Overview
8 tips for conquering Hong kong
conquering Hong Kong
HOW TO… MAKE MONEY FASTER
There are plenty of quick and easy ways of making money in Sleeping Dogs. Keep an eye out for blue glowing Lockboxes that are dotted around the city, as these hold thousands of HK$ as can also contain weapons and items of clothing to add to your wardrobe.
Completing side missions (marked as yellow icons on the map) also net some additional funds, but it’s jobs provided by the Triads that are real moneymakers. Once you’re tasked with stealing Knox security vans you should grab them as soon as you see them, as the first will earn you HK$10000 and this amount will increase with every van recovered.
If you get really desperate for cash you can even hop in a vehicle and ram through the parking meters lining certain streets for a few extra HK$
[b[HOW TO… INCREASE YOUR MAXIMUM HEALTH[/b]
There are a total of 50 Health Shrines located throughout the game, and for every five you collect you receive a boost to your maximum health level. You should therefore activate these shrines whenever you see them, as the increased health will be a huge benefit during combat.
To make things easier, once you complete the date mission with Amanda at Victoria Peak the Health Shrines will appear on your minimap, making them much easier to spot and gather up. They can also be found on the main map screen by pressing Square/X to go to Collectibles View.
HOW TO… LOSE THE COPS MORE QUICKLY
Once the police are chasing you, you need to escape from the red circle that appears on the minimap in order to lose them. However you will often find the vehicle you are using is too slow to outrun them, leading to long and frustrating drives up and down alleyways trying to shake them off your tail.
An alternative approach that is much more effective is to slow down and allow the pursuing forces to draw alongside, before pressing Square/X and a direction to sideswipe them. This does significant damage and after two or three hits they will be out of commission; once all the cops have been disabled you will automatically escape.
HOW TO… WIN EVERY FIGHT
The key to succeeding in melee combat is to know the different enemy types, how they behave and how to defeat them. There are four in total:
Brawlers: Your standard thugs. Combine heavy attacks, grabs and counters to defeat them.
Grapplers: Can’t be grappled but can’t defend. Use heavy strikes and counters to finish them off.
Strikers: Will block many of your attacks. Hit them with everything you have and make sure you follow up with multiple attacks once you break through their defences.
Armed Thugs: Use weapon attacks for massive damage. Do not attempt to grapple them and ensure you counter every attack or you’ll be quickly defeated.
To practice these techniques on the different enemy types you can head to the Martial Arts School in North Point at any time.
During combat if any melee weapons are dropped then grab them immediately as they can make light work of most opponents. Also remember that environmental attacks are always one-hit kills, so grapple enemies and drag them into the glowing red markers wherever possible.
HOW TO… GIVE YOUR STATS A BOOST
There are various items you can locate and use to give your stats a boost for a certain amount of time. These are:
Food from catering stands – Increase health regeneration.
Dragon Kick from convenience stores and vending machines – Increase melee damage.
Herbal Tea from apothecary stores – Reduce damage taken.
Massage from parlours – Increase Face Meter fill speed.
Increasing the speed your Face Meter rises at will unlock Face Advantages quicker, awarding various bonuses to your character. The other items provide stat boosts that are very useful during combat, and should be collected up before initiating big missions to give yourself a better chance of success.
HOW TO… HACK CAMERAS EVERY TIME
After eliminating all of the thugs during a Drug Bust mission, the next step is to hack the security camera nearby to set up surveillance on the scene. This involves completing a Mastermind style code breaking minigame, for which there is a simple method to always succeed.
For your first two attempts enter 0123 followed by 4567. This will indicate most if not all of the correct digits for the code, then it’s simply a case of rearranging the incorrect placements and substituting in 8 and 9 if required to fill in any blanks.
HOW TO… LEARN NEW MOVES FASTER
Look out for Jade statues, which glow green and can often be spotted during missions. After completing the karaoke date mission with Tiffany these will also appear on your minimap and can be located on the main map screen by pressing Square/X to go to Collectibles View.
Every time you discover one of these sculptures take it to the Martial Arts School in North Point, where in return the sensei will teach you a new melee combat move. These include stuns, disarms and limb breaks that will give you a big advantage in fights, so it’s worth taking time out to pick them up as soon as possible and upgrade your fighting arsenal.
HOW TO… DRESS TO IMPRESS
Choosing what you wear is much more than a cosmetic decision, as some items of clothing provide boosts for your character as well. Regularly check your wardrobe for new gear, which is unlocked through completing missions and opening Lockboxes; additional pieces can also be acquired by visiting stores and market stalls.
Certain articles of clothing belong to sets, and by wearing the torso, pants and shoes items from the same group a stat bonus is granted. Glasses, chains, watches and bracelets can be purchased that provide bonus Face XP, and these should be invested in as soon as possible so you level up quicker for the rest of the game.