Return to the Tower

Return to the Tower is the sixth mission in Dishonored, in which Corvo must return to Dunwall Tower and assassinate the Lord Regent, Hiram Burrows.

Pre-mission, The Final Move
''With the removal of Lady Boyle, his greatest financial supporter, the Lord Regent is now as vulnerable as he has ever been. It's time to make preparations to strike directly.''

Mission
''It's time to end the Lord Regent's rule, and if you succeed Emily can be crowned Empress. You must return to Dunwall Tower and infiltrate the place where you once served as Lord Protector. Ever-paranoid, the Lord Regent has upgraded security over the months and has a heavily-defended safe room to which he will escape if you set off any alarms.''

Pre-Mission
Corvo can find Havelock and Martin on the second floor in the Admiral's quarters, looking over a map. Havelock informs Corvo that it is time to kill Burrows, and he and Martin discuss the Lord Regent's current situation, saying that he has lost the support of the Abbey and the aristocracy and is no longer receiving funding. They tell Corvo of Burrows' paranoia and remind him that Sokolov, who makes the Lord Regent's security devices, is missing. Burrows has gathered up those who are still loyal to him at Dunwall Tower.

Upon entering the bar area, Callista can be found sitting at one of the booths. She will ask Corvo to find Emily, saying that playing hide-and-seek is the girl's way of taunting her. Once Corvo finds Emily, who can be heard giggling as he nears her hiding space, she explains that she enjoys hiding from Callista. She will then give him a rune, saying that she found it buried in the ground and slept with it under her pillow. Unfortunately, it gave her nightmares, so she decided to give it to Corvo. Once Corvo accepts the gift, Emily will make her way inside.

Back in the pub, Emily begins her lessons with Callista, starting with geography. She names the four main islands of the Empire, adding that Gristol is the biggest and the best. Emily also reveals that nobody knows how whale oil works - "Not even Piero". Callista will then stop the lesson and tell Corvo that he is distracting them.

Infiltration
Once dropped off by Samuel, Corvo swims into the waterlock used in the beginning of the game. Using Blink to climb up and into the mechanism, he eventually reaches the top of the gate. At the top of the gate, Corvo finds the exit to the outside on the left wall of the room hidden below the walkway.

In the next room is an arc pylon, and it is recommended to take cover on either side of the door before opening it. The power source can be found in a lower section behind the arc pylon, and the whale oil tank can be removed easily by blinking behind the near pillar then circling round to it. Alternatively, Bend Time can be used to disable the pylon trivially.

If Corvo leaves the room and goes up the steps, he will find himself at the top of the waterlock. From the outside section, Corvo can easily make his way to the roof, bypassing the guards and the wall of light. If Corvo decides to go straight to the top of the waterlock, he can exit to the right, ending up on a balcony where the fuse box for the wall of light is located, or he can take the door to the left, which leads to the courtyard. Be aware that a tallboy patrols this area, and the door is locked, so Corvo must find the key first.

Entering the Tower
From here there are several routes to infiltrate the Tower. Sneaking along the right side of the yard is recommended, as it is mostly abandoned. An alley leads to an opening in the metal structure beside the carriage house, and Corvo can climb to the top and blink onto the ledge that rims the Tower. Walk along the ledge until directly above the main door, making sure not to be spotted by the nearby watchtower. Across the ledge is an open ventilation shaft; enter the tower via the opening.

If Corvo decides to go along the left side of the yard, in the back is the entrance to the waterworks room, where the moat is controlled. An engineer can be found there. If Corvo approaches him, he will ask the assassin not to hurt him, telling him that he can make his way to the front entrance or the side door from the moat. If Corvo decides to take this route, be aware of the hagfish that swim in the water.

Inside Dunwall Tower
Upon entering the building, Corvo will witness General Tobias and a City Watch Officer speaking to Hiram Burrows over a screen. If no alarm has been triggered and Corvo's current Chaos Rating is low, the Lord Regent will reject the advice from his guards to stay in the safe room and insist on sleeping in his regular bedroom. Otherwise he will remain in the safe room.

If Corvo entered through the ventilation shaft, he will find himself up on a ledge in the foyer. Corvo can blink onto the nearby chandeliers and to the highest level of the building. If he goes right, he can blink into the hallway outside the Lord Regent's chambers. This also gives him easy access to the broadcast room. If Corvo goes to the balcony directly across the room, he will find himself in Burrows' chambers. Going to the left will take him to the hallway outside the stairway leading to Burrows' safe room.

Burrows will enter his chambers shortly after Corvo arrives. General Tobias will speak with him, giving him a report, and then he will leave Burrows alone, giving Corvo easy access to the Lord Regent. If Corvo takes Burrows out before General Tobias arrives, the Officer and a few other guards will look for him in and around the room.

Accessing the Safe Room
If an alarm has been sounded inside the building, Burrows will already be hiding in the safe room atop the Tower. To get to the room, Corvo must take the stairway leading to the roof. If Corvo does not take the easy route from the chandelier to the hallway, he can make his way to the top floor and pass through the music room to get to the stairs.

Once on the roof, Corvo will find a few guards patrolling the area. They can easily be taken out, or Corvo can sneak past them.

To enter the room, Corvo can climb through the open window on the right of the building or go through the front door. If the roof alarm is triggered, the front door will lock, and Corvo must access the safe room through the open window. A tallboy can be found patrolling the area, and the upstairs room is blocked off by a wall of light. Corvo can cross to the left side of the room and take the back stairs leading to the power source, where Overseer Gerard patrols nearby with an Overseer Music Box, and he can deactivate or rewire the wall of light. From here, he can climb through a gap into the second floor room where Burrows is located.

Upon seeing Corvo, Burrows will turn hostile. It is helpful if Corvo rewires the wall of light instead of deactivating it, as the guards and the tallboy will try to come to Burrows' rescue.

Non-Lethal Solution
In order to eliminate the Lord Regent non-lethally, Corvo must enter the Broadcast Room, where announcements are broadcast across Dunwall via loudspeaker. Be careful as there is an arc pylon in the middle of the stairwell; its power source can be removed at the base of the stairs. Corvo can easily access the area from the hallway between the stairwell and Burrows' chambers, as there is no door, but to easily deactivate the arc pylon, Corvo can enter from the first floor, provided he has the skeleton key to Dunwall Tower.

If Corvo does not have the key, he can enter the tower through the upper hallway (where the arc pylon is located) by quickly blinking into the empty space between staircases and dropping down to the first level, where he can deactivate the device. Be sure to fully heal before attempting this, as the drop may kill Corvo on higher difficulties. Corvo can also use a grenade to disable the arc pylon. If it hits the arc pylon and drops to the bottom floor, the explosion will take out the whale oil tank.

The Propaganda Officer in the Broadcast Room, fearing for his life when Corvo arrives, offers to help him ruin the Lord Regent politically in exchange for his survival. He will inform Corvo that the Lord Regent has recorded a confession and locked it in the safe in his bedchamber. The Officer then gives Corvo the combination to the safe (935) saying that if the confession were played over the broadcast system, it would be the end of the Lord Regent.

Corvo can then steal and play the recording - it reveals not only Burrows' part in the assassination of the Empress, but his plot to bring the rat plague to Dunwall to kill off the city's impoverished citizens. By broadcasting this information, Corvo succeeds in eliminating the Lord Regent, as his own men overthrow and send him to Coldridge Prison.

If this method is chosen, Corvo can see Burrows being apprehended by an Officer and a guard at the end of the corridor to the broadcast station. The circumstances and outcome of Burrows' arrest are influenced by Corvo's chaos.

Post-Mission
Corvo and Samuel return to the Hound Pits, and the boatman informs Corvo that everyone is inside the building waiting for him. Samuel decides not to join him, saying that he needs some time to reflect.

Upon entering the pub, Corvo will be greeted by Emily. Her reaction will differ by chaos. On low chaos, she will excitedly say that she was informed that Corvo did something good. On high chaos, she will grimly welcome him in and ask Corvo if he killed anyone.

Corvo will receive a short applause from the Loyalists, and as he nears them, Pendleton and Havelock will speak to him while Cecelia pours drinks for the others. The two congratulate Corvo on a job well done, and Pendleton will give Corvo a drink. On low chaos, they will speak of their plans to put Emily on the throne now that the Lord Regent is gone. On high chaos, Pendleton will mention that Havelock will not get the support of the aristocracy without him.

Pendleton and the others will toast Emily as she sits at a booth drawing a picture. After the toast, Corvo can roam freely, but his vision will become hazy and distorted every once in a while.

He can witness a discussion between Martin and Callista, in which Martin questions her about Emily's lessons, saying that she must learn the Strictures. Callista says that she wants to play a significant role in Emily's life in the future, because the girl trusts her, but Martin tells her that Emily should trust all of the Loyalists.

Once the conversation ends, Martin will make his way over to Havelock and Pendleton. Each person will discuss what they desire to do in the future. Havelock speaks of the City Watch, saying that they need discipline, and Pendleton nonchalantly mentions that he must get married, now that he must provide an heir for the family. He adds that he could possibly wed one of the remaining Boyle women.

It is important for Corvo to get supplies before he enters his room in the attic. Piero will have gone back to his workshop, and Corvo can purchase any supplies that he may need in the future.

Upon entering his room, Corvo will collapse and black out. He will awaken to find Havelock, Pendleton, and Martin standing over him. Samuel enters the room, and it is revealed that Samuel poisoned Corvo's drink. The Loyalists will discuss what to do with Corvo and leave him with Samuel. On low chaos, Samuel will apologize to Corvo and tell him that he only put half the amount of poison in his drink. On high chaos, Samuel will wonder why he is willing to risk his life for Corvo and then reveal that he only gave Corvo half the poison.

Side Objectives

 * Locate Emily. Emily is hiding from Callista, and Corvo must find her. Emily can be located near the tower room, in the streets behind the Hound Pits, or in Corvo's bedroom. After Corvo speaks with her, she will give him a rune.
 * Corvo is tasked with eliminating the Royal Interrogator, who can be found in his torture chamber in the basement. Corvo can either kill him or choke him unconscious. The game will acknowledge this as two different actions (see the Special Actions below).

Special Actions

 * Killed The Lord Regent's Torturer
 * Defeated The Lord Regent's Torturer
 * Exposed the Lord Regent's Corruption Publicly
 * Killed The Lord Regent in His Bedroom
 * Revealed Your Identity to the Lord Regent

General Mission Notes

 * If Corvo approaches the screen in the foyer after he has triggered an alarm, causing Burrows to flee to his safe room, he can choose to taunt the Lord Regent over it and can even remove his mask to reveal his identity. This action will put all remaining guards on high alert, and Corvo will be surrounded by guards after the conversation ends.
 * If Corvo has not raised an alarm, Burrows will return to his bedroom after finishing the message, so he must be contacted before the screen turns off.
 * If Corvo does not speak to Burrows over the screen, when approached in the safe room, Burrows will express surprise at how the assassin managed to reach him. Corvo can then choose whether or not to reveal his identity.
 * When Burrows enter his chambers, if he sees his safe opened, he will flee to the safe room, as he knows about the assassin's presence.
 * If Corvo rewires the wall of light outside Burrows' chamber in stealth and then triggers an alarm, the Lord Regent will flee to his safe room past the device and killing himself in the process. This can work fine as an assassination method, or pose an accidental mission hazard should stealth be broken unintentionally.
 * After the non-lethal elimination of Burrows, if Corvo kills or renders a nearby guard unconscious or is detected, the Lord Regent will attempt to flee the guards. If he survives, he can be found in the basement if Corvo goes after the Torturer.
 * After the non-lethal elimination of Burrows, if Corvo possesses him and moves away from the arresting guards, they will attack and try to kill Burrows, thinking he is trying to escape.
 * The mission is made considerably easier by having the Dunwall Tower Skeleton Key found during the previous mission. It opens most doors, including the door to the Broadcast Room.
 * On the second floor of Dunwall Tower, across the balcony overlooking the praying Overseer and his wolfhound, a hidden room may be found, accessed by a false fireplace activated by a false lamp (that can be highlighted with Dark Vision), revealing a bone charm, an audiograph addressed to Emily and a letter for Corvo, both of which are written by the late Empress, along with other objects of interest.

Trivia

 * The song heard playing during Corvo's celebration is called "Small Secrets". It is the real world Classical music piece Violin Duet No. 2 in E major, Op. 46, G 64: Larghetto by Luigi Boccherini.
 * When walking to the Empress's commemorative plaque under the gazebo, a strong wind and the echoes of a ghostly voice will be heard for a few seconds.
 * If the arrest scene is triggered, the Regent will move there automatically, even if he is unconscious or in his safe room. This will happen even if Corvo was holding his body at that time.
 * If the Regent's arrest is interrupted, he will attempt to escape to the torture chamber where the Royal Interrogator will defend him from the guards.
 * On Low Chaos, the Lord Regent will meet with General Tobias in his bedroom, where he asks how the search for the assassin is going. Tobias replies that they 'have their best spies on it' and suggests the assassin uses witchcraft, to which the Lord Regent scoffs, before asking Tobias to leave.

Low Chaos Walkthrough
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