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The first thing that sets Thief apart from the crowd is the weapons load-out. Because Garrett is a thief, and thieves depend on agility, the inventory is limited to three weapons: the sword, the bow and the blackjack. With the exception of arrows and small bombs, Thief doesn't have any additional weapons that players will be able to find throughout the game. Players will come across various objects like shovels and picks which cause some damage when thrown. These objects, however, are used primarily to distract the enemy, and not to hurt them. To the game's credit, Thief doesn't emphasize combat. Just the opposite, it emphasizes evasion of combat at all costs. Three to four blows from a guard's sword or hammer is all it takes to kill Garrett, so players would be wise to keep their swords in their pants.
Of course, there are times when combat is simply unavoidable. In these events, Garrett's arsenal is more than enough to defend himself. For close quarters combat, the sword comes in very handy. It allows for cuts from the left and right side of the enemy, as well as a potent overhead slash that causes almost twice the damage of a normal sword blow. Skillful players will also be able to use the sword to block incoming attacks while pairing off slashes of their own. Using the sword will limit Garrett's mobility, make him more visible to others and make others perceive him as a threat when they wouldn't have otherwise, so it's best to keep it tucked safely away.
Also available to Garrett is a short bow. With a minor exception, the bow and arrow combination requires players to take into effect the distance and level of the target while firing, due to the parabolic arc in which the arrows fly. While the range of the bow is rather limited, players will have a wide variety of arrows to use. The most common of these is the broad-tipped arrow, which causes a moderate amount of damage, usually taking 3-5 shots before killing off a guard. Other arrows include a water arrow, used for extinguishing torches, a rope arrow for climbing hard-to-reach areas and a noisemaker arrow to distract guards. Other projectiles include moss arrows, gas arrows and a limited variety of flash bombs. All of these objects are found in logical places throughout the game, such as on or around corpses and inside cabinets.
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