You're crouched behind a desk in Milwaukee Junction. Your energy bar is flickering. There’s a guard humming a tune just three feet away, and honestly, if you mess up this takedown, the whole mission goes sideways. That's the beauty—and the absolute frustration—of this game. Writing a Deus Ex HR walkthrough isn't just about telling you where to walk; it’s about explaining how to handle a world that hates you.
Adam Jensen didn't ask for this, and maybe you didn't ask for a game that punishes you for being clumsy. But here we are.
Getting Through the Sarif HQ Prologue Without Losing Your Mind
The game starts with a "tutorial" that isn't really a tutorial. It’s a trial by fire. Most people think they need to start blasting the moment the purists break in. Big mistake. If you're looking for a smooth Deus Ex HR walkthrough experience, the first thing you have to learn is that cover is your best friend. Better than your ex-girlfriend Megan Always-In-Trouble Reed.
Stay low. Use the boxes.
When you get to the labs, you'll see a lot of scientists running around like chickens. Ignore them. Your goal is the security hub. If you try to play this like Call of Duty, you'll run out of ammo in four minutes and end up staring at a loading screen. Instead, look for the vents. Eidos Montreal loved vents. They are the circulatory system of this entire game. If there is a problem, there is probably a vent nearby that solves it.
The First Real Choice: Lethal or Non-Lethal?
The game asks you right at the start: do you want a tranquilizer rifle or a stun gun? Or do you want to kill everything?
If you want the "Ghost" and "Smooth Operator" bonuses—which you do, because XP is king—go non-lethal. The stun gun is basically a "get out of jail free" card for close encounters. The tranquilizer rifle is great, but the travel time on the darts is weirdly slow. You have to lead your shots. It’s kinda annoying until you get the hang of it.
Navigating the Streets of Detroit
Detroit in 2027 is a dump. It’s a beautiful, golden-hued, cybernetic dump. Once you get out of Sarif HQ for the first time, the world opens up, and this is where most players get lost.
Don't just run to the waypoint.
Talk to the NPCs. Specifically, find Letitia near the garbage cans behind your apartment building. She’s a "trash lady" with a lot of info. You can pay her for tips, or if you're feeling cheap, just explore the sewers yourself. There’s a hidden stash of weapons and credits in the sewers near the gas station that most people miss on their first pass.
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Why the Social Enhancer is the Best Aug You Aren't Using
Everyone wants the "Icarus Landing System" because falling from buildings is cool. I get it. But if you're following a Deus Ex HR walkthrough to actually see the best content, you need the Social Enhancer (CASIE).
It lets you read people's pheromones.
When you're talking to Zeke Sanders at the end of the first mission, or later with Sarif himself, the CASIE aug gives you a visual readout of their personality. Are they an Alpha, Beta, or Omega? It tells you exactly which dialogue option to pick to win the argument. Winning arguments gets you better rewards and sometimes avoids boss fights entirely. Well, sort of.
The Hengsha Verticality Nightmare
Once the story shifts to China, the scale changes. Hengsha is a two-layered city, and it’s a vertical maze. You’ll spend half your time looking at the map trying to figure out if the door you need is above you or below you.
- Tip: Look for the orange ladders.
- Pro-tip: Upgrade your jumping height (Cybernetic Leg Prosthesis) before you get here.
There's a side quest involving a girl named Mei in the Alice Garden Pods. Do it. It seems like a distraction, but it leads to a massive payout and some of the best world-building in the game. Plus, it teaches you how to use the environment to your advantage.
The Alice Garden Pods mission itself is a nightmare for stealth players. When the Belltower mercs raid the place, don't try to fight them in the lobby. Use the upper walkways. There’s a vent (shocker) in the back of one of the pods that lets you bypass almost the entire combat zone.
Dealing With the "Boss Problem"
Let’s be real: the boss fights in the original Human Revolution were bad. They were outsourced to a different studio and they forced stealth players into open combat. If you're playing the Director's Cut, this is fixed—there are hacking terminals and turrets you can use to do the dirty work for you.
But if you're on the vanilla version? You need a plan.
Barrett is the first wall. He’s a tank with a minigun arm. If you haven't put points into combat, he will shred you.
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- Throw the red canisters. There are explosive and gas canisters all over the room.
- Stun lock him. If you have the stun gun, you can actually stun him, hit him with a grenade, and repeat. It’s cheesy, but it works.
- Typhoon. If you have the Typhoon explosive system, two or three hits will end the fight in seconds. It feels like cheating. It basically is.
The FEMA Facility and Hacking Secrets
The FEMA facility is where the plot actually starts to make sense (sort of). It's also where the hacking difficulty spikes.
If you haven't upgraded your Hacking Level to at least 3, you're going to be staring at a lot of "Access Denied" screens. Don't waste your points on "Hacking Stealth" too early. Focus on "Hacking Fortify" and "Capture."
The Secret of the Nuke: You’ll find "Nuke" and "Stop" software while exploring. Save these. Don't use them on Level 1 or 2 terminals. Save them for the Level 5 locks in the later stages of the game like the Tai Yong Medical facility.
Tai Yong Medical: The Stealth Test
Tai Yong is the peak of the game's level design. It's a massive corporate tower full of lasers, cameras, and guards who actually pay attention.
If you want to get through here without being seen, you need the Cloaking Augment. But here’s the catch: it eats energy like crazy. Most people make the mistake of staying invisible too long. Instead, use it in short 2-second bursts to dash between cover.
And watch out for the floor. In the labs, there are electrified floors. You can either find the switch to turn them off or use the "EMF Shielding" aug to walk right through. Honestly, just find the switch. Saving your Praxis points for something else is usually smarter.
Missing Link: To Skip or Not to Skip?
In the Director's Cut, the Missing Link DLC is integrated into the main story. It happens right after you leave Hengsha for the second time.
It strips you of all your augs.
It's a polarizing section. Some people love the "survival" feel; others hate losing their powers. My advice? Focus on getting your "Takedown" and "Hacking" back first. You’ll find your gear eventually in a storage locker, but until then, you have to play like it’s a pure stealth game. Use the fire extinguishers to create smoke screens. It’s an old-school trick that still works.
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Navigating the End Game at Panchaea
By the time you reach the Arctic, you should be a god. Whether you're a tank who can take a rocket to the face or a ghost who can walk through a room of ten people unseen, the game expects you to be at your peak.
The "Crazy Augs" (the people who have lost their minds due to the signal) are everywhere. They aren't traditional enemies. They’re fast, they’re loud, and there are dozens of them.
Don't waste your ammo on them.
Run. Or, if you have to fight, use the "Punch Through Walls" aug to create shortcuts. There are several spots in Panchaea where you can literally break a wall to bypass a horde of enemies.
The Final Choice
When you reach the end, you're presented with a few buttons. Each represents a different philosophy. Sarif wants one thing, Taggart wants another, and Darrow has his own messed-up vision.
There is no "right" answer. But if you've been paying attention to the emails and pocket secretaries throughout the game, you'll know that every choice has a dark side. The Fourth Option—destroying the whole place—is often considered the "canon" ending, but hey, it's your story.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you're starting a new save right now, here is exactly how to optimize your run for maximum fun and minimum frustration.
- Prioritize the Social Enhancer early. It opens up more quest branches than any other augmentation.
- Invest in Hacking Level 3 by the time you leave Detroit. You’ll miss too many lore-heavy emails and credits if you don't.
- Carry a "Boss Killer" weapon. Even if you're a stealth player, keep a Revolver with the Explosive Rounds upgrade in your inventory. It takes up very little space and makes boss fights trivial.
- Hoard Energy Bars. Don't use them to move faster. Save them for when you need to chain three takedowns together or stay invisible to bypass a turret.
- Read the Pocket Secretaries. Most of the door codes in the game are written down on a device sitting five feet away from the door. Don't waste your hacking tools if you don't have to.
- Check under desks. Eidos hid a lot of "Credit Chips" and "Praxis Kits" in the most annoying places. If you see a vent behind a vending machine, move the machine.
The game is about agency. It's about looking at a locked door and realizing you can pick the lock, find the code, crawl through a vent, blow the door open, or jump over the wall. There is never just one way to finish a Deus Ex HR walkthrough—there is only your way. Just make sure you save often. The quick-load key is there for a reason.
Next time you're in the LIMB clinic, don't just buy the Praxis kits; check the back rooms. There's almost always something worth stealing. Good luck, Jensen. Try not to let the Illuminati get you down.