Eight Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End tips and tricks you need to know

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is Naughty Dog’s last outing for Nathan Drake – or so they say. Being the first PS4 Uncharted game, it clearly had a lot to live up to and, going by many of the five-star reviews it received on launch, Naughty Dog managed to nail it once again.

Not only does Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End have a well-crafted story, likeable characters and excellent art direction, it also had solid gameplay mechanics polished over the years of previous Uncharted game development. This is Naughty Dog’s love letter to the series and there’s no better way to see it out.

But what if you’re new to the series or just want to squeeze the most out of your adventure with Nathan Drake? Well, that’s where these excellent little tips and tricks come into play, helping you improve your Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End experience – answering many of the mechanics Naughty Dog seemingly overlooked or just didn’t fancy explaining to you.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End tips and tricks

1. Know when an enemy is down for the count

Uncharted 4 has a wonderful little feature on its aiming reticle that lets you know when you’ve successfully killed an enemy. When shooting, you’ll see a little “X” come up over an enemy to indicate a hit. When that “X” turns orange, you’ve successfully killed your opponent, if it shows an orange burst-like symbol, it means you’ve taken the enemy down with a headshot or one-shot-kill. The more you know…

2. Button prompts don’t always appear in combat, but here’s what to do

On Normal and higher difficulties, the button prompts for hand-to-hand combat don’t appear on-screen. Most of the time you’ll try bashing Square but, in the instances where Nathan appears to lock guns, arms or ends up in a choke hold, bashing Square will do nothing. Instead, you’ll need to smash the Triangle button down until you wriggle your way out, at which point you can go back to smacking the Square button to deliver some sweet, sweet fist-based justice.

3. Cover is mostly destructible now

Don’t become complacent when you enter a room and there’s plenty of waist-high cover to hide behind. Sure, it usually means a firefight is about to erupt, but in Uncharted 4 most of that cover is destructible and therefore won’t afford you much protection. Even pillars and low walls can be slowly chipped away at, so it always pays to move around and flank your foes if you can.

4. Stay hidden at all costs

Stealth is a key part of Uncharted 4 compared to past Uncharted games. Nathan Drake has always seemingly been a bullet sponge, but in Uncharted 4 Naughty Dog have opted to make him just that little bit more fragile. This means you need to stay hidden, using cover and long grass to safely navigate yourself through potential sticky situations. Make use of ledges for stealthy takedowns and, if you’re spotted, ensure you run away and find some cover so those paid goons don’t track you down.

5. Tag everyone you can

Another useful technique for staying hidden is tagging every enemy you can. Uncharted 4 explains how to do this (L2 and then click L3 when targeting an enemy), but it doesn’t convey just how useful it is to know exactly where an enemy is at any given time. By keeping tabs on your opponents, you can easily take them out stealthily or simply avoid them altogether.

6. Explore your environment whenever you can

Uncharted 4 may look like an open-world game in some places but it’s actually fairly linear. Don’t let that deter you from exploring though as down many enticing paths and caves are hidden treasures to be found. Anyone who’s a completionist should always check every nook and cranny of Naughty Dog’s world because there’s just so many treasures hidden away down dead-end passages and secret ledges.

7. Make the most of Drake’s journal

For those stuck on a puzzle or somewhat lost in where A Thief’s End’s story is going, Nathan Drake’s journal is an absolute must-read. When it comes to solving some of the trickier puzzles Naughty Dog throws your way, chances are the solution is written in Drake’s journal. So, whenever you’re flummoxed, always look there first.

8. Enjoy the delights of Photo Mode

One of the best additions to Uncharted 4 is its stellar Photo Mode. Working in the same way as The Last of Us’ excellent photography mode, Photo Mode can be activated at absolutely any time by simply pressing the L3 and R3 buttons once you’ve enabled the feature from the Options menu. Photo Mode allows you to change focal points, move freely within a 3D space to capture the perfect still and apply a range of effects too. It may not be essential to furthering your adventure through Uncharted 4, but it is a lot of good fun.