Possession

Possession's ability icon.

Possession is a supernatural ability in Dishonored and Dishonored 2 that allows Corvo Attano to merge corporeally with creatures and control them. In Dishonored, it costs 60% of Corvo's total mana, making it the joint most expensive power in the game with Bend Time. In Dishonored 2, Possession uses slightly less mana than Bend Time.

Click here for a list of quotes by characters who are aware that they are being possessed.

Dishonored

Tier I - (3 runes)

The perspective of a possessed wolfhound.

With Tier I Possession, Corvo is able to possess animals.

Tier II - (5 runes)

With Tier II Possession, Corvo can possess humans as well as animals.

Dishonored 2

Ability	Runes	Previous upgrade	Description
Possession	4	None	Assume control of a host for a short time.
Chain Hosts	3	Possession	Transition between hosts.
Corpse Possession	1	Possession	Occupy a recently deceased or unconscious human host.
Human Possession	4	Corpse Possession	Control a human host.
Lasting Possession	1	Possession	Extend Duration.

Usage tips

• Possession can be used to bypass guard patrols and travel unharmed past walls of light and arc pylons.
• If Corvo's host is killed, he dies as well.
• Corvo can possess creatures from approximately 24 meters, teleporting "into" his target upon the power's activation.
  • If there are obstacles between Corvo and his target, the Possession will not occur. This includes active walls of light.
• The control offered by possession is limited and does not allow the host to fight, jump, or climb.
  • They also cannot sprint, with the exception of wolfhounds and gravehounds, and humans when Corvo has the Mind Runner black bone charm equipped.
  • With the exception of fish, possessed targets will die when submerged in water, while Corvo will leave unharmed.
• Possession, if timed correctly, breaks falls and negates falling damage.
• The amount of time allotted when using Possession depends on the creature, spanning from fish to tallboys.
  • This time can be extended through the bone charms Welcoming Host and Void Channel in Dishonored and Accommodating Host and Agile Will in Dishonored 2.
• After Possession ends, depending on what was possessed, Corvo will reappear behind, over, or underneath his former host. For humans, it is generally behind.
• If Corvo terminates the possession, rats, river krusts, bloodflies and fish are killed. Humans, wolfhounds and gravehounds merely become nauseous.
• When possessing a rat, Corvo can scare people, squeeze through tight spaces, and make quick getaways.
  • Guards and civilians will attempt to kill solitary rats if they are stationary.
• Possessed bloodflies are capable of entering rat tunnels. However, the space is too small for them to fly in, reducing their speed to a slow crawl.
• If Corvo enters a confined space as a rat, fish or bloodfly, he will be able to stay in possession of the creature until entering a space where it is safe for him to exit.
  • If Corvo tries to end the Possession manually while in a small space, he will die.
• When possessing a fish, Corvo will be able to swim with unlimited breath, and will not be attacked by other fish.
• While it is possible to possess river krusts, Corvo will not be able to move.
• Possessing a person automatically pickpockets them, giving the protagonist the ability to easily steal valuables without being detected.
  • While it is possible to pickpocket pistols in Dishonored 2, Possession does not do this.
• The bone charm Void Favor gives supernatural abilities a chance not to consume mana. Considering how much mana Possession uses, this can be very helpful.
• The black bone charm Separation Trauma knocks out enemies after Possession ends. While this can be useful, be aware that unconscious bodies may be found by their fellow enemies.
• Each use of Chain Possession uses 20% of Corvo's mana, which will completely regenerate given enough time. The time limit for Possession is not reset as it technically counts as part of the same Possession.
• Towards the end of a Possession, the edges of the screen will begin to distort. This effect increases until Corvo is forcibly removed from the host body.
• Corpse Possession does not allow Corvo to possess people who were dead when he entered the map, but newly-killed people can be possessed. Unconscious bodies can be possessed regardless of when the person lost consciousness.
• No possessed person or animal has any recollection of what occurred after the time the Possession began. They will be a little disoriented when it ends, often throwing up, but will resume normal behaviour after that.
• When possessed, sleeping people and wolfhounds will wake up. After the Possession has ended, they will begin walking around.
• If, when possessing a bloodfly, Corvo attempts to fly too high, the bloodfly will quickly tire and drop to the ground. It can take off again very soon afterwards.
• If Corvo possesses an NPC and moves them to in sight of their enemies, those enemies will begin to attack the host body.
  • While the enemy NPC will react with their standard surprise at seeing an enemy, this does not count as a detection for Corvo.
  • Any deaths as a result of these fights will not count towards Corvo's statistics.
• Movement speed of the host is also affected by bone charms such as Swift Stalker and Zephyr, allowing for greater distances to be covered before Possession ends.

Related Bone Charms

Dishonored

• Welcoming Host - Possess white rats for longer.
• Void Channel - Increased duration for Possession.

Dishonored 2

• Accommodating Host - Animal Possession lasts slightly longer.
• Agile Will - Possession lasts slightly longer.
• Separation Trauma - Enemies are rendered unconscious when you leave your host.
• Mind Runner - Your possessed human host can sprint.

Trivia

• Daud can only be possessed if he's not alerted. Once possessed, he will resist Corvo's control and mock him for trying it.
• In Dishonored, Emily Kaldwin is immune to Possession, as well as the rest of Corvo's weapons.
• People who are in a half-conscious state are immune to Possession, like Dunstan at the Golden Cat during the mission House of Pleasure.
  • In Dishonored 2, sleeping enemies, and unconscious enemies if Corvo has the Corpse Possession upgrade, are not immune to possession.
• An unknown woman also had the power of Possession. However, she could not possess anything bigger than a moth, and had no control over the possessed animal.
• Another unknown woman had Possession as well. She was seen entering her host, and an Overseer was able to detect her in her host and kill them both.
• More achievements are related to Possession than to any other supernatural ability. Those achievements are:
  • Dishonored
    • Harm's Way – You caused 5 unintentional suicides.
    • Inhabitant – You stayed in possession of others for most of a 3 minute period.
    • Alive Without Breath – You took possession of a fish.
    • Creepy Crawly – You used a rat tunnel.
  • Dishonored 2
    • Circle of Life – Cast Possession once, chaining between human, hounds, rat, fish and bloodfly.
• If Corvo possesses a black market shopkeeper, the shop will automatically shut. If he ends the possession and escapes before they notice him, they will open the shop again.
• If possessed, The Crown Killer will immediately kick Corvo out.
  • Possessing Alexandria Hypatia will cause her to transform, though Corvo will not be kicked out. Grim Alex will comment on how she enjoys sharing the body with him.
• Witches are capable of noticing that they have been possessed, but will still forget afterwards.
• Using Possession as a means to prevent fall damage was discovered during a playtest. The developers decided to increase support for this unintentional action.
• People rendered unconscious by the Separation Trauma bone charm do not appear on the statistics screen. These people are also not knocked unconscious immediately – in some cases, they can become almost fully aware before falling unconscious.
• Possessing Thaddeus Campbell or Geoff Curnow after either has drunk poison allows for a unique gameover screen, stating "You Have Been Poisoned".
• When Possession is used on Breanna Ashworth or Delilah Copperspoon, it immediately ends. They do not react to this and continue to go about their own business.
• At the beginning of the mission Edge of the World, there is a group of bloodflies near a whale corpse. If Corvo possesses one of them, he can fly straight to the end of the mission.
• Possession will automatically end when Corvo uses the syringe on the body in the mission The Good Doctor, as well as when he interacts with the equipment for the counter-serum.
• A summoned Doppelgänger can be possessed.

Audio

Description	Sound effect
Sound in the act of possessing a target.
Sound during possession.

Gallery

Alternate Possession icon.

Chain Hosts icon in Dishonored 2.

Corpse Possession icon in Dishonored 2.

Human Possession icon in Dishonored 2.

Lasting Possession icon in Dishonored 2.

Possession tutorial.

Corvo prepares to possess a City Watch Lower Guard.

Corvo sneaks up on Morgan Pendleton while possessing a courtesan.

Corvo views Morgan Pendleton while possessing a courtesan.

View of Samuel's boat while possessing a fish.

The unique gameover screen from possessing a poisoned character.