Section 5: Lord Bafford's Manor (Mission 1)

Your expert guide to Mission 1: Lord Bafford's Manor in Thief: The Dark Project. Learn how to break in, find loot, and steal the Jeweled Sceptre without killing anyone.

Alright, let's get started on Lord Bafford's Manor. This is Mission 1, and it's a good one to learn the ropes. Your main goals are to break in through the well house, snag Bafford's Jeweled Sceptre, and get back to the streets without harming anyone. You'll need to collect at least 700 in loot, and there's a total of 1429 available if you're thorough. First things first, head past the front gate and go South until you can turn right (West) at the 'Moon and Star' sign. Walk a bit past that noisy ticking machine and keep an eye out to your left for an arrow cache. ## Breaking In Continue past the arrow cache until you spot a sewer manhole under a gas lamp – the noisy one. Go past it and head East. You'll hear some voices, but keep going until you see another gas lamp on your right. Look behind it for the manhole cover. Open it up and climb down. At the four-way intersection, head East. You'll find a door. Flip the switch inside, and then look carefully on the ground near some wood shards for a bracelet (worth 100 gold/100 gems). Head East through the gate you just opened and climb the ladder. You'll hear a guard singing up ahead. Sneak up behind that drunk guard and pickpocket his key. Just be careful of the other guard patrolling nearby. Now, open the well house door and climb into the well. It's a long drop, so brace yourself. Once you hit the bottom, do a complete 180 and head West. You'll reach an oval room where water is draining from the ceiling. Dive under the water and go down a small tunnel. This leads to a room with a couple of small spiders and a chest containing a ring (worth 100 gold). Swim back out to the oval room and head West again. Follow the current, and keep an eye out on your right for a breach in the wall. This leads into a storeroom. ## The Basement Head into the next room and grab the healing potion from the chest. Carefully sneak over to the open door on your left. Wait for the guards' conversation to finish, and when they start walking away, follow the guard heading East. Follow him until he crosses a room with an earthy floor and some metal grates. You can avoid the grates by sticking to the doorway on the right. The guard will stop at the next doorway. If you're trying to avoid taking damage, you can sneak behind him to the right and lean forward to grab two flashbombs from the chest. Then, go left (North) behind him, hug the wall, and head down to the stairwell. Go up to the first floor. ## The First Floor On the first floor, the chest on the left has some coins (5 gold), and the other has a worthless vase. Remember, if this is your first time picking up junk, it stays on screen until you 'drop' it (default 'R' key). Be mindful of this – dropping junk where guards can hear it will attract attention. Try to drop it on carpet or grass if you can. Take the first right, and go through the door to the left of the torch at the end of the hall. Continue straight through this room into the kitchen. On the top shelf to the right of the fireplace, you'll find a gold vase (worth 100 gold). Head back out and go to the southwest corner of the hall. Exit through the west doorway and move through the carpeted area. You'll emerge in the southern wing. Try to knock out as many torches as you can here, then start sneaking West through the wing. The last door on the right leads to a room with a goblet (worth 50 gold) and a gold plate (worth 50 gold) on the table at the far right end. Watch out for patrols. Go back across to the North door and head up the stairs. Grab the vase (worth 100 gold) and follow the staircases counterclockwise. Pick up another vase (worth 100 gold) from the table in the next room. At the foot of the stairs, be cautious of the guard as he passes, then head across the hall to the right and out into the courtyard. In the courtyard, take the staircase to your immediate left and head East at the top. Walk right up to the yellow and gold 'B' banner and slash it with your sword. This reveals a secret passage to the throne room. ## The Throne Room Emerge as quietly as possible onto the beams above. Take out all four torches in this room to give yourself more room to maneuver on the beams. The guard's hearing is extremely sensitive, and he's quick to sound the gong, so move as slowly as you can. This is a good spot for a quick save. Get as close to him as you can, throw a flash bomb, then jump down and blackjack him. If you're going for a '0 damage' run, you might want to skip the blackjack and just outrun him later after collecting all the loot. You might take a little damage from the jump. Grab his key and the sceptre from the adjacent throne room. Use the left door to exit. This leads you into a recessed area – hug the left corner for a bit and observe the guard patrols to figure out their timing.