Audio Logs

Master the Sound & Light mechanics in Intravenous 2: Mercenarism. Learn how visibility and noise affect enemies and discover strategies to stay hidden and unheard.

Alright, let's talk about staying hidden in Intravenous 2. It's all about managing two key things: how easily enemies can spot you (your visibility) and how much noise you're making. Get these right, and you'll be a ghost. ## Light Think of light as how fast enemies will see you and from how far away. This applies to bodies too, so be mindful of where you leave them. You can keep an eye on your current visibility with the lightbulb meter on the bottom left of your HUD. Your visibility isn't fixed, though. Several things can change it: * Light sources: Lamps, fire, flashlights – anything that gives off light. * Your movement speed: Running makes you more visible than sneaking. * Being prone: Crouching low actually makes you less visible. * Firing a weapon: Be careful, shooting makes you a lot more noticeable, especially if it's not suppressed. ### Strategies for Light: * The golden rule: stick to the shadows and avoid bright areas. Simple, but effective. * Going prone is great for reducing visibility, but remember it can make more noise when you move. * You can douse lights in a few ways: shoot out a lightbulb, use an EMP, or find a breaker box or switch. Each has its own quirks. * Watch out for lit barrels! These are a real pain. You can't turn them off, and they light up a huge area, often in open spots with little cover. Be super careful around them. * Enemies will investigate if you turn off a light, but they won't react if you disable it with an EMP. Good to know! ## Sound Sound is your other major concern. This meter, shown by a sound icon on the bottom left of your HUD, tells you how much noise you're making and how far away enemies can hear you. ### Environment Sounds: See those yellow squares on the sound meter? Those are background noises like rain or a running generator. If the noise you make is quieter than these sounds, enemies won't hear you, even if they normally would. Pretty handy! Just like with visibility, several things affect how noisy you are: * Your loadout and armor: What you're wearing and carrying matters. * Your movement speed: Running is louder than walking. * Being prone: Surprisingly, moving while prone makes more noise. * Firing a weapon: Guns are loud! ### Strategies for Sound: * The biggest thing is to tread lightly. Running around constantly is a sure way to get heard. * Pay attention to the ground you're walking on. Remember: tile floors are the loudest, while dirt and carpet are much quieter. * Moving prone actually increases the sound you make, so be extra careful. * While a quick melee or throat slit is fast, consider a chokehold to be quieter. * Try to go light on your gear. Being heavily armed and trying to sneak doesn't usually work out well. * Your primary weapon makes noise even when holstered. Only put it away when you really need to. * Reloading and hitting things with your weapon create noise. However, switching, dropping, or picking up weapons are silent actions.