Thief The Dark Project Assassins: Mission Map, Layout & Walkthrough Guide

Mission Overview

The Thief The Dark Project Assassins mission (called "Assassins") is the fifth official mission in Thief: The Dark Project and Thief Gold — some walkthroughs, such as the commentated playthrough on YouTube, number it as mission four when the training level is excluded. The mission opens with Garrett planning to raid the local Hammer temple after purchasing a new set of tools, including his first lock picks, from the merchant Farkus. Before he can act, two assassins hired by warden Ramirez murder Farkus and mistakenly believe Garrett is dead, giving the master thief a perfect opportunity to tail them back to whoever sent them.

The mission plays out in three distinct phases:

• The streets of New Market — a forced-stealth tailing sequence where losing sight of the assassins fails the mission
• Ramirez's mansion — an open-ended infiltration of a large, guarded estate
• The escape — on Expert difficulty, Garrett must make it back home alive while Ramirez's men hunt him through the city

Per the Thief Wiki's Assassins mission page, the two would-be killers are named Quince and Jacow, a detail revealed by overhearing guards in a mansion storage room.

Assassins Mission Map: The Tailing Route Through New Market

The tailing sequence is unique in the campaign — Garrett cannot knock out or kill the assassins, and if they spot him or slip out of view, the mission ends in failure. The route winds through city streets, across bridges, and past side rooms that serve only as hiding spots.

Key navigation notes for the street section:

• Difficulty changes the path. On Normal the assassins take a short route; on Hard and Expert their route back to the manor is noticeably longer, with additional stops where they pause and check whether they are being followed.
• Use moss arrows on metal bridges. The metal walkways clang loudly underfoot, so cover them with moss before crossing.
• Watch the gravel. Gravel patches are nearly as loud as metal — avoid them or lay moss down first.
• Pedestrians and street guards won't attack unless provoked, so ignore the four servants and the lone Bafford sword guard wandering the streets.
• No loot along the way. Aside from Farkus's shop inventory (which you can grab after the murder), the streets contain nothing worth stealing.
• Keep them in sight at all times. Periodically they turn around to check for a tail — duck into shadows or a side alcove until they face forward again.

Ramirez's Mansion Layout and Points of Interest

Ramirez's estate is one of the larger early-game maps, containing two above-ground floors, a basement, and a walled courtyard. According to the Thief Wiki mission guide, the mansion was originally even bigger but was trimmed down to fit the original game's memory footprint.

Entry Points

There are several ways in, and the front door is almost never the best one:

• Front gate (south) — heavily watched; guards congregate here
• East or west towers — climb a tower, jump to the nearby roof next to the balcony, and enter either the library or Ramirez's bedroom
• Northern corridor to the central courtyard — leads to multiple ground-floor doors
• Water route with a ladder — a current can pull Garrett away, so approach carefully; this doubles as a useful escape path

Interior Zones

Keys and the Alarm

• Basement key — found in Ramirez's bedroom; opens the lower level. The servant delivering food also carries one.
• Storage room key — obtained from a guard in the courtyard area.
• Yard key — looted from an upstairs guard.
• The alarm button — sits right beside Ramirez. Do not touch it, and never let Ramirez or a guard reach it. Notably, Ramirez attacks intruders directly rather than triggering the alarm first, but he will ring it if he hears a dropped tray nearby. Once sounded, extra sword guards swarm the grounds, and the barracks guard rushes to protect Ramirez in the basement.

Secrets

1. Library bookcase passage — the book switch to the right of the fireplace opens a hidden door on its left, dropping down to the first-floor storage room.
2. Bedroom fireplace passage — the back wall of Ramirez's fireplace opens into a hidden nook holding the Silver Fire Poker and a chest of gold. An alternate entrance involves cutting down the Hammerite tapestry in a neighboring room and climbing through the wall opening — which conveniently lets Garrett spy on guests through a peek window.

Objectives and Difficulty Differences

Objectives evolve mid-mission: the initial 1,000-loot temple goal is replaced after the assassination attempt, and new goals appear once Garrett reaches the manor.

Guest room doors are locked on Hard and Expert, and Farkus's shop stocks one fewer moss arrow on Hard and two fewer on Expert. On Normal, the bow assassin fires only broadheads; on higher settings he can fire fire arrows. As the Expert-difficulty video walkthrough demonstrates, the Expert escape through the city streets is the hardest stretch — guards patrol everywhere, so flash bombs, moss arrows, and a speed potion for the final sprint are worth saving.

Gear, Loot, and Lock Picks

This mission introduces lock picks to the series — a triangle-toothed and a square-toothed pick. The rule of thumb: if one pick makes the handle jiggle, switch to the other; if both fail, the door needs a key. Some doors, like certain guest rooms, are simply already unlocked.

Starting gear: 40 broadhead arrows and 4 water arrows.

Farkus's shop inventory (which Garrett can loot from the street after the murder):

• 20 broadhead arrows
• 11 water arrows
• 8 moss arrows (6 on Hard, 5 on Expert)
• 2 fire arrows
• 3 healing potions

Total available loot: 2,705 — split into 1,800 gold, 250 in gems, and 655 in goods — comfortably above the 2,000 Expert requirement. Common items include gold candlesticks and gold coin stacks. Look on top of mantelpieces in guest and servant rooms; easy loot hides in unobvious spots.

Stealth Tips for a Clean Run

• Clear the courtyard guards from the shadows first. Four or five patrol the grounds; move bodies into corners so patrollers don't spot them and raise the alarm.
• Save flash bombs for the basement. Basement guards don't fight — they run for the alarm. A well-placed flash bomb stops a whole group at once.
• Exploit the food bell. Ramirez rings for service periodically, sending a servant down with a tray. Knock the servant out to grab his basement-area key, and Garrett can even pull the rope himself to summon more targets on schedule.
• Mind the surfaces. Tile floors in the kitchen and entry hall are loud; moss arrows or careful, slow movement are essential.
• Pickpocket Ramirez's belt purse last. Grab the nearby coin stack first, take the purse, then ghost out — his guards converge fast once he's found missing.
• Check the bathroom. Even seasoned players forget Ramirez's bathroom; it holds extra loot toward the quota.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which mission number is Assassins? It is the fifth mission in Thief: The Dark Project and Thief Gold when counting the Keeper training level; many walkthroughs, including the commentated YouTube playthrough, label it mission four by skipping the tutorial.

Why does the mission fail during the street section? If either assassin spots Garrett, or if Garrett loses sight of them for too long, the objective to trail the thugs fails immediately. Knocking them out also fails the mission.

Where is the Silver Fire Poker? Inside the secret passage behind Ramirez's bedroom fireplace. Access it from the bedroom directly or by cutting the Hammerite tapestry in the adjacent room and climbing through the wall opening.

How do I open the basement? Use the basement key from Ramirez's bedroom, or knock out the food-delivering servant, who also carries a basement-area key.

What happens if the alarm sounds? Guards who hear it become alert to an intruder, four additional sword assassins appear around the manor on Hard and Expert, and the barracks guard rushes to defend Ramirez in the counting room. On Hard, sounding the alarm also triggers the hostile street-escape objective.

Can I skip tailing the assassins and go straight to Ramirez's mansion? No. The tailing sequence is mandatory and gates the rest of the mission — the mansion objectives only activate once Garrett arrives, following the assassins to their employer's doorstep.