City Watch Guards

"Sadistic law enforcers separated from criminals only by a uniform."

—Dishonored Website

City Watch Guards are soldiers of the City Watch who patrol the city of Dunwall. They are all drawn from common citizens, though, unlike the Lower Guard, it is unlikely they are recruited from prisons. 

Some of them share similar sadistic viewpoints on the afflicted citizens as the Lord Regent, Hiram Burrows, and are eager to "cleanse" Dunwall of them. The Heart says that the only thing separating them from common criminals are their uniforms and some skill with their swords.

Guardsmen can be overheard attempting to barter for one another's elixir rations, and have been known to purchase the bootleg elixir from Slackjaw and his Bottle Street Gang for fear of contracting the plague.

Watchmen react to alerts broadcast over loudspeakers or the sound of alarms if they are close enough to hear them, and are able to pass through walls of light unharmed, though their understanding of this technology appears to be limited. When whale oil tanks are removed from arc pylons or other devices, they will not replace them.

Being the most common enemies in the early events of Dishonored, they are somewhat lacking in technique while in combat, being neither as agile and tactical as Officers, nor utilizing special abilities such as the Bottle Street Gang and weepers. They can still perform crouching attacks, sometimes bypassing Corvo's block, and are able to throw objects when they cannot reach Corvo. However, they have the tendency to hit each other when they are in their fellow guards' line of fire.

Quotes

Idle Chat

• "Any chance you'll share your food with me tonight?"
• "Better make a pass over here." (no answer)
• "How old did you say your sister was?"
• "You should bathe. I can smell you from here."
• "Tired yet?"
• "Let me know if you want to gamble on the hounds again."
• "Did you hear Maurus was dragged off by the Overseers? Some kind of black magic nonsense?"
• "See any big rat swarms?"

Idle Answers

• "Blow off."
• "I don't need shit from you."
• "You're such a choffer.'"
• "Another night, another patrol with you."
• "You always amuse me."
• "Blow off, choffer."

Searching Alone

• "I'll find ya, you hagfish."
• "I'll flush you out."
• "I'll find you."
• "Oh, I'll find you."
• "You'll keep runnin' if you know what's good for you."

Searching in a Group

• "Check under everything."
• "Keep skulkin around."
• "We got a prowler on the loose."
• "Call out if you see him."
• "We know you're here."
• "Watch out, we got someone skulking around."
• "Let's find that son of a hagfish."
• "Next time, we slit his gut open!"

Returning to Idle

• "Maybe wind or something."
• "Must've been nothing."
• "Must've been rats."
• "Keep your eyes open. He could be back."
• "Run, little rat."
• "Coward got away."
• "Outsider's eyes I'm getting spooked."
• "Gotta stop chewing habber weed. Nothing here."
• "Alright, I won't be catching this rat bastard."
• "I guess everything is tickety-boo."
• "Screw it, I'm going back."
• "Forget it, I'm going back."

Attacking

• "Come on, let's get this guy!"
• "Dump you in the river!"
• "For the Watch!"
• "Get around him!"
• "Just! Die!"
• "YEEEAAAAHAHH!!" (when swinging sword)
• "I'll dump you in the river."
• "Eat metal!"
• "You're going down!" (when enemy is out of reach)
• "Go down already!" (when enemy is out of reach)
• "Fall down already!" (when enemy is out of reach)
• "You're gonna bleed!"
• "Rush him!"
• "Ah-HA!"
• "Get him!"
• "Hit him!" (when enemy is out of reach)

Shouting for Help

• "Assassin! Help!"
• "Need some help over here!"
• "Someone help me out!"
• "Help!"
• "He's here!"
• "To arms!"

Alerted

• "What the-!"
• "Huh?"
• "What is it?" (when companion gets alerted)
• "I heard you there!" (when hearing suspicious noise)
• "Think you're being quiet?" (when hearing suspicious noise)
• "See something?" (when companion gets alerted)
• "Heard something." (when hearing suspicious noise)

Reaction to Supernatural Abilities

• "Sorcery!"
• "He just disappeared."
• "Witchwork!"
• "Impossible!"
• "I gotta... I thought... where am I?" (after being possessed)
• "I thought... Wait, I was supposed to... Where am I?" (after being possessed)

Protagonist's Death

• "Feed him to the hounds."
• "You're fish bait now."
• "You made someone a widow, damn you!" (after a kill)

Notes

• Guards will occasionally use streets as latrines, and will often head to a slightly secluded place to relieve themselves. Knocking them out or killing them here is a good plan if trying to avoid detection.
• Guards often accompany a single Officer in small patrols. Up to four can be seen following an Officer at a time. 
• They are also seen making arrests in many key points of the game and cutscenes, while Officers merely oversee the affair.
• Guards who patrol on intersecting paths may notice if their fellow guard is missing, and investigate the disappearance. It does not raise their alert status.

Trivia

• There are no normal Guards in the Boyle Mansion or around it, only Officers.
• There are no normal Guards in either The Knife of Dunwall or The Brigmore Witches DLCs.
• The Guard includes the ranks of Corporal and Sergeant, after which begin the Officer ranks.
• During the Rat Plague, some Guards were infected and have turned into Weepers. Those infected guards always lack helmets and have their uniforms in poor condition. They can be encoutred in Flooded District.

Gallery

City Watch concept art.

Concept art.

City Watch Guard Render.

City Watch Guard renders.

City Watch Guard head model.

A City Watch Guard has a look at a fuse box.

A City Watch Guard tossing a rat into a wall of light in a game of "Rat Burning".

A City Watch Guard wielding his sword.

Sergeant Heyburn, a City Watch Guard.

A City Watch Guard surrounded by thugs.

Two Watch patrols, each headed by an Officer.

A City Watch Guard runs from an explosion.

A City Watch Guard gesturing angrily at Corvo.

A woman is threatened by two City Watch Guards.

Corvo decapitates a City Watch Guard.

A City Watch Guard.

A City Watch Guard speaking to Madame Prudence.

Corvo fights a City Watch Guard at the Golden Cat.

A pair of City Watch Guards being attacked by a swarm of rats.

A hostile City Watch Guard.

A City Watch Guard and a fellow Lower Guard attacking Corvo.

A City Watch Guard conversing with a companion.

Corvo kills a City Watch Guard on Kaldwin's Bridge.

Grayson, a City Watch Guard and Dead Counter, assigned to Kaldwin's Bridge.

Grayson, a City Watch Guard, patrolling.

A City Watch Guard and an Officer have a conversation.

A City Watch Guard in the spotlight.

An attacking City Watch Guard.

Corvo fights a City Watch Guard at Dunwall Tower.

Jeffrey, a City Watch guard, carrying a whale oil tank.

Jeffrey from behind.

A City Watch Guard with a whale oil tank seen through a keyhole.

A guard replaces a tank of whale oil in Dunwall Tower (GIF).

Jeffrey drops the whale oil tank.

And suffers the consequences.

A unique model of a guard from Dunwall City Trials, appearing to have a coat similar to that of a bodyguard Watch Officer.

A unique model of a guard from Dunwall City Trials, appearing to have a soldier's red coat.

A unique model of a guard from Dunwall City Trials, appearing to have a navy member's blue coat.

A City Watch Guard and a watchtower in front of Dunwall Tower.

Two City Watch Guards chase Corvo.

A City Watch Guard near Kaldwin's Bridge.

A City Watch Guard and a City Watch Lower Guard.

Corvo holding his own against the City Watch.

A City Watch Guard searches for Corvo in an early screenshot.

Weeper City Watch Guard in Flooded District

City Watch Guards in the first issue of Dishonored: The Wyrmwood Deceit.

Corvo decapitating a traitorous guard in the Dishonored 2 gameplay trailer.

A Masked City Watch Guard in the High Chaos ending of Dishonored 2.

City Watch Guards hung up high in 1852.