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This game's plot focuses on: The Metal Age

Thief II: The Metal Age, also known as TMA, Thief 2 or T2, is the sequel to Thief: The Dark Project and the second game in the Thief series, which was developed by Looking Glass Studios. Utilizing the same Dark Engine that powered the original Thief, Thief II has an almost identical look and feel, with only minor graphical and programming improvements.

Gameplay[]

The basic gameplay is also fundamentally similar to the original Thief, with a few new elements, including technological gadgets such as a remote eye camera known as the Scouting Orb and more intelligent level designs. Other changes include an increase in the number of AI behaviors, and the addition of female guards and soldiers. A new arrow type, the Vine Arrow, which can stick onto metal grates in addition to wooden surfaces, was added to replace rope arrows in a few missions. New potions were also added.

Responding to criticism of the original Thief, the missions in Thief II were designed much more around typical thief-like behavior, and much of the game is spent robbing the rich denizens of The City rather than raiding tombs and running from monsters, which was a common element in the first game. In fact, the player encounters few of the monsters from the original Thief, except for burrick heads mounted as trophies in some of the mansions, a few Zombies, Ape Beasts and Hammer Haunts.

The designers stated that unlike the original game, whose levels were developed to suit the plot, in Thief II the levels were designed first and the plot retrofitted to work with them. In general, the levels are much larger and less linear than those of its predecessor.

Missions, Briefings and Cutscenes[]

  1. Running Interference - intro · briefing
  2. Shipping... and Receiving - briefing
  3. Framed - briefing
  4. Ambush! - briefing
  5. Eavesdropping - cutscene · briefing
  6. First City Bank and Trust - briefing
  7. Blackmail - briefing
  8. Trace the Courier - briefing
  9. Trail of Blood - briefing
  10. Life of the Party - cutscene · briefing
  11. Precious Cargo - briefing
  12. Kidnap - briefing
  13. Casing the Joint - briefing
  14. Masks - briefing
  15. Sabotage at Soulforge - briefing · cutscene · credits

Summary[]

Setting[]

Thief II's story takes place on the streets and rooftops of a darkened city, where magic and technology mingle and the forces of a corrupt sheriff lurk just beyond every shadow, it takes someone with a soft touch and even softer step to stay ahead of the law, and steal enough to survive. For an honest thief like Garrett, the choices are clear - profit, or perish.

Players occupy the weathered boots of Garrett, a master thief expert in stealth, and unlikely victor over the mad nature god, the Trickster. It's been over a year since the events portrayed in Thief: The Dark Project, and Garrett's life has returned to a kind of chaotic normalcy, marked by daring independent thieving runs and lucrative "jobs". But the cost of business has just gone up, and Garrett may end up paying with his life.

Gorman Truart, a newly elected sheriff and bane of the city's underworld, is more than just an elected official sworn to uphold public office, Truart is a man with dark, unknown intentions. The poor and desolate are snatched from the streets, never seen nor heard from again. "Semi-legitimate" operations run by well-known wardens are raided and shut down. The increase of guard patrols has lulled the residents into a false sense of security, while corruption, graft, and treachery run rampant through the sheriff's organization. These events could probably be overlooked if not for one very disturbing fact: Sheriff Gorman Truart wants Garrett dead, and will stop at nothing until he succeeds. Garrett therefore seeks to remain alive, and discover the reason for the Sheriff's vendetta.

Set against the intrigue and mystery of the well-established City, where several factions struggle to satisfy their own (and often opposing) agendas.

  • The Mechanists, Hammerite separatists who abandoned their original leadership after the Order's disastrous run-in with the Trickster. The Mechanists are just as fanatical as their Hammerite cousins, but far more technologically innovative. Their advanced technology has altered the very landscape of the city, and they've won favor with the local nobility by handing out plenty of high-tech toys. The city's criminal element isn't as lucky: the Mechanists have also been suppling the Sheriff with sophisticated security devices, like mechanical beasts specifically created to hunt and kill, security cameras and turrets that shoot deadly cannon balls.
  • The Pagans, are a direct opposition to the Mechanists, and the last remnants of the Trickster's forces. With their forces depleted and their infrastructure weakened, the Pagans act as saboteurs and guerillas, spreading their anti-technological message by performing daring hit-and-run raids against the Mechanists.
  • The Keepers, the enigmatic holds of knowledge who observe all of the city's events but never actively get involved. Instead, they continue to persuade Garrett to act on their behalf, as their warning rings in his ears: "Beware the Dawn of the Metal Age." As an ex-Keeper who abandoned the order and its secluded, monastic lifestyle, Garrett couldn't be bothered with prophecies or portents of evil. He's played the hero once, and wants nothing to do with his former associates, no matter how persistent (or right) they may be.

Plot[]

Please see: Storyline#Thief II: The Metal Age

Characters[]

For information on recurring characters, please see: Thief: The Dark Project#Characters
  • Sheriff Gorman Truart: A corrupt medieval lawman who becomes the leader of the City Watch and the apparent main antagonist in Thief II. Truart oppresses the people, collects bribes, implements outrageous taxes, brutally suppresses the criminal element, and seems to have a particular personal grudge against Garrett. Truart regards the law not as an end in itself, but rather as a means for those with power (specifically, himself) to control those without. Despite his corruption and questionable morality, he did dramatically modernize the Watch, improve its efficiency, and introduce a standardized blue uniform by the time of Thief II, although not all of the Watchmen are fully up to date with the new system (some can occasionally be heard forgetting the numerical code they need to report a crime in progress). Due to Truart's modernization efforts and his close links with the Mechanists, the Watch headquarters at Shoalsgate Station are bristling with new technology during the second game.
  • Father Karras: A brilliant inventor, sociopath, genius, and prophet who split from the Hammerite organization to found his own faction, the Mechanists, and later becomes the game's primary antagonist. He and his organization play a major role in Thief II's story. While still a Hammerite, Karras invented the Mechanical Eye and gave it to Garrett as a gift. Karras suffers from an extreme speech impediment, yet somehow is highly charismatic and able to command the loyalties of numerous followers, despite the fact he secretly despises most organic life. He charms the nobility into taking his "Servants" (vagabonds, beggars, lepers and prostitutes converted into placid slaves via ancient, bizarre enslavement masks salvaged from the destroyed city of Karath-Din) who are equipped with a gas canister. This gas feeds on organic matter, using it to fuel a chain reaction. He plans to wipe the City clean of life to create a mechanical "Paradise."
  • Lieutenant Mosley: A member of the City Watch under Sheriff Truart, and one of his two lieutenants. Unlike Truart, Mosley is a solid, honest officer, and her conscience eventually causes her to question Truart's brutal methods despite her admiration of the way he has cut down crime. Mosley eventually forms an alliance with the Pagans to bring down Truart, framing Truart's other sycophantic Lieutenant and eventually providing keys to his mansion to his Pagan assassin.
  • Basso the Boxman: Originally met in the first Thief game when Garrett has to rescue him from Cragscleft Prison, Basso makes a brief appearance in the first mission, as Garrett attempts to rescue his true love, Jenivere.


Equipment[]

Garrett only carries three real weapons:

  • Blackjack: Garrett's trusty blackjack comes in handy for two things -- knocking out an unsuspecting person from behind, or striking against a surface to attract an enemy. Unlike the other two weapons you can carry, however, equipping the blackjack will not increase your visibility or slow your movement speed.
  • Sword: Garrett carries a sword only for his own protection in an emergency. He is a master thief, not a warrior. As such, only in rare or unavoidable circumstances will he actually attempt to fight with another person. The sword can be used to back-stab unalerted enemies and kill them immediately, and also can be used to cut wall tapestries that hide many secrets of the game.
  • Bow: Perhaps Garrett's most useful tool, the bow can be used with a plethora of different ammunition.
    • Broadhead Arrows are available for dispatching enemies, triggering switches, and distracting guards from a distance.
    • Water Arrows are regular shafts with a crystal filled with water at the tip, as opposed to the regular broad arrowhead. These can be used for putting out torches and gas lamps, cleaning bloodstains, and even disabling the furnaces of steam-powered beasts.
    • Fire Arrows are similar to water arrows, but carry a highly-combustible substance within the crystal. These can be used for distractions, relighting torches, or doing immense damage to various targets, including the otherwise indestructible security cameras and turrets.
    • Moss Arrows spread a thick layer of moss over a surface, allowing Garrett to move much faster (or merely land) on a loud surface without attracting any attention to himself.
    • Gas Arrows carry a powerful knockout gas in their tips, allowing you to incapacitate numerous enemies at once with one arrow.
    • Rope Arrows can be fired into a wooden or earth surface and deploy a length of rope that allow Garrett to reach otherwise-impossible areas.
    • Vine Arrows are similar to Rope arrows, but can be fired onto metal-grate surfaces.
    • Noisemaker Arrows emanate a humming noise as they fly, and continue to make random clicks and knocks once stopping. These can be useful for distracting patrolling guards or other enemies.

See Also[]

The Thief Universe

Within the game

Beyond the game

External Links[]

About the series

About the game

Availability[]

Currently available for purchase on GoG.

Also on Steam

May be able to also find it on eBay

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