WatchDogs 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

• Followers are your level. Completing missions and activities grows DedSec's follower count. Hitting follower milestones gives you Research Points to spend on skills.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Tag enemies before you go in. Scanning with the quadcopter shows guards, cameras and patrol routes.
• Distractions solve most stealth problems. Hack a phone or a device to pull a guard away from a door.
• Buy the 3D printer upgrades you'll actually use. Money is limited early; a good stun option and one reliable gun are enough.
• 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:

• Drone upgrades. Better Quadcopter and Jumper abilities make every mission easier: longer range, the ability to deliver explosives or distract, more capacity.
• Remote hacking basics. Distractions, device overloads and the ability to hack from further away.
• 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.
• Vehicle hacking. Useful for chases and for clearing roads.
• Mass hacks once you have spare Research Points and Key Data. They turn crowded hideouts into chaos.
• 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
• Steam news: Title Update 1.16 (4-Player Party Mode), 1.17 patch notes, Steam Achievements (February 2025)
• Wikipedia, Watch Dogs 2