Watch Dogs is out now and you might want help getting the most out of the game and the digital world Aiden invades throughout Chicago. We’ve got tips for aspiring hackers. Don't forget to read our full review of Watch Dogs.
Don’t Worry About Money.
Daniel and I finished the main campaign with ridiculous heaps of money left over. I had $350,000 and that’s after purchasing five top-end cars for the Cars On-Demand app and all of the five-star weapons in the shop. Most of the money I earned were from hijacking accounts with the first ATM boost perk in the hacking skill tree as well as completing missions in the campaign. So just walking around with the profiler gave me enough money to burn.
If you have enough skill points and like speeding through the game without hitting the streets on foot, I would suggest taking the second perk in the ATM-centric branch of the hacking skill tree. If a pedestrian has a rare item like a rich bank account or a system key, that person will be highlighted in a broken blue square whenever Aiden is nearby. That will save you loads of time, negating the need to wade through a crowd to find the best personal hacking opportunities. ~ Nick Tan
Try Not to Get Caught in a ctOS Scan.
The best way to avoid Chicago’s admittedly determined police pursuit force is to negate the chase altogether and slip away unnoticed. On PC, driving can split between grandma-speed and cement-brick-on-the-gas-pedal, so a controller might prove more effective in navigating side-streets, back alleys, and the like to avoid the yellow CtOS rings that pop up in the earliest part of a pursuit. There are many late-game missions that force an all-out chase, but for ambient missions and other fixer contracts you’ll want to become highly skilled at striking and disappearing without a trace. ~ Daniel Bischoff
Double-Check Your Weapon Wheel Before a Fight.
The weapon wheel, as nice as it looks, doesn’t pause or slow the game down while it’s open. This means that Aiden can be caught behind cover, getting blasted by seven armored elites all while you’re busy fiddling with the menu. The weapon wheel allows you to set four weapons and four hacking tools, so make sure you assign what you want to the quick-slots before heading into a fight. CtOS scans and Blackout should be assigned for quick tagging and a last-ditch hack in case the battle needs to be brought back under your control. I typically kept IEDs in a third slot due to the explosive’s versatility. ~ Nick Tan
Feel Free to Fail and Try Again.
Many of the missions in Watch Dogs feature scenarios that can feel like no-win situations if you’re not careful, methodical, and admittedly very fast in navigating between cover or taking out enemies. Yes, you should absolutely use security cameras to map out your plan of attack before doing anything, but unexpected baddies might surprise you and blow your designs on a silent mission.
As Nick said, Blackout is one of the better hacks to use when trying to reset an environment crowded with enemies, but you might also discover a unique route to escape or infiltrate in your first play through. Don’t be afraid of death. Just take it in stride and complete the mission more effectively on your second chance. ~ Daniel Bischoff
Don’t Purchase Every Weapon in the Game.
Usually, I would say that more guns is rarely a bad thing, but in this case: mo’ guns, mo’ problems. Only the five-star weapons are the ones really worth owning and you can’t sell guns back. So picking up a two-star or three-star weapon only clutters and expands the number of options you need to cycle through in the weapon wheel in case you have to switch to a weapon you haven’t already pre-assigned. Maybe round-out your arsenal with a four-star weapon if you want, but really, keep your inventory clean and uncluttered. ~ Nick Tan
Get Distracted.
While I rushed through the story without online invasions enabled, playing Watch Dogs is invariably more fun when you allow yourself to get distracted with ambient missions, investigations, and an online rival or two. The story can prove to be a bit of a slog but the hours will stack up if you take your time and enjoy Ubisoft’s truly next-gen connectivity mechanics.
If your profiler reveals that someone is likely to commit or become the victim of crime, take the time to follow up and increase your status as a hero or dark avenger in the streets of Chicago. If someone tries to hack you, play patient, let them think they’ve got you on the run, double back, and end their infiltration attempt to increase your online reputation. In the end, Watch Dogs makes a better open-world than its campaign so enjoy everything Chicago has to offer as you play. ~ Daniel Bischoff
Concentrate on the Hacking Skill Tree.
It’s no surprise that the hacking section of Aiden’s skill tree is the most powerful. He isn’t the swiftest, strongest vigilante around, but with a phone in his hand, he’s a force to be reckoned with. The first two branches that you should concentrate on are the extra batteries on the left-hand side since it never hurts to have extra power at the start of a chase or gunfight, as well as the rightmost side of the tree that controls the infrastructure of the streets.
Bridges and Steam Pipes are among the most powerful hacks you can trigger, mainly because they can be used both offensively and defensively. Bridges, in particular, let you stop anyone chasing Aiden while you speed over the bridge like a boss. Steam Pipes can neutralize foes both ahead and behind Aiden which helps greatly anytime you’re caught in a police chase or need to track down a target who’s stubbornly clinging to the road. Last but not least, the Disable Helicopter abilities are very specific but later on need to be used against the most difficult police chases. ~ Nick Tan
Conserve Battery in Pursuits.
When the entirety of the Chicago police department or a cadre of vicious fixers are on your tail, it can be easy to panic and begin triggering the traffic lights at every intersection you come across, but Watch Dogs ensures you never need to waste a battery point if you’re not going to blow up a police cruiser or impede another vehicle. Especially with focus while driving, you should wait for the blue beeping icon to trigger traffic hazards and the like. Doing so will ensure that you never run out of hacking juice and that you’ll be able to efficiently dispatch as many enemies as you need to escape. ~ Daniel Bischoff
Focus, Focus, Focus!
I sometimes forget to use Focus in combat at my sever detriment. Focus is one of the best, last-ditch abilities Aiden has at his disposal and by sinking skill points into the Focus-centric section of the Combat skill tree, it can last incredibly long and slow everything down for precision shots. In combat you’ll do ridiculous amounts of damage with guns and can set off many hacks at once. In chases you can slow down time and nail the timing for blockers, steam pipes, and other hacking items. Really, if you’re in a jam, either use Focus or a Blackout tool. Doing both at the same time is usually overkill. ~ Nick Tan
Break Up Your Crime Fighting with ARGs and Digital Trips.
My favorite gameplay loops in Watch Dogs are the ones that don’t actually challenge players to kill fifteen bad guys in a minute or to fight off another hacker in an online job. They’re the digital trips and the augmented reality games you can play throughout Chicago. Digital Trips are accessed from your phone and range from psychedelic to explosive Spider Tank action. In fact, the Spider Tank even features its own skill tree making Watch Dogs one of the more meta games around.
The same can be said of NVZN, the 3D alien-blasting mini game you can play throughout Chicago and Coin Rush, which has multiple free-running lines with challenging twists and turns. Just be sure to be as respectful as possible when you’re playing Coin Rush in the graveyard that houses Aiden’s niece. ~ Daniel Bischoff
