Corvo's Mask

Corvo's mask.

"One more time, old friend."

—Corvo Attano as he dons the mask, 1852

Corvo's Mask is an item in Dishonored and Dishonored 2, where it serves as the signature apparel of Corvo Attano.

Biography

The mask was created by the inventor Piero Joplin at an indeterminate time before Corvo's escape from Coldridge Prison during the events of Dishonored. Its design was inspired by a dream Piero had, in which he had seen "death itself staring back at him," leading to him modeling the mask after a human skull to inspire that same dread in others. After Corvo was introduced to the Loyalists and met Piero, he gave the mask to the Lord Protector to serve as both conventional armor and a way to mask his identity as he worked to topple Hiram Burrows' reign as the Lord Regent.

Over the course of the events of Dishonored, the mask and its wearer became infamous across Dunwall, with many guests at the Boyle Masquerade commenting on how frightening the mask looks, along with how it reminds them of the Masked Felon that had been terrorizing the aristocracy of the city.

After the fall of Hiram Burrows and Farley Havelock's ascension as the new Lord Regent, he claimed to have information linking the Masked Felon to Corvo Attano, though this was either never widely published or not trusted. A few individuals, including Bottle Street Gang leader Slackjaw and some of the City Watch made the connection between Corvo and the Felon independently. Even after his name was cleared by the new Empress Emily Kaldwin, Corvo continued to use the mask for covert operations as well as to intimidate enemies of the Empire.

Years later, by the time of Dishonored 2, Corvo retained possession of the mask although its age had forced him to patch it up. Several of the corrupt guards working for Mortimer Ramsey recognized Corvo on the streets of Dunwall in 1852, indicating his role as the Masked Felon had become public. However, the mask's history is barely known in Serkonos, allowing Corvo to remain anonymous while hunting for the co-conspirators of Delilah Copperspoon in Karnaca.

Characteristics

The mask possesses a telescopic function, allowing Corvo to view far-off objects and target enemies at long range. When zoomed in, the lens also amplifies sound. Piero can upgrade the function with a second spyglass zoom after Corvo delivers the appropriate blueprints. When acquired, this feature allows Corvo to view objects and people more closely than he can with the mask's single telescopic function.

Trivia

• Corvo's mask was originally conceptualized to be a gas mask until he was given his unique mask and the concept of wearing a gas mask was instead used for the Whalers gang.^{[citation needed]}
• A promotional item based on Corvo's mask was created for the Valve game Team Fortress 2, dubbed the Lacking Moral Fiber Mask. It was awarded to players at "Genuine" quality who had pre-ordered Dishonored through the Steam platform.
• The zoom feature can be used when Corvo is not wearing the mask while at the Hound Pits Pub and the Dreadful Wale.
• Despite the mask having three visible magnifying lenses in one eye when it is viewed from the back, the zoom functions cannot be used until bought.
  • The blueprints for the optics reveal that the three lenses do not canonically exist until Corvo has purchased the upgrade, making this a developmental oversight.
  • Corvo's in-game mask slightly differs from the mask seen on the cover art and in the advertisements. For example, the in-game mask has different details, such as two brass pieces on the nose and a completely different right eye magnifying lens.
• When Corvo puts on the mask in the reveal trailer, there is a brief red tint before his vision adapts to the lenses. This does not occur in the games.
• When Corvo first picks up his mask in Dishonored 2 from the Imperial Safe Room in Dunwall Tower, it already has the ability to zoom in once. This is consistent with Emily Kaldwin's telescope. The second level of zoom can be purchased at black market shops later in the game.
• The mask appears as a collectible in The Evil Within 2, another game published by Bethesda. It can be found inside a train car in the Residential area, near some rats.
• If Corvo is chosen as the protagonist in Dishonored 2 and reveals himself to Kirin Jindosh during The Clockwork Mansion, Jindosh comments that he recognizes the mask's design as the work of Piero Joplin along with someone else who he does not recognize.
• According to Harvey Smith, the mask's appearance may slightly alter "according to its own arcane rules".
• The reveal trailer of Dishonored 2 showed a plot element regarding the mask that was later discarded during development. Originally, the game would have shown Corvo and Emily standing out on a pier, where Corvo would have dropped the mask into the water, with the Outsider retrieving and returning it with alterations to Corvo at the start of the game.

Gallery

Concept art of Corvo's mask in Dishonored 2.

The model of Corvo's mask in Dishonored 2.

Corvo's mask in The Art of Dishonored 2.

An image of Corvo's mask from Dishonored: The Dunwall Archives.

A rendered image of Corvo's mask.

Piero adjusting the center lens of Corvo's mask.

Piero constructing Corvo's mask.

Corvo's view with the mask optics upgrade.

Corvo spies on Custis Pendleton from afar using the spyglass enhancement on his mask.

Corvo studies a watchtower using the spyglass enhancement on his mask.

A Whaler wearing Corvo's mask.

Close-up of Corvo's mask in The Brigmore Witches.

Corvo's mask on the cover of Dishonored 2.

Corvo's mask as seen on the Game of the Year edition.

Corvo's mask, as it is illustrated on the front cover of the GameInformer magazine.

An illustration of the front of Corvo's mask.

Corvo's mask in the debut trailer.

A promotional image of Corvo's mask.

Corvo's mask in The Tales from Dunwall.

An animated view of Corvo's mask (GIF).

An animated view of Corvo's mask (GIF).

Corvo's mask in the E3 2015 Reveal Trailer for Dishonored 2.

Corvo's mask seen through a keyhole in the debut trailer (GIF).

An example of a wanted poster featuring the mask.

A poster featuring the mask found within Daud's Hideout.

Corvo's mask on the cover of Dishonored: The Wyrmwood Deceit.

Corvo's mask on the cover of The Wyrmwood Deceit.

Corvo's mask on the cover of The Wyrmwood Deceit.

Corvo's mask seen in the first issue of The Wyrmwood Deceit.

Corvo wearing his mask in the second issue of The Wyrmwood Deceit.

Corvo's mask as seen on the cover of the graphic novel.

Corvo wearing his mask on a cover of the first issue of Dishonored: The Peeress and the Price.

Corvo wearing his mask on a cover of the reveal comics at E3 2017.

Corvo's mask on the first issue of Dishonored: The Peeress and the Price, cover B (game art variant) by Luke Kemp-James.

Corvo wearing his mask on the second issue of Dishonored: The Peeress and the Price, cover B (game art variant).

Corvo's mask appears on a prerelease cover of Dishonored: The Corroded Man.

Corvo's mask appearing in promotional art for Dishonored 2.

Cosplay Guide for Corvo's Mask.

Corvo's mask with the Dishonored 2 Collector's Edition.

Corvo's mask from the Dishonored 2 Collector's Edition.

Corvo's mask, as it appears in Team Fortress 2.

The Lacking Moral Fiber Mask from Team Fortress 2.

Corvo's Mask from the Dishonored 2 Collector's Edition.

Render of Corvo's Mask.