something suited for "Close Quarters". Choose "Close Quarters", and you will get this gun, and it will be the main method of neutralizing enemies when need be. Also, very good if you are going for the Pacifist achievement.
The range is "meh" with this gun, but I went through the first half of the game with the tranq rifle, and used it maybe once, and it was for nothing crucial. After I found the Zenith, it made the second half of the game much easier.
2.) Biocells, Biocells, Biocells: These guys charge your batteries. If you are using the glass-shield as much as I did, then you will burn through these little guys insanely fast. Fortunately, if you are backed into a corner you can craft these for 120 parts.
3.) Multi-Tools: If you can not find a pocket secretary with a password, and that terminal is a higher security rating than you can tackle with your abilities, then these devices will give you an edge. If you are stuck in front of a locked door, and can not see an alternate route, then these devices will be a lifesaver. And, if need be, you can craft these as well for 120 parts.
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That is literally it. If you have any questions, corrections or neg vote justifications please let me know in the comments below.