Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - A Criminal Past is a standalone Jensen’s Stories mission about Adam Jensen’s first TF29 operation, played as an undercover prison infiltration rather than a normal Prague hub chapter. The twist is immediate: Jensen starts inside a maximum-security prison for augmented felons with his usual advantages suppressed, so habits that worked in the base game can get you seen, trapped, or under-equipped.
Content warning: This Mature-rated sci-fi action DLC includes prison violence, strong language, drug references, alcohol use, and other adult themes. This guide keeps the discussion non-graphic and focused on stealth, routing, equipment, and mission choices.
The best first run is not about sprinting to every objective marker. Move like an inmate who has to survive a hostile facility: search cells, build a small tool kit, learn which actions count as suspicious, and decide early whether you want Jensen’s augmentations back or whether you are committing to the harder no-aug route.
Essential Tips
1. Treat Suppressed Augs as the Default Challenge
Do not assume Jensen can solve every problem with takedowns, hacking, cloak, or movement upgrades. A Criminal Past is built around the discomfort of losing that kit. Until you deliberately restore augmentations, plan around line of sight, passwords, codes, hidden paths, and tools you can carry.
That means your first minutes matter. Check nearby cells, read notes, and collect trade items before pushing deeper into the facility. If you have played the base campaign aggressively, slow down and rebuild your route discipline.
2. Decide What the Fixer Pill Means for This Run
The Fixer can offer a path back to your augmentations, but taking it changes the character of the mission. It can make takedowns and aug-driven movement more comfortable, while refusing it keeps the no-augmentation challenge intact.
Before accepting, decide whether you want a cleaner challenge run or a more flexible first clear. If you are achievement-minded, refusing the pill is the stricter route. If you mainly want to explore the prison systems, restoring aug access can reduce frustration.
3. Do Not Spend the Altered Biocell Casually
The altered biocell is not just another battery. Using it yourself can help Jensen, but handing it through the inmate route can change how later riot conditions play out and may reduce guard pressure in certain areas.
Pause before choosing. If your route depends on stronger inmate control later, giving it away can be smarter than treating it as personal power. If your route depends on Jensen’s own abilities, keeping it may feel better.
4. Search Cells Like They Are Supply Rooms
Cells are not empty decoration. Hidden panels, ceiling spots, and small stashes can hold trade goods, crafting parts, ammo, Neuropozyne, alcohol, weapons, and other useful items.
Your goal is not to hoard everything forever. Your goal is to leave Cell Block A with enough options: a Stun Gun or ammo for nonlethal control, at least one Multi-Tool if possible, and trade goods that can open better routes without forcing loud solutions.
5. Keep Multi-Tools Ready for No-Aug Play
Without hacking, locked doors and security devices become a bigger tax on your route. Multi-Tools let you bypass that gap, and crafting parts can become more valuable than they look.
Use them where they prevent a dangerous exposure, not on every convenience lock. A door watched by a camera, a keypad near guards, or a late security device can be worth the cost. A low-risk room with another route may not be.
6. Respect Prison Visibility Rules
The prison is not just hostile in combat. Actions that are normal in other Deus Ex areas can become suspicious here. Holding a weapon or Multi-Tool where guards can see it can trigger trouble, and stepping into restricted spaces without a plan can quickly collapse a stealth run.
Holster before crossing public spaces. Watch cameras before using keypads. If you need to enter a restricted room, wait for patrol gaps and know your exit before you open the door.
7. Use Disguise and Keycards as Route Multipliers
A General Access Keycard and the yellow B-block jumpsuit are both more than collectibles. Keycards open safer paths, and the jumpsuit can change how one prison block treats Jensen.
Think of them as ways to lower risk rather than as checklist items. If a path would otherwise require sneaking past cameras and guards, a card, vent, or clothing swap can turn a risky detour into a manageable route.
8. Use Stun Gun and EMP Tools Conservatively
The Stun Gun is your main nonlethal fallback when no-aug Jensen cannot perform normal takedowns. EMP ammo or device bypasses become more important as cameras, turrets, drones, and rooftop defenses enter the route.
Save these answers for problems that block progress or threaten a clean run. Stunning every guard you see can drain resources and create bodies to worry about. Disabling every device may leave you short when the mission escalates.
9. Read Pocket Secretaries Before Moving On
Pocket secretaries and notes often carry passwords, codes, route hints, and later objective hooks. A Criminal Past rewards slow inspection because prison navigation depends heavily on small pieces of information.
Read as you go instead of assuming you can reconstruct every clue later. This is especially important if you care about optional outcomes, document-based objectives, or avoiding needless Multi-Tool use.
10. Plan the Riot Phase Before It Starts
Choices around the altered biocell, inmate cooperation, and early route prep can make the later prison shift easier or harsher. Once the situation changes, you may have fewer calm opportunities to gather gear.
Before advancing major objectives, check your inventory, confirm you have a security answer, and make sure you understand your current disguise and access state. A few minutes of preparation can save repeated deaths in the tower and rooftop sections.
Early Prison Priorities
| Need | Best Early Habit | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Nonlethal control | Find and preserve Stun Gun resources | No-aug Jensen lacks normal takedowns |
| Locks and devices | Trade for or craft Multi-Tools | Hacking may be unavailable on strict routes |
| Safer movement | Collect keycards and route clues | Cards and codes reduce risky exposure |
| Block access | Use the right prisoner jumpsuit | Disguise can change restricted-space pressure |
| Later difficulty | Choose pill and biocell outcomes deliberately | Early decisions can reshape later danger |
Start with survival infrastructure. The first block gives you time to search, trade, and learn the prison’s rules. Do not waste that calm window by chasing the main contact with empty pockets.
Stealth and Security Habits
| Situation | Safer Response | Risk If Ignored |
|---|---|---|
| Guard watching a keypad | Wait, use cover, or spend a Multi-Tool | Suspicion or alarm |
| Public walkway | Keep weapons and tools hidden | Hostile reaction |
| Camera-covered room | Study the sweep before entering | Alert chain into guards |
| Locked route with a vent nearby | Check the vent before spending tools | Wasted bypass resources |
| Turret or drone section | Save EMP or Multi-Tool answers | Forced combat under pressure |
| Cell block search | Look high, low, and behind panels | Missed trade goods and ammo |
Move in short, deliberate steps. A Criminal Past is more forgiving when you stop treating each room as a straight line and start treating it as a small stealth puzzle with supplies attached.
Route Choice Planning
Your first big route question is whether to play strict no-aug. If you choose that path, build your whole run around tools, stealth, codes, and nonlethal weapons. Praxis kits and aug upgrades become less important than items that open doors or disable threats.
If you restore augmentations, do not become careless. You may gain more mobility or takedown options, but the prison still punishes visible weapons, restricted access, and noisy routing. Augs expand your choices; they do not erase the facility’s rules.
For a first clear, the most practical mindset is flexible stealth. Avoid kills, avoid unnecessary alarms, gather tools, and make reversible choices when possible. Save achievement-perfect routing for a later pass once you know how the prison changes after the riot.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Do not take the Fixer pill without deciding your run goal - It can help, but it changes no-aug planning.
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Do not use the altered biocell just because it is available - Its route consequences can matter more than the immediate boost.
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Do not walk around with a weapon or Multi-Tool in view - Guards can treat visible gear as a hostile act.
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Do not skip cell searches in the opening block - Hidden stashes can solve later tool, ammo, and trade problems.
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Do not spend Multi-Tools on low-risk doors - Save bypasses for watched locks and dangerous security devices.
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Do not ignore the yellow B-block jumpsuit - The right outfit can make a whole block safer to cross.
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Do not treat vents as optional scenery - Vents often provide the cleanest path around cameras and guards.
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Do not burn Stun Gun shots on avoidable patrols - Nonlethal ammo is more valuable when a route truly collapses.
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Do not rush into later objectives under-equipped - The tower, solitary route, and rooftop defenses demand preparation.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Run Setup | Decide early between no-aug challenge and restored flexibility |
| Fixer Choice | Treat the pill as a route decision, not a free upgrade |
| Biocell | Consider later prison consequences before using it yourself |
| Gear | Prioritize Stun Gun resources, Multi-Tools, and trade items |
| Stealth | Hide weapons and tools around guards |
| Navigation | Use keycards, vents, codes, and disguise to lower risk |
| Security | Save EMP and bypass options for dangerous devices |
| Preparation | Stock up before the riot and tower sections |
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6 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - A Criminal Past.
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