Dishonored®: Death of the Outsider™

More than an expansion but not quite a new game, Death of the Outsider is a finely crafted epilogue to Dishonored 2. Gameplay-wise, it’s more streamlined: the heroine only gets four magical powers that can’t be upgraded through runes, which is not much of an issue since the campaign is only about one third as long as D2's and ends before their novelty wears off. Those powers work in somewhat weird manners and take a bit of time getting used to, but they can be exploited in a variety of interesting and fun new ways. I also really like how the new self-regenerating mana meter works: you can’t spam powers as much, but don’t have to worry about running out of elixir. Unlike previous games, playing as a pacifist doesn’t give you an achievement or a better ending, so feel free to cause mayhem with the fun new gadgets and weapons at your disposal! Most of them work slightly differently than what we’ve seen, encouraging you to exploit their quirks and adding further diversity to the series’ already greatly satisfying arsenal: I love the hilarious “non-lethal” grenades and mines that tend to accidentally yeet enemies to their deaths. All in all, DotO has many good design choices that I would be happy to see reused in future Dishonored games. The plot is also fine. Serving as a sequel to the second game (and a spiritual successor of sorts to the Knife of Dunwall / Witches of Brigmore DLCs from the first), it lets you play as possibly my favorite protagonist in the series, has really good voice acting, and revolves around one of the most fascinating elements in the Dishonored lore, the mysterious Outsider. It looks as good as D2 and somehow seems much better optimized, as unlike the base game I barely experienced any stuttering. In the end, Death of the Outsider is a solid experience and a good addition to the Dishonored series, despite being perhaps the one I love the least. If you like immersive sims and the previous games, there’s no reason you’ll dislike this one.

Many problems of the previous generation have been improved, but some problems have also been inherited. The actual process is 5-6 hours, and purchase when recommending discounts

Dishonored 2 was the closest experience to the original Thief franchize in many years, when played without powers. This game is basically impossible to play that way, especially if you're trying for a non-lethal ghost playthrough. Options have been drastically narrowed down, choice has been taken away, even the levels are not as well designed as in the original game. It would be forgivable if this were a DLC, otherwise, unless you're really dying to uncover the mystery behind the Outsider, you won't miss anything by skipping this game.

In this DLC to D2 you play as Billie Lurk, who went looking for master assassin Daud. To no one's surprise she has finally found him, but the Knife of Dunwall has been reduced to a fragile old man who is about to croak. He asks Billie to find a rare knife that was used in a ritual that made the Outsider a god, so they can kill him with it. It's a better story than D2, but it doesn't make any sense. Daud blaming the Outsider for all his misfortune is such BS and Billie blindly following him after 15 years of absence is hard to believe. Arkane's really grasping at straws here. Billie has Void powers, but isn't marked by the Outsider, so they've done away with finding runes. There's also no chaos system this time, so don't worry about your playstyle. It doesn't matter if you kill or spare everyone. Your supernatural skills come from bone charms now and gear upgrades can still be bought in the black market shops. Billies Void powers are a letdown: Displace is another Blink, but requires an extra click to teleport. Foresight is like Dark Vision, where you can mark enemies and items in spirit form. Semblance is like Possession, where you can impersonate someone. The mana bar replenishes itself now, so there's no need to hoard those Addermire potions anymore. Side missions make a welcome return in the form of contracts. D2 didn't really have any, apart from finding a body for Mindy Blanchard, so they are fun little distractions from the main goal. The maps are a mixed bag: One Last Fight serves as a tutorial. Follow the Ink lets you explore the Upper Cyria District and is a fun map. The Bank Job recycles the previous map, but now you get to explore the inside of the bank too. The Stolen Archive recycles part of The Royal Conservatory map from D2. They saved the best for last; A Hole in the World lets you finally explore the Void. All in all D: DotO still is moderately enjoyable, but Arkane really needs to up their game.

While its not bad, it is a huge step down from 1 and 2. I only reccomend getting it on sale, as its more restrictive, shorter and less interesting than those games. Would give it a neutral rating, but Im still willing to give it a positive as its still enjoyable despite its shortcomings.