Dishonored 2: Should You Play Corvo or Emily?

Choosing between Corvo and Emily: Blink or Far Reach?

Those who are familiar with the original Dishonored will undoubtedly remember some of Corvo’s iconic supernatural abilities. The most recognizable one is likely the Blink ability, which allows Corvo to travel from one spot to another within range in an instance.

While Emily has a similar ability, her Far Reach makes some noteworthy changes to Corvo’s Blink. The main difference is that Emily doesn’t phase through the world around her, but rather grabs onto the environment and pulls herself towards that point, as it were. In a way, Far Reach bares some resemblance to Spider-Man’s web slinging ability in that it serves as a grapple hook.

Pick Corvo if: you wish to zig-zag between shadows effortlessly, remaining invisible to the eye of the careless guards in Dishonored 2.

Pick Emily if: invisibility isn’t a necessity, but fluidity and flexibility most certainly are. You want to fling yourself from one vantage point to the other, stalking your prey until the time is right to engage.

Manipulation or Management?

Dishonored 2 allows a variety of different approaches with its open level design, wherein every mission serves as a mini-sandbox. How you will tackle these situations highly depends on your favorite play style, whether you like slipping past everyone like a ghost, brutally murdering any guard you come across, or any variation in between.

Both Corvo and Emily have a different set of useful skills and abilities, and while their mobility doesn’t vary too vastly, the way they approach combat and traversal most certainly are unique to each character. Corvo can take out guards efficiently enough, yet sticking to the shadows and refraining from killing will grant you the most satisfying play-through. He manipulates not only time, but also the organisms surrounding him, both the living and the dead.

Emily, on the other hand, can be much more efficient when you manage her powers more carefully. Getting to higher ground, linking enemies together with the Domino ability and taking all linked guards out with one fell swoop makes her a more resourceful combatant than her old bodyguard Her stealth doesn’t have to be as precise and calculated as Corvo’s.

Pick Corvo if: in combat, you rely on a solid combination of weaponry and abilities. When things get a bit claustrophobic, freezing time of possessing others is your main go-to, sneaking past guards without leaving a single trace.

Pick Emily if: linking targets and bestowing one guard’s fate upon a handful of others is your goal, making short work of a larger group at once after an initial planning phase. Causing the occasional mayhem isn’t that big of a deal since you can dispose of large groups effortlessly.

Going into hiding or taking out witnesses?

No matter how stealthy you wish to play through Dishonored 2, chances are you’ll get spotted eventually. While it’s perfectly possible to reload your latest save file and retry a certain encounter, some wish to let their carelessness play out as a mild form of punishment.

How you tackle being spotted varies quite drastically depending on the character you’re playing. With both, it’s quite easy to hop to the rooftops and stay out of side until guards resume their normal patrol, yet those situations may not always present themselves. Corvo, on one hand, can utilize his manipulative abilities to temporarily evade detection and sit out a sticky situation. Possessing a fish, a corpse, or a living guard are just some of the ways to do that.

Emily is a bit trickier when it comes to wiping the slate clean since her area-of-effect abilities and their lethality make it easier to go on the offensive and deal with any witnesses head-on. Whereas Corvo could Blink out of sight, for example, Emily could Conjure up a clone that takes out the spotter in your stead. It should be noted, however, that once enemies are linked, so are their alertness levels.

Pick Corvo if: when you mess up, you can count on your manipulative abilities to wait until the storm blows over, grasping another chance and silent vengeance when the enemy forces let their guards down once more.

Pick Emily if: when all else fails, let hell rain down. Your abilities can be used to take out multiple targets quickly, clearing out a zone of alerted guards with relative ease to have another go at stealth in the following situation.

Silent flaws or vengeful reclaiming?

When general play style doesn’t bother you too much, it simply comes down to your preference. Do you want to indulge yourself a bit deeper in Corvo’s story, or are you more interested to see how Emily compares to him?

Corvo, while fully voiced in Dishonored 2, is still rather silent and has grown a bit more seasoned following the events depicted in the original. His abilities have evolved slightly, yet he’s still the character you’ve come to love back in 2012. On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Emily, who is going on a vendetta to reclaim her rightful throne, which gives her story arc a resemblance to that of Corvo in Dishonored.

Their stories intertwine, mind you, but depending on who you choose, you will experience it quite differently. Corvo still largely fulfills the same role he did in the first game, yet Emily can take matters into her own hands now and vent her anger herself.

Pick Corvo if: you know him, and you like that he hasn’t changed much. His story gets a bit more depth this time around, fleshing out a character you’ve already embodied before. You like to stick with what you know, and maybe you’ll give Emily a shot in a second play-through.

Pick Emily if: Want to see a story about how Ttagedy has shaped this young assassin, setting her on a path of revenge and justice that’s similar to Corvo’s story in the original Dishonored. You want to explore someone else’s story first before delving a bit deeper into Corvo’s life once moreover in a second playthrough of Dishonored 2.

Final rundown

If you’re a hardcore stealth fanatic, playing as Corvo would be the more fitting choice. His abilities can be used more defensively than Emily’s, and while he can be as deadly as your imagination allows, the satisfaction that comes from Blinking between shadows without getting noticed makes it easier to play Dishonored 2 in a non-lethal manner.

Emily is a very strong addition to the sequel, with her abilities being a bit more lethal than those of Corvo. You like to take your time, turn every level into a gigantic puzzle, and see how many guards you can take out creatively by combining your abilities. Avoiding detection shouldn’t be too big of an issue, but in case things go south, you can rely on Emily’s powers to wipe out those who stand against you in Dishonored 2.