‘Watch Dogs’ Gameplay Details Revealed In Skill Trees

Actual Watch Dogs gameplay has been a mystery ever since Ubisoft announced the game back in 2013, but now thanks to some hands-on game time for several gaming news reporters across the internet, we can learn the details from people who have actually played it.

Ubisoft is hoping gamers haven’t given up on this game since the Watch Dogs release date was initially announced as a launch title for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, they had postponed the Watch Dogs PS4 and Xbone release in order to polish the game to their expectations.

The wait to experience Watch Dogs gameplay is almost here, and details surrounding the in-game skill trees have revealed Ubisoft‘s anticipated title to be much more than just wandering around a futuristic Chicago and hacking everything into oblivion.

The four skill trees in the game are crafting, combat, driving, and hacking (of course). The first of these is one we weren’t expecting, and it is further explained below.

Crafting – one of the smallest of the skill trees, it includes a Focus Boost, a couple of types of Frag Grenades, and the ability to Jam Coms.

• The Focus Boost does almost exactly what you expect it to do: you push a button to slow the game down temporarily and react more quickly to the world around you, making the Watch Dogs gameplay that much easier to handle in the heat of action.
• The Frag Grenades come in IED and Proximity IED varieties. You probably guessed that the latter of the two is like a mine that explodes if someone gets too close to it.
• Jam Coms comes in three levels, allowing you to cut off phone calls, activate a black-out, and scan the cfos for unusual activity.

Combat – this focuses on your ability to handle weapons.

• Quick Switch is exactly what it sounds like. You’ll be able to swap between guns faster.
• Pistol Expert allows you to fire semi-automatic (one trigger pull, one shot) firearms at a higher rate of speed.
• Shotgun Expert gives you a greater effect against vehicles, and includes the branches of Auto Weapons expert and Sniper Rifle expert. Each of these gives you more control over the named weapons.
• Focus plays into the first of the Watch Dogs gameplay skill trees, with a particularly useful application being able to hack easier while driving. You can also upgrade your ability to run quietly.
• Steady Aim has several branches as well, each of course relating to your ability to handle a gun.

Driving – you can affect the ease with which you handle vehicles.

Some of the upgrades here include Car Unlock (which lets you steal cars without setting off alarms), reducing the damage you take from collisions, and the ability to hide in a car to evade helicopters. Many of these upgrades are similar enough that they’re not worth listing individually.

Hacking – of course this is what you knew about since the game was announced, and was touted as the core of Watch Dogs gameplay.

The different things you can learn to hack include traffic lights, bridges, gates, steam pipes, helicopters, blockers, and road spikes. That’s just the road parts. You can also hack building utilities, causing explosions and cutting off the enemy’s ability to call for help.

With all of these skill trees you can work with, you now have a broader understanding of what the Watch Dogs gameplay will be like when the release date hits this Summer.

[image via edge-online]