Dishonored is all about giving players lots of options. The game gives you a range of equipment, tools and ammunition. But it never tells you how to play. Your playstyle depends on how you want to play. The powers and tools are only there to complement it.
Before we begin, it wouldn’t be fair to compare Corvo’s powers with his tools. One is bestowed by a literal psychopathic god. The others are made by humans. But that doesn’t stop them from being useful.
When it comes to upgrading, you’ll need to find Blueprints to buy them. The game hands out several of them, but I’ll only be mentioning the one you can find earliest. Why wait till mission 7 when you can have it earlier, right?
10. Corvo’s Mask
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The mask is less of a tool in the narrative rather than gameplay reason. Corvo’s wearing it to disguise his identity while fulfilling his agenda. It was designed by Piero, inspired by his meeting with the Outsider. You could say that it symbolizes Corvo’s dance with the arcane.
But it does come with one gameplay feature. The lenses in the mask let you zoom in. You can use it to simply get a better look. Or you can execute a crazy assassination from afar. Works great when using the crossbow. On a side-note, Daud has spyglass that he starts off with.
Available once you buy the upgrade from Piero
Cost: 300 coins
9. Regular Bullets
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When it comes to offensive gameplay, guns are as basic as it gets. Every FPS has them. But Dishonored is a steampunk, so it has its own flavor. The basic guns have a unique design. They’re powered by Whale Oil rather than gunpowder. This makes them very expensive, so mostly City Watch Officers get them.
They’re not great for range, so they’re best used in medium proximity. Headshotting will kill any enemies. But those with helmets (Officers and Overseers) might take more than a shot. Even if they’re not dead, it distracts them long enough.
Available from the first mission. You just have to pick up a gun.
Can be purchased from Piero. There’s no need to buy them though, you can find them on most guards.
8. Sticky Grenade
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The standard grenade is useful to take out a group of enemies. But you make it sticky and suddenly everything is better. The spikes sticking out of the grenade is what lets it stick to whatever. And I do mean whatever.
You can throw them at enemies, which is the basic way. You can use the Time Bend ability to stick them on crossbow bolts for some extra fun. This method is pretty effective against the infernal Tallboys. An interesting detail is that head-shotting an enemy will actually instantly kill them even before it explodes!
Once you find the blueprint, you’ll have to spend 600 coins to unlock the upgrade. Then you can buy them from Piero.
Blueprint (Spiked Grenade Housing) Location: Lady Boyle's Last Party, in the security office by the mansion’s door.
7. Sleep Dart
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The Crossbow in Dishonored is a silent weapon that’s perfect for long range. It’s also silent, making it great regardless of your playstyle. But if you’re going non-lethal, you’ll be looking at the sleep darts. It uses a plant-based chemical to put people to sleep, so I guess you call it a healthier alternative.
There are only a few enemies who are immune to sleep darts. Other than them, anyone else can be put to sleep with one shot. The effect is instantaneous unless the NPCs are in combat. Even then, buying the Combat Sleep Dart upgrade for 600 coins takes care of that.
Available from the first mission. You just have to pick up a gun.
Can be purchased from Piero 30 golds. Not as abundant as bullets, but can still be found frequently.
6. Incendiary Bolt
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Playing with crossbow bolts is fun. And you can do a lot of damage by throwing a can of Whale Oil. But why not the best of both worlds? While no sources officially claim Whale Oil is used, it sure looks like that. And, well, everything in the game uses that one power-source.
One hit with this is guaranteed to kill almost anyone. Even if you miss the headshot, burning the whole body is good enough. Of course, burning enemies will scream and draw attention. And you should be extra careful when enemies are using these. Like Tallboys!
Once you find the blueprint, you can buy them from Piero.
Blueprint (Incandescent Paste) Location: House of Pleasure, in the Distillery behind the huge metal door. Can be accessed by Time Bend or just blinking through the entrance above.
5. Chokedust
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This is basically a non-lethal grenade. It’s filled with unrefined Whale Oil which creates a smokescreen. It’ll stun whoever is unlucky enough to get caught in the cloud, making them cough a lot. The guards of Coldridge Prison commonly use it to subdue prisoners.
Chokedust is only available to Daud. It’s a great tool for both the sneaky and murderous players. The cover of smoke makes the enemy vulnerable for quick kills. Alternatively, you can use this to run away from enemies. You can even use the noise from the explosion to distract enemies away from you.
The Baffle Dust upgrade makes it even more powerful. With that, enemies will temporarily forget what they’ve seen. It’s best used to avoid being detected at all.
Available to purchase at the start of every mission.
Blueprint (Baffle Dust) Location: A Stay Of Execution For Lizzy, in the Coldridge Prison. The cost of upgrading is 300 coins.
4. Stun Mine
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Just like Chokedust, this is the non-lethal version of a mine. It was invented by Anton Sokolov. Probably the only thing he ever made that doesn’t kill someone. Seriously, the dude is responsible for every single murder machine in town!
Stun mines can be attached to any surface. They shoot out bolts of electricity that render anyone unconscious. Except you. This little guy has two charges, so it’s good for two enemies. But if you stick it on a person, it’ll explode while taking down that guy.
Once you find the blueprint, you can buy them from the mission start screen.
Blueprint (Compact Arc Amplifier) Location: A Captain of Industry, in a warehouse adjacent to the Slaughterhouse’s entrances.
3. Rewire Tool
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Rewire tools are tiny devices that change the settings of a fuse box. The game doesn’t elaborate on the extent of its capabilities. For our purposes, it can change who the security systems attack.
With this, you can easily take down lots of enemies. Rewiring an arc pylon will quickly take down anyone nearby. Walls of light and watchtowers will only kill your enemies. The only non-lethal way to use this is to permanently disable alarms.
Available from the start of the second mission.
2. Spring Razor
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This bad boy might just be the ultimate tool of carnage. It’s a proximity mine containing shards and shrapnel that shoot out when triggered by vibrations. It will cut down anything and anyone nearby. Even you can get hurt if you are too close.
There are many tactical ways of using this. You can attach one to a surface and wait for enemies or lure them in. The type of surface is only limited by your creativity. Like the stun mine, you can even stick them on rats or bottles and throw them.
Another approach is just using them in combat. You can throw them near enemies and they will be torn down to shreds. Or you can attack one to the enemy themself. It’s even powerful enough to bring down a tallboy! Assuming you jump high enough to stick one on them.
Available from the start of the second mission.
1. Heart
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You probably guessed this one, didn’t you? The very heart of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin is the most important item in the game. From the looks of it, it looks like the fleshy organ is being supported by mechanical parts. Almost seems like a symbol of the steampunk aesthetics. You know, ‘cause heart?
It’s a tool that lets you look into people’s very hearts. Dishonored has a very less-is-more approach when it comes to world-building. The little glimpses you get are the window of a grander setting, leaving you hungry for more. With the heart, we can understand our friends and enemies.
But there is a gameplay purpose as well. The heart is a gift from the Outsider and it gives you a peek into that world. It’s a tool that you’ll use quite often to find the runes and bonecharms in every area. It’s like a compass, but the most interesting one I’ve ever seen.
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