Desperados III doesn't have a lot of competition when it comes to the best Western stealth tactical game with isometric graphics. Even if there are others, we will go ahead with a Desperados III crown the best anyway. But the game can be rock hard, so we've put together a few strategies to always keep in mind as you sneak out west and stealthily take out your targets.
Always be saving
The prologue's mission hammers this point, but it can't be understated: saving is the central mechanic of the game. There's a reason the save button is the PlayStation 4's touchpad - it's the biggest button on the controller. The game will constantly remind you to save because experimentation is the key to approaching any given situation. If you don't know what might happen after a certain action, save it and try it. You could be spotted and shot in three seconds, but you could also have found a blind spot in enemies' rotating cones of vision. The game will save your three previous saves, so if you accidentally do this in the middle of a hairy situation, you can always go to the pause menu and load a previous save.
Guidelines for sight lines
At the end of the day, enemies Desperados III must need a neck massage, as they are constantly turning their heads. Most of the levels are divided by fences or other barriers into inconspicuous areas with a handful of enemies around. You won't have to worry too much about random baddies on the other side of the map, but your hands will still be full with every encounter.
You can only follow one cone of vision at a time, so spend some time looking around the area to get a feel for enemy patterns. Everyone will be moving constantly, but they are moving like clockwork. So until no one spots you or a trap you've set, every character in the level will keep talking about their business, hitting the same notes and engaging in the same dialogue, even when you choose them. If you happen to kill the cowpoke that one of the gunmen speaks with regularly, the gunmen might utter a line of dialogue to wonder where his friend has gone, but he won't deviate from his pattern. Use it to your advantage by reducing enemy numbers and making it easier to achieve your goal.
In the meantime, always hide in bushes or sheds. Move around a solid color cone of vision and you'll get caught almost instantly. If you are in the non-solid part of the cone, you can squat down to move around without worry. You can also go up to the roofs. Even though the character animation for climbing a ladder takes you through the non-solid part of an enemy's cone, you won't get caught.
Dumb distractions work
Each character in your party has different tools to use for distractions, but there are ways to distract your enemy just by using the environment as well. If you hit a horse with a coin the horse will kick its hind legs. Anyone near those hind legs will be killed without setting off an alarm. Even if no one is within kicking range, catching a horse will also get people's attention. Livestock work in a very similar fashion, but instead of kicking with their hind legs when struck with a coin, they will gouble anyone with their front horns.
Another way to distract enemies is to put a dead or tied body in their location line. They will come to investigate and then you can send them as you see fit. Yes Hector is in your group, his whistle is particularly useful. An enemy you draw with the whistle will come exactly to where Hector used his whistle. If you do it by a ladder, it is possible that the enemy will climb the ladder as well. Just beware when using the Hector whistle - it has a large radius and can cause unwanted attention.
Quiet but deadly
Some of your party will come up and heat the heat, but it's hardly ever in your best interest to go out and shoot guns. If you want to end a shootout encounter, it's best to use Showdown mode to slow down time and allow everyone to shoot at the same time. If an enemy needs to be knocked down multiple times to get off, have everyone shoot that enemy at the same time.
The best strategy will almost always be to methodically dispatch your enemies one by one until an area is clear enough for you to successfully execute your objective. Keep in mind, however, that some characters are better suited for certain situations.
Distribution of characters
- John Cooper (enters mission 2)
- Passive skills
- Can carry a body at medium speed while standing
- Can climb ladders / ivy / rope
- Can swim
- Tools
- Knife (short range, short animation)
- Throwing knife (long range, long animation, must be picked up after use)
- False room (medium range, auditory distraction, unlimited)
- Double revolvers (can be used on two different enemies at the same time)
- Passive skills
- Doc McCoy (enters mission 2)
- Passive skills
- Can carry a body slowly while squatting
- Can climb ladders
- Can't swim
- Can use locking hooks
- Tools
- Syringe / chloroform (short range, long animation)
- Doctor's bag (close range, visual distraction, must be retrieved)
- Swamp Gas Flask (medium range, stuns all enemies within range, limited use)
- Bandages (healing item for yourself or other party members)
- Revolver within range (very long range, the reticle must be placed on the enemy)
- Passive skills
- Hector Mendoza (enters mission 3)
- Passive skills
- Can transport two bodies quickly while standing
- Can climb ladders
- Can't swim
- Tools
- Ax / fists (close range, short animation)
- Bear trap (close range death trap, must be salvaged)
- Whistle (long range, auditory distraction)
- The good things (object of healing for oneself)
- Sawed-off shotgun (wide range, can kill multiple enemies)
- Passive skills
- Kate O'Hara (enters mission 4)
- Passive skills
- Can carry a body slowly while squatting
- Can climb ladders
- Can't swim
- Tools
- Kick (close range, non-lethal attack)
- Perfume bottle (long range, causes temporary visual impairment, unlimited, 10 seconds cooling)
- Disguise (must be acquired in the level, will make her undetectable by all regular enemies)
- Flirt (disguise required, can aim enemy lines of sight towards her)
- Pocket pistol (medium range, silent)
- Passive skills
- Isabelle Moreau (enters mission 8)
- Passive skills
- Can carry a body at medium speed while standing
- Can climb ladders / ivy / rope
- Can swim
- Tools
- Sickle (short range, medium length animation)
- Connect (psychically connects two enemies and causes them to experience effects while attacking only one)
- Stella the cat (controllable long-range visual distraction)
- Mind Control (long range, allows you to control an enemy while Isabelle is stationary, limited use)
- Jimson weed (healing object for oneself and for others)
- Passive skills
