Dishonored 2's Powers Can Be Combined in Ways the Developer Didn't Realize

Dishonored gave players many different powers that could be linked together in interesting combinations. The same seems to be the case for the upcoming Dishonored 2, in which the game's testers are already surprising developer Arkane Studios by combining powers in ways they never even thought of (via GamesRadar).

In the June 3 issue of OXM, director Harvey Smith gave an example of how a player linked two powers together to easily assassinate multiple targets at once. The new protagonist, Emily Kaldwin, has a power called Domino that lets you link enemies together to eliminate them all with just one kill and another called Doppleganger, which produces a copy that can be used as bait or a distraction. What this player did was link a bunch of enemies to the doppleganger and then killed it to take out everyone.

"She just assassinates it. And all three of the other guys drop," explained Smith. "We had no idea this was possible, we never planned this. It's just one of those systemic game mechanic interactions that clever, creative players figure out as they start to experiment."

Lead designer Dinga Bakaba had another example of an inventive assassination.

"Someone at Arkane came to me a while back with a question: 'Should spring razormines be triggered by your doppelganger?'" said Bakaba. "Usually I don't answer those questions except to say, 'Why do you ask?' And he said, 'I summoned my doppelganger and I tried to place a mine nearby because I wanted to do a trap, but I actually put the mine on the doppelganger.' So when the enemy arrives they run after her and--bam! When they catch up, they explode in gibs."

The developers don't make it clear that these specific methods will make their way into the final game, but Bakaba said that "if it's occurred to the player and if it's fun, [they] tend to embrace it." Smith agrees, saying it's "why [they] do, what [they] do."

"We absolutely love it," he said.

Dishonored 2 launches for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 11.

Bethesda recently announced that novels and comics would bridge the gap between the first Dishonored and its forthcoming sequel. The first comic releases in August, while this year's novel is the first of a trilogy--the second and third books will release next year.

You can check out more Dishonored 2 coverage through the links below:

• A Journey Through Emily’s Assassination Mission
• Dishonored 2's Cast Includes Game of Thrones and Daredevil Actors
• Dishonored 2 Dev Not Afraid of Bucking Industry Trends
• Dishonored 2 Devs on Building a More Ambitious Sequel