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Desperate Measures is a single mission DLC for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Originally, it was available only as a pre-order bonus or through purchase of the day-one edition, Collector's Edition, or Digital Deluxe Edition of Mankind Divided. Desperate Measures was later released as a free download. Like other story DLCs, Desperate Measures is accessed through the "Jensen Stories" section of the main menu.

Desperate Measures focuses on an investigation related to the bombing of Růžička Station. In this mission, Adam Jensen travels to the Tarvos Prague headquarters to learn more about evidence pertaining to the bombing.

Synopsis[]

As Adam Jensen, you find yourself in the city of Prague, recently rattled to its very core due to a bombing at the Ruzicka train station. With tampered security footage hampering the investigation behind the attack, you must rely on both your augmentations, and skills as a covert operative, in order to unveil the true culprit responsible for the bombing.

— In-game synopsis

Setting[]

Chronologically, Desperate Measures takes place after Jensen returns from Golem City. This mission depicts Jensen's investigation of the Intellicam footage that had previously led him to Golem City. This chronological placement is also reflected by Desperate Measure's opening nighttime scene, Jensen's ability to use his experimental augmentations with full stability, and by the new reports seen on TVs during this mission, which match those seen in the main game during the second visit to Prague.

In Desperate Measures, Jensen investigates the Intellicam footage after Peter Chang discovers that it was tampered with. This footage is mentioned in the helipad conversation between Jensen and Jim Miller at the end of the main mission "M6: Taking Care of Business" in the main game, just before Jensen leaves for Golem City. In that conversation, Miller informed Jensen that state police had dropped off Intellicam footage taken at Růžička Station shortly before the bombs went off. The Intellicam footage was badly corrupted, but Peter Chang was able to extract images showing an unidentified augmented person in a yellow hoodie dropping bags where each bomb went off. Because the bags were the same as those used by ARC and its leader Talos Rucker, Miller sent Jensen into Golem City to bring in Rucker for questioning. Ultimately, Jensen returned empty-handed when Rucker was poisoned before he could be extracted.

Although Jensen's mission to extract Rucker seemingly resulted in a dead end, it is revealed in Desperate Measures that there is more to the Intellicam footage.

Plot[]

Sometime after Adam Jensen returns from Golem City, Peter Chang calls Jensen and informs him that the Intellicam footage captured from the bombing, which previously pointed them in the direction of ARC, was actually tampered with. Chang sends Jensen to meet with a train station employee Pavla Keilmanovich who has more information.

Jensen meets Pavla in the private back alley on Štúr Street. After he convinces her that she will not be traced back as a whistleblower, she confirms that a Tarvos employee took the footage from the Intellicam server room and bribed her to look the other way.

Chang then sends Jensen another hacked metro train to Terminal station so he can investigate the Tarvos Prague headquarters accessible from Terminal Station. Tarvos employees have the building under lockdown due to a "bomb scare," so Jensen has to sneak or bust his way through the guards to get into the Tarvos offices. As he makes his way through to the command center, Adam and Chang ultimately conclude that Lieutenant Simon Whittaker is in charge there and can give them more information on the coverup. Jensen sneaks or barges into his office.

After Whittaker finishes a phone call with his sister, Adam explains that he is with Interpol and that they have evidence that someone at Tarvos tampered with security footage. Whittaker may become hostile, depending on Jensen's words and actions. If Jensen is able to initially converse with Whittaker peaceably, Whittaker will be cooperative if Jensen finds or has found an e-mail in a computer in the IT department evidencing that Whittaker ordered an RDT device to spot-corrupt the footage. Whittaker will explain that Melissa Berk is his sister, and that Melissa's husband, Ivan Berk, was responsible for planting the fatal bomb. Whittaker's information thus reveals that Berk was the Aug in yellow hoodie in the images extracted from the Intellicam footage. Whittaker also explains that he corrupted the footage to protect his sister. If asked about his sister mentioning anyone from ARC, he will mention that Ivan sometimes drank with T-bone and Lou-Bosh, probably refering to Tibor Sokol and Luboš. About a week before the attack, a "big Russian" came to their apparment and left a noted signed with "Old Blue Eye?".

Alternatively, if Whittaker is non-cooperative, Jensen will need to find a pocket secretary containing a conversation with full audio between Whittaker and his sister, Melissa Berk, recorded right after the bombing. In the conversation recorded on the pocket, Melissa admits that her husband, Ivan Berk, was responsible for planting the fatal bomb, and Whittaker agrees to take the Intellicam footage of the bombing before the police can access it so they do not come for her.

Jensen tells Chang to send him another metro train to take him back to Praha Dovoz. Once Jensen leaves the Tarvos compound and Terminal station on the train, he goes back to Chang's office at TF29 HQ to fill him in. Jensen explains that Whittaker corrupted the footage to protect his sister Melissa. Her husband, Ivan Berk, had recently been recruited into ARC and carried out the bombing, but Jensen deduces he was probably just a pawn in all this who was easily influenced into it by the attack's true mastermind.

The final dialogue between Jensen and Chang depends on how the mission was conducted:

  • If Jensen took a stealth approach, Chang commends Jensen for his quiet work, assuring that Tarvos has not reported anything there. Jensen concludes the mission by saying "I like to get answers without creating new questions."
  • If Jensen was spotted but did not kill anyone, Chang will state that "Tarvos reported a break-in." Jensen will respond that there's a reason why they call Tarvos the world's best private security company. This may be meant sarcastically.
  • If Jensen was spotted and killed Tarvos personnel, but did not kill not Whittaker, Chang will tell Jensen that "Tarvos reported a break-in. And multiple causalities." Jensen will reply by saying, "I did what I had to do to get answers," much to Chang's dismay.
  • If Jensen killed Whittaker (regardless of stealth or whether other Tarvos personnel were killed), Chang will thank Jensen and then ask, "What the hell happened in there? The lieutenant is dead." Jensen will reply that "he made identifying the bomber more complicated that it had to be," and conclude the mission.

Locations[]

Characters[]

In-game media[]

Objectives & XP Rewards[]

Objective Getting Things Done Ghost Smooth Operator
Persuade Pavla * - - -
Reach the Tarvos Command Center 1950 200 200
Go to the Leuthenant`s office 1950 200 200
Search the I.T. department 1950 - -
Persuade Whittaker ** - - -
Confront Lieutenant Whittaker 500 - -
Search the Lieutenant`s office *** 1950 - -
Take the metro back to TF29 HQ - - -

* There is an optional XP bonus of up to 200 XP.

** There is an optional XP bonus of up to 1000 XP.

*** This objective will appear if Whittaker turns hostile, is killed or is knocked out during the mission. All other remaining objectives will be canceled.

Walkthrough[]

Tarvos HQ 04

Annotated map of Terminal Station and the Tarvos Headquarters

Reach the Tarvos Command Center[]

Upon arriving at the metro station, you may enter into the Tarvos facility through the entrance, or, alternatively, through a vent at the ceiling of the metro station. The vent is accessible by hacking the door at the end of the metro station, or climbing up to the catwalks directly.

To access the storage bay, you must traverse a passageway guarded by a laser grid, and then proceed upward at the end of the passageway. The storage bay contains various storage areas containing weapons and ammunition. From the storage bay, you may reach the command center by traveling through the main entrance entrance, which is guarded by a sentry bot, or through a vent at the ceiling area of the storage bay. The ceiling area may be accessed by a ladder on the main level in the southeast portion of the storage bay

Alternatively, instead of going through the passageway with the laser grid, you can also take out all the guards at the metro level, disable the camera using the security terminal, avoid being seen by the turret in the ceiling, and move towards the back of the elevator. In that maintenance area, first find the power switch that powers the ladder buttons, then go up using those ladders. This lets you get into the elevator car via the hatch in its ceiling. Once out of the elevator, you can take a vent above the watercooler on the left which leads straight to the command center.

Confronting Whittaker at the Command Center[]

Once inside the Command Center, head to Whittaker's office on the second level. Enter his office, and a cutscene will play.

  • If you infiltrated the compound stealthily, Whittaker will be willing to talk but will refuse to give you any information. If you conversed with Whittaker without expressing confrontation, Whittaker will ask you to leave.
  • If you did not infiltrate the compound stealthily, or if you did so but fail to peacefully converse with Whittaker, Whittaker will turn hostile and talking to Whittaker any further will not be an option. The mission proceeds to the alternative objective of searching Whittaker's office.

Search the I.T. Department[]

If you were able to leave Whittaker's office without Whittaker turning hostile, Chang will advise you to search the IT department. In the IT department, uncover an e-mail in an unattended computer evidencing that Whittaker ordered an RDT device to spot-corrupt the footage.

Now that you have uncovered the email, Whittaker will be cooperative. Whittaker will explain to Jensen the circumstances regarding Ivan Berk and Melissa Berk and then ask how Jensen will proceed. In response,

  • If "report the facts" is selected, Whittaker will order his men to permit Jensen to depart the command center without harm. The entire compound, other than the IT department, will be non-hostile.
  • If "leave out details" is selected, Whittaker will do the same, and additionally open a compartment containing whisky and a Praxis kit. The button for the compartment can be found under Whittaker's desk
  • If "ruin you" is selected, Whittaker will commit suicide when you leave his office.

Regardless of which dialogue option you selected, upon exiting Whittaker's office, Jensen will inform Chang that he has obtained the information they were looking for.

Alternative Objective: Search the Lieutenant's Office[]

If Whittaker turns hostile at any time, Jensen will remark that talking to Whittaker any further is not an option. It will be necessary to search his office. Unlock a keypad on his wall (the passcode, 4826, is found in Whittaker's computer or his locker downstairs), opening a secret store room, and then open a safe within that store room. In the safe, you will find a pocket secretary containing a conversation with full audio between Whittaker and his sister, Melissa Berk, recorded right after the bombing.

If you managed to obtain the recording without confronting Whittaker yet, you can still do it. Whittaker's actions are still identical with what is written above.

Take the Metro Back to TF29 HQ[]

After completing the objectives, leave the compound through the metro station to complete the mission. If you were able to peacefully confront Whittaker, his men will permit access to the elevator to the metro station. Otherwise, an elevator access card is located in the secret store room in Whittaker's office.

Story items[]

Story Item Acquisition Use
DM Story Item - Tarvos Security Keycard Tarvos Security Keycard Safe in Whittaker's office Used to access the elevator to exit the compound

Experience by area[]

To see the entire list of available XP rewards alongside strategic tips on how to maximize XP yield, please go to the corresponding Experience by area page.

Location of Collectables[]

Tarvos HQ 06 coll

Map of the area with locations of Praxis kits and ebooks marked

Praxis Kits[]

  • On level 1 after the corridor with a laser grid, inside plastic case under big vertical pipe.
  • Inside the server room of the IT department.
  • In the break room of the Command Center, inside the rightmost locker of the "G" group.
  • Inside a drawer in the Internal Security office (the one used by Elliott McCoy).
  • In a secret compartment in Whittaker's office, accessible via a button under his desk. Whittaker will open it himself if Jensen successfully negotiates with him and promises to leave out the details.

eBooks[]

Weapon mods[]

Mod Location
Laser sight Internal Security office (the one used by Jonathan Lee Clarke), in a weapon cabinet.
Laser sight Level 3 Storage Bay, in a weapon cabinet in room with a ladder to level 1.
Laser sight Weapon cabinet in Whittaker's secret room.
Holosight Weapon cabinet in storage unit №2C in level 3 Storage Bay.
Silencer Weapon cabinet in storage unit №2C in level 3 Storage Bay.
Silencer Weapon cabinet in room near elevator on level 1.

Keycodes and passwords[]

Keycodes[]

Location Code Lvl Source
Terminal station door 6203 1
Door near the ticket booth on level 1 1029 2 [PS 1]
Door to corridor with laser grid on level 1 1703 1 [PS 2]
Laser grid on level 1 1984 3
Shaft's service door on level 1 2111 2 [PS 3]
Storage unit 2C 3530 2
IT Department 1019 2 [PS 4]
Internal Security office (the one used by Jonathan Lee Clarke) 0724 4 [PS 5]
Server room door 3530 3
Whittaker's secret room 4826 5 [EM 1]

Passwords[]

Location Password Type
(sec. lvl)
Source
Metro level, Gary Mitchell's security hub 4992 SH (3)
Metro level, Gary Mitchell's computer 5123 C (1)
Internal Security, Elliott McCoy's computer 8642 C (3)
Internal Security, Jonathan Lee Clarke's security hub 0724 SH (3)
Infirmary, Sidney Darlington's computer 9110 C (3)
Command Center central floor, Harry Buckland's computer 6435 C (2)
Command Center central floor, David Johnson's security hub 9684 SH (4)
Command Center central floor, David Johnson's computer 5439 C (2)
Storage Bay, Kevin Carter's computer 1337 C (3)
IT Department, Alan Fraser's computer 3579 C (1)
Command Center 2nd floor offices, Jack Jeffries' computer 1423 C (1)
Simon Whittaker's computer 4679 C (3)

Sources[]

In-game sources are listed below. A dash symbol (—) in the "source" field means that the listed keycode or password cannot be found in-game. For more information about keycodes and passwords, see Keycodes (DXMD) and Passwords (DXMD).

Pocket secretaries[]

  1. "Lock Down Station" - Pocket secretary found in the ticket booth of Terminal Station
  2. "Security Turret" - Pocket secretary carried by a guard at the front desk of the metro-level part of the Tarvos facility
  3. "Maintenance Order" - Pocket secretary found in the small room near the elevator shaft
  4. "IT Department Access" - Pocket secretary found in the central floor of the command center
  5. "The Plan" - Pocket secretary found in the left-side internal security office

Computer emails[]

  1. "Code change request" - Email on Simon Whittaker's computer. This code is also provided by "Reminder" (pocket secretary found in the "section" of the lockers).

Gallery[]

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