Death to the Empress

Death to the Empress is the final mission in Dishonored 2, in which the protagonist must enter Dunwall Tower and eliminate Delilah Copperspoon.

Pre-mission, Dreadful Wale
Meet with Meagan Foster and Anton Sokolov to discuss your return to Dunwall.

Mission
''You must confront Delilah Copperspoon before she changes all the world with her will. Enter Dunwall Tower and find a way to reunite Delilah Copperspoon's spirit with her body to make her mortal again. Only then can you eliminate her and take back the throne.''

Pre-mission
On the Dreadful Wale, the protagonist intends to commandeer the skiff alone in order to reach Dunwall's streets. Before doing so, they may talk to Anton Sokolov and Meagan Foster. Sokolov is found painting a portrait of the protagonist, while Meagan is on the deck.

Should the protagonist speak with Sokolov, they will discuss Delilah's past and her personality. Sokolov tells them that Delilah "had a talent for imagining the world as a better place".

The protagonist may speak with Foster. The nature of their conversation will change depending on the chaos level: Depending on the chaos level, if the protagonist goes into Foster's cabin and reads a letter on the desk, Foster will either stay on the deck (low chaos), or disappear (high chaos).
 * On low chaos, Foster reveals her true name, Billie Lurk, respecting Emily or Corvo enough to tell them her past. She admits to working as an assassin, lead by Daud, and she admits to playing a part in the assassination of Jessamine Kaldwin. Emily or Corvo can respond sympathetically, or they may condemn Billie.
 * On high chaos, Foster does not tell the protagonist about her past. Instead, she advises the protagonist not to hesitate when eliminating Delilah.

Dunwall Streets
The level starts with the same map of the mission A Long Day in Dunwall. Most of the street is barricaded and the tower itself lies in ruins. Bodies of City Watch Guards and civilians litter the street. In place of the old pub by the docks, a Black Market has set up shop. The docks themselves are devoid of people as packs of wolfhounds are on the streets. If the printer of the Dunwall Courier has been saved or never visited at all the brave man will still be here typing away, and will offer his support. Another survivor can be found in alley with side entrance to Dunwall Courier. There is a witch standing guard atop a ruined building that will attack Corvo or Emily if they walk on the now destroyed railways. In front of the main gate of Dunwall Tower, many Overseers are found dead, alongside their wolfhounds. The door to Emily's hidden chamber has also been closed.

Dunwall Tower
Corvo or Emily can go to Dunwall Tower through the front door or through the armory to Coldridge Canal if they bought or stole the key from the Black Market. Once past the front door, Corvo or Emily can see more of the carnage from the Overseer assault on Dunwall Tower. Many of the Overseers lied dead, one is bleeding out, and some are petrified. In the garden of Dunwall Tower there are witches and gravehounds, guarding the door to the great hall.

Dunwall Tower Interior
Inside Dunwall Tower there are statues of Delilah. If you talk to any statue of her here, Delilah will know you're coming, and you will have a much harder time sneaking up on her later. The palace is guarded by witches and Clockwork Soldiers.

Near the entrance of Dunwall Tower, the protagonist will see the last of the Overseers that died in the assault. Some are hung from the chandeliers and on the steps of the foyer, High Overseer Yul Khulan lifeless body is propped up. The witches also attached two bonecharms to the High Overseer in order to disrespect his beliefs. Taking the bonecharms will trigger an ambush by witches and gravehounds.

In the chapel, Corvo or Emily can make a corrupted rune used in to neutralize Delilah non-lethally. Combining the algae, pigments, and human bone in the room, gathering the ingredients and placing them on the table to make the rune.

Throne Room
Corvo or Emily can go to the Throne Room through Emily secret room or through the elevator after restoring power in the basement.

Delilah waits inside the Throne Room. If Corvo or Emily talked to her statues here, she'll have summoned two gravehounds in anticipation and will sit in the Throne. If not, she'll be consumed in her painting work. Sneak up behind her before equipping the heart and using it on her.

Corvo or Emily will be blasted back as her spirit returns, and she'll enter her painted world, beckoning you to follow.

Painted World
To neutralize Delilah non-lethally, don't follow through the painting just yet, instead, head up to the Throne and place the corrupt rune on it.

In the painted world there are legions of statues before Delilah sitting on the Throne. This is a trap, because between the statues there are 4 are clones of Delilah. The Delilah sitting in the throne is also a clone, as the real Delilah is in a ledge above the entry portal.

Corvo or Emily can neutralize Delilah and her clones lethally or non-lethally. If the non-lethal approach is chosen the player must bring back the unconscious body of Delilah through the painting and place her on the throne.

Endings
There are multiple endings based on whether the player caused high chaos by indiscriminate murder, or achieved low chaos by refraining from taking lives. In the High Chaos ending, the player is faced with the choice of freeing Emily / Corvo from petrification or leaving them that way forever. If Emily is not left in stone, she becomes a vengeful empress and brutally purges Delilah's supporters, with Corvo by her side in one form or another. If Corvo leaves Emily petrified, he takes the throne for himself and becomes a brutal tyrant known as Emperor Corvo "the Black". Meanwhile, Karnaca is either ruled by a new tyrant or collapses completely into anarchy and, if still alive, Sokolov becomes a broken man after having borne witness to the perversion of his work and is exiled to his home country. In the Low Chaos ending, the player frees Emily / Corvo from their imprisonment. A council of representatives (or Corvo, if he makes himself the new duke) takes charge in Karnaca and brings the city back from the brink. Emily becomes a fair and just ruler, reuniting the Empire with Corvo by her side. Sokolov, proud to see his work used for good, returns to his home country. In either ending, if Meagan – who is revealed to be Billie Lurk – survives, she leaves to search for Daud, leading to Dishonored: Death of the Outsider.

Special Actions

 * Captain's Quarters - Search Meagan Foster's cabin aboard the Dreadful Wale.
 * World As It Should Be - Trapped Delilah forever within her own painting, ruling over an imagined world.
 * Avenging Jessamine - Take revenge on Billie Lurk for her part in Jessamine's assassination.
 * Heart of the Tower - Reached the Royal Protector's chambers within Dunwall Tower.
 * Saving Your Father - Rescue Corvo Attano.
 * Your Father Is Safe - Take back the throne as Emily, leaving Corvo as a statue.
 * Saving Your Daughter - Rescue Emily Kaldwin, breaking Delilah's magic.
 * Your Daughter Is Safe - Take the throne as Corvo Attano, leaving Emily as a statue.
 * Black Market Heist - Slipped into the black market shop from below, coming up through the Boyle Industries warehouse.
 * In the Coven's Wake - Addressed the survivors near Dunwall Tower over the street speaker system.

Trivia

 * This mission takes place almost two months after the beginning of the game.
 * If the protagonist pickpockets Meagan or looted her dead body after killing her, they will get the Meagan Foster's Cabin Key. Inside, they can find an audiograph that reuses Daud's outro monologue of the low chaos ending in Dishonored DLC The Brigmore Witches and two bonecharms. It will also trigger the special action Captain's Quarters.
 * When the protagonist is walking onto the main street, a witch up by the broadcast station for the loudspeaker atop Dunwall Tower will start singing.
 * Sometimes the witch catches fire by approaching the lit fire near the door to Emily's hidden chamber and can be found burnt dead. This can also happen to the witches coming to the microphone after the protagonist uses it.
 * If Corvo or Emily addresses Dunwall through the loudspeaker after defeating Delilah they start singing "What will we do with the drunken whaler?".
 * There is a map of Dunwall Tower that cannot be picked up in the improvised Overseer outpost in the Tower District.
 * The drawing that young Emily leaves for Corvo in the Dishonored mission The Royal Physician is featured in this mission. It can be found in the ransacked Lord Protector's chambers at Dunwall Tower. It has been framed, along with the matching drawing of Jessamine, although both have been dismounted from the wall.
 * The trap laid out for the protagonist inside Dunwall Tower is foreshadowed by one of the Oracular Order's prophecies heard in the mission The Royal Conservatory.
 * The witch who stands guard over the railways implies that she is impatiently waiting for her lover to come.
 * Since most people have fled the district, houses are empty and there is no light coming out from them. But light can be seen coming from neighbouing districts.
 * If Delilah is killed, all unconscious witches in the mission will disappear in flashes of white light, as seen in this video.
 * Survivor in Dunwall Tower will say that two more survivors (Genevieve and Moragan) were with him, but both got caught.
 * There are 96 dead Overseers around the level, excluding High Overseer Yul Khulan.
 * There is an old wall of light possibly from the Rat Plague era, stashed in a room adjoining the great hall.

Low Chaos Walkthrough
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