Dishonored
Dishonored

Optional Objectives

Engage with Dishonored's optional objectives to gain resources, alter the narrative, and uncover more lore of Dunwall across various missions.

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Optional Objectives

Beyond the primary goals of each mission, Dishonored offers a wealth of optional objectives that can significantly impact your gameplay experience, reward you with valuable resources, and even alter the narrative. Engaging with these side quests is highly recommended for players seeking to maximize their power, uncover more of Dunwall's lore, and achieve specific playstyles (e.g., Ghost or Clean Hands runs). This section details common types of optional objectives and provides actionable strategies for tackling them.

Black Market Deals & Merchant Requests

Throughout your journey, you'll encounter various merchants and black market dealers who offer unique opportunities. These often involve retrieving specific items or performing tasks in exchange for coin, upgrades, or even crucial information.

  • The Hound Pits Pub Quartermaster: Early in the game, the Quartermaster at the Hound Pits Pub might request you retrieve certain items from the city. Keep an eye out for notes or dialogue that indicate these requests. Completing them often grants you coin or useful consumables like health elixirs or sleep darts.
  • Black Market Shops: In missions like "High Overseer Campbell" or "House of Pleasure," you'll find black market shops. These shopkeepers sometimes have optional tasks. For instance, they might ask you to disable a security system or steal a specific ledger from a rival.
  • Specific Item Retrieval:
    • Example: "High Overseer Campbell" - The Distillery District: A common optional objective here involves retrieving a specific item for a black market contact. Look for a note or a character near the distillery entrance. They might ask you to steal a Distillery Master's Ledger from inside the distillery itself. To do this, you'll need to infiltrate the distillery, which is heavily guarded. Consider using Blink to navigate the upper levels or Dark Vision to identify patrol routes. The ledger is typically found in an office or a secure storage room.
    • Reward: Completing these often yields a significant amount of coin, which is vital for purchasing weapon upgrades, new powers, or valuable bone charms and runes from the black market.

Assassination Alternatives & Non-Lethal Solutions

Many primary assassination targets have non-lethal alternatives, which are often presented as optional objectives. These usually require more elaborate planning and execution but contribute significantly to a low-chaos playthrough.

  • High Overseer Campbell:
    • Objective: Brand Campbell as a Heretic.
    • Location: The Bottle Street Gang territory and the Overseer's Office.
    • Strategy:
      1. First, you need to acquire the Branding Iron. This is located in the interrogation room within the Overseer's Office building.
      2. Next, you must incapacitate Campbell. This can be done by choking him out, using a sleep dart, or dropping on him from above.
      3. Once he's unconscious, carry his body to the interrogation chair in the same room where you found the branding iron.
      4. Place him in the chair and interact with the branding iron to complete the objective.
    • Reward: Contributes to a low-chaos ending and often unlocks unique dialogue or environmental changes in later missions.
  • The Pendleton Twins (House of Pleasure):
    • Objective: Silence the Pendleton Twins without killing them.
    • Location: The Golden Cat Bathhouse.
    • Strategy:
      1. Speak with Slackjaw in the Distillery District before entering the Golden Cat. He will offer you a deal: retrieve the Golden Cat Ledger from the bathhouse in exchange for his help with the Pendletons.
      2. Infiltrate the Golden Cat and locate the ledger. It's usually in the manager's office or a secure area.
      3. Return the ledger to Slackjaw. He will then arrange for the twins to be sent to their own mines, effectively removing them from the picture without lethal force.
    • Reward: Low-chaos contribution, and you might receive additional coin or information from Slackjaw.

Information Gathering & Lore Discovery

Some optional objectives involve finding specific documents, journals, or listening to conversations that reveal more about the game's world, characters, or provide hints for other objectives.

  • Reading Journals and Notes: Always take the time to read any journals, letters, or notes you find. These often contain codes for safes, reveal hidden paths, or detail optional tasks. For example, a note might mention a hidden stash of coin or a specific item that someone is looking for.
  • Eavesdropping: Use your stealth abilities to listen in on conversations between guards, citizens, or other NPCs. These dialogues frequently hint at optional objectives, provide background lore, or reveal weaknesses of your targets.
  • Example: "The Royal Physician" - Sokolov's Journal: Finding and reading Sokolov's various journals scattered throughout his laboratory and home can provide deeper insight into his research, his relationship with the conspirators, and sometimes even reveal the location of hidden items or passages.

Resource Acquisition & Collectibles

While not always explicitly stated as "optional objectives," seeking out Runes, Bone Charms, and valuable items like gold or silver ingots is a crucial optional activity that enhances your character's power and wealth.

  • Runes: Always prioritize finding Runes. They are essential for unlocking and upgrading your supernatural powers. Use the Heart to locate them. Many are hidden in challenging-to-reach areas or guarded locations.
  • Bone Charms: These provide passive buffs and can significantly alter your playstyle. The Heart also guides you to these. Experiment with different combinations to find what suits your approach.
  • Valuables: Keep an eye out for loose coin, gold ingots, silver ingots, and other valuable items. These contribute to your overall wealth, allowing you to purchase upgrades and supplies from Piero and the black market. Check shelves, desks, and hidden compartments.

By diligently pursuing these optional objectives, you'll not only enrich your understanding of Dishonored's intricate world but also gain a significant advantage in tackling its challenges, whether you prefer a stealthy, non-lethal approach or a more direct, combat-focused one.