Watch Dogs: Legion beginner tips and tricks

Watch Dogs: Legion is the third entry into the Watch Dogs franchise, bringing "near-future" London to your hacking fingertips. Between cargo drone riding, ATM hacking, and your friendly neighborhood spiderbot, there is plenty to dig into. Whether you are familiar with the previous games or brand new, these tips and tricks will lend a helping hand.

Pay attention in characters selection

Having the option to literally choose anyone in Watch Dogs: Legion to play as is the "Swiss Army Knife" type of tool you can't live without. Whether you are infiltrating a heavily guarded area or going in guns blazing, there is a character that can specialize in that combat type. Keeping a wide variety of characters available with different strengths and abilities will allow you to adapt to any situation.

Be on the lookout for "Experts" while roaming the streets of London. They have a green circle icon above their head and on the mini-map. These people are the ones you want to try and recruit. They can be a spy, mechanic, paramedic, drone expert, anarchist, protester, beekeeper, paintballer, and more. Each of these characters all come with their own special abilities as well. There are also characters that come with team-wide benefits such as reduced jail or injury time.

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For example, a spy comes already decked out with a silenced pistol, a spy watch that can jam enemy weapons, a spy car kitted out with missiles, and a cloaking device. They also take less physical damage. Another example is the bare-knuckle fighter. They have a shockwave strike that staggers enemies, a K.O. punch for fast knockouts, a crowbar for a light melee weapon, and they also take less melee damage. Finding the right character for the right situation can give you the edge you need. However, be careful because they can also have negative abilities. Some even have a permadeath attribute.

Pointers on Tech points

One of the best things about Watch Dogs: Legion is the variety of gadgets, weapons, hacks, and upgrades that are at your disposal. Invest your tech points into gadgets that can help you in combat, as well as additional weapons like the shotgun and the grenade launcher. It can be easy to forget that you are running around normally with only a pistol.

Specifically, check out the weapons are DedSec-made and have useful upgrades to make combat easier. For example, in the upgrades menu, there is an ability called the "AR Shroud" where on stealth takedown they automatically cloak. If you defeat an enemy in melee combat, you can shroud the body afterward to make it disappear.

Tech points can dramatically change the game, and it is an area where you want to focus on early in the game. The more you have unlocked, the easier most areas later on in the game will be. There is a ton of chaotic fun that you can create, but it's up to you how to create it.

Spiderbot is your best friend

The versatility of the spiderbot in Watch Dogs: Legion is impressive. This is a gadget that you can't play without, especially once you have it fully upgraded. It can run around on small platforms, has a powerful double jump, sprint around, cloak itself, pick up items, and hack other electronics. There are many occasions where you can go through an entire high-security area with just the spiderbot, and never have to actually step inside with your character.

Another advantage of the spiderbot is the ability to throw it and deploy from a distance. You can easily toss the robot over a wall or ledge straight into an enemy compound, or to set off to disable security measures. With the upgraded double jump and sprint, you can really launch your robot a distance. If done right you can also easily around sharp corners or obstacles in mid-air.

Combat tips

There are many ways to combat enemies in Watch Dogs: Legion, to the point where everyone can play their way. Go in with guns blazing, sleuth your way in with robotics, or stealth ninja your way and make bodies disappear. Though if you really want to make quick of enemies, go the stealth route. You can speedrun most high-security places like Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell, bumping from cover to cover, using silent or indiscreet ways of eliminating the enemy.

Sometimes though it's fun to kick the door in and see what chaos you can create. Keep in mind, if you prefer the character you are currently playing this might not be the best idea. A frontal assault is meant merely for the bold since there are some nasty surprises in high-security areas, and some characters have permadeath. If this bold direction is for you, then make sure to stick to cover. It's really easy to pick off enemies and stay safe by doing so (unless there are drones).

Watch for traps that you can quickly activate in the environment to also help eliminate foes in the middle of a fight. Since the AI will be looking to take cover or move around to try and flank you, there is a higher chance they will run into an activated trap. Also, keep an eye out for explosive objects that can be shot to detonate. Who doesn't like a good explosion, right?

Melee combat

Whether you're going toe-to-toe with an Albion guard or a drunkard, getting into a fistfight can get a little frustrating. You don't have a health bar to watch, so you need to make sure to play it safe. If the enemy is up with their fists ready and bouncing around, prepare for an attack. Dodge attacks and follow it up with a quick counter-attack to give yourself a guaranteed hit on the enemy.

After this happens, they go into an immediate block. Break them out of the block and keep pummeling but be ready for a counter from the enemy. They will start throwing punches. Repeat with a kick, and follow the pattern. This will make quick work of most fistfights. If you want to make the fight go buy even faster, or accidentally get into a fight when you don't want to be in, use quick hack distract. Distracting an enemy in combat will open up the enemy for a takedown, and the fight will end with you the victor.

Some of your characters will also come with a melee weapon or "instant" takedowns, so keep an eye out for these when choosing who you want to go into a fight.

Ride the Cargo Drone

Drones are everyone in near-future London, so why not use that to your advantage? One of the most fun and useful ways to traverse the back alleys of London is riding the cargo drone. It's the giant drone that you can hijack and ride as a giant floating platform. The distance it can achieve in height isn't extraordinarily high, but it can take you over the rooftops of homes and most businesses.

The best part about riding the cargo drone to such heights is having quick access to high up building entrances like an outdoor patio or walkway. In order to find a cargo drone, you can either play as a construction worker that can call them on command or find a launch platform. Launch platforms are scattered throughout the city, with the icon being a square with a circle inside the center.

Cash on the go

London is a bustling city full of people to interact with and places to see. While you're strolling around the streets keep an eye out for ATMs. You'll usually find them clustered into a wall in a busy public place or shopping center. This is a great way to earn an extra bit of ETO, the currency used to buy clothing and accessories in Watch Dogs: Legion. All you need to do is a quick hack to retrieve the cash. It's not a large amount, but it quickly adds up over time.

Any tips we missed?

There's a lot to unpack in the expansive Watch Dogs: Legion, so if you have a tip that we missed, sound off in the comments below.

Watch Dogs: Legion is available on Oct. 29 for PC, Xbox One, Stadia, and PlayStation 4. It'll also be available on the Xbox Series S|X and PS5.

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