Thief (2014) - The Carnal Connoisseur, safe combination, find the Automaton's Hand
Struggling to crack the code in The Carnal Connoisseur? We've got it right here, along with a guide to sailing through this fun client job.
Before you get started with the next client job, be aware that you can't grab all four of the Thieving Challenges in just one attempt. In our walkthrough for the mission, we'll make sure you pick up three of the bonus rewards, but you'll need to go back and have a second stab at the job if you want to pick up No Kills or Knockouts.
Steal the Automaton's Mechanical Hands
As soon as the job begins, make your way upstairs and look outside to find an anchor beam. Put one of your Rope Arrows into it so you can get easy access to the house. Down below you is a guard that's just a little too far away for you to be able to take him down using an aerial assault. You can leave him be altogether if you wish, but we recommend eliminating the threat with a Broadhead Arrow, just in case. Now leap over to the rope and get into the house.
Once you're inside, pick up all of the loot that's nearby, and then make your way through the door that leads to the bedroom. Again, loot everything you can in here, but watch out for the servant - he can spot you while he's talking to the collector. As soon as the servant starts moving away, you can either get in behind him quickly and knock him out, or just let him live. Regardless, just make sure you get all the treasure before exiting via the window to the east.
Pick up the poppy that's on the ledge, then drop down into the alley below. There's a guard nearby that you can pickpocket, and there are a few items of loot around here as well. As soon as you're done, climb back up and through the window that you just came out of.
If you didn't kill the servant earlier, he'll have gone outside by now to speak to the guards you just stumbled across. Make your way downstairs and hoover up all of the loot in the building. Just take care when you open the door to the east, as there's a guide waiting on the other side.
Turn the lights off in the room by firing a Blunt Arrow, then sneak inside and start grabbing the valuables. The guard's standing too close to some of the loot for you to just walk right up and grab it, so throw an object such as a bottle into the previous room to distract him. You can even pick his pocket when he walks past you if you're feeling brave. Just make sure you get The Court of Montonessi (9/12) - What Is There Cannot Be Seen while you're here. Be quick about it too, because that guard will come wandering back sooner rather than later.
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Keep clearing the floor and taking all the loot you can find, and extinguish any lights you come across with your Blunt Arrows. If you're getting bored of treading lightly around the place, smack the guard on the back of the head and loot at your leisure. If you're feeling feisty and want to really clear the place out, there's a guard in the cellar who's pretty easy to knock out.
As soon as you've completely plundered the building, go back up the stairs and exit through the eastern window, just like you did earlier on in the mission. Fire Water Arrows at the torches on the eastern wall, then drop down to the first guard and pick his pockets. Sneak away from him, get up on the crates nearby, and then travel around the yard in an anticlockwise direction until you reach the cellar stairs.
"While you've now got a great opportunity to bag your aerial takedown challenge, make sure you split up the guards with a distraction first."
While you've now got a great opportunity to bag your aerial takedown challenge, make sure you split up the guards with a distraction first. If you forget to do this, you'll fail the Remain Undetected challenge. Once you're down inside the cellar, pay attention to the guard near you. Take him out if you want, or just sneak around as you loot the place.
Turn the lights off when the guard isn't looking, and then loot the place as quickly as possible before he wanders off and switches them back on - you don't want to be caught in the act here. Once he starts patrolling again, you should be able to make out a pair of switches by the painting on the western wall.
You're going to have to switch off the lights several times to stay ahead of the guard. Once you've activated the switches, consider entering the combination one number at a time as you play with the lights and hide in the shadows. The combination code you need here is 8-1-2. Take your time, otherwise you run the risk of ruining the progress of your Remain Undetected challenge.
Once you've entered the combination correctly, a panel in the wall will open up, revealing a secret door. When the guard's got his back turned to you, slip through this opening, then make sure you close the door behind you so you don't alert him to where you are. There's lots of loot to be greedily gobbled up in here including the essential Client Loot (7/8) - Octopuss.
Escape the Collector's Lodge
You're nearly home-free at this point, but there's still some lovely loot to be had. Switch your Focus ability on so that you can find the loose brick that's stuck in the wall. Push it and you'll gain access to a side room that contains a huge amount of loot, including the collectible item Whiteridge's Duty (4/6) - The Virtuous Lady. Once you've grabbed it, you should find yourself in possession of all three collectible items available in this client job.
Time to make your way back out. You can sprint your way home with abandon if you've killed every last living thing in the building, but you'll need to sneak your way out if you've been a little subtler. Use the shadows whenever you can to remain undetected, backtrack all the way back through the building, then exit the window you used to gain entry in the first place. If you jump up to grab the rope and pull yourself up towards the ledge, you'll trigger the completion of this fun mission.
If you're finding it tough to track down a Thief mission item, take a look through the index page of this walkthrough.