Ubisoft Montreal’s Watch Dogs 2 is the 2016 sequel to 2014’s Watch Dogs. An action-adventure open-world title taking place in a near-future vision of the San Francisco Bay Area, both games focus on the player using hacking to manipulate their environment and disrupt the nefarious ctOS (central Operating System). The events of Watch Dogs 2 take place 2 years after the events of the first game, with San Francisco as the first city to install ctOS 2.0. In addition to San Francisco, players visit other iconic Bay Area locations such as Oakland, Sausalito, and Silicon Valley.
Ubisoft Montreal announced the sequel to Watch Dogs shortly after the game’s release, stating that sales were strong enough to support the developer turning the game into a franchise. In hoping to grow the Watch Dogs series to the same heights reached by its other IP such as Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft spent a considerable amount of time both gathering feedback from players and making frequent trips to California to help with the sequel. These efforts were undertaken specifically to improve the gameplay and make the game more immersive and realistic, respectively.
The extra effort definitely worked in Ubisoft’s favor, with Watch Dogs 2 largely considered to be a massive improvement over its predecessor. The sequel improves on almost all aspects of the first game’s core gameplay, with players noting that the driving and hacking mechanics were significantly better in Watch Dogs 2. After releasing in November 2016, sales were initially slower than expected but would prove to have a long tail. By March 2020, earnings reports would confirm that Watch Dogs 2 had sold over 10 million units.
Watch Dogs 2 Premise
Similar to both its predecessor and sequel, Watch Dogs 2 is an open-world action adventure game. Taking some inspiration from Ubisoft’s own Assassin’s Creed series, the game encourages players to use stealth and subterfuge rather than go in guns-blazing. As DedSec hacker Marcus Holloway, players work against the efforts of the Blume corporation to see its ctOS network integrated into every major city in America. In addition to the normal implements used to thwart foes in open-world action games, players have a hacking ability at their disposal that they can use to disrupt key systems around the city, including traffic lights and power grids.
Watch Dogs 2 begins with Holloway being charged with a crime he didn’t commit based on data reporting from ctOS 2.0. He decides to join the hacking group DedSec (an analog for the real-world Anonymous) and expose the ctOS system as flawed and the Blume corporation as corrupt. The primary means of exposure is a targeted social media campaign, with many of the game’s missions built around hacking server farms and media outlets to get the message out and change public opinion of the ctOS technology.
Successful completion of missions and side activities awards Marcus with social currency in the form of followers, indicating success in DedSec’s plan toward a viral marketing campaign. Players have some flexibility in how they go about completing missions, with both aggressive and stealthy approaches viable options. The primary tool players have is their smartphone, used to hack the environment and automobiles. There’s also a co-op multiplayer mode in which players can team up with others across 6 different activity types.
Watch Dogs 2 Main Characters
Featuring a tale that cautions about the dangerous of ever-present technology and its use toward a surveillance state, Watch Dogs 2‘s narrative is one that is both relevant and timely. The game features a compelling cast of heroes and villains, with counter-culture hackers being our protagonists facing off against soulless corporate figureheads. The main characters in Watch Dogs 2 include:
- Marcus Holloway: Marcus Holloway is the main protagonist of Watch Dogs 2 and a skilled hacker. After being falsely convicted of a crime he didn’t commit by the ctOS technology, he joins DedSec to expose the flawed and corrupt system.
- Dusan Nemec: Nemec is the Chief Technology Officer of the Blume corporation and the primary antagonist of Watch Dogs 2. As the CTO he is ultimately responsible for the control and operation of ctOS.
- Wrench: Wrench is a fellow hacker and member of DedSec. He works alongside Marcus to help expose Blume and take down the ctOS.
- Sitara Dhawan: Sitara is another member of DedSec and companion to Marcus. Her experience and knowledge with PR and marketing makes her an invaluable asset for DedSec’s social media campaign against Blume and ctOS.
- Raymond Kenney: Kenney is a former software engineer who worked on and has intimate knowledge of the ctOS technology. He is a whistleblower and staunch opponent to the Blume corporation.
- Horatio Carlin: Horatio is DedSec’s tactical coordinator. In addition to assisting with operations during missions, he provides critical assistance by gathering intel ahead of time.
Games in the Watch Dogs Series
Since the release of the first game in 2014, the Watch Dogs series has become one of Ubisoft’s flagship IP. In addition to three mainline titles the series has several multimedia tie-ins. Watch Dogs is expected to announce its next entry sometime in 2023, with a projected 2024 release. The games and expansions in the Watch Dogs series include:
- Watch Dogs (2014)
- Watch Dogs: Bad Blood (2014)
- Watch Dogs 2 (2016)
- Watch Dogs: Legion (2020)
- Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline (2021)
Watch Dogs 2 Cheats and Secrets
Previous versions of Watch Dogs 2 featured an exploit that allowed for easy money accumulation. However, this cheat has since been patched out in later versions. As a result, there are currently no official cheats for Watch Dogs 2. Still, there are some secret unlockables that players can acquire throughout their playthrough.
Watch Dogs 2 also used to have a cheat trainer available through WeMod, though moderators have taken it doww.
Unlockable Weapons
| Weapon | Unlock Criteria |
|---|---|
| Chrome Revolver | Stop 20 crimes |
| Destroyer Sniper Riffle | Stop 10 criminal convoys |
| Gangstar Tommy Gun | Scan every QR code |
| Spec Ops Goblin Assault Riffle | Complete weapons trade investigations |
| Wildfire Assault Riffle | Complete missing persons investigations |
Unique Vehicle Locations
| Vehicle | Location/Unlock Criteria |
|---|---|
| CHP-AAD | Complete the CyberDriver Main Operation |
| The Danger Mobile | Between two houses on an unnamed island near Yerba Buena Island |
| The Dangerzone | The underground garage across from Nudle. Use the RC Jumper to enter the vent |
| The Flip Wagon | In an alley near the Painted Ladies in San Francisco |
| The Mountain King | Near your safehouse in Oakland. Use the RC Jumper to go through the locked gate |
| The Nudle Car | Complete the Limp Nudle mission |
| The Rainbow Missile | In San Mateo near Silicon Valley. Distract the woman and the robot to unlock the red BLUME box |
| The Red Thunder | Near the Golden Gate Bridge lighthouse |
| The Wrecker | Port of Oakland. Use the Quadcopter to scan the shipping containers |
Gnome Outfit
Outside the seafood restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf is a secret vent. Enter it with the Jumper to find a hackable laptop. Successfully hacking the laptop reveals the general location of 10 collectible gnomes.
After tracking down all 10 gnomes in the table below, go to the nrothwest corner of the park near WKZ station. You should see a tent in the bushes. Send the Jumper inside the tent to get the gnome outfit. Once acquired, head to any clothing store and equip each part of the oufit (labeled ?! in the inventory).
| Gnome | Location |
|---|---|
| Gnome 1 | On a shelf in Papa B’s Pawn Shop in Tenderloin |
| Gnome 2 | In the doghouse outside the Tidis corporation shipping center |
| Gnome 3 | Atop the health store north of Embarcadero Center |
| Gnome 4 | In a wheelbarrow at the homeless camp south of Transbay Center |
| Gnome 5 | On top of the building with the unicorn mural near HAUM Data Center |
| Gnome 6 | On the top level of Transbay Center. Use the RC Jumper’s Enhanced Spring ability to access the walled-off area on the east side. |
| Gnome 7 | Atop the building across from Stache and Vine. |
| Gnome 8 | In the garden west of the Painted Ladies. |
| Gnome 9 | On the rooftop of Taqueria west of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. |
| Gnome 10 | In the tunnel between Lake Merritt and Blume Arena in Oakland. |
Watch Dogs 2 Cheat FAQs
Are there cheats in Watch Dogs 2?
There are no official cheats in Watch Dogs 2. The initial release of the game featured an infinite money glitch that has since been patched out.
What anti-cheat does Watch Dogs 2 use?
Ubisoft uses the Easy Anti-Cheat software. This software is designed to prevent cheating in games that feature multiplayer.