My love for Arkane Studios is no secret if you have read any of my previous articles talking about them or their games. These guys get it when it comes to making intelligent video games where players are let loose to tackle a situation however, they see fit. Immersive-sims are a rare breed when it comes to video games, and Arkane Studios are truly the masters of that genre, making immersive-sim after immersive-sim with each game better or bigger than their last. The culmination of all the years of hard work and pushing the genre forward will be seen in all colors once “Redfall” arrives this year, as for the first time, Arkane is taking its expertise to an open world. The amount of freedom, choice, and flexibility they have provided in their linear games through the years blows my mind so I cannot even begin to imagine what will be possible once we get to delve into this open-world sandbox they are creating. More about that when the game comes out or when we will get any new information about it; today, let’s take a look at a game from a series that made me fall in love with this studio. Let’s see if you can 100% “Dishonored 2.”
The Game
The game takes place roughly 15 years after the events of the first game. Emily Kaldwin is no longer the young girl we met in the first game and has now fully grown up and is the empress of the isles. You have the choice to play as Emily or her father Corvo (the protagonist from the first game) this time around, with the events of the story and the structure of the game remaining the same but the powers they get and how they feel to play alter your gameplay experience completely. The game is an immersive sim if that wasn’t obvious, and plays in first-person with sword combat, a gun, and tons of gadgets like grenades, different types of darts, mines, and more. Then you have the powers. It won’t be “Dishonored” if it weren’t for the powers, now, will it? Emily and Corvo both have different sets of powers that can be unlocked by using runes that you can find by exploring the levels. Speaking of the levels, they are much larger in scale, this time with a lot more verticality, and takes you to a different location, Karnaca, the crown jewel of the isles. The goal of the game is to run through these locations either quietly or loudly, your choice, and find and eliminate your targets. The story is straightforward, the powers are fun to experiment with, and the gameplay solid, creative, and incredibly fun. If you wish to learn more about the game in-depth, we have a review for “Dishonored 2” here on our website, so feel free to check that out. This has been a quick synopsis of “Dishonored 2”, now, onto the achievements.
Achievements Structure
A quick note before I start: this one will be structured a tad differently as there are no missable achievements here, and none of the achievements in this game can be classified as easy or hard; it truly depends on your skill and your understanding of the game. You will need to do three playthroughs at least, but the game is short and only features eight levels that allow a ton of replayability. As mentioned earlier, I can’t classify any of the achievements in this game as easy or hard, so it’ll be completely up to you on how you tackle the game and if you are able to get that sweet 100% or not. If you ask me, it’s easy and doesn’t ask too much from you other than staying patient and getting creative. The game features a total of 50 achievements.
The Story Achievements
Right off the bat, the game offers multiple achievements that you’ll unlock just by playing through the story, as most games do. These are self-explanatory, so I’ll just quickly mention them and move on. “Imperial Seal” unlocks for recovering your signet ring. “Jewel Of The South” unlocks for arriving in Karnaca. “The Beast Within” unlocks for eliminating Dr. Hypatia. “Labyrinthine Mind” for reuniting with Anton Sokolov from the first game. “A Night in 1849” for visiting the past. “Spirit Thief” for taking Delilah’s soul. “Down With The Duke” for eliminating Duke Luca Abele, and finally, “The Greatest Gift” for saving your last family member. Then you have achievements that’ll unlock based on the character you played as and your play style. “The Royal Protector” unlocks for beating the game as Corvo, whereas “The Empress” unlocks for beating the game as Emily. Then you have “Empire In Chaos,” which unlocks beating the game with high chaos, meaning playing aggressively and killing a lot of folks. On the other hand, “In Good Conscience” unlocks if you beat the game in low chaos, meaning being as stealthy as possible and taking a very little number of lives in the process. These are all the achievements that will unlock for just progressing through the story, so don’t be fooled by any of their descriptions, as these will unlock automatically. With this out of the way, let’s jump into the next part, as this is where things get tricky in terms of classification.
The Combat/Collectables Achievements
There are a handful of achievements here that are tied to the game’s combat and finding collectibles, so it’s time to unlock those achievements before we move ahead! “Heartbeat Reaper” unlocks for killing 6 or more enemies in less than 1.5 seconds; it sounds tricky but is very easy. “Fatal Redirect” unlocks for killing an enemy with their own bullet. Once you eliminate 20 unaware enemies, you’ll also unlock “Rogue” and eliminating 10 enemies using drop assassination unlocks “Acrobat.” Finally, when it comes to the achievements tied to combat, you have “Sliding Marksman,” which asks you to score a headshot while sliding. Onto the collectibles achievements now. “Royal Spymaster” unlocks for checking out all audio-graphs and journals by Anton Sokolov and Meagan Foster aboard The Dreadful Whale; you’ll unlock this during the late game if you are thorough. “Art Collector” unlocks for collecting all paintings, and “Well Funded” unlocks once you find 60% of loot spread across all the levels. Both are easy so long as you explore every nook and cranny and take your time with the levels. This next one isn’t particularly an achievement for any sort of collectible, but it fits here somewhat; “Heart Whispers” unlocks for listening to the secrets of 40 different people using the heart, straightforward and simple. This one also isn’t technically tied to collectibles, but at the same time, because you’ll be running around collecting materials for it, “Occult Carver” unlocks for crafting ten bone charms. Finally, you can unlock “Souvenirs” to find all the decorative items for The Dreadful Whale. This takes care of your combat/collectible achievements, all of which will be easily unlocked if you thoroughly explore the levels. Onto the miscellaneous achievements now.
The Miscellaneous Achievements
There are a lot of these, so buckle up; we are going to be here for a while. During the first level, if you explore the area while making an escape, you’ll come across a printer that is being harassed by some guards; save him, and “Freedom of Speech” will unlock. The second level takes you to Karnaca, and here you can unlock two achievements. “Stay Of Execution” will unlock if you can stop the guard from throwing someone into the Wall Of Light. The second one is called “Morbid Theft,” which asks you to steal a corpse for Mindy Blanchard. You’ll meet her on your way to the black market, and this objective will pop up on your screen like a side quest, so follow it through to the end. During the next mission, you’ll get the chance to unlock “Fearless Fall,” which asks you to take down an enemy by jumping on them from the highest point of the Addermire Institute, which is pretty self-explanatory. If you didn’t kill Dr. Hypatia, then you will find her aboard The Dreadful Whale once you beat this mission. Speak with her, and “Counter-Serum” will unlock. During mission 4, if you visit the black market, the shopkeeper will ask you to hide, and you’ll be introduced to a character named Paolo. Kill him once there and two more times during mission 6 to unlock “Place Of Three Deaths” for killing Paolo three times. During mission 4, you’ll invade the Clockwork Mansion and eliminate Kieran Jindosh; do so without him knowing you were even there to unlock “Silence.” The mission that follows is that you can unlock “Oracular Echoes” to listen to the voices of the Oracular Order. Go inside the giant library, and you’ll see how to unlock this.
Mission 6 puts you in the Dust District with two factions fighting for territory and a locked door. You need the key, which both of them possess, and because of this, you have the opportunity to unlock three separate achievements here. “Howler’s Till The End” unlocks if you choose to side with the Howlers here, while “Faithful To The Abbey” unlocks for doing the opposite and siding with the Overseers. The third achievement is the trickiest of the bunch and is called “Eureka,” which asks you to figure out the combination to the lock on your own, and when it says on your own, it means it. You can’t simply steal the solution for someone or glance at it; you have to use your own brain in real life to solve this puzzle, and the solution is different with each run. Good luck with that. Mission 7 comes with its own achievement titled “Under The Table,” which asks you to get Stilton’s master key from under the table without alerting the guards while keeping them conscious. It’s easy. During this mission, you can also unlock “Dilapidation” for finding the hidden balcony passageway and “Flooded Basement” for draining the water to recover a rune. Finally, during mission 9, you can unlock three more achievements: “Years Ago, Another Time” for listening to Meagan Foster’s story; “Gazebo” for paying tribute to Jessamine one last time; and finally, “Familiarity Breeds Contempt” for robbing Galvani multiple times (the first time being during mission 1). These have been the Miscellaneous achievements tied to the story chapter, but there are a handful more.
“Circle Of Life” unlocks for casting possession once and chaining it between a human, hound, rat, blood fly, and fish. This can only be done as Corvo unless you are playing on New Game+. “Black Market Burglar” unlocks for robbing a black market. “Clockwork Collector” unlocks for collecting three numbered plates from Clockwork Soldiers; just kill them and hope they drop one. “The Lovers” will unlock if you link two people with Domino just before one kills the other and can only be unlocked while playing as Emily unless you are playing on New Game+. Finally, you have “Song Of Serkonos,” which gave me the most trouble personally. Throughout the game, during missions 2, 6, and 8, you’ll come across a musical duo performing a song. Stand there and listen to all three songs for the achievement to unlock. My advice is to stand there for a good few minutes and let them sing the song a couple of times over before leaving for it to properly register. With these unlocked, we are done with the miscellaneous section, onto the last section now.
The Tricky Achievements
As I mentioned, this game doesn’t have any achievements that are “difficult” per se, but at the same time, these last few achievements aren’t easy either, so let’s just call them “tricky,” shall we? The first one is called “Flesh and Steel,” which asks you to beat the game without using supernatural powers. During the beginning, the Outsider will offer you his mark, refuse it to activate the no-powers mode, and beat the game in it to unlock this one. The final four are tied to each other and can be unlocked in a single run; “Ghostly” unlocks for finishing a mission without getting spotted, whereas “Shadow” unlocks for finishing the entire game without getting spotted. Similarly, the “Alternative Approach” will unlock for beating a single mission without killing anyone, whereas “Clean Hands” unlocks for beating the entire game without killing anyone (including your targets). These two challenges are some of the best and the most fun I had in any video game and are the reason why I fell in love with this series and this developer in general. This may sound difficult, but it is extremely rewarding, and I urge everyone to give the no-kill and not to get spotted; run a try on your own. Congratulations on 100% “Dishonored 2”.
Final Thoughts
“Dishonored 2” is a fantastic game with an intriguing story, extremely fun gameplay, and tons of replayability on offer. Similarly, the achievements of the game are also smart and ask the players to get creative instead of sending them on a journey full of grinding gear and reaching different levels. The achievements also take advantage of the game’s replayability factor and ask you to play scenarios in different ways. The number one thing that you’ll be saying when you play “Dishonored 2” and experiment with its sandbox is, “wait, I can do that!” That’s what makes this game and Arkane Studios special, and I highly recommend you try 100% “Dishonored 2.” The score below is not for the game itself but for its completion and is a mixture of difficulty, skill, and time consumption.
5/10, 40-50 hours.
See more: ‘Metro Exodus’ Achievements, Explained: Can You Achieve 100% In The Game?
