Does Sending Fido to the Farm Impact Your Dishonored Karma? The Lowdown on Doggy Demise
You’re in Dunwall, blade ready. A dog leaps at you. Do you defend yourself? Yes! But does sending this virtual dog to the sky affect your karma? Are we discussing chaos, kill counts, and “Clean Hands” achievements?
Let’s find out.
Doggy Do-Gooder or Canine Culprit? Kill Counts and Chaos Clarified
First, let’s address the body count. In Dishonored, every action leads to a reaction, often involving bloodshed. But when it comes to dogs, the rules are different. Wolves and rats do not count towards your lethal tally in mission summaries. Consider them collateral damage.
What about gravehounds with their bony skulls? Go ahead! Eliminating gravehounds won’t count as a kill. Your Clean Hands achievement remains untainted, at least for killing dogs.
The big question: Chaos. Does killing a dog increase chaos in Dunwall? Thankfully, it’s a resounding NO. According to official forums, dogs are exempt from chaos equations. You can take down these digital pups without deepening the city’s despair. Check discussions on forums like GameFAQs.
Breathe easy! Want the “Clean Hands” badge? Feel free to protect yourself against aggressive hounds. Killing dogs poses no threat to your achievement. You can be a ghost in shadows and still handle those pesky pups without ruining your reputation.
More Than Just Dogs: Understanding Dishonored’s Kill Mechanics
Dogs are off the hook, but what counts as a kill? How does it correlate with the Chaos system? Let’s investigate.
What’s a Kill in Karnaca? (and Dunwall)
In the Dishonored world, if it bleeds and is human, it counts. Yes, killing guards or any humans impacts your kill count and increases Chaos level. This change affects the game’s ending and the feel of Dunwall. Think digital pollution but with bodies.
It’s not just sword fights. Dishonored is cunning. Any action that results in a human’s death is a lethal takedown. Accidentally pushing someone off a roof? Lethal takedown. A trap turning a guard into ash? Lethal takedown. Your actions carry weight.
Here’s a silver lining for pacifists. You can kill dogs, rats, and fish without chaos or bad endings. Go ahead and practice crossbow skills on fish – but not in front of PETA in Dunwall.
For more on the Chaos system, IGN’s Guide on Chaos aids understanding.
The Chaos Theory: It’s Not Just Butterfly Wings
Dishonored’s Chaos system is more than a name; it’s vital. Killing any human increases the Chaos level. Higher chaos darkens Dunwall, with more rats and weepers. It’s your moral report card measured by urban decay.
How much carnage hits “high chaos”? Well, over 50% of humans you encounter must die. It’s a commitment! Being a bloodthirsty villain requires full dedication.
Bethesda’s site offers more insights into how the Chaos system operates.
Clean Hands and Dirty Deeds: A Dichotomy
Conversely, there’s the “Clean Hands” achievement. This badge rewards players who navigate Dishonored with minimal casualties. Completing the game without killing humans unlocks “Clean Hands”. It showcases stealth skills and restraint.
Go Non-Lethal, Go Green (or, Uh, Non-Lethal Grey)
Dishonored isn’t merely about killing; it offers choices. Designers enriched gameplay with options beyond force. Players can avoid killing. Chokeholds and sleep darts aid those pursuing low-chaos runs. It’s more stylish to outsmart foes than overpower them.
Beyond Humans and Hounds: Other Creatures of Consequence (or Lack Thereof)
Dishonored includes more than humans and dogs. Let’s explore other creatures and their status in kill-count and chaos.
Rats, Hagfish, and River Krusts: The Un-Chaotic Trio
Good news! As stated, rats, hagfish, and river krusts are chaos-neutral. Use your grenades, swords, or simply stomp them. These creatures won’t judge your style or affect chaos levels.
Fish, Blood Briars, Clockwork Soldiers, and Gravehounds: Achievement Allies
The list of guilt-free targets grows! Dismantling non-humans like fish, Blood Briars, gravehounds, and Clockwork Soldiers won’t affect achievements. Fish are just fish. Blood Briars are nasty plants. Gravehounds are dead-ish beings. Clockwork Soldiers are soulless machines.
Concerns linger about killing Clockwork Soldiers impacting kill counts. Fear not! Testing shows that Clockwork Soldier disposal via various methods counts as non-lethal for achievements. Proceed without guilt!
Endings and Entrails: The Consequences of Chaos
So why does Chaos matter? Beyond making the game world gloomier, high Chaos has tangible effects on your experience.
End Game, End Consequence
Dishonored isn’t a choose-your-own-adventure book, but choices matter. There are three main endings in Dishonored, varying from grim to slightly less grim. Watch out! Your Chaos level impacts your ending significantly. Remember, killing humans raises that Chaos level and shapes your outcome.
High Chaos, High Hell (er, Higher Difficulty)
Rampant killing changes endings and gameplay experience. Killing any human increases Chaos and affects difficulty. High Chaos includes more enemies and weepers. For a tougher experience, embrace crime. If desiring less gloominess in Dunwall, holster your blade more often.
Technical Tidbits: Corpse Management in a City of Plague.
Ever…
ever thought about the fate of the bodies you leave behind? Dishonored has a way to manage that. Even in a city full of steampunk, whaling, and plague, sanitation still matters.
Corpse Limits: Dunwall’s Digital Undertakers
To prevent your console from overloading with digital bodies, Dishonored sets a corpse limit. The game maintains five bodies per level, with a maximum of ten per level. Beyond that, they start to disappear. Poof! Gone from the digital realm. The rats probably feast on them. Or the Outsider has a recycling system for them. Who knows?
Bonus Bites: Extra Dishonored Details
Just a few more tips about Dishonored to enhance your experience.
Choking Hazards: Dogs Are Immune to Your Grip
Want to subdue a dog with a chokehold? Too bad, but the Tyvian choke-hold works only on humans. Dogs cannot be choked. Their necks may be too furry or strong. If you want to deal with them non-lethally, find other methods.
Ratatouille, Dishonored Style: Rat-Killing Perks
You gain benefits in-game for killing rats. Certain bone charms enhance your effectiveness against rats and bloodflies. For instance, “Carrion Killer” boosts adrenaline post-rat kills, while “Blood Sacrifice” heals you. “Gutter Feast” allows you to eat white rats for mana. Bon appétit?
Rewiring Robots: Friend or Foe?
Clockwork Soldiers are tough adversaries, but rewiring them can be useful. Be cautious! Rewiring a Clockwork Soldier to kill another counts as a kill. Robots fighting robots is still violence. Yet, if a rewired robot takes out a human… well, that’s different. The ethics of robot violence in Dishonored could fill a book.
Weepers: Still Human, Still Killable
Those plague-stricken weeping citizens? Yes, they count. Killing weepers raises your Chaos level. Avoid harming them unless necessary. They face enough suffering already.
This should help clarify the fate of dog-related actions in Dishonored. Now go be stealthy, stylish, and perhaps show mercy to the digital dogs of Dunwall. Or don’t. Your choice.
