Bottle Collecting

Lore & Background

In *Sly 2: Band of Thieves*, the Cooper Gang—Sly, Bentley, and Murray—use clue bottles as a method to unlock safes hidden in each hub world. The bottles are scattered across the environment, often tucked away in corners, on rooftops, or behind destructible objects. Once all clue bottles in a hub are collected, the combination to that world's safe is revealed. Opening the safe grants a special upgrade for one of the characters. This system ties exploration directly to character progression, rewarding players who thoroughly search each hub. The bottles are part of Bentley's planning, ensuring the gang has access to enhanced abilities as they take on the Klaww Gang members—Dimitri in Paris, Jean-Bison in Canada, Rajan in India, Arpeggio in London, and the Contessa in Prague.

In Their Own Story

Sly crouched on a Parisian rooftop, the Eiffel Tower glowing in the distance. Bentley's voice crackled through the earpiece. 'Sly, I've marked another clue bottle on your map—behind that stack of crates near the nightclub.' Sly nodded, dropping silently to the street. He crept past a pair of wild boar guards, their tusks gleaming, and smashed the bottle against his palm. A soft chime confirmed the collect. 'That's twenty-three,' Bentley said. 'Only seven more in this district, and we'll have the safe combination.' Sly grinned, already scanning for the next glint of glass. Each bottle brought him closer to a new power-up—something that might give him the edge against Dimitri and his counterfeit operation.

Reader's Guide

In *Sly 2: Band of Thieves*, clue bottles are hidden in each of the five hub worlds: Paris, Canada, India, London, and Prague. Each hub contains a set number of clue bottles (typically 30 per world). They emit a faint glow and a chime when you are near, making them easier to locate. Smashing a bottle adds it to your total for that hub. Once you collect every clue bottle in a hub, the combination to that world's safe is automatically revealed. Opening the safe grants a special upgrade for one of the three characters—Sly, Bentley, or Murray. These upgrades enhance abilities such as stealth, technology, or strength. To find all bottles, explore every area of the hub: climb pipes, check behind destructible boxes and tables, and use each character's unique abilities. Bentley can use his sleep-dart crossbow to clear guards, Murray can smash obstacles, and Sly can pickpocket keys or use his cane to reach high ledges. The bottles are a key part of the game's freeform exploration, rewarding thoroughness with tangible character improvements.

Did You Know?

• In *Sly 2: Band of Thieves*, clue bottles are used to unlock safes that grant special upgrades, a change from the first game where power-ups were found directly in safes.
• Each hub world in *Sly 2* contains a set of clue bottles; collecting all of them reveals the safe's combination automatically.
• The clue bottles are part of the game's freeform design, allowing players to explore the hub world and loot from guards even when not on a mission.
• Bentley, the brains of the Cooper Gang, often comments on your progress as you collect bottles, reinforcing his role as the mission planner.
• The safe unlocked by clue bottles can contain upgrades that enhance each character's unique abilities—stealth for Sly, technology for Bentley, and brawn for Murray.