Dishonored lets players eliminate targets however they see fit – whether it be a quiet, stealthy approach, a combat-based onslaught, or a non-lethal pacifist run. Uniquely, the player’s actions will influence the state of Dunwall around them, and their playstyle can have momentous consequences for the world, characters, and plot.
A high chaos playthrough will result in more rats and weepers being found in the world, more guards showing up in levels, negative reactions from friends and allies, negative behavior from young Emily, and an overall darker conclusion to the story. If players are out for vengeance and want to watch Dunwall burn around them, this is the playthrough for them. So, exactly how can players achieve a high chaos rating?
Basic Strategy
There are a few universal actions that Corvo can take to increase his chaos rating throughout the game. The most important is simply to kill people...a lot of them. Players will need to wipe out over 20% of the human population in every level, and over half to get the highest chaos rating possible. That means going on a murder spree and eliminating everybody in sight (including guards, weepers, civilians, gang members, and any other humans), which is a surefire way to ramp up the chaos as fast as possible
Other actions can have an impact as well – assassinating targets instead of taking the non-lethal option, as well as causing as much disorder and disarray in Dunwall as Corvo can. Being detected by enemies, having dead bodies discovered, and letting guards raise the alarm all contribute to plunging the city into further darkness and mayhem. It’s recommended to charge into combat and take on groups of enemies all at the same time in an effort to make the slaughter a very public and very brutal affair.
Special Actions
Throughout Dishonored’s missions, the player will be able to complete various side objectives and special actions, many of which will influence the chaos rating. One of the earliest, and an important one for those looking to get high chaos quickly, is the side mission from Granny Rags that tasks Corvo with poisoning the Bottle Street Gang’s Elixir Still with rat plague. Completing this objective will increase chaos and lead to weepers spawning within the distillery in subsequent missions.
Other notable actions include assassinating side targets at various points throughout the game. During Lady Boyle’s party, Pendleton asks Corvo to deliver a letter to Lord Shaw, which will result in the two engaging in a duel. Should the player win the duel and shoot Lord Shaw with a pistol or crossbow bolt, his death will elevate the chaos rating. Similarly, if Corvo finds and kills the Royal Interrogator when returning to Dunwall Tower, it will be considered a high chaos action.
Finally, in the mission "The Loyalists," one side objective sees Corvo rescue Piero and Sokolov by fixing up a new type of arc pylon that has a much more extended range. The player can either choose to vaporize all hostiles in the surrounding area or render them unconscious instead. Deciding to kill them adds a last high chaos boost before heading into the final mission.
Special Actions (DLC)
Dishonored’s DLC uses a chaos system that is more or less identical to the one seen in the base game, with changing consequences based on the style of play. The added missions also come with a few more special actions that can be taken to influence the player’s chaos rating.
In the opening mission of The Knife Of Dunwall, Daud can work with Abigail and enact a plan to destroy the Rothwild factory, killing most of the workers inside. In the following mission, General Turnbull of the Dunwall military arrives for a meeting with Barrister Timsh. Regardless of the fate of Timsh, players can kill General Turnbull to complete the side objective. Both are considered high chaos actions and will contribute to Daud’s chaos rating.
Very High Chaos
While the game only displays low or high chaos ratings on the mission recap screen, high chaos is actually divided into high and very high. The differences between these ratings are slight, with only a few small changes in the final mission differentiating the two. It has a noticeable effect in-game, however, with Samuel firing a pistol to warn of Corvo’s arrival at the highest chaos rating, whereas he only condemns Corvo otherwise.
Achieving the highest rating of chaos shouldn’t be too difficult – players need to kill more than half of the human population in every mission and complete most of the high chaos actions to get to that level. A more moderate murder rampage (over 20% but below 50%) will instead produce the regular high chaos outcome.
Dishonored is available on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows.