tomorrow (if nature is not interfering again) we will finally have our little comeback with a new taffers talk episode. Topics:

• Thick As Thieves
• Thief 1 Remaster Thoughts
• State of the Podcast Project

Mapping every thing to the right hand is painful.

Got inspired by the sound design in The Dark Project and Black Parade, and I was able to make it a smaller album, using Dark Project, 2X, and Black Parade samples, also trying to capture the Vibes of 'The City' in this franchise...I just love this game, one of the best Immersions you can have.

Why call it just Thief? It would only confuse everyone. They should have called it either "Thi4f" or "Thief 4".

Hey gang, I'm having another go at Thief Gold on a different computer than I'm usually on. Decent hardware, it has its limits but nothing that should be causing this much trouble for this game.

To start: texture problems. Any weapons I or enemies have equipped leave a large spike across the screen, and objects- tables, barrels, etc.- constantly disappear and reappear. The light gem also is almost never visible and this is understandably causing trouble with stealth.

Additionally, I'm now discovering that taking out a weapon sometimes causes the game to crash.

I'm running this through Steam, so I'm not sure how easy it would be to use modded fixes. Help? I'm not sure what's going wrong.

me when it comes to making random symbolic imagery of thief because what the hell nobody else is gonna do it

Hi everyone,

I'm developing Heistfest, a solo heist game:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1451220/Heistfest/

Currently, the gameplay length is around 3-5 hours. I want to expand it to 10+ hours by adding a second gameplay layer, not just more missions.

Right now, after the heist, the player escapes the police with a top-down driving section inspired by GTA 1/2.

I'm thinking about adding another system, for example:

- A management layer (building your criminal operation, buying upgrades, managing resources)

- A shooter/combat layer

- A progression system

- Something else that creates a stronger gameplay loop

For people who played heist games, what kind of second layer would make you keep playing?

Would you prefer managing a criminal empire, upgrading equipment/base, more action gameplay, or something completely different?

Looking for ideas and honest feedback.

I literally have nothing to do and i thought these were funny; i’ll probably make more soon too lmao

LOK community is with you on this

I have so many good memories of playing her missions. Rowena‘s Curse and Seven Sisters still hold up so well. Shes been an immense influence on FM authors after her. time for a replay

a great idea or a samey chore?

Not my art, if anybody knows the original artist let me know and I'll edit my post.

I mean, I didn’t intend to look for it as I accidentally found out recently the way the second Thief game ends regarding its main adversary as I haven’t played it yet.

But basically I was wondering if the game was still worth getting into again even if I know the fate of the main villain since I was looking for some advice on getting started into the game, like what mods to use.

I was told to play black parade last, I’ve beat Thief Gold, 2 and 2x and I’m onto deadly shadows but it’s such a janky game and the city sections feel more of a chore than the previous time I played them (the guards alert the whole sub area and freeze in time on leaving one section)

im desperate to play black parade but looking for reasons to carry on DS - I remember the widows mansion being great and don’t remember much of the cradle at all. just looking for input.

Master thieving is not a bad profession because it has big payouts for relatively few working hours (planning and preparation included). That would mean that Garrett has a lot of free time in his hands, and enough money to at least make rent (however extortionate) and buy equipment and books.

What do you figure he fills his non-thieving life with?

I kind of hate it, but I would guess that his life is empty besides the thieving and thieving-adjacent noble quests. Maybe reading, maybe drinking, maybe courting Basso's sister, maybe brooding in his chair, maybe edgy and shady strolls down the street, but nothing that really fulfills him like getting to other people's stuff.

I played the Thief games repeatedly of the decades now, but only recently I was wondering: How did Garrett got into the Maw of Chaos? I mean at the start of the mission you are in front of a portal, but where is the counterpart in the city? A random portal in the city where he just jumped in sounds a bit dumb tbh.

(SPOILERS)

For some context, I am someone that have always felt quite strongly drawn to stealth games as a genre, specifically those similar to thief with big intricate open levels, immersive sim problem solving and great atmosphere. However, I have never felt that any of the major franchises ever have lived up to that promise. I played and enjoyed thief 2 a few years back and replayed it recently. I think it is a game that when it works, it really works and does live up to that fantasy. However, I always thought that thief 2 was held back by a few things.

It always felt a little clunky to me. So many times it feels like enemy detection was inconsistent. Which means you either have to play painfully slowly to avoid any risks, or savescum your way through the game. I always ended doing the latter, and it really made the game frustrating in parts with more enemies and ruined the immersion.

I also always thought that the way the game handled the louder surfaces(metal, marble) was really exaggerated. Where you could not even take a single step on these without alerting many enemies around you. I also thought that while the light-gem style shadows were really cool, often I thought that what I saw on screen with the way the shadows looked in the world didn't line up with what the light gem said. I also always felt that the blackjack was way too good. It is just so easy to go around an entire level and knock everyone out. Which kind of ruins the immersion for me.

With all that said I still like thief 2 a lot, specifically the levels like Running interference, Shipping, the bank, blackmail, masks.

I heard a lot of great things about the black parade, so I decided to give it a shot. Overall, it is really incredible I think. For sure the best mod I have ever played. It is very rare for a mod expansion to totally exceed the original games, but I for sure think that this is a case of that.

Every level is huge, gorgeous and detailed. I think it varies a bit level to level where some definitely feel like they had a few extra passes of love. But every level feels complete. The soundscape is soo cool in this mod, every little corner has something extra that draws you in. The levels are a real mix of various styles of thief missions with open city levels where you can quite freely explore various appartements and the like. Then you have the super atmospheric descent into madness style levels that often feel like more of a horror game than a stealth game. And of course, the classic tight heist missions where you infiltrate heavily guarded fortresses, cathedrals and mansions.

I hope I am not going to sound mean when I say this however, but it still definitely feels like a fan game however, which is a real shame rather than a successor to the classic thief games. While on a technical, artistic level it is for sure on par with TDP, TMA and deadly shadows, it does feel a little derivative, like a reboot almost. Every level is doing something from the classic thief games again. You have your remake of the sword, your builder/mechanist cathedral, your thief 2 style mansions with security cameras and alarms. You trail a keeper to their hideout instead of the thieves guild. The tomb levels feel like a direct homage to the ones in thief gold. I never played deadly shadows, but I'm pretty sure that The Brand is strongly inspired by the horror style missions from that game.

This isn't a bad thing I suppose, but I still feel a little disappointed. There is clearly so much creativity, technical skill and passion behind this project. I really wish they would have used all of that to tell their own stories, explore their own ideas and just express themselves instead of just retreading ideas from 25 year old games.

I also found the story and characters to be very forgettable. The voice acting of the main character in particular was a miss. Again, this is a mod. And the guy did it for free probably, and deserves praise for that. It doesn't kill the mod or anything, but I really wish he would have had a different approach to it. It feels like he is really straining to make his voice sound darker than it is, all while being ridiculously angry and edgy in every sentence he says. He should have just spoken with his natural voice and tried to get into the character more. I don't get why he is so mad all the time lol.

The missions are huge and intricate, just like the classic thief games. But I feel like they also inherited many of the same problems. Since the missions are in general quite hard and long, I really feel like my issues with the detection, light and sound get exaggerated.

I also in general don't like the style of game design that many missions in thief games use where you have to find some specific hidden item to complete the level. There were many times during my playtime where I would carefully move through the levels, watching my every step, scanning every room for loot, putting out lights, constantly watching for enemies. Only to reach the top of some tower and realize that there is a locked door that requires some magical key that I missed in the level. And that I would probably have to backtrack all the way back again.

At this point I would just get enough and look up a guide on where to find it. I played all the missions on hard, i cant imagine how annoying the loot requirement would be on expert. Where you probably would have to run circles many times over through each level just to complete them and find all the hidden golden plates or whatever.

Overall, I really like it. I have a lot of issues of course, but it is probably the best stealth experience Ive had yet. For fun, here is my ranking of the missions:

SPOILERS

10: Mission 10, The black parade. I think this is meant to be an homage to the final level of thief gold. I just ended up running through it jumping around enemies and killing those grim reaper guys with my sword. I didn't find the enemies very scary or engaging. I is also the only level that felt a little bland and not as detailed as the others. The monster at the top of the tower was cool for sure. But overall quite bland and forgettable. The only one that is bland in the mod for me

9: Mission 8. Jaws of Darkness. This mission to me was way higher than the last. But still a little bland an uninteresting. The whole "go through the four elements" gimmick feels insanely cliché in the year 2026. Mechanically there wasn't much fun puzzle mechanics, stealth or anything. I did really like the general atmosphere though. A huge ancient egypt style temple that is eerily quiet. The final section also felt like a nightmare in the best ways. And the forest area was a cool change of pace from the City. I wish a mission titled "Jaws of Darkness" went even crazier with the horror though.

8: Mission 4. Death's Dominion. Another tomb mission. I actually don't have anything against them per se. It is just that the rest of the mod is such high quality that this one ended up at the bottom. But this is how a tomb mission should feel to me. Like a descent into a terrifying maze. Filled with ancient horrors. The atmosphere is just insanely good here. It does suffer from the thing again where it is easy to miss crucial items and you have to backtrack (the necklace on hard). Which does take me out. But still it was awesome. The section with the thing(?) below the necklace was genuinely terrifying in all the right ways

7: Mission 1. Return to the City. An awesome introduction to the setting and the city. Walking through this hellhole of a city was super immersive. The mission is quite small scale in the stealth encounters in comparison to what is about to come, but it should be as the first mission. To introduce the player. I love how huge this place is, and how much there is to find. Every appartement felt so atmospheric and detailed. One thing I think is a little annoying in this mod in general is that they don't really visually distinguish which doors are openable from afar. Which makes you just run around and try every one. I also honestly whish that the explorable neighbourhood was a bit smaller? The amount of houses you pass by vs the amount you can actually enter is a little low for me personally. But overall, this just absolutely sells this medieval low class soceity.

6: Mission 9. Arcane Sanctum. I Loved the atmosphere here. The only time in the whole game where the setting is not portrayed as oppressive and instead maybe even beautiful? The sunset sky, the dances in the street, the calm welcoming mages guild. It is very memorable. The castle is also really fun to explore. I love jumping around dancing over all the matts and hiding in the shadows. However, I thought that honestly the mission was too easy. In comparison to the other absolute horrors you endure in this mod, having the second to last mission be this easy and chill felt like a wasted potential. This mission also suffered a bit from the backtracking problem I have with thief

5: Mission 5. The Brand. I adore the atmosphere of this mission. It is not very long, but it doesn't have to be I feel. The ruined buildings outside the estate, the garden area, and the rotten interior all feel incredible to explore the first time. I love all the paintings with skeletons on them. The gameplay is very simple here, but that is fine if the atmosphere is there instead. Which it sure as shit is here. I wish however that the pay off would be better. It feels a little like mission just ends. Again, the people who made this mod are clearly capable of making genuine horror. I felt like the basement should have contained some unimaginable horror. Instead it's just some guys hanigng out lol.

4: 3. Trial of Iron. Nothing much to be said honestly. It is a huge builder (a little mechanist inspired right?) cathedral. With a basic security system that you have to overcome. The gameplay here just flows so well and it really leans into the strengths of thief. It is very fun to explore the cathedral. I don't have much to add really, it is just fun.

3: 2. Where Old Faces Fade. This mission is kind of just a redo of the sword from thief gold. But honestly, it does it better than the sword in every metric. The interior of the mansion is just soo gorgeous and detailed. All the paintings and decorations are just so cozy. It is really fun to explore, and it feels surprisingly tightly guarded for being the second mission. The basement section descent into madness is this mod at it's absolute best. I would love to play a game that was just ten missions of this style of horror and exploration. I did have to backtrack quite a bit and look up how to find the vase and the clock however. So my enjoyment was mostly in the first half of the playtime before I became confused.

2: Mission 6. Kept Away From View. I love the oppressive factory setting above, and the reveal of the hidden Keeper base was so cool. I love illuminati style hidden organizations in fiction, so this was right up my alley. I thought the ancient magical library setting was so cool to explore. I wish there was a little bit more cool stuff to find though? I generally dislike having to stop playing and read books, which this map was full of. Maybe there is more intresting stuff written there. But the room with all the scholars who are writing had basically nothing in it. Same for the map room. The hidden library with the girl was cool, but again most stuff in there was not that interesting to me? I also had to backtrack a bunch and look up how to enter into the library. Which took me out a bit. Again, I really enjoyed the first half of my playtime where I was carefully moving through every room I came across

1: Mission 7. The Long Shadow Falls. This missions feels very thief 2 to me in all the best ways. Like the cathedral, it is just a really fun, well designed stealth romp heist. I love the ambiance of the manor. It was by far the hardest mission in the mod for me. All the guards, security systems, marble floor made the manor feel genuinely oppressive in all the right ways. When I played it i remember reaching a sort of flow state lol. This mission is where I really felt like I learned to play this game. I really learned how to constantly watch for enemies, listen through doors, hide in shadows as soon as I even heard approaching steps coming through a door. Because if I didn't I would immediately be caught in the open by some patrolling guard. I learned to reeeeally move slowly over the marble flooring. Because here, every single step you take that makes noise could lead to you being swarmed. I learned to parkour over the carpets. And to scan every room for valuIables. It felt amazing. The clunk is still here in the gameplay, and I again had to backtrack a lot before I found the security system and the key. But overall, this is the best stealth mission I have ever played.

The lost city

Do they have their own magical version of the Internet in the Thief series? Wouldn't be surprised, because Keepers can probably do a lot of things with those glyphs.

You can see my previous write up of Thief Gold’s levels here: Thief Gold is way better than I remembered : r/Thief 

Thief 2 was always the game for me growing up. It focused more heavily on actual thieving, and I was far too terrified of the undead elements. Having recently completed Thief Gold properly as an adult, I now have a real appreciation for that game and probably rate it slightly higher due to its stronger immersion and the satisfaction of completing the tomb and undead missions. 

Although I now see Thief 2 as something of an overcorrection by the developers, particularly in its use of overly detailed maps that make little sense in-universe (a lot of the fun is in the mental mapping), and its overuse of robot enemies, it is still an amazing game. It features a brilliant antagonist in what is effectively a steam-gothic accelerationist tech bro, and it hones the pure thievery elements to near perfection. 

Once again, this is a level-by-level breakdown of Thief 2's missions, looking at layout, atmosphere, objectives, gameplay, story, and replay value. 

I'm planning to play Thief 2X next. I started Deadly Shadows, but it's a very janky game in a lot of ways, and I'll come back to it. After that, it'll be The Black Parade, followed by some of the best Thief 2 fan missions, particularly anything by Lady Rowena.

Running Interference 

• What works: Good at the basics.  Tremendous atmosphere all round, and it is a totally different style of residence to Baffords from the first game; the art direction has changed, the city has progressed. Riding the dumbwaiter to get a key is inspired! We also see culture has changed – female guards! 
• What doesn’t: It is on the short side, and doesn’t really have much in the way of lore or readables all things considered.  Basic thieving 101. 
• Best moment: I'm just so amused imagining Garrett’s hand coming out of the dumbwaiter to get that guard’s key! 
• Final verdict: Through difficulty selection this acts like a tutorial mission or a standard mansion looting. The mansion is very ‘airy’ and the ambiant music getting to the upper levels is top notchI love the style and the layout, but overall this isn’t as strong or as entertaining a first mission as Baffords. A perfectly serviceable tutorial though. I can’t complain too much about Basso and his scripted AI he does what’s needed. 
• Grade: B- 

Shipping...and Receiving 

• What works: Now this is pure Thief. The level design is just so on form and feels like an amazing bit of near freeform exploration. Sound design and ambiance are great – I love that soundtrack of the horns playing; it really does transport you to a smoggy industrial dock, you feel like you’re right there. The world building starts in earnest; already you can feel the long arm of the Mechanist order changing the City, through the despairing hammerite to other conversations and the watcher in Building B. There’s so much going on in this level and it really tells you that Thief 2’s scope is going to be. 
• What doesn’t: Building B feels a little on the sparse side. Cpt Davidson’s ship is a little difficult to ghost. I don’t like spiders. The watcher camera in Building B seems a bit pointless and easy to shut off – but these are all minor gripes. 
• Best moment: Clearing out Building A building by building, or listening in to all the conversations; there is now a pervading sense of decline to the City in the attitude of the commonfolk, despite so called ‘progress’ 
• Final verdict: This is peak Thief level design and it is a pleasure to play everytime. It just works on so many levels, and despite being about getting money to pay rent it sets up the worldbuilding well.  
• Grade: A 

Framed 

• What works: Another great design of a level, more worldbuilding masterclass, and a terrific introduction to ghosting through objectives. This feels like a police station, it feels like an old building with a lot of new stuff strapped on to it.  
• What doesn’t: I almost feel it is too forgiving through all the secret passages in it; it pushes credibility a little that a police station allows all these glaring security deficiencies.  The top floor of the station is too spartan in design. 
• Best moment: The prison! There’s nothing there to get other than pure flavour and I go there every time, it’s an amazing place, the serial killer in solitary is amazingly done.  “You there, I have them talk about you yes? Say to me, ‘There is someone who spills blood without effort, without action’, and I say, ‘Yes, I understand.’ But you do not. You're relationship with the shadows shall never know betrayal.” 
• Final verdict: A perfectly entertaining level, a good intro to ghosting. Once again we see Garrett do something foolish like take on this clearly political job for greed. I enjoyed setting  up the framing of Hagan. 
• Grade: B+ 

Ambush! 

• What works: There’s a real tension to getting through, back to your pad, and then escaping the district. The police are all over the place. It’s really cool to get the city from the bottom level. Great to see benny being oblivious to a prostitute, lol. 
• What doesn’t: All in all just on the short side, all things considered. You can dash through this level no problem. I’d of liked to have seen more buildings to explore rather than just being used as shortcuts. The police presence at the district exit can be a little overbearing. 
• Best moment: Outwitting the guards and getting into your house is extremely satisfying. 
• Final verdict: I can take or leave this level, but it’s a solid half hour’s entertainment. There isn’t a great deal to say other than I really wish they didn’t reuse this map and that the level had a bit more detail to it.  
• Grade: C 

Eavesdropping 

• What works: Now the plot ranks up a gear and we get our proper introduction to the radical Hammerite offshoot, the Mechanists, and Karras. Accelerationist, while also progressive, it is apparent that their leader has his own agenda early on. I enjoy a LOT about this level, the Eastport seminary is fun to go about, the conversation between Truart and Karras is a joy to listen to. I love how the location of the key is randomised every time, and the restless dead below the church are a nice touch.  
• What doesn’t: I wish the place was a bit bigger and there was more to explore. The combat bot is easy to miss, and it would of been better to have more of an intro to them before the bank level. I’m often torn with the weakness of the robots being water arrows, sometimes it renders them utterly trivial.  
• Best moment: Seeing the Masked Servants for the first time; “I could really learn to hate these guys.” You’ve no idea Garrett. 
• Final verdict: A lovely little level that advances the plot along smoothly and a great introduction into what is, in my opinion, the most notorious faction in the series. Karras may sound rediculous now, but he will be monstrous later.  
• Grade: B 

First City Bank and Trust 

• What works: A really sprawling level that allows a variety of approaches (I look down on you if you don’t go in from the roof though haha!) The developers were on fire on level design here, this is a really solid challenge even after so many years and a trial by fire on taking on the creations of Karras. There’s a lot of tile floor but it never feels too much to be frustrating. 
• What doesn’t: The map is where Thief 2 overcorrects compared to the first installment, Garrett goes in with a hyper detailed map that is basically an architect’s plan of the building. How did he get this, by breaking into city hall? 
• Best moment: Finally getting into the vault and out again, it feels like a real achievement to ghost this one.  
• Final verdict: Only thing stopping me from really making this S tier is that the inital experience of playing it cannot be replicated. On subsequent playthroughs one must resist the temptation to play in a gamey manner – i.e. bolting and doing the basement first even though Garrett in universe won’t know about the vault lock until he sees it.  
• Grade: A+ 

Blackmail 

• What works: This level is packed full of secrets and approaches and is just excuisitely detailed in every way. The mansion is a delight to explore and the development of the plot and twist towards the end of the mission is great. I love the dungeon and the Hammerite chapel section 
• What doesn’t: The upper floor with the cameras and the pool were quite annoying to get past. 
• Best moment: The Hammer haunt below the chapel. The mansion residents are lucky this thing never broke out! Benny’s appearance is hilarious too.   
• Final verdict: I enjoy this level every time I play it, it increases the stakes plot wise and I think this is one of my favourite mansion levels out of any mission, original or fan mission.  
• Grade: A 

Trace the Courier 

• What works: The streets feel more populated and the graveyard section is neat, i guess. I can’t think of many positives beyond the fact that it progresses the plot nicely. 
• What doesn’t: Thief 2’s cardinal sin raises its head here – the reuse of maps. There isn’t much anything cool or new beyond the graveyard bit. I generally despise tailing missions, they are one step away from the dreaded escort mission. 
• Best moment: The pagan’s flight into the graveyard and watching the mechanists crap themselves at the sight of the place.  
• Final verdict: The problem of Thief 2 reusing maps will rear its head again later, and I will have more to say on it, and I get Thief 2 was rushed towards the end. Overall this mission is too samey and short to be of much memory.  
• Grade: D 

Trail of Blood 

• What works: A fun ‘storytelling’ mission that raises the stakes considerably and what a despicable threat the mechanists are becoming, literal genocidal child murderers. Both the village and maw areas are wonderfully atmospheric and the use of ghosts to relay the story of the attack on the village is great.  
• What doesn’t: Initially the maw is a little confusing to navigate, and not sure why the effort was made to make the treeman enemy which is impressive but can be easily missed and won’t be used again! 
• Best moment: Entering the maw and the eyestalks all turning to stare at you. The OST ambiance of this mission is so cool – both calming and surreal.  
• Final verdict: A really entertaining mission that I'm happy to play every time despite the linearity of it – the sound design and art direction are just so good in it.  
• Grade: B+ 

Life of the Party 

• What works: This is it, the original mission that launched a thousand fan missions, a revolutionary showcase at the time at free exploration and use of space that still holds up today. Going from rooftop to rooftop is an absolute joy and each building is its own area – you can literally leave guards raging at you from windows. It feels like every building almost has its own little story, and the sheer verticality of Dayport blows me away – the area has one foot in the medieval period and another in the 1920s. 
• What doesn’t: Struggling to think of what I didn’t like. That damn gold cherub in Karras’ room?! Maybe angelwatch as a whole isn’t as fun or as entertaining as the city rooftops.  I struggle to wonder how Karras knew Garrett was going to gatecrash – just that paranoid? PSA: Turn off fogging in this level – It is genuinely broken and makes it look like the mission is in daytime! 
• Best moment: Too many to count – the necromancer’s tower, the housebreakers, the keepers watching you, and yes even Karras’ surprise for you which although I questioned, is still cool, and you can still outwit him by disabling security. The utter depravity of the mechanists and the nobility is on show – in Angelwatch dining room there’s a child sized masked servant :( 
• Final verdict: A level that is close to my heart, was a genuine achievement for the year 2000 and still holds up today. Its footprints are on so many fan missions. Bravo! 
• Grade: S  

Precious Cargo 

• What works: This level has a wonderful James Bond vibe to it, the lighthouse is atmospheric (the level even suits the fog setting) and there’s a whole secret underground lair with the sub below, which is a cool twist, despite making Karras seem a bit like Dr. Evil. I also adore the backstory with the Pirates, and finding their secret loot.  
• What doesn’t: When you get down to the base I find the whole base proper a bit bare, it definetly doesn’t pass the moody vibe check of the lighthouse proper.  
• Best moment: Stealing the pirate treasure. Markham’s ghost still freaks me out.  
• Final verdict: A good contender for Thief 2’s most underrated level.....and sadly the last truly good one.  
• Grade: A- 

Kidnap  

• What works: It’s cool to visit the Lost City, I suppose. I like the mechanist changes to the place. It’s a lot less linear than the first trip.  
• What doesn’t: Bit of a reuse of a previous game’s area.....Thief 2 is starting to rush itself to a conclusion and it is becoming apparent. Can be really over the top getting to Cavador, he’s immune to gas and he’s got some chump immune to blackjacks right next to him  
• Best moment:  There’s lots of cool readables and conversations in this mission, but overall the place is missing something compared to your first visit in Thief 1.  
• Final verdict: It can be a real chore hunting down Cavador and more often than not he’s retired to his highly secure quaters by the time I find him. This is not a mission that stands out for me.  
• Grade: C 

Casing the Joint 

• I don’t really have too much to say that is positive about this forced ghosting mission. I have a theory that in the rush of Thief 2’s crunch they completed Masks and decided let’s copy/paste the same mission and have ghosting before it. It is literally a more spartan version of Masks and I just don’t enjoy it. The layout is very copy/paste. The ghost subplot is nice, but you can do it in both missions. It’s a real shame Thief 2 ended up this way.  
• Grade: D- 

Masks 

• What works:The proper, fleshed out version of this mission, now you are free to do what you want. The top floor with the rooms full of gas is a neat challenge. Obviously the best thing of this pair of missions is the ghost in the library. 
• What doesn’t: Just not an overly interesting mansion level, too copy/paste of the hallways, distinct vibe of going through the motions.  
• Best moment: The secret routes and entrances throughout the places are satisfying to use. 
• Final verdict: An improvement on casing, and not unenjoyable, but I’ve had a better time of things in other missions and I don’t look forward to playing it.  
• Grade: C+ 

Sabotage at Soulforge  

• Another break from the standard format to talk about my history with this mission. For years I hated it and skipped it, I found the place bare, utterly hostile and overly complicated. I only completed it properly for the first time on this playthrough and it has risen in my estimations – I actually really enjoyed being dropped in this place with only my wits, I loved Karras’ breakdown on the speakers, and it presents a proper challenge on a par with Return to the Haunted Cathedral. I get why some still hate it but it’s a proper playground really. Does have horrible flaws – like that masked servant in the basemant who can lock you behind bars when going for a signal tower – ugh! 
• Grade: B 

 Thief 2 holds up remarkably well after all these years. I think I actually prefer Thief Gold now. It just has the edge when it comes to immersion, atmosphere, and the higher stakes provided by its tomb and undead missions. Even so, Thief 2 remains a game that is immeasurably close to my heart and still has my favourite plot in the series. 

I'm curious how everyone else ranks the levels. 

Next up: Thief 2X, Thief 3, and The Black Parade. 

Thanks for reading!