Beginner’s guide: How to play Deus Ex GO

How do you play Deus Ex GO? Here's our beginner's guide!

Update: Puzzle Maker mode is now live in Deus Ex GO.

Game maker Square Enix Montréal has launched another entry in the mobile GO franchise. This one is based on the Deus Ex universe. As agent Adam Jensen, your goal is to sneak around different rooms in a variety of buildings, trying to uncover a secret terrorist plot. You don't have to know anything about Deus Ex to enjoy Deus Ex GO. Though the characters and dystopian cyberpunk atmosphere will be familiar to fans of the franchise, the gameplay is completely different.

Deus Ex GO is a turn-based puzzle game where players must avoid getting caught by baddies as they travel from point A to point B. There are plenty of obstacles to get in the way, including motion-detecting turrets and floors that disappear when deactivated.

If you are just getting started playing Deus Ex GO, we've got all the information you need to stop the terrorists from executing their plans.

• How Deus Ex GO game mechanics work
• How to avoid the baddies
• How to use Invisibility augmentation
• How to hack the computer systems
• How to play weekly puzzle events
• How to earn achievements for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
• How to use the Puzzle Maker

How Deus Ex GO game mechanics work

You are agent Adam Jensen. Your mission is to infiltrate a number of locations, looking for information that will help you uncover a terrorist plot and expose its members. You do so by sneaking around different rooms, trying to avoid getting caught by guards, guns, and other nefarious nonsense. You do this by timing your movements very precisely.

The game is turn-based – sort of. You take a turn, and then all bad guys take a turn at the same time. This can, and will, be used to your advantage in some situations (more on that later).

The floor of each room is covered with pathways that you must follow in order to get to the other side and exit. How you navigate the pathways is the key to getting out alive.

To move, tap the screen in the direction you want to go. You will move forward to the nearest node (or space) on that pathway. You can also swipe your finger across the screen in the direction you want to go, which can sometimes be helpful if something is in the way of your view of the path.

Each move you take counts as one turn. Hacking computers and activating invisibility augmentation also count as one turn.

To earn the Mastermind achievement on each mission, you must complete each level within a certain number of moves. You will earn special rewards that can be used in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided when you complete Mastermind achievements. So it is in your best interest to plan wisely and not take any unnecessary steps.

After you move, all baddies, bots, and motion-sensing weapons take a turn simultaneously. If you are hacking a computer system or activating an Invisibility augmentation, the bad guys do not move, although it still counts as a turn for you.

Getting killed or starting a level over will not count against you. You can replay a level over and over, 100 times if need be, in order to complete it within the specified number of moves.

How to avoid the baddies

Deus Ex GO is a stealth game at its core and the best way to avoid a baddie is to stay out of the range of sight. Baddies included guards, bots, and turrets.

Guards

Guards are humans with superhuman augmentation armor called "Titan shield." When a guard sees you, he activates his shield and runs at you. You'll know when a guard has activated his Titan shield because he turns red. You can't kill a guard when his shield is activated, so, don't even try. It'll likely get you killed instead.

As soon as you cross a pathway that a guard is facing, he sees you and starts running. If his next move lands in the space you are occupying, you're toast.

Because the game is turn-based, you can get out of his pathway before he reaches you. Once out of his sight, he'll just turn around and go back the way he came. When he gets back to his guard post, he will deactivate his Titan shield, making him vulnerable to attack.

You may not be able to fight a guard head-on, but you can sneak up on one to take him out, as long as you are on a pathway that he is not facing. That includes walking up right next to him on a sideways path.

You can also hack the computer systems on many levels to get turrets to do your bidding. When an unsuspecting guard ends up in the line of fire, he'll go down instead of you.

Bots

Bots come in different forms. Some of them are ED-209 RoboCop style monstrosities that will crush you like a bug if one enters your space. Others are like those small Fix-Its from Batteries Not Included. But they will definitely not fix you. Instead, they will zap you out of existence if you get within one space of them. You can get close but not too close.

You can destroy bots by sneaking up on them. Similar to guards, if they are not looking down the pathway you are on, you can smash them to bits from behind or sideways.

Turrets

Turrets will mow you down as soon as you move into a path they are facing. They don't move, but they don't need to. You can't destroy turrets, but you can take over control of them by hacking a computer system, and when you do, you can make them friendly to your cause. This can be very useful for picking off unsuspecting guards that happen to be in the way. Remember, when a guard's Titan shield is active, he is invincible – even to turrets.

You can also use Turrets to your advantage without needing to control them. If you move down a pathway that is parallel to a guard and perpendicular to a turret, you can time your movement so that a guard blocks the bullets fired as you cross its pathway.

How to use Invisibility augmentation

In this cyberpunk world, you can temporarily go invisible so as not to be detected by guards, bots, or turrets. Unfortunately, it is very temporary, lasting only one move. But, sometimes one move is all you need to get away.

Invisibility augmentation looks like a blue pyramid. All you have to do to get one is enter the space it is in, but it won't trigger automatically. You can save it for another time and it will sit in the upper right corner of the screen until you are ready to use it.

To activate Invisibility augmentation, tap the blue pyramid that sits in the upper right corner of the screen. A blue hexagon will appear under your feet. Tap your character to trigger the effect.

You can then move into a new node (or space) while invisible and you will stay that way until you move again. When you move into a new space, the effect goes away and you are visible again. If you are within any bad guy's line of site, you may be in for a beating.

Just because you are invisible doesn't mean you can walk through objects (or guards). Don't walk into a guard's space while he is moving. Since he is technically bumping into you, he will become aware of your presence and attack you. Invisible or not, you'll be dead.

How to hack the computer systems

After you've completed a few early levels, you'll see computers sitting nearby. They control the turrets and activate or deactivate special tiles on the floor. When you use a computer to control one of these objects, it can help you get to the end or cause an enemy to get stuck or die.

To activate a computer, walk into the node (or space) that it occupies and then tap your character. You will enter hacker mode, which shows you your available options for controlling objects in the room.

To take control of an object, drag your finger from the computer to the object. The screen will display the pathway that the computer takes.

Note: Sometimes, the pathway makes a difference in what a hack does. Taking the westerly route might make a tile turn clockwise, while taking the easterly route might make it turn counter-clockwise.

You can take control of a turret, which will make it friendly to you and instead shoot at guards. You won't be shot at if you cross a hacked turret's pathway.

You can take control of special tiles on the floor, which either disappear and appear by your command or rotate, changing the pathway options available to you. These are major puzzle mechanics and it is important to understand when to hack a tile and when not to.

If you hack a tile at just the right moment, you can cause a guard to be stuck behind it, allowing you a clear path to the exit. If a guard is standing on a tile when it disappears, he will simply hover above it until you make it reappear.

Rotating tiles will cause bots to move down an alternate pathway. They will also open up new pathways to help you get to an exit.

Guards can reverse your hack job on an object, so watch out. If you are standing on a disappearing tile when a guard disables your hack, you will fall to your doom.

This is where timing is key. If you plan your moves properly, you can get past a tile before the guard gets to it.

How to play weekly puzzle events

In addition to Story mode, players can take part in weekly puzzle events. These are special missions that only last one week. If you complete all levels in the mission within the specified amount of time, you might earn a special reward that can be used in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

These weekly puzzle events are significantly more difficult than the puzzles in Story mode. It is a great opportunity for players that have completed the story to continue playing the game.

How to earn achievements for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

In a smart move to get fans of Deus Ex excited about the mobile game, Square Enix has included a reward system that will let players earn skill points, called Praxis Kits, in Deus Ex GO.

When you connect your Square Enix account to Deus Ex GO, you can send your Praxis Kits over to the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided game, where they can be assigned to your augmentation tree.

There are currently five Praxis Kits available to earn in Deus Ex GO: You can get two for completing Story mode, one for clearing every level with the Mastermind achievement, one for completing the first puzzle week event, and one for completing the second puzzle week event.

It is possible that Square Enix will add more Praxis Kit rewards as time goes by, especially as a reward for completing weekly puzzle events.

How to use the Puzzle Maker

Thanks to Puzzle Maker mode, you can create levels using the basic puzzle tools in Deus Ex GO. Lay down pathways, plant baddies, add hackable computers that let the player control turrets, and change to color of your floors and backgrounds. You can share levels with everyone and rate levels that are uploaded by players. The best ones get spotlighted in the Daily Challenges.

Tap the Puzzle Maker tab, it looks like an upside-down triangle with a pencil inside of it. Then, tap "Create" to get started. Tap the icon for pathways, bots, and paint to create your level. Tap the Play icon to test the puzzle and make sure it is ready for prime time. When your puzzle is awesome and fun, publish it to the live network so others can try it out. If you get a lot of likes, your puzzle may show up on tomorrow's Daily Challenge. Good luck!