Based on some recommendations here I picked up Dishonored 1 on my PS4. So far it seems pretty cool, BUT…
I see in the game and elsewhere that you get a better ending and results from not killing (as much as possible.) OK, didn’t read that until I broke out of prison and it was kinda cool being in the sewers and hearing people say “If he’ll kill guards, then nobody’s safe!” etc. And I started trying non-lethal, such as sneaking up behind people and choking them out or using sleep darts (though those go away quickly!)
However, and I’m just starting, non-lethal seems impossible. I’m doing a mission from the old lady, trying to get rat venom or some such, and the building is absolutely filled with guards. How in the world are you supposed to get through this building without them seeing you? And once they do, every guard in the place is after you.
There are non-lethal ways, but, for example, right now I’m trying to get into a building and go upstairs and get some rat venom. The rooms are small and filled with guards, there is just no way to get through it undetected that I can see.
Also - I saw an option for getting bullets - am I supposed to have a gun? All I have is a crossbow and sword/dagger.
Well, are you looking up? In most levels you can find elevated pathways that you can use blink to reach (and move around). I know I played most of the game without killing anyone until the very last level, so it is possible, just not easy.
I played the entire game without killing anyone - partly because there’s an achievement for it and partly because I love those kinds of challenges. I just forget the specifics of how I did that. Sorry, not much help.
A lot of it involves choking out enemies, and then hiding them so they don’t wake up.
One thing I noticed though, is that there seem to be a limit on how many unconscious people there can be… and at some point they just disappear and respawn, so you gotta watch that.
Not only that, but choking people and leaving them somewhere unprotected like behind a crate or in an alley can get them killed by rats while you’re not around, so you get dinged for the death.
I completely the game without kill anyone or being detected… except i didn’t get all of the achievements as a single person died or saw me (can’t remember), and the game doesn’t tell you this until the end of a level. Infact I think I killed someone in the tutorial and it counted against me? Either way playing that way took a long time.
Then I replayed the game and zoomed through it killing everything in about 4 hours.
It is definitely possible but takes a lot of trial/error and patience. And the right powers. The Teleport one and the Vision where you see enemies through walls are the most important for non lethal. I played the whole game just using these 2 powers.
My first piece of advice is not to do a no-kill run as your first playthrough. If you just want the low chaos ending, a few kills are allowed.
If you are hard-headed: The doctor’s house has entries on multiple floors. The hardest way to go in “stealthy” is through the front door. Instead, try the balcony. You can approach the street over the rooftops, cross the street on the facade that stretches across access to the shoreline (crouch to go under the sign), and follow the rooftop vents to the balcony. There will be a single guard on the balcony, take him out with a sleep dart.
Once you go in, you will see 2 guards conversing on the other side of a big table, near a fireplace and door. They will finish the conversation and one will leave the room. You have a bit of time before the other comes back to choke the guard out and hide his sleeping body. Do it quick as possible before the other guard comes back into the room and you can take him out too. What you are looking for is either on that floor or the one above (the plague rat in a secret room behind a bookcase, IIRC, I’m going from memory here), I’d have to check a guide to be sure.
Or, if you are allowing yourself magic for this run, throw some points into possession, possess a rat, and go through the grate to the rooms that stretch lengthwise behind the big table. No guards will go in there. You can look through the keyhole to time the guards if you still want to take them out.
Or, you could skip Granny’s quest entirely, it’s optional. The game will give you non-lethal ways to resolve every story element, I believe Granny’s later appearance is left out if you refuse her request to poison the gang’s elixir.
Thanks to all. I started from scratch, managed to escape prison with no kills, in the sewers now. I read somewhere that if you have a high chaos score there are more guards, etc. I’m not worried about an achievement (never really was into those) so my goal will be playing as someone who avoids killing if possible. And if required, OK. But I’ll see just how much I can do without killing.
The tip on looking up was a good one. That let me get up into the house with the rat venom by starting on the second level, coming in through the balcony. Only had to choke out about 3 people (including a maid) - was disappointing that the reward for getting into the safe was pretty low. Got the venom, now on the balcony from that room, trying to figure out how to get down with all the guards down there!
Even on normal, this is hard (playing on stealth and as non lethal as practical.) Apparently upgrading my crossbow ammo capability doesn’t include sleep bolts which are the easiest non lethal approach. And I clearly need to upgrade my Blink skill to have more range. But I’m really liking the game, not sure how I missed it first time around.
I forget if its possible in Dishonored 1 , as I played it ages ago.
But if you can get possession of people, unlock it! Take someone over, get to where you need to be , and be away from everyone else. You will eventually pop out of their body, then knock them out.
I don’t recall ever doing it in Dishonored 1, but I use it all the time in Dishonored 2.
It is indeed in Dishonored 1. It’s the easiest way to get the "5 unintentional suicides " achievement. Possess, take them up to a power wall, un-possess, they pitch forward & vaporize. Not that easy but easier than stopping time, possessing a shooter, and moving him in the path of a bullet.
Note - exiting possession is not an instant knock-out. They’ll be ill for a moment, giving you time to choke or otherwise deal with.
