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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided can take a while to get used to. It's a complicated title that spreads itself across multiple genres, never quite settling on one specific brand of gameplay. As such, we've put together a list of ten relatively basic but very handy tips to get wannabe Interpol agents up and running. With any luck, these hints will help you out during the early stretches of the game, saving you the trouble of wondering what's worth knowing and what's not.

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Picking up and managing ammo

Unlike most shooters, simply running over ammo dropped by downed foes won't add it to your inventory in Mankind Divided. If you need to stock up on bullets, you'll have to pick them up manually, whether you're rummaging through lockers or snatching them from the bodies of your enemies.

However, it's worth noting that you can burn through your ammo reserves pretty quickly if you're the type to go in guns blazing. Ammo is relatively scarce so you need to manage it wisely: spray and pray tactics aren't recommended - it's usually a much better idea to find some cover and carefully pick your shots in order to conserve bullets.

It's also worth mentioning that picking up guns, whether they're dropped by enemies or not, grants you additional ammo - but only if you already have that same weapon type in your inventory.

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Getting spotted isn't the end

See that little yellow gauge that pops up near a guard or camera when they spot you? As long as that bar stays yellow and doesn't turn red, you're still undetected. If you want to stay hidden, quickly pop back into cover or out of the enemy's line of sight.

There's a chance, though, that a guard with an almost full yellow gauge will become suspicious and invesitgate the area where they saw you - but crafty players can actually turn this to their advantage. By making an enemy suspicious, you can draw them away from their allies and potentially take them down without causing a ruckus. Sometimes it pays to be seen, we suppose.

However, even if you are spotted and everything in the immediate area becomes hostile, all is not lost. If you're determined to stay stealthy, you can always run from your position and hide somewhere else - heck, you could even use a cheeky smoke grenade. Do this quickly enough, and you'll force your foes to start looking for you all over again.

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Takedowns are pretty broken

You can totally abuse takedowns in Mankind Divided as long as you know how. When used against any human opponent that isn't clad in exosuit armour, takedowns provide a one-hit way to either kill or knock out your foes. What's more, takedowns are entirely cinematic - once you activate a takedown, Jensen will enter a set animation, and when it's over, your victim will be out for the count. You can't be shot at or attacked in any way while this animation is ongoing, but it will alert nearby enemies if you're not in cover, or if they're looking directly at you.

So, how do you get the most out of takedowns? Whether you're playing lethal or non-lethal, takedowns can be an absolute lifesaver. They provide an incredibly efficient way to eliminate any foes who decide to get too close while you're in cover, and if you can funnel your enemies through a narrow corridor, it's quite easy to take out whole groups of guards with one takedown after another as they march towards you in orderly fashion. The fools!

The best thing about takedowns, though, is that they only require a single bar of energy to use - and your last bar will always recharge after a few seconds.

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Always carry EMP grenades and ammo

Your usual grunts are never really much of a problem for Jensen unless he gets surrounded, but things can get particularly hairy when exosuit troops, automated turrets, and robots are involved. All three of these mechanical enemies have a ton of health, and if you haven't stocked up on armour piercing rounds or frag grenades, you're in for a long and potentially very dangerous fight.

And this is why you should always carry EMP grenades and / or EMP ammuntion. EMP items temporarily disable robotic foes on impact, stunning them for a short period of time so that you can either concentrate on taking down lesser enemies or scrambling to safety.

If you're really feeling lucky, you can even use EMP items to keep robotic opponents in place while you move in for the kill with powerful close range weapons like shotguns.

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Pick the perfect weapons for your playthrough

It's fair to say that every weapon has its place in Mankind Divided, but a few tend to stand out depending on your style of play. The tranquilliser rifle is superb for non-lethal players, for example, while shotguns are a fantastic option if you're pinned down and have no choice but to wait for your foes to come to you.

Of course, it only makes sense to put together your loadout before heading off on your next mission - and sometimes, you may feel like you need to change things up to get the best results. If you're tasked with finding a target and getting them out of enemy territory without killing them, for example, you might want to consider non-lethal weaponry like the stun gun - just in case you pop the target's head with your rifle by accident.

Admittedly, though, it's not always that easy. You might run out of ammo or find yourself in a shootout with a sniper despite having no effective long range weapons on hand. In these situations, all that you can do is try your best to adapt. You could run away and come back when the enemy patrols are a little more relaxed - or you could drop one of your guns and grab whatever the enemy's using, knowing that the right ammo type is going to be scattered around.

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To Hell with hacking, grab a multi-tool

When it comes to hacking minigames, you either think they're kind of okay, or you can't bloody stand them. Unfortunately, if you're of the latter persuasion, you won't be keen on Mankind Divided's apparent obsession. The hacking minigame itself is more complex than what's on offer in similar titles, but just because it requires a little more brain power doesn't mean that it's any less tedious.

At times, it feels like you can't walk ten feet without stumbling across a locked door or computer that needs to be hacked in order to be opened. And, in some specific missions, hacking prowess is required to gain access to areas that are otherwise unavailable. Thankfully, there's an option that can save you a lot of hassle if you simply can't be arsed hacking every keypad in Prague.

The multi-tool is a rare item that, when equipped, allows you to automatically hack any keypad or computer by holding down the trigger. Unfortunately, multi-tools break after one use, so if you can, try to keep a decent haul of them on you at all times. You can sometimes find these handy little gadgets on sale, so be sure to check in with local vendors if you're in need - they're probably going to be worth the asking price if you do manage to find any in stock.

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Using smart vision is, well, smart

Smart vision is ready and available to use during the opening mission, but after that, once you're in the game proper, you'll have to spend two ability points to unlock it. We'd argue that no matter what style of play you prefer, smart vision is an incredibly useful tool to have, and only requires one bar of energy to use.

Smart vision highlights guards and cameras through walls, giving you a much better sense of your surroundings when used in conjunction with your minimap. What's more, smart vision also indicates any points of interest; air vents, breakable walls, and other useful bits and pieces are illuminated when Jensen activates his cheating cyborg eyes.

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Items don't disappear

If you're having trouble managing your inventory and you're not sure which items you should be keeping hold of, try to remember that items don't disappear when dropped.

Naturally, you can use this to your advantage: if you find a stun gun and want to silently take out a nearby guard with it, for example, but you don't have enough space to carry it, simply drop one of your other guns, take the stun gun, and then come back for your dropped weapon when you're finished. Just make sure that you don't lose track of where you left your fully upgraded combat rifle.

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You can heal, remember

When you're in the heat of battle, it can be surprisingly difficult to keep your cool. When you've got enemies rushing at you from multiple sides and you're running low on health, hold down the quick menu button and take a breather. The quick menu pauses the action, allowing you to switch weapons and heal your wounds on the fly.

Yep, you can heal yourself during combat - this is an RPG, after all. With the quick menu open, simply hit the shortcut button for your stash of hypostims and you'll instantly regain some of your lost health. Even if you don't have any hypostims, restorative items such as painkillers are fairly common, and these can be selected from the quick menu, too.

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There's always a way

There'll be times in Mankind Divided where you'll be stumped. You may be looking for a way through a door that's too hard to hack, or you might think that there's no possible way to sneak past a bunch of enemies. When all hope seems lost, you need to remember that there's always a way. It sounds cheesy, but it's true.

Testament to the game's superb level design, you're never truly out of options, even in the most dire situations. Look for an air vent. Check the room across the hall for any items that might be of use. Search the bodies of any guards that you've incapacitated - many of them carry personal devices that hold hacking codes and other bits of useful information.

When it comes down to it, Mankind Divided is always asking you to adapt. Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow and change your style to get the job done - and there's nothing wrong with that. Well, unless you're going for a completely non-lethal run and you've just gunned down 15 guards - but you know what we mean.


Do you have any helpful hints for new Deus Ex players? Upload your knowledge to the comments section below.