The Raccoonus

Lore & Background

In the world of Sly Cooper, the Raccoonus is treated as a legendary relic of a forgotten civilization, its massive raccoon form carved from a single piece of pale stone and set into the heart of a temple that predates any known kingdom. The Thieves' Guild, a shadowy consortium of master thieves, has spent the course of the game assembling a collection of such artifacts, and the Raccoonus is the prize they consider the crown jewel of their trove.

The temple itself is a labyrinth of crumbling corridors, elevated walkways, and open courtyards where the jungle has begun to reclaim the architecture. Vines drape over broken columns, and the air is thick with dust and the hum of Guild security systems bolted onto the ancient stonework. The Raccoonus stands at the deepest chamber, its hollow chest cavity hinting at whatever power the Guild believes it holds.

For Sly and the gang, the heist is not merely a job but a moral reckoning: take the artifact, deny the Guild their final piece, and prevent them from completing whatever endgame they have planned. The scale of the mission—its length, its variety of traversal challenges, and the density of enemy presence—marks it as the most demanding set-piece in the trilogy.

In Their Own Story

The temple groaned as Sly's weight shifted on the moss-slicked ledge. Below, a corridor of broken pillars stretched into amber lamplight, and somewhere past the third arch, the Raccoonus waited—its stone eyes catching the glow like two dull moons. Bentley's voice crackled through the earpiece, counting down the guard rotation. Bandit's wings whispered against the ceiling beams overhead. Sly pressed his palm flat against the cool stone, felt the faint vibration of the Guild's machinery humming beneath the floor, and leapt. The drop was longer than he'd estimated. The net caught him a half-second before the ground did. He rolled, came up, and was already running.

Reader's Guide

Target: The Raccoonus, a giant raccoon-shaped artifact seated in the deepest chamber of the temple. The heist is the final mission of Sly Cooper and the Thieves' Guild and is structurally the longest and most layered set-piece in the game.

Obstacles: The temple is divided into several distinct zones connected by elevated walkways, drop-shots, and climbing sections. Thieves' Guild guards patrol in predictable but overlapping patterns, and environmental hazards—collapsing floor tiles, swinging pendulum-like obstacles, and narrow beam sections—force careful route planning. The density of enemies increases as you push deeper toward the artifact chamber.

Story arc: This heist is the culmination of the game's narrative. Every prior mission has built toward denying the Guild their final relic. Completing it resolves the central conflict.

What makes it tricky: The combination of vertical traversal (ropes, ziplines, and drop-shots) with simultaneous stealth and combat keeps the player switching modes constantly. The final approach to the Raccoonus itself requires a short gauntlet that tests timing under pressure.

Alternate approaches: The temple's layout allows multiple routes between key waypoints. Skilled players can bypass certain guard-heavy corridors by taking higher or lower paths, reducing the number of enemies they must deal with. Collecting all hidden targets (bounties, collectibles, and optional challenges) rewards thorough exploration of side chambers and elevated ledges that are easy to miss on a straight-through run.

Did You Know?

• The Raccoonus heist is the final mission of Sly Cooper and the Thieves' Guild, making it the narrative and mechanical climax of the game.
• The Thieves' Guild, the antagonist faction in this title, is a collective of master thieves rather than a single villain, distinguishing it from the Bankov or Clockwerk antagonists of the other two trilogy entries.
• Sly Cooper and the Thieves' Guild was developed by Sucker Punch Productions, the same studio behind Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and the earlier trilogy entries.
• The temple setting contrasts sharply with the urban and industrial locales of the game's earlier heists, shifting the tone toward ancient-ruin exploration.