Endings

Dishonored features three primary endings, determined by your overall Chaos level throughout the game: Low Chaos, High Chaos, and a nuanced Medium Chaos that often defaults to High. Your choices in each mission, particularly regarding lethal versus non-lethal approaches and detection, directly impact this metric. Understanding how to manipulate Chaos is crucial for achieving your desired outcome.

Understanding Chaos

Chaos is a hidden stat that accumulates throughout your playthrough. It's influenced by several factors:

• Kills: Each enemy killed, whether guard, civilian, or weeper, contributes to High Chaos. Non-lethal takedowns (chokes, sleep darts) do not.
• Alarms: Being detected by enemies and triggering alarms also contributes to Chaos, though less significantly than kills.
• Mission-Specific Actions: Certain key decisions in missions, particularly regarding targets, have a substantial impact on Chaos.

The game tracks your Chaos per mission and then aggregates it for the overall ending. A good rule of thumb for Low Chaos is to aim for zero kills and zero detections per mission. For High Chaos, simply kill indiscriminately.

Achieving Specific Endings

Low Chaos Ending: The Best Outcome

This ending sees Emily Kaldwin rule with wisdom and compassion, guided by Corvo's subtle influence. Dunwall begins to heal, and the plague eventually recedes. This is generally considered the "good" ending.

Walkthrough Steps for Low Chaos:

1. Mission 1: Dishonored
   • Escape Coldridge Prison without killing any guards. Utilize stealth and the environment.
   • Collect the Prison Key from the guard in the kennel area or use the pipes above.
2. Mission 2: High Overseer Campbell
   • Target: High Overseer Campbell. Use the non-lethal method: Brand him as a heretic.
     • Locate the Branding Iron in the interrogation room on the second floor of the kennel.
     • Lure Campbell into the interrogation room after he meets with Curnow.
     • Subdue him (choke or sleep dart) and place him on the chair. Use the Branding Iron.
   • Target: Captain Curnow. Ensure his survival.
     • After Campbell attempts to poison him, intervene non-lethally. Either alert Curnow to the poison or knock out Campbell before he acts.
     • Alternatively, lock Curnow in the distillery basement.
3. Mission 3: House of Pleasure
   • Target: The Pendletons. Use the non-lethal method: Sell them to Slackjaw.
     • First, complete Slackjaw's side quest: Find the Golden Idol in the Bottle Street Gang territory.
     • Return the idol to Slackjaw. He will then offer to take care of the Pendletons.
     • Subdue the Pendleton twins (choke or sleep dart) in the Golden Cat and bring their unconscious bodies to Slackjaw's distillery.
   • Target: Lady Boyle. Use the non-lethal method: Deliver her to Lord Brisby.
     • Identify the correct Lady Boyle (her identity changes per playthrough, look for clues in notes or listen to conversations).
     • Lure her to the cellar and speak with Lord Brisby. He will take her away.
4. Mission 4: The Royal Physician
   • Target: Anton Sokolov. Subdue him non-lethally. He is found in his laboratory.
5. Mission 5: Lady Boyle's Last Party
   • Target: Lady Boyle. Use the non-lethal method: Deliver her to Lord Brisby.
     • Identify the correct Lady Boyle (her identity changes per playthrough, look for clues in notes or listen to conversations).
     • Lure her to the cellar and speak with Lord Brisby. He will take her away.
6. Mission 6: Return to the Tower
   • Target: Lord Regent. Use the non-lethal method: Expose his crimes.
     • Obtain the Lord Regent's Audiograph from his safe in his chambers. The combination is hinted at in a note or found on a calendar.
     • Play the audiograph over the PA system in the broadcast room.
7. Mission 7: Flooded District
   • Target: Daud. Spare him after defeating him. You will have the option to kill him or leave him. Choose to leave him.
8. Mission 8: The Loyalists
   • Target: Havelock. Subdue him non-lethally. He is on the lighthouse balcony. Avoid killing Samuel.
9. Mission 9: The Light at the End
   • Target: Havelock. Subdue him non-lethally. He is on the lighthouse balcony. Avoid killing Samuel.
   • Rescue Emily. She is held captive on the top floor of the lighthouse.

High Chaos Ending: The Darkest Outcome

In this ending, Emily Kaldwin becomes a ruthless, tyrannical empress, mirroring the violence she witnessed. Dunwall remains ravaged by plague and unrest, and the future is bleak. This is generally considered the "bad" ending.

Walkthrough Steps for High Chaos:

To achieve this ending, simply kill most enemies you encounter. Do not shy away from lethal options for targets. A good rule of thumb is to kill at least 20% of the guards in each mission, and always choose lethal options for main targets.

1. Mission 1: Dishonored
   • Kill guards as you escape Coldridge Prison.
2. Mission 2: High Overseer Campbell
   • Target: High Overseer Campbell. Kill him directly.
   • Target: Captain Curnow. Allow him to be poisoned or kill him yourself.
3. Mission 3: House of Pleasure
   • Target: The Pendletons. Kill them directly in the Golden Cat.
   • Target: Lady Boyle. Kill her directly.
4. Mission 4: The Royal Physician
   • Target: Anton Sokolov. Kill him directly.
5. Mission 5: Lady Boyle's Last Party
   • Target: Lady Boyle. Kill her directly.
6. Mission 6: Return to the Tower
   • Target: Lord Regent. Kill him directly.
7. Mission 7: Flooded District
   • Target: Daud. Kill him after defeating him.
8. Mission 8: The Loyalists
   • Target: Havelock. Kill him directly.
   • Optionally, kill Samuel before reaching Havelock.
9. Mission 9: The Light at the End
   • Target: Havelock. Kill him directly.
   • Rescue Emily. She is held captive on the top floor of the lighthouse.

Medium Chaos Ending: A Bleak Compromise

While not explicitly a distinct ending, a "Medium Chaos" playthrough often defaults to the High Chaos ending, but with slightly less dire narration. Emily's fate and Dunwall's future remain uncertain, leaning towards a more troubled reign. This occurs if you have a mix of lethal and non-lethal actions, but still accumulate enough kills to push you past the Low Chaos threshold. It's generally advised to either commit fully to Low Chaos or fully to High Chaos to see the most impactful differences.

Achieving Medium Chaos:

This ending is less about specific steps and more about a general approach. You might:

• Kill some guards but use non-lethal options for main targets.
• Use lethal options for main targets but try to avoid killing common guards.
• Be detected frequently, even if you don't kill many enemies.

The key is to fall between the strict no-kill, no-detection requirements of Low Chaos and the rampant slaughter of High Chaos. If you're aiming for this, be aware that the narrative outcome will likely be very similar to High Chaos, just with slightly different wording in the epilogue.