I choose to start a new game on normal difficulty.
Mission 1
A text message on the loading screen tells me that my character is returning from a mission to other nations, asking for help with a plague of rats. I have to speak to the Empress, who I serve as Lord Protector.
The main character is called Corvo. I start being lowered in a small boat from a large one. A man tells the driver of the boat to take me to Dunwall tower. I can see the large white castle, which must be said Dunwall tower. There is also a large boat which appears to be a whaling ship, as it is transporting a whale. The boat enters a lock and we rise up a vertical shaft. A bridge is lowered and I am not free to move. A marker appears telling me that I must go and see the Empress. Corvo has been sent away for six months and the plague has been getting worse. Some seem to think that it was odd that the Lord Protector was sent away at this time of crisis. I leave the lock house and a young girl rushes up to Corvo. she is obviously close to him. Her name is Emily, she is the daughter of the Empress. The Empress is speaking to someone called the Spymaster. Emily wants to have a game of hide and seek. I play it with her and am challenged to hide. I can now press B to enter stealth mode. Which makes me crouch and my footsteps are muffled.
A man called Campbell the High Overseer is being painted by Sokolov. He appears to think he has a cure for the plague. I then come to a garden and find the Empress.
The Spymaster appear to be asking the Empress to abandon some of the people to their fate.
When I get to the empress, I give her a letter. The letter brings bad news. The other countries are not going to give any aid, in fact they will blockade to keep the plague away from them.
Emily notices that there are men on the roof, the Empress sees the guards have gone. Black clad figures appear, approaching across the rooftops using some kind of short hop teleportation. I am charged with fighting them. I can shoot my pistol with the left trigger. Swing my sword with the right. The right bumper blocks with the sword. I attack the enemies and they vanish. Suddenly an enemy appears and uses some kind of force beam to Hold Corvo immobile. The men kill the Empress and kidnap Emily. Corvo is allowed to move again, he holds the Empress in his arms, she tells him to save Emily before dying. When Corvo looks up the guards, Spymaster and High Overseer have arrived. They think the Corvo has killed the Empress, he is sent to jail.
Mission 2
Coldridge Prison
Six months have passed, Corvo is to be executed, he is in Coldridge Prison. The High Overseer and spymaster are torturing Covro, in order to get him to sign a confession. He won't they drop the pretence and it turns out the they are the ringleaders of the plot. Corvo was not meant to be there, however, he can take the blame for the Empress's murder. Corvo is put back in his cell, a guard gives him a meal, that is said to be from a friend. Under the bread is a note and a key. The note is from a friend, no name is given. Corvo's escape has been set up by this friend. The note tells us there is a weapon outside the cell. It tells Corvo to head for the interrogation room where he will find a bomb that will break him out of the outer doors. Corvo must then head for the sewers and hide.
I use the key and leave the cell, a blade is found across the corridor. I can take out guards lethally or non-lethally. The message is clear, dead bodies will cause more plague and lead to a negative ending. There are three guards in the next room. One is moving on a looping pattern. I render them all unconscious and loot them. I can now move on, I am told I can lean around corners using Y and not be seen by guards doing so. I find a pistol in the next room. I am now shown how to climb up ledges by pressing A next to them. I find food and health items. I come to a door which has a keyhole. I can look through to see a guard next door. This guard has a key to the walkway door, which is nearby. I knock out a guard on the walkway and find myself near the interrogation room. The interrogation room is empty, it is where I was tortured earlier by the High Overseer and Spymaster.
There is an audio graph here which tells of Corvo's torture. I find the explosive in an unlocked safe. I must now plant it in at the outer door. I head through the yard and stealth knock out two more guards in the yard. Then into the control room where there are three more guards to deal with. I can now open a gate that leads to the outer door. Two more guards in this room the I can plant the bomb. It goes off in six seconds and I have to run clear. I now have to jump from the bridge outside the bomb made hole into the water. I then have to make for the sewer entrance and get inside the sewer.
Mission 3
Dunwall Sewers
In the sewer there is graffiti that tells me the outsider walks among us. Whoever he is, I assume we will find out soon. I am tasked with finding a supply chest in the sewers. Just inside the sewer a note tells us that we must now find the supply chest and then find Samuel who will bring us to the note writer. I can't pass a locked door and am forced to find another way. I climb some boxes onto a grate above the sewer floor. I see two guards being attacked by a mob of rats. They are eaten in under a minute, leaving nothing but their swords. I drop back down past the rats and then move into a larger sewer, more rats can be seen eating another body. I use the water to swim past the rats. I find two lovers who have died of plague down in the sewers. The elixir that Anton Sokolov made is mentioned as if it was keeping them alive and has run out. I move on and find a large wheel that opens a gate. Here workers are throwing plague bodies down to be eaten by the rats. A wheel is nearby that opens the gate I need to pass through. The rats are in the way. I need to distract them with bodies. Bodies can be thrown and they will attract the rats away from the wheel. I run past them and open the gate and escape. I climb up a chain and find the box of supplies surrounded by dead bodies. There is a note, inside the box a new crossbow and sword. There is a key to the locked door which I need to pass through to progress.
There are tripwires here which trigger arrow traps. I learn how to drop assassinate. I then pass through more sewer and find the exit. There is a man with a boat waiting, the promised Samuel. I go with him on his boat.
Mission 4
The hounds pit pub
Samuel takes us to an old dock where the Loyalists have set up base. I enter a pub called the Hound Pits. I meet Admiral Havelock and Lord Pendleton, they want to find Emily and crown her Empress. Killing the Empress' murders is also a priority. I am told to go to a weapon maker and then get some sleep in preparation of coming work.
I go outside and find Piero the weapon maker in the workshop next to the pub. He wants me to fetch him a barrel of whale oil to fix him machine. Books in Piero's workshop suggest that he and Sokolov have a connection, at least of going to the same school. An audio graph talks about whale oil which is used for energy. Piero it seems is a bit of a mad scientist and not above human experiments. I find the oil container and take it back to the machine. Piero is working on a mask which he fits to Corvo's face. I can buy upgrades from Piero. I am given a choice of keeping on looking around or going to sleep. I choose to sleep.
Mission 5
I wake up in an attic room, I open the room door and find that everything is far from normal outside. There is broken up scenery and floating islands of landscape. It is as if the world has exploded, leaving blue sky in the gaps and then frozen solid. I walk onto a plateau and a man in black appears. This place is called the void, the end and the beginning of all things. He calls himself the outsider and tells Corvo that he is to play a pivotal role in the outcome of future events. The outsider has chosen Corvo for his mark, which appears on the back of Corvo's hand. This will allow Corvo to use magic. The first power granted him is the short distance teleport that the enemies used when attacking the Empress. Did the Outsider give those powers to them as well?
My first use of the blink power to cross a gap brings me to the Empress' dead body. A letter repeats you cannot save her over and over. On the next island I find a frozen tableau with Emily being dragged away by two identical men. She has a letter which tells us that she has been told that Corvo is dead. She does not believe and wishes that Crovo would come and rescue her. On the next island is the Spymaster, he seems angry about his war plans. next some people being attacked by floating robotic spider like entities. I find the Outsider again, he tells Corvo that there are runes hidden in the normal world, which will give Corvo new powers. He gives him a mechanical heart which can be used to help find these powers. I am tasked with finding the first rune in the void. I follow the heart beat and marker to the rune and pick it up. I am told that I can collect runes to increase my magic powers, basically a skill tree. I buy dark vision, which allows me to see people through walls. The outsider tells Corvo that he is sending him back to the normal world. He tells him that it is Corvo's choice as to how he uses the gifts the Outsider has bestowed. The Outsider will be watching.
Mission 6
I wake in the attic room, this time for real. I am tasked with speaking to Havelock. There is also a rune nearby which I can use the heart to find. I speak to Havelock, he wants us to find Emily, though to do this we must do some difficult work. We are tasked with killing the High Overseer. A journal he owns may contain the location that they are keeping Emily. A side mission is give, to rescue a captured loyalist. I find some new NPC's in the bar, Wallace, Callista and Cecelia. Callista wants us to protect her uncle who is a guard, though an honest one. She thinks that the High Overseer is going to kill her uncle. She wants us to save him. The heart will tells us the characters secrets.
Distillery district
Samuel takes us to the distillery district. I try the heart here and find that there are two runes and two bone charms. There are civilians among the guards. They don't attack, and some have optional missions. I knock a few of them unconscious before I realize they are helpful, oops. Granny rags is an old mad bird lady, she has guards bothering her. I have to take care of them. She gives me a key and it opens a door leading to a rune. The outsider tells me granny rags used to be rich and powerful, but made wrong choices. The looters are at her door, three of them. It is hard to take them out stealthily as they are close together. I can't prevent the last one hearing me take the men out stealthily. I have to kill him with my sword. Granny Rags gives me another mission, to break into a Doctors Office and steal some poison, so as to deal with the thugs at their source. I head for the office. I find two men guarding a room, I take them out stealthily and find a man called Griff they were keeping captive. He will trade with me if I want.
Galvani's surgery
I enter the doctor, who is named Galvani's office. Inside the mansion there are guards. Three on the bottom floor. Upstairs a maid talks to a guard captain. I can't seem to sneak past them and find a way to stealth knock them out. I use sleeping darts, which it seems are costly in mission. I find my way into Galvani's lab, he is working on a cure. He seems to think the plague rats have been introduced to the city deliberately. Hidden behind a fake bookcase is the plague rat sample that we need. The safe in Galvani's room is opened with the combination 287, which is the date of Sokolov's birth, it seems they were friends. I now have to make my way past electric arc weapon gates, which are guards and also impassable. I must make my way around. I can do this by going through the distillery run by the thug gang. Which is part of Granny Rag's quest. There are around six guards in here and it's hard to clear them all out without killing anyone. I manage it, poison the still then head back to Granny Rags to claim another rune. Now it's time to get on with the main mission.
Holger Square
I have to find my way around the second light wall, which is harder to negotiate than the first. There is a side street down below the light wall, it is guarded by thugs, though fairly easy to slip past them without incident. I find the city watch on the other side of the light wall and send them all to sleep. I move on to a new map area, Holger Square.
In the square a lone guard is tending a man in stocks. I knock out the guard and find Martin, who I think is Callista's uncle. I set him free. He tells us that Campbell is here to meet with Martin and poison him. We have to try and make sure that Martin isn't poisoned. I climb the gates in the square and enter a guard post. I deal with some guards and avoid others. I can go down into the sewers to evade guards here and move further on. I find the kennels and meet the hounds, which are vicious looking dogs. I find a locked door in here with a combination lock. One of the notes tell me the code is from the seven strictures, which are handily in a cage with some dead civilians. The code is 217. I find some loot and weapons under a pile of dead dogs. I move on, into the High Overseer's office.
High Overseer's office
I see a bust, with an odd eye, I press the eye and a door to a secret room opens up. I find an audio graph in which the high overseer tells us that Emily is being held in a place that he enjoys visiting twice a week. I move on, into the large hallways of the overseer building. An overseer can be heard telling civilians about the Outsider, and how to spot his influence. It seems that the main regime's religion is all about the stamping out of magic and the Outsider. The offices are large, I sneak around taking out as many guards as I can. The civilians don't seem to do much other than kneel and pray. I find out about a ritual which can excommunicate an overseer, even the high one. I think this may be an alternate method of dealing with him. I find a book in the library which tells me that the brand ritual is done in the office's interrogation room, a special brand is applied to the forehead and that person is treated as a heretic by the order from that point on. This will obviously put a crimp in the High Overseer's job prospects. I go to the interrogation room and find the brand. I go to the office. Inside are two glasses waiting for the guests. One is poisoned for Curnow. I smash the poisoned glass. There is the option to switch them so that the High overseer is killed by his own poison. I am trying for the non lethal method. The pair enter, Capmbell is angered that the glass is smashed, he leads Curnow out again. I take the chance to knock Curnow out, then take out Campbell and make him unconscious. I take him to the interrogation chair and brand him. This completes the mission. I now have to escape the area with Samuel on his boat. On the way out I find a guard and his sister. The overseer is telling the guard that the sister is a witch. I save him by knocking out the overseer. He thanks me and tells me the combination to a safe in the bunk house, it is 203. I get the backyard gate key from an overseer I knock out. There are some abandoned houses, in which the overseers barracks are also situated. I move through them stealthily and make my way back to Samuel.
Mission 7
Hounds pits
Back to the hound pits we go. I meet Callista, who seems to think her uncle died, I knocked him out, maybe that is as good as killing in the games logic. I meet with Havelock and Pendleton. They will look at Campbell's book and try and work out where Emily is. I have to go to bed to progress the story. When I wake I have to find Havelock. I find him outside at a drain cover. There have been noises in the sewers. Havelock thinks it may be weepers, which are plague victims in the last stages of the disease. He wants us to investigate, to make sure the guards aren’t about to swarm out of the sewers and attack. I am given the sewer key. In the sewer two zombie like plague victims are knocked out with sleeping darts. I then go and speak to Havelock. Martin is there, the man I saved. They tell Corvo that Emily is being held at a brothel called the Cat house. She is being guarded by two people called Morgan and Custiss Pendleton. Brothers of our friendly Pendleton. Pendleton wants to speak to me before I leave for the cat house. He tells me that much as he hates his brothers it still pains him to order their deaths. It will be necessary though as they are loyal to the enemy and will vote against Pendleton in parliament. If they are out of the way it will make things much easier.
Distillery district
I am back at the distillery district, I was hoping for a new area. Things are different however, I am told to speak to the distillery thugs, I took them all out last time and poisoned their still. I hope I haven't screwed things up. There is a large emplaced gun device shooting at people on the pier. I head for the distillery and find thugs waiting for me, not to fight, but to talk. I head into the meeting with their leader named Slackjaw. I head back into the distillery and speak with Slackjaw. He will help us get into the Cat House if we do him a favor. Galvani has been killing his men for some reason. If I find out and stop him Slackjaw will help us. When I go back outside there are weepers loose. This is a direct result of our poisoning the elixir earlier, these are Slackjaws men who have taken it and become weepers.
Galvani's house second visit
I head towards Galvani's house. Three assassins appear from nowhere using similar powers to Corvo and attack. I use sleep darts on them. Inside Galvani's house it is much as I left it. There are two guards in the lobby and none on the second floor. My objective is on the third floor and there are two guards up there. I knock them out and then find an audio graph beside the body of one of Slackjaw's men. I now have to take this back to Slackjaw. I give him the man's audio graph. He tells us that someone wants to take over the distillery. Crowley, the man dies before he can tell us who it is. Slackjaw keeps his bargain, and gives us a key to the hotel next to the cathouse. We can use it to get inside the cathouse more easily. Slackjaw tells us that he will do us another favor if we do yet another for him. He tells us that he will get rid of the Pendleton's without killing them. This obviously plays into the whole not being a killer ethic. I decide to try it. An art dealer called Bunting will be at the cathouse party tonight. If we get the combination to Bunting's safe and give it to Slackjaw, he will make sure that the Pendleton's are unhurt and also not able to be any more trouble to our plans. I don't know what he has on them, but it must be good blackmail.
Hotel
I agree. Time to head for the hotel. I meet Granny Rags again, she has a new abode. No new missions at the moment though. I find a door for the golden cat at her new area, though I don't have a key. I move through bottle street. Heading for the hotel. I find two guards stealing elixir from a woman. I save her by knocking them out with sleep darts. She gives me a key to Buntings shop. I find the hotel door and sneak inside past the guards.In the hotel is a bone charm, and not a lot else. I find a door to the Golden cat. This is a whole new large map area.
The Golden cat
The Golden cat is a palatial sprawl, a mixture of eastern and english architecture. I see an open window and it looks like the best way in. I sneak up some stairs once inside and find Emily quite by accident. She tells me that she will wait by a door that is used to get VIP guests in and out. I have to meet her there when I finish. I am glad this isn't turning into an escort mission. I move down stairs and find the Madam, named Prudence in her office. I knock her out and get the key I need. I now have to find Bunting and get his combination. In the office is a ledger that shows me where the Pendleton's are in the brothel, should I wish to just kill them. Time to find the art dealer Bunting.
I make my way to the room he is in, sneaking past prostitutes and guards alike. I find the art dealer in a dungeon like room, strapped to a chair, seems he is into receiving electric shocks. He is manacled to the chair. He wants to play inquisitions. He tells us secrets about the Pendleton's, he has been cheating them on their art collection. He uses his safe word and asks that we call the servants to take him home. I shock him some more and he asks what we want. I ask for the safe combination. It is 879. I sneak back to the VIP exit where Emily is waiting. I open it with the key I got from the madam and she leaves to go wait at the boat for me. I now have to return to Slackjaw with the combination. When I do he tells me his plans. He is going to capture the Pendleton's, cut out their tongue and make them slaves in their own mines. I return to the boat and it is back to the hound pits with Emily and Samuel.
The Hound pits, third round.
At the dock, Callista and a few of the others are waiting to welcome Emily. Callista is going to be Emily's guardian. She takes her to see her room. Corvo is met by Havelock. Havelock congratulates Corvo on good work, he tells him that Pendleton wants to see him. Pendleton is horrified at his brothers fate, though it is a necessity. I now have to speak with Havelock and Martin again. The next target is the Lord regent. To get to him we need to find his mistress. Using his Mistress we can get close to the Lord Regent. Sokolov has painted the Mistress and will know more about her. We must get to Sokolov to get to the Mistress. I head to Samuel and it's off to the Kaldwin's Bridge area.
Kaldwin's Bridge
Southside Gate
Samuel tells us that he can meet us closer to Sokolov's house if we manage to turn off floodlights that are under the bridge. The bridge is a massive structure with houses on top of it. I progress up the dock, past the guards and into a warehouse. A door is locked and needs a key, which isn't far away up some stairs. A cart is held behind a door and a switch seems to open the door and move the cart. A socket for whale oil looks like it needs to be filled. The whale oil handily, is above the cart on a shelf. Inserting the whale oil opens the gate. Pulling the lever makes the cart go back and forth. I go back down to the locked door and open it with the warehouse key. I come out onto an area of open bridge that is fairly heavily guarded. The cart would take you across in style and stealth. I decide to explore as there is a rune here. I have to climb a chain on the outside of the bridge edge to get to it. I move on past the guards and leave this area by a gate.
Drawbridge spotlights.
I sneak into a nearby house, which seems the best way to go. I find a man named Pratchett. I knock him out and loot his house. He has a safe. The combination is hidden in a note in his bedroom, you have to look at the paintings in the house to get the combination. The ship has a 7. The slaughterhouse a 3. The streets have a four. Making the combination, 473. There is a rune and two hundred coins inside. In the next building I find a shrine to the outsider and a rune. A man there is not happy to see me, he is named mad survivor. I take the rune and the Outsider appear. He tells me that Sokolov is trying to control the Outsider, performing rituals to force him to appear to him. I move on and come to a heavily guarded area. There is an electric weapons of some kind. I see guards fighting with two of Slackjaw's men and winning. The arc weapons shoot lighting at anyone who comes close. I come to the drawbridge, which is up. I need to get across, however, arc pylons are in the way of getting up to the higher areas of the bridge. I sneak past the guards and follow the cable to the whale oil tanks that are powering the arc pylons. Taking the tank out means I can sneak up a chain to the gantry above. For here it is an easy matter to cross the bridge and find the two whale oil tanks that disable the spotlights. Now Samuel will be able to bring the boat closer. Sokolov's house is nearby, I move on towards it and enter a new area.
Midrow Powerstation.
Another guard laden area, Sokolov's house is protected by high fences and an electric gate. I can sneak so far towards the door, however a large spinning wheel is in the way of getting any further. The control to switch it off in in guard post above. This allows you in to the whale oil tank that is powering the light wall. I then sneak past and into the house of Sokolov. There is a brewery just before Sokolov's house and I rescue a survivor trapped by rats in the basement. I kill the rats with my sword. She seems to think that the bone charm nearby brought the rats in. I move on to Skolov's door.
North End.
Another large area. I find an empty house and move through, then some ruined houses. I hear guards talking about experimenting on civilians. There appears to be some civilians held in a cell, the door make of a light wall. I let them out and they run for it, distracting the guards. I make good on that and sneak further ahead. I find Sokolov's house. It is a massively augmented structure, like a small fortress. It is well guarded and Arc pylon at the door. I will need to find another way in or disable it. There looks to be a way into the roof.There isn't. I try below and there is a way to sneak in under the water. I find myself in the cellar and quickly make my way up to the higher floors. This is a vast room, with some smaller rooms built in the middle of the bigger area. I sneak past maid in a library type area. I climb onto the roof of the smaller rooms and sneak past an arc wall. I find a lab type area. There are notes suggesting that some of the rats may not be local, they have been brought from a place called Pandyssia. I climb higher and find Sokolov's private lab. I listen at the keyhole and find that Sokolov is experimenting with a woman in the lab. I have to abduct Sokolov, so shooting him with a sleep dart does the trick. I let the woman out of her cage, but according to Sokolov's audio graph she only has a day to live. It isn't spelt out, but reading between the lines suggests that Sokolov is working to make the plague worse rather than cure it. I pick him up, now I have to take him to the boat. I can still use blink while carrying Sokolov, which makes it fairly easy to escape to a nearby derelict building and down to Samuel who is waiting under the bridge.
The hound pits fourth time.
It is time for bed. I look around, there is an apartment nearby with a bone charm. I can't get in. Cecelia has the key, she say it is under her bunk, but I can't find it. I go to bed. When I wake Emily is in the room. I let her stay. Time to head for Sokolov and the interrogation. A new door at the Hound Pit's opens, this is the reason for the name. The place it seems was used for dog fighting. There is a large cage with machines that allow dogs to be put inside then when a lever pulled the doors open letting the dogs see each other and fight. There are rats in the machines. If I open them they will kill Sokolov. Havelock tells him as much and asks for the name of the Mistress. Sokolov is playing dumb. I am given a choice, to set some rats on Sokolov or try and bribe him. I am told to speak to Piero. I find him spying on Callista in the bath. I enter the bathroom and Callista is there having a bath. I have the option of leaving like a gentleman or chatting her up. It doesn't work, she likes Corvo, but isn't in the mood due to circumstances. I go and find Piero again and he offers to sell me brandy that Sokolov likes. I would have thought under the circumstances that I shouldn’t have had to buy the brandy. I take it back to Sokolov. He tells us that the mistress is named Lady Boyle, though he never saw her face, she wore a mask. There are a few lady Boyles it seems. Sokolov tells us that there is a masked ball tonight. She will be there. Seems we are off to the ball. Pendleton asks Corvo to give a note to a man named Shaw at the party.
The Boyle Estate
As we arrive at the party, a large stilt walker type machine named a tall boy can be seen blowing up people who are out after curfew. There is a large building where the part is being held. Boyle mansion presumably. It has high walls and many guards. Two tall boys are patrolling and killing weepers which are heading for the party. I cut down the side of the wall and find a way to climb up using the next building. I make my way over the wall and into the party. Once inside the party the guards don't challenge me, as I am a masked man and look like all the rest of the guest. I enter the house. Inside the party I can wander at will listening to the guest. The three Boyle sisters are in evidence. All wearing the same costume, just in different colors. I try and find Lord Shaw, the man that Pendleton gave me a note for. I find him in the garden, he does not seem pleased to get the note. He calls Pendleton a lying sack of shit. He challenges me to a duel. I accept, though I use the sleep darts. The game doesn't seem to care. The result is the same. A woman named Mrs. White asks us to get her a drink. I am directed to a drink fountain. On giving her the drink she tells us the identity of two of the Boyle sisters. Lydia Boyle is in black. Waverly Boyle is in red. A man called Brisby is a friend of Pendletons. He wants us to knock out Esma Boyle, the lady in white. She is Brisby's lover and he wants her safely out of the picture. I have to knock her out and take her to the basement. I sneak upstairs to the bedroom and Find that Esma Boyle is the mistress. Seems that Brisby is sharing her with the High regent. I find a key to Dunwall Tower that the High Regent has given Esma. All that seems left to do is to knock out Emsa and get her to the basement. How to do that in the middle of the party is the hard part. I speak to Esma and I am given a dialogue tree that ends in her going to the cellar, thinking that we are saving her, which we are in a way. It is now time to leave, though there is a lot more to do at the party. I find a store in the basement which has a rune in it. I need a key to get in though. I go in search of the remaining Boyle sisters. Maybe they will have the keys on them that I can pickpocket. There is a light wall blocking some stairs. The power cord leads to a cupboard, which is also locked. The guard has the key on his belt. I pickpocket him and open the cupboard and take out the whale oil. This powers off the light wall. Upstairs I find Lydia's room and take her valuables and the key to the basement. I go down and loot it and take the rune. Time to leave now it seems. I head for Samuel and the boat. He has moved, Though not far.
Hounds Pit fifth time.
As I arrive, Samuel tells us to check in with Pendleton. I do, he gives me a rune for upholding his honor in the duel. I am to speak with Havelock. He tells me that it is time to strike against the Lord regent. I am to go to Dunwall tower and kill him. He has lost his financial backup in lady Boyle. He has lost his political support in the Pendleton twins. He has lost control of the Overseers as well after Campbell was disgraced. He has nothing but a fortress full of guards. Who are primed waiting for Corvo to come and get him. So we do the obvious and go and get him. I find Callista in the bar, Emily is hiding from her. I go and find her by the tower, she gives me a rune for the trouble. It looks like it is time to go and finish this. I head for the boat and Samuel.
Dunwall Tower
Samuel takes me to the lock where we entered from the first time we came here. There is an alternate route. The Lord Regent is said to have built a heavily guarded safe house in an hard to reach tower. He will flee there if we set of any alarms. I try and find another way up, but can't. Climbing up the lock seems to be the only way in. I clamber my way up and find guards at the top. A small pipe area leads to a large pipe running outside the walls, which lets me sneak past the guards there more easily. I climb along the pipe and find a tall boy patrolling the area where Emily and I played hide and seek the first time. Some new scaffold and gates have been built, which just give us something to use to get up high above the guards. I sneak along the side of the scaffolds and around a light wall. I come to a grate and enter the inner area.
Dunwall tower inner area.
As i enter this large open opulent area I see the Lord Regent speaking to his underlings on a video screen. He wants to sleep in his normal bed, which is comfier than his safe room. This obviously gives me a chance to kill him without needing to go to the safe room. I sneak to the right as I go in and find the broadcast control room that Samuel spoke of. Going through here takes me to the Lord regent's bedchambers. This can't be this easy, it seems he is on his way to bed. It is, the Lord regent walks in and I can do him in any way I please. Escaping is another matter. I knock the lord Regent out instead of killing him. It seems to cause less alarm. I blink out of his balcony onto the chandeliers and out the way I came in. I can't leave with him, so I kill him in the vents and leave. I make my way back the way I came in without incident. I leave with Samuel.
The hound pits sixth time.
Back at the pub, things are in full scale celebration mode. Emily is to be crowned tomorrow. The process of rebuilding the city is to begin. Pendleton and Havelock are happy. Martin is telling Callista about training Emily. I get the feeling that things are about to go badly wrong. A strange fuzz is appearing on Corvo's vision. The mission marker tells him to go to bed. As I reach the bedroom Corvo stumbles and collapses. He sees Havelock, Pendleton and Martin standing over him. They it seems are the real ringleaders of the whole plot, not just the rebellion against the Lord Regent. The murder of the Empress was their doing also. Corvo has been manipulated into doing their bidding and now is a fly in the ointment. He is to be blamed for both the Empress and the High regent's death. Samuel is tasked with dumping his body. Samuel it turn out is not in league with them, and has only given you half the dose of the poison meant for you. Samuel gets you out of the hound Pits. Leaving you adrift in a ruined area of the city.
The Flooded district.
I wake up on the boat. The assassins who killed the Empress appear and take me somewhere. I am hoisted up in a crane and meet a man called Daud. He knows that I speak with the Outsider, he does to. He does not seem to know whose side Corvo is on. He tosses a box over the edge, then stabs Corvo. Corvo is suddenly back in the outsiders realm. The Outsider tells him that Daud was simply a paid Assassin. The outsider taunts Corvo telling him that Havelock knew Corvo would never let them manipulate Emily. They now essentially have power, being able to use the child to do their bidding. Corvo wakes in a sewer pipe, with a wooden gate over the top. Seems they just knocked him out. I have to recover my gear. I climb down through the empty building. The bottom is flooded. I have to blink out through a small gap to escape the building. I then have to get my gear out in the flooded streets. The streets are filled with acid spitting river crusts and weepers. Which makes things interesting, but not difficult.
Greaves Refinery.
I have to find a way into the refinery. A simple puzzle here has us filling a whale oil tank and inserting it into a power socket. The makes pipes move out of the way and stairs form. I can then go around the outside of the building and get inside. I see two of Daud's men talking, they reveal the way to Daud's base is through a railway line. I go inside the refinery and have to knock wood out of the way to reach a whale oil tank and fill it to lower a gate. I now climb down and find my gear. Campbell, the ex-high overseer is here as a weeper. I have to kill him to get my gear. I then have to climb back out. I have to go to confront Daud now that I have my gear back. I backtrack and then head in the alternate direction at the flooded district. Here I must knock out three of the assassins. They are patrolling on roof and while harder than guards to sneak past are fairly easy to take down. I get a key from one of them for the rail yard.
Central Rushdore.
This is a large street area, a rail track runs through the middle. I have to sneak into Daud's base. There are lots of assassins on walkways. The secret it to get inside the buildings and there is a clear path around them to get to a place where you can blink into the window of Daud's lair. Inside is more sneaking around and finally I come to Daud's room. I can kill him in revenge for the Empress, or just steal his key and leave. He was the Empress's killer, though he is only a weapon, the people who ordered her death are still to pay. I steal his key and escape through a tunnel he has secret for his own getaway should he need to. I move through the tunnel and come out in a sewer like area. A train goes past above and dumps hundreds of plague bodies into the sewer. I have to get onto this plague wagon to escape the flooded district. A man named Morley is looting the flooded district, he and his accomplice have been caught behind the wall of light that has been erected. There are also Tall Boys patrolling. I must deactivate the wall of light to ride the train out. Morley has some stuff stashed, which I can loot after pick pocketing his key.
It seems that the guards are getting plague victims to work for them. They are asking for light to be set up. Once the lights are up the tall boys are going to attack the weepers coming from the canals. It seems that if I do this, the tall boys will be distracted. Morley's stash contains a whale oil drum. Which can be used to power the lights. The tall boys then come over ands start shooting at weepers, but not for long. I must make my way to the light wall and remove it's whale oil tank. Otherwise, when I get on the train it is going to be a short trip. Getting to the whale oil tank is achieved by moving through the buildings on either side of the street. Getting onto the train is impossible. I died a few times and was getting annoyed when I realized that you don't have to ride the train at all. Just disable the light wall and sneak through a service gate at the side.
Old Ports District.
I have to travel back to the hound pits, presumably to get my revenge. I move along a street and enter a building. I have to go down a sewer grate into the sewers again. I find one of Slackjaw's thugs, it seems that something unsavory is in the sewers. Slackjaw and his men came down to kill it and got attacked by it. The thug tells us that there were hundreds of rats. I need a key to progress, and Slackjaw has it. I have to head further into the sewers after Slackjaw I move on and come to a long swim. There is a staging post to get air at a vent. I come out and climb up some stairs. I seem to already have a key that works on some sewer doors. Someone can be heard shouting up ahead. Granny Rags appears to have captured Slackjaw. She appears to be about to kill him. I am given the option of going with her craziness, and presumably letting Slackjaw die or risking Granny's wrath. I have a feeling that either choice might be bad. Slackjaw is a gang leader and no saint. Granny is a mad old lady who has powers granted to her by the Outsider for some reason. I decide that I don't need slackjaw and fighting Granny rags is going to be too much trouble. Granny rags asks me to kill Slackjaw. I wonder if knocking him out might save him. There is a lever by his side, he pleads with us to save him. I shoot him with a sleep dart. Granny then gives us the key to his bonds, which is also the key we need to progress. Granny asks me to put Slackjaw in the potion she is making, which will kill him. I can just leave now and probably not incur any flak from Granny. The game must be nearly done, I decide to put Slackjaw in the cauldron. I find that Granny rags is using some Pandyssian magic. If I burn her necklace in the furnace she will be mortal. I do this and kill her as well. She was quite mad. I now jump into a drain and get whisked back to the gate I needed the key for. I move through the sewers and find some civilians. I then reach the door to the Hound Pits.
Hound Pits, final visit.
I find Cecelia, She tells me that there has been a massacre at the pub and all the staff have been murdered. It seems that I have came up inside the abandoned apartment that Cecelia talked of earlier. I find the key to the door hanging up inside. I come out behind the pub to find Tall Boys and guards everywhere. I sneak inside and find a group of guards in the bar talking. It seems that Piero and Sokolov may still be in the workshop. I have to rescue them. I steal orders left on the bar from Havelock and it tells me that Emily is at a lighthouse. There is a mission marker telling me to go to my old room. Here I find a note from Emily. It tells me that Callista was talking about a flare gun which could be used to call Samuel, who has used his boat to escape. I go to the tower room and find Callista hiding there. She gives me a key and shows me a launcher that will give Samuel a signal to come back. I go into Piero's workshop using the balcony and find Sokolov and Piero inside. They have an arc pylon that will knock out all the guards in the area. However they need something from Havelock's room to get it working. I must go and get it. Once done I can choose to kill the guards with the arc pylon or just knock them out. I chose to knock them out. I now have to plug a whale oil tank into the pylon and it activates. I am now in the clear, all the guards and tall boys are downed. Piero and Sokolov can escape, as can Callista. I fire the flare and Samuel comes to get me.
Kingsparrow Island
I arrive at the end, A huge Lighthouse, that looks more like a fortress. There is a castle below it. I have to make my way to the top of the lighthouse. I start on the beach, which is well patrolled. I make my way through and find a sewer pipe that lets me into the control room for the large wall of light that is blocking the way. There are two whale oil tanks to remove. I then sneak past the wall of light and the gate behind it. I move through the next large courtyard using a pipe filled area to the right. I make my way through this area into the gatehouse. I turn a wheel to open a large circular door. I come to a large open bridge like area leading to a lift that goes up the lighthouse. I cross above the guards using the bridge struts. At the lift the guard patrolling it has the key, or you can drop into it from an open hatch on the roof.
The Lighthouse
There are more guards to avoid on a narrow bridge path. I had to knock most of them out. I was growing impatient. Inside the opulent top of the lighthouse there are no guards. In the chamber I find Havelock, Pendleton and Martin are already dead. Possibly poisoned by Havelock. I sneak past Havelock and find Emily is locked in a room. The key is near Havelock. I take it and open the door. Emily appears and the game ends.
I see a montage of scenes from the outsiders point of view. Corvo advising Emily on the throne. Sokolov and Piero working together to cure the plague. It seems a golden age is upon the city. Seems like a decent ending.
Around fifteen hours 380 Achievement points.
