---
title: "WatchDogs 2: Complete Guide"
game: "Watch_Dogs 2"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/watch-dogs-2"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Co-op", "Maps", "Collectibles", "Settings"]
summary: "A guide to Watch_Dogs 2 on PC: how progression works (followers, Research Points, Key Data), the hacking toolkit, stealth versus loud approaches, what to unlock first, collectibles and side activities, online and…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/watchdogs-2-complete-guide-59533177"
published: "2026-09-27T17:20:04.138Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T17:20:04.138Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Watch_Dogs 2: Complete Guide

A guide to Watch_Dogs 2 on PC: how progression works (followers, Research Points, Key Data), the hacking toolkit, stealth versus loud approaches, what to unlock first, collectibles and side activities, online and co-op, and PC settings.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of title update 1.17 (August 2017), the final patch, plus the February 2025 addition of Steam Achievements. Check the linked sources if something differs.*

> **Status note:** Watch_Dogs 2 is complete. Ubisoft said 1.17 would be the last title update, and the only change since has been **Steam Achievements** (February 2025), which unlock retroactively from your Ubisoft Connect achievements the first time you launch. The PC version still requires a **Ubisoft Connect** account.

## Quick Start

1. **Followers are your level.** Completing missions and activities grows DedSec's follower count. Hitting follower milestones gives you **Research Points** to spend on skills.
2. **Hunt Research Points early.** Many are hidden around the Bay Area as collectibles, often behind small drone or hacking puzzles. They're the fastest way to unlock key skills.
3. **Your drones are your best weapons.** The **Jumper** (RC car) and the **Quadcopter** let you scout, tag enemies and complete objectives without ever stepping inside a restricted area.
4. **Non-lethal is viable for the whole game.** The stun gun and Marcus's melee weapon (a billiard ball on a bungee cord) can handle most fights. 3D-printed guns are there when you want them.
5. **Tag enemies before you go in.** Scanning with the quadcopter shows guards, cameras and patrol routes.
6. **Distractions solve most stealth problems.** Hack a phone or a device to pull a guard away from a door.
7. **Buy the 3D printer upgrades you'll actually use.** Money is limited early; a good stun option and one reliable gun are enough.
8. **Driver SF and ScoutX are great early money and followers.** The taxi side gig and the photo-spot collectibles pay off while you explore.

## Progression Systems

| System | What it does | How you get it |
|--------|-------------|----------------|
| Followers | Your level; drives Research Point unlocks and mission availability | Main operations, side ops, activities |
| Research Points | Currency for skills | Follower milestones and hidden collectibles |
| Key Data | Required for the most powerful skills | Hidden in harder-to-reach spots, often in restricted areas |
| Money | Weapons, cars, clothing, paint jobs | Missions, hacking bank accounts, side activities |
| Botnets | Resource consumed by advanced hacks | Regenerates; skills raise the maximum |

**Skills** cover things like remote hacking, drone upgrades, vehicle hacks, mass hacks (affecting everyone or everything in an area), and "social engineering" hacks such as calling a gang hit or a police arrest on a target. The top-tier versions of several skills need Key Data as well as Research Points.

## What to Unlock First

A solid order for most playstyles:

1. **Drone upgrades.** Better Quadcopter and Jumper abilities make every mission easier: longer range, the ability to deliver explosives or distract, more capacity.
2. **Remote hacking basics.** Distractions, device overloads and the ability to hack from further away.
3. **Social engineering attacks.** Calling a gang hit or police on a guard clears areas without firing a shot. It's one of the strongest tools in the game.
4. **Vehicle hacking.** Useful for chases and for clearing roads.
5. **Mass hacks** once you have spare Research Points and Key Data. They turn crowded hideouts into chaos.
6. **Combat upgrades** last, unless you're playing loud.

## Playstyles

| Approach | Tools | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|----------|-------|-----------|-----------|
| Ghost (stealth) | Quadcopter, Jumper, distractions, stun gun | Clean, fast, rarely detected | Can be slow in dense areas |
| Trickster (hacks) | Gang hits, police calls, environmental hacks | Makes enemies fight each other | Relies on Botnets and cooldowns |
| Aggressor (loud) | 3D-printed guns, explosives | Fast, simple | Escalates to heavy police and gang response |

You can switch approaches in any mission. The game's scoring and a few achievements reward different styles, so try each at least once.

## Hacking Tips

- **Tag and scan before you commit.** The quadcopter's view shows everything you need.
- **Jumper for physical tasks.** The RC car can interact with some objects and fit through small openings. Use it to download data or trigger switches.
- **Chain hacks.** Distract a guard, move past, hack a camera, repeat.
- **Environmental traps.** Overload electrical boxes and pipes when guards walk past.
- **Vehicles are weapons.** Hack cars into guards or make them swerve during chases.

## Combat Tips

- **Stun, then melee.** The stun gun plus Marcus's melee is the cleanest non-lethal combo.
- **Stay in cover when things go loud.** Enemies flank; move between cover rather than standing and shooting.
- **Break line of sight to escape.** When the police or gangs have your position, hide and hack a few cameras or cars to lose the heat.
- **Don't fight the police head-on.** Escaping is almost always better than killing them, which escalates the response.

## The Map and Getting Around

The Bay Area is split into four regions:

| Region | What to expect |
|--------|----------------|
| San Francisco | The dense core: DedSec's Hackerspace, most early operations, cable cars and rooftops to climb |
| Oakland | Industrial port areas and gang turf; good for loud approaches and chases |
| Marin County (including Sausalito) | Hills, winding roads and waterfront; strong for driving and boat routes |
| Silicon Valley | Tech-campus operations with heavy security, cameras and restricted areas |

- **Vehicles:** cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, quad bikes and boats are all drivable, and cable cars run through San Francisco. Boats are often the quickest way to reach waterfront objectives and escape pursuits.
- **Parkour:** Marcus is far more agile than Aiden in the first game. Climbing to rooftops gives quadcopter launch spots and clean escape lines.
- **Police response:** officers try to arrest you when they witness a crime or when a civilian reports you. Civilians with phones can call it in, so avoid crimes in crowded streets or hack their phones first.

## Story Overview (Spoiler-Light)

You play as **Marcus Holloway**, who joins **DedSec**'s San Francisco cell (Sitara, Wrench, Josh and Horatio) to take down **ctOS 2.0**. The story targets tech giants, corrupt institutions and a cult, and builds to a confrontation with **Dušan Nemec** of **Blume** and his "Bellwether" plan to manipulate data and finances. Main operations are structured as story arcs, each typically a set of connected missions.

There are no major branching endings, so you can't permanently miss the story. Side operations and collectibles stay available after the main story ends.

## Collectibles and Side Activities

| Activity | What it is | Reward |
|----------|-----------|--------|
| Research Points | Hidden collectibles, often small puzzles | Skill currency |
| Key Data | Hidden data packages, often in secure areas | Unlocks top-tier skills |
| ScoutX | Photograph landmarks from specific spots | Followers |
| Driver SF | Taxi-style driving gigs with requests | Money and followers |
| Races | Various vehicle races across the Bay | Followers, unlocks |
| Clothing and paint jobs | Shops and hidden items | Cosmetics |
| Side operations | Extra story missions | Followers, money, story |

**Tip:** Turn on collectible markers and plan routes by district. Many Research Points sit on rooftops or behind locked areas; the quadcopter can scout routes up.

## DLC

| DLC | What it adds |
|-----|-------------|
| T-Bone Content Bundle (Dec 2016) | Cosmetics themed on Raymond "T-Bone" Kenney from the first game, plus the harder **Mayhem** co-op difficulty |
| Human Conditions (PC: March 23, 2017) | Three story missions in San Francisco's science and medicine sectors, plus co-op missions featuring the **Jammer**, an enemy that disables your hacking gear |
| No Compromise (PC: May 18, 2017) | A new story operation and cosmetic items |

The DLC are included in the Gold Edition. They're fun but not essential.

## Online and Co-op

- **Seamless multiplayer** lets you team up with other players in the open world.
- **Co-op operations** are two-player missions built for teamwork.
- **Online modes** include Hacking Invasion (one-on-one data theft), Bounty Hunter (hunt a player causing chaos), Showd0wn (team missions), Racing, Man vs Machine (co-op against AI) and Loot Trucks.
- **4-Player Party Mode** (update 1.16, July 2017) lets two to four friends free-roam together with activities like Bounty, Invasion, PvP Loot Truck, Races, Showd0wn, a Robot Boss Fight and DedSec Virus. Co-op missions aren't available in party mode.
- If you don't want to be invaded, turn off online invasions in the online settings.

## PC Settings and Fixes

- **Ubisoft Connect** is required; make sure it's updated before launching through Steam.
- **Heavy settings:** Extra Details, shadows and some anti-aliasing modes are the biggest performance costs. Lower Extra Details first if the framerate is unstable.
- **Driver-related crashes:** old NVIDIA hotfix drivers addressed early crash-at-startup issues; any modern driver includes those fixes.
- **Achievements:** if Steam achievements didn't sync, launch the game once and let Ubisoft Connect finish syncing.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Ignoring Research Point collectibles.** Relying only on follower milestones makes you much weaker.
- **Walking into restricted areas first.** Scout with the quadcopter or Jumper instead.
- **Killing police.** It escalates chases dramatically.
- **Spending money on cosmetics before useful weapons and gear.**
- **Forgetting the Jumper.** Many objectives can be finished entirely with the RC car.
- **Neglecting Botnets.** Mass hacks drain them; plan your big hacks.

## Advanced Tips

- **Gang hit plus police call** on the same area makes factions fight each other while you slip through.
- **Upgrade the quadcopter's range and abilities early.** It's the best recon and utility tool in the game.
- **Use vehicle hacks in chases.** Hijack traffic to block pursuers.
- **Combine the Jumper and stealth.** Send the Jumper to a data point while you stay out of sight.
- **Plan Key Data routes.** Some Key Data needs multiple approaches; scout first, then commit.
- **Try a no-kill run** for a different challenge. The tools support it.
- **Hack phones and traffic lights mid-chase.** Changing lights and remote-steering cars behind you is often faster than outdriving a pursuit.
- **Pick your region for the job.** Silicon Valley's campuses reward drone-only infiltration, while Oakland's open yards suit gang-call chaos.

## FAQ

**Is Watch_Dogs 2 still getting updates?**
No. Update 1.17 (2017) was the final title update. Steam Achievements were added in February 2025.

**Do I need Ubisoft Connect?**
Yes, the PC version runs through Ubisoft Connect even when bought on Steam.

**Can I play the whole game non-lethally?**
Yes, with the stun gun, melee and hacks.

**Does it have co-op?**
Yes: seamless two-player co-op operations and 4-Player Party Mode for free roam and activities.

**What weapons can Marcus use?**
A taser (stun gun) for temporary takedowns, his billiard-ball-on-a-bungee melee weapon, explosives such as mines, and guns fabricated with the 3D printer at the Hackerspace.

**Do I need to play Watch_Dogs 1 first?**
No. The story and cast are mostly new, with a few references to the first game.

**Can I miss anything permanently?**
Not really. Collectibles and side content remain available after the main story.

## Sources

- [Steam store page, Watch_Dogs 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/447040/Watch_Dogs_2/)
- [Steam news: Title Update 1.16 (4-Player Party Mode), 1.17 patch notes, Steam Achievements (February 2025)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/447040)
- [Wikipedia, Watch Dogs 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watch_Dogs_2)