Overview
This is a guide intended to help players who want to play through both Corvo and Daud’s stories in a chronological manner. Other guides have attempted this but through my own research I have found them flawed. In this guide I will be providing solid reasoning for my claims, and any other information to help guide a player’s journey. Thank you, and enjoy.
Setup
The following information will be organized based on days that the missions take place, to help understand the timeline better.
This guide will also begin from the first story mission, as obviously Corvo’s prologue is the first event to take place. Ready? Let’s get started.
Day 1 – Coldridge Prison
After many grueling months under torture, Corvo escapes Coldridge Prison at an unknown time of the day. He will meet with Samuel and the rest of the Loyalists, and afterwards goes to sleep.
It is here that he has his visit from the Outsider, and is granted his magical powers. After completing the short void sequence, it is recommended to save and quit here as this is where the campaigns begin to intertwine.
Day 2 – None Like Her, High Overseer Campbell & A Captain of Industry
Much busier day this time, huh?
To begin, we have Daud’s prologue, None Like Her. In this prologue, he narrates his feelings over killing the Empress, and then is suddenly plonked into the void with no real explanation.
It seems to make the most sense, to me at least, that Daud was having a nightmare about killing the Empress, and awoke in the void much like Corvo did. In fact, the timeline would indicate both Void Visits took place on the same night. There’s no way of knowing which came first, but I’ve placed Daud’s after Corvo’s because that simply flows better.
Following that, Corvo awakes and is promptly sent off to dispose of High Overseer Campbell. This mission takes place during the morning/midday, depending on how long Corvo slept in. Either way, Daud would likely be taking this time to do his research into the name “Delilah”, which he mentions at the beginning of A Captain of Industry.
Speaking of that mission, it will take place on the very same day, but later in the afternoon, at exactly sunset. I determined this using a map of Dunwall found in the first level of Dishonored 2, where Slaughterhouse Row is shown to be far along the Wrenhaven River, likely where it meets the ocean due to whale accessibility.
This map does seem to imply that the sun is currently setting/rising in the North, however. And obviously that isn’t possible. So instead, I combined that information with another map of Dunwall, this time from the Dunwall Archives book.
In the bottom-left corner, if you squint, there is a teensy tiny compass that shows north as being straight up, making Slaughterhouse Row, although it is not shown on this particular map, be facing west. Thus, in A Captain Of Industry, the sun is setting in the west. Whew, that was a lot.
Anyway, in this mission announcements can be heard describing Corvo’s escape from Coldridge, so we can confirm it takes place after that. It’s likely they didn’t report on Campbell’s branding because it had happened only hours earlier, maybe even at the same time. In any case, Daud deals with Rothwild as he wishes, and the day is over.
(Side Note: at the end of High Overseer Campbell, I’d recommend saving and quitting right after talking to Samuel but before arriving at the Hound Pits, as when you get back the sun has already set and Daud’s mission has taken place.)
Alright. That was a lot, but on to the next day.
Day 3 – The Golden Cat, The Royal Physician, Eminent Domain & The Surge
Here we go again!
After waking in the Hound Pits for the second time and disposing of some weepers, Corvo is sent off to the Golden Cat to rescue the young heir Emily and take out Pendleton’s twin brothers. The next mission will also have him travelling to Kaldwin’s Bridge to kidnap the Royal Physician Sokolov. Both of Corvo’s missions here will take place on the same day, as when you get back to the Hound Pits after saving Emily, Havelock will immediately shoo you off to kidnap Sokolov, and Samuel even says “Off to Kaldwin’s Bridge, sir. We’ll get our sleep later.”
In the following Daud mission, Eminent Domain, Daud attempts to eliminate the corrupt Barrister Arnold Timsh. Among Timsh’s elite guard is one Captain Blossom, who will prove to be very useful with his blabbermouth. Blossom can be heard discussing with a maidservant about the fate of High Overseer Campbell, and also the Pendletons. Additionally, Blossom will tell Timsh that a possible reason for General Turnbull’s delay is “a possible suspect in the Sokolov affair,” meaning this also takes place after The Royal Physician.
Someone should give Blossom a big thanks for being so helpful, huh?
Blossom’s latter line does seem to imply that Sokolov’s kidnapping occurred much earlier as opposed to immediately beforehand. However, this would have to mean Eminent Domain either took place at night, which it obviously didn’t, or it happened the following day. But we can prove later on that Daud’s next mission, the Surge, happened on the night of Sokolov’s kidnapping. So overall, Eminent Domain must have taken place in the very recent aftermath of Corvo’s actions at the Bridge. In light of this, I’d take Blossom’s line to meaning Turnbull was redirected on his way to the Legal District due to the commotion at Kaldwin’s Bridge, and spent some time there interviewing suspects after Corvo had left before coming back to confront Timsh.
In what is heavily implied to be the night right after Eminent Domain, as this is when Daud returns home to relax from his Timsh escapades, the Flooded District is invaded by Overseers. After dispatching them as he wishes, Daud finishes off the Knife of Dunwall DLC.
And remember, the best time to Save and Quit as Corvo would be when leaving Kaldwin’s Bridge but before arriving at the Hound Pits. After finishing Eminent Domain, you can return to Corvo and rest your sleepy head before jumping back to Daud for The Surge.
Intermission
Now, I wanna take this opportunity to talk about the following missions, because this is where things get complicated and difficult to determine.
The prologue to the following DLC, The Brigmore Witches, heavily implies Daud woke up from his nightmare with Corvo the on the morning after The Surge, and immediately made preparations to break Lizzy out of prison.
However, and this is the tricky part, the Dead Eels mission in Draper’s Ward that occurs after Coldridge confirms that a new High Overseer has not yet been chosen, in a loading screen tip. But in the main game, Martin is announced High Overseer that morning when Corvo wakes up. So this must mean that Daud completed The Surge, The Brigmore Prologue, A Stay of Execution for Lizzy, and The Dead Eels, all while Corvo is sleeping.
Another problem is that Lizzy’s Coldridge breakout seems to take place at night. It’s hard to tell, but the moon is certainly out. It’s unlikely that this happened in the early morning, because the Brigmore prologue does and the day seems brighter there. So, what’s the answer? Well outside of the devs not thinking that hard about the timeline matching up (no way), the only other solution is that Corvo slept for an entire day after taking Sokolov, during which Daud woke up after the Surge, made preparations for rescuing Lizzy, then did so that night. The next morning, he must have completed the Dead Eels mission due to the sunrise happening (I can’t really confirm if it’s a sunrise or sunset like before, but for the sake of flow let’s say sunrise. Please, this is confusing enough as it is.) So, this would mean Daud’s missions happened like this:
- The Surge (nighttime while Corvo is sleeping)
- Brigmore Prologue (Morning after, Corvo is still asleep)
- Lizzy’s Coldridge Breakout (Night-time day after, Corvo still sleeping)
- The Dead Eels (Morning of Boyle Party day, Corvo is still sleeping)
Corvo would then wake up, interrogate Sokolov, and head off to the party. Whew, guess the guy must really have been pooped after doing 2 missions in one day. I know this is a bit of a stretch, but as far as I know there’s no other way to make the timeline match up.
Day 4 – Choosing Your Mark & A Stay of Execution for Lizzy
As mentioned above, the Brigmore Witches DLC will begin the morning immediately after The Surge, as assassins can be seen rounding up Overseers and burning their bodies. Daud awakes from a nightmare where he fights Corvo, and will begin to plan Lizzy Stride’s breakout from Coldridge Prison with his new lieutenant Thomas.
Without much else to say, Daud heads off to Coldridge Prison the following night and rescues Lizzy Stride.
Day 5 – The Dead Eels & Lady Boyle’s Last Party
On the morning after, Daud makes his way to Draper’s Ward, where he will help Lizzy Stride retake control of her Dead Eel gang. Throughout all of this commotion Daud’s been causing, Corvo has been sleeping like a baby for an entire day. It’s only after Daud successfully completes The Dead Eels that Corvo will finally wake up and hear the announcement that Teague Martin is the new High Overseer.
After a short interrogation with Anton Sokolov, Corvo and Samuel head off on a boat to the Estate District, where a very important party is being held. Apparently the boat ride took a very long time, because by the time they reach their destination it’s already evening. Over the course of the night, Corvo successfully deals with Waverley Boyle however he sees fit, and returns to the Hound Pits Pub.
Day 6 – Return to the Tower & Delilah’s Masterwork
Finally, a day where nothing super complicated happens!
Since the boat ride between Lady Boyle’s house and the Hound Pits is apparently extremely long, by the time Corvo arrives back at the pub morning has already come. After a quick discussion with Havelock, he once again rides off, this time to Dunwall Tower to take out the Lord Regent.
Now Daud’s final mission, Delilah’s Masterwork, could really happen at anytime between The Dead Eels and The Flooded District. However, I find it fits best happening at the same time as Corvo’s Tower mission or just after, as we know Daud has returned home by Day 7 and he surely needs some time to prepare for his assault on the manor. In any case, the player should once again Save and Quit after speaking to Samuel at the Tower, and head off to finish up Daud’s campaign.
Hopefully your quest goes well and both major antagonists are defeated one after the other. It’s worth noting that the final cutscene of the Brigmore Witches flashes forward to Corvo’s decision in the Flooded District. I don’t believe this cutscene is skippable, meaning if you want your playthrough to be purely chronological, then avert thine eyes. Anyway, upon his return, Corvo celebrates with his friends and heads up to bed, yet finds himself stumbling to get through the door and eventually collapses. He has been poisoned and betrayed, and the day is brought to a somber end as Corvo passes out on the floor.
Day 7 and onward – Finishing Corvo’s Story
Obviously, with Daud’s missions all now completed, all that remains is for you to play through the rest of Corvo’s missions beginning with the Flooded District, where Daud’s story is truly brought to a close. The Loyalists and Light at the End can then be completed at your leisure. After all that is done, congratulations! You’ve successfully completed Dishonored in the perfect chronological fashion.
If you enjoyed this guide or found it helpful, please feel free to leave a comment or a like. If you think I’ve made a mistake in my guide, I beg you even more so to leave a comment. I won’t take it personally.
Thanks for reading. 🙂