How to save Singh in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's first mission, Black Market Buy

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided starts you off with a nice array of augments and some gear, but that might not help you save your buddy Singh.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided begins with a mission called Black Market Buy, in which our hero Adam Jensen takes part in an Interpol sting on some baddies holed up in an abandoned hotel construction site in Dubai.

At the end of the mission, the deal goes south even if you complete the optional objective to take out the signal booster, because a bunch of aug terrorists arrive. A firefight breaks out and the undercover agent at the heart of the operation, Singh, is placed at great risk.

If you're taking the lethal route this is an opportunity to go in guns blazing, but for non-lethal and stealth players it can be a tricky business - even with the cover of the sandstorm. How do you dispatch enough enemies to ensure Singh's survival without putting yourself in the middle of a huge firefight you're ill-equipped to win?

I probably spent about 15 minutes trying different approaches, seeing Singh die over and over as I picked my way towards him or collapsing as I fought alongside him, before I realised there's a really, really easy way to complete this mission and the optional objective.

All you have to do is use an Icarus Strike to (non-lethally) knock out the guard below you as you jump down into the arena, and then immediately crouch and run left. When you reach the edge of the arena turn and continue onwards along the wall - moving around in a clockwise direction around the area, in other words.

As you stick to the far wall and keep advancing you'll quickly come level with the helicopter. Stay behind cover and approach the hatch; it's on the same side as you, at the opposite end of the chopper from the entrance you used to drop down into the arena. Interact twice with the hatch to sabotage the chopper.

If you're quick you'll do this well before Singh bites it, and if you're lucky (or clever) the enemies will never even spot you, earning the Ghost trophy or achievement for your pains.

This is a really nice illustration of how easy it is to overthink stealth in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. If you're focused on clearing out baddies and collecting umpteen bottles of beer, you might miss opportunities to make a quick, decisive action and hit your targets without fuss.

You can play Deus Ex: Mankind Divided however you like, but it's worth remembering that there's almost always an alternate way through obstacles if your usual favoured tactics aren't working out.