Deus Ex Human Revolution Walkthrough: How to Actually Ghost Sarif Manufacturing

You just woke up with a pounding headache and a body that’s more carbon fiber than flesh. Welcome to the life of Adam Jensen. If you’re looking for a Deus Ex Human Revolution walkthrough that doesn't just tell you to "shoot the bad guys," you’re in the right spot. This game is old now—launched back in 2011—but its level design is still a masterclass in making players feel simultaneously like a god and a glass cannon. Honestly, most people mess up the first mission because they try to play it like Call of Duty.

Don't do that.

The game rewards you for being a ghost. Or a hacker. Or a silver-tongued devil. But mostly, it rewards you for finding the air vent that some architect inexplicably placed three feet away from a high-security keypad.

The Sarif Manufacturing Nightmare

Let's talk about the first real mission. You’re sent into the Sarif plant to recover some typhoon tech. Your boss, David Sarif, is breathing down your neck. You’ve got a choice right at the start: lethal or non-lethal? Long-range or short-range?

Pro tip: Take the Tranquilizer Rifle.

Even if you plan on going full "terminator" later, the tranq gun is the king of the early game. It lets you drop guards silently from a distance, which is essential because, at this stage, Jensen has the physical durability of a wet paper towel. One burst of gunfire from a turret or a group of Purists and you’re staring at a loading screen.

When you enter the plant, look up. Always look up. Eidos Montreal loved verticality. While the guards are patrolling the floor, there’s almost always a series of pipes or crates that let you bypass the entire room. If you’re following a Deus Ex Human Revolution walkthrough to get the "Ghost" and "Smooth Operator" bonuses, you need to learn the layout of the vents. In the first major warehouse area, don't walk through the front door. There’s a ladder to the right of the entrance. Use it.

Dealing with Lawrence Barrett

Barrett is the first boss, and he’s a total pain. He’s a walking tank with a minigun for an arm. If you’ve been building a stealth character, this fight feels like a slap in the face. It's the one part of the game where your stealth skills basically don't matter because you’re trapped in a small room with a guy who hates you.

Here is what you actually do:

1. Grab the explosive barrels. They are scattered around the periphery of the room.
2. Throw them at him. It staggers him.
3. While he’s coughing on smoke, dump your lead into his head.
4. If you have the Stun Gun, use it. It actually locks his animation for a few seconds, giving you time to toss a frag grenade.

It's not elegant. It’s kinda messy. But it gets you to Hengsha, which is where the game actually gets good.

Social Engineering and the CASIE Aug

Everyone talks about the Hacking augs. Sure, you need them. You want to get to Level 3 hacking as fast as possible so you aren't locked out of those juicy lore emails and extra credits. But the real secret weapon in any Deus Ex Human Revolution walkthrough is the Social Enhancer (CASIE).

This isn't just a dialogue tree. It’s a literal cheat code for narrative. When you’re talking to characters like Wayne Haas at the police station or Sarif himself, the CASIE aug analyzes their pheromones and psychological profile. It tells you exactly which "personality type" they are—Alpha, Beta, or Omega.

If you want to get into the Detroit Police Department morgue without killing everyone (and you should, because the XP for the "Silver Tongue" bonus is massive), you need to win the debate with Haas. He’s a former colleague of Jensen’s. He’s guilt-ridden. Pushing the "Absolve" option usually works best here. You don’t just get the info; you get a trophy and the satisfaction of not being a jerk to a guy who's clearly having a breakdown.

Avoiding the "Director's Cut" Trap

If you are playing the Director's Cut version of the game, there is a massive section called The Missing Link integrated into the main story. It happens right after you stow away on a ship in Hengsha.

Warning: This part strips you of all your gear.

It's a slog. It’s about 4-6 hours of gameplay that feels very different from the rest of the game. My advice? Save your Praxis points. Don't spend them all right before you get on that boat. If you have a few points in the bank, you can immediately reinvest them in the Missing Link section to regain your jump height or cloaking abilities, making the "no gear" handicap way less annoying.

The Praxis Point Economy

You need to be greedy. Praxis points are the currency of evolution. You get them by leveling up (every 5,000 XP) or by finding/buying them at LIMB clinics.

Do not spread yourself too thin.

• Cybernetic Leg Prosthesis: Get this early. The ability to jump onto rooftops changes how you navigate Detroit and Hengsha. It opens up routes you wouldn't even see otherwise.
• Glass-Shield Cloaking: This is the "I messed up" button. If a camera spots you, hit the cloak and move. Just remember it eats your energy cells like crazy.
• Icarus Landing System: It looks cool. It’s also practical. Falling to your death because you missed a ladder is a classic Deus Ex experience you want to avoid.

One thing people often overlook in a Deus Ex Human Revolution walkthrough is the "hidden" XP. You get points for finding secret paths even if you don't use them. If you see a vent, crawl through it even if you could have just walked through the door. The game gives you a "Traveler" or "Explorer" bonus just for being curious.

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Lower Hengsha: The Vertical City

Hengsha is beautiful and overwhelming. It’s two layers of city stacked on top of each other. When you get there, your primary goal is finding a hacker named van Bruggen.

The Alice Garden Pods are a highlight of the game, but they are a deathtrap. When the Belltower mercs raid the place, don't try to fight them in the hallways. Use the pods. You can leap from the top level of the pods down to the bottom using the Icarus Landing System. Or, if you’re feeling spicy, use the vents that run behind the pods to flank the guards.

The boss fight here—Yelena Fedorova—is another one that trips people up. She cloaks and runs through water to shock you.
If you have the EMP Shielding (Empowered Resilience) aug, this fight becomes a joke. You can just stand in the electrified water while she takes damage and you blast her with a shotgun. If you don't have that aug, you need to climb onto the center structures and stay out of the water at all costs.

Handling the End Game

By the time you reach Panchaea, you’re basically a cyborg ninja. The final boss is less about combat and more about a puzzle. You need to disable the life support systems or use the "Laser Rifle" which conveniently shoots through the glass shielding of the boss.

But the real "end" isn't the fight. It's the choice.

The game presents you with four buttons. Literally. They represent different ideologies:

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• Sarif’s Way: Tell the world the truth was a lie to protect the future of human evolution.
• Taggart’s Way: Blame the incident on unregulated tech to usher in an era of control.
• Darrow’s Way: Reveal the ugly truth and let humanity decide if they want to destroy the tech entirely.
• The "Jensen" Way: Destroy the facility and let no one spin the narrative.

There is no "right" answer. But from a narrative standpoint, the "Self-Destruct" ending feels the most like the Adam Jensen we know. He's a guy who’s tired of being a pawn in other people’s games.

Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough

If you want the best possible experience, follow these specific beats:

1. Prioritize Hacking Capture 3 before leaving Detroit the first time. You’ll miss too much lore and loot otherwise.
2. Save Malik. In the second visit to Hengsha, your pilot gets shot down. The game makes it seem like you have to leave her. You don't. If you’re fast and have enough EMP grenades and a heavy weapon, you can take out the guards and the bot to save her life. It changes the dialogue later in the game significantly.
3. Don't get the new Biochip. Around mid-game, you’ll be told your biochip is glitching. You’ll be prompted to go to a LIMB clinic for a replacement. Do NOT do this. If you do, your HUD will be disabled during a crucial boss fight later on, making it nearly impossible to win.
4. Hoard Energy Bars. The game’s biggest flaw is the energy system. Only one cell recharges automatically. If you want to use your cool powers, you need a mountain of CyberBoost ProEnergy bars. Buy every single one you see at vendors.
5. Search every bathroom. I’m serious. For some reason, the NPCs in this universe love hiding credit chips and pocket secretaries behind toilets.

This game isn't about the destination; it’s about how many vents you crawled through to get there. Stick to the shadows, read every email, and remember: you never asked for this, but you might as well be good at it.

Check your inventory for those EMP grenades before heading to the Tai Yong Medical rooftop. You'll need them for the bots.