City Watch Officers

City Watch Officers or the Elite Guard are police and protectors of the Lord Regent, Hiram Burrows, and of other important aristocrats. They act as leaders to the rest of the City Watch, as well as functioning as detective inspectors. They are loyal, disciplined and courageous, never fleeing from battle except to raise the alarm. 

Officers are well trained and competent in swordsmanship and marksmanship. They prefer to fight at a distance, but can easily charge Corvo Attano and Daud and use their swords. They are capable of fast attacks that can easily hit an unwary opponent. Even a few Officers are enough to quickly take down an unprepared enemy--being shot by an Officer not only causes damage, but also interrupts attacks and blocking.

Appearance

Officers wear ornate coats over waistcoats, with different colors to distinguish their division. Dark blue and red is the standard uniform; sky blue denotes those assigned to protect aristocrats and other important persons; red coats mark high-standing officials in the army, such as General Turnbull; and ocean-blue marks naval officers such as Admiral Farley Havelock. 

Though Officers wear no additional body armor outside their coats, they can take more damage than the lightly armored Guards. In addition to their coats, they wear helmets that protect them from most projectiles.

Quotes

Idle Chat

• "I'll write to her again, she has to see reason."
• "Shall we gather for Whiskey and Cigars tonight?"

Idle Answers

• "Indeed I believe so."
• "Never doubt it."

Searching in Group

• "We know you're here."
• "Shout if you see him."
• "Check under everything"
• "We got a prowler on the loose"

Searching Alone

• "Where are you?"
• "Don't make me find you."
• "When I find you, it's gonna be bad."
• "Oh, I'll find you."
• "I know you're here somewhere scum."
• "I know you're here"

Returning to Idle

• "Alright you get off this time."
• "Lets just see what happens if I get another crack at this guy"

Attacking

• "Flanking."
• "Clear the line."
• "I'll feed your heart to the Hounds."

Notes

• Officers are equipped with swords and pistols. When using their pistols, Officers will take a short pause to aim before they fire. Corvo can use this brief period of time to attack them and to disrupt their action. However, they may dodge Corvo's strikes, and after two dodges they will kick him away.
• Officers show an understanding of tactics in battle, often going around an embattled opponent and attacking from behind.
• Due to the helmets that protect their heads from all projectiles, a sleep dart to the body is the quickest and most reliable way of disabling them from a great distance.
• Shots fired by Officers will hit other guards if they are in the way, causing them significant damage.

Trivia

• Known ranks for Officers are Lieutenants, Captains, Majors and Generals. It is unknown whether or not they have Colonels.
• Many Officers do not have command over a unit of their own and are simply part of groups made up entirely of Officers.
• The Heart reveals that Officers are often the sons of rich and powerful families. This brings the question of whether they actually obtain their ranks through merit, or simply purchase officer commissions from the government in a fashion similar to the historical British Army.
• According to developer Harvey Smith, there are only a few female "notable officers" in the City Watch.
  • Like their male counterparts, some of the female Watch Officers enjoy whiskey and cigars.
• Officers are much more civil than lower guards and their conversations are moderately polite, showing they are courteous to their fellows. They rarely converse with lower ranking men.
• Despite their neutrality, guards in the Boyle party will kick Corvo away if they have seen him stealing, but will not take further action unless attacked.
• An Officer may try and play a piano if there is one nearby.
• Officers' helmets appear to be based on British police helmets (custodian helmets) and spiked helmets from XIX century Prussia known as pickelhauben.
• Officers are known to leave their posts to urinate while on patrol, including off of Kingsparrow Lighthouse, though they do this less often than their lower-ranking counterparts.
• In the mission Eminent Domain an Officer and a Lower Guard can be heard discussing how they plan to evict a family in the Legal District by going through the back door of their mansion.
• City Watch Officers at the Timsh Estate wear gray waistcoats under blue, instead of the usual deep blue and red, and are marked as "Estate Officers" in the HUD.
  • City Watch Officers are one of the only two character classes in Dishonored that use pistols, the other being Warfare Overseers. In the DLCs, however, members of the Hatters Gang make use of pistols.
• Officers can occasionally be seen reading books.
• Officers can be seen occasionally looking at paintings or other works of art, and will sometimes comment on them, often to themselves.

Gallery

City Watch Officer concept art.

City Watch concept art.

City Watch Officer Render.

City Watch Officer render closeup.

Render of a City Watch or military officer in a red jacket.

Promotional artwork of a City Watch Officer.

An Officer stands guard at Dunwall Tower.

A hostile City Watch Officer.

A City Watch Officer shoots at Corvo.

A City Watch Officer (center) runs after Corvo.

Two City Watch Officers at Galvani's lab discuss the break-in of a dead Bottle Street thug, Crowley.

A City Watch Officer runs from an explosion.

A City Watch Officer of the bodyguard division.

Dunstan, a City Watch Officer, asleep at the Golden Cat.

City Watch Officers without helmets at the Golden Cat.

A City Watch Officer aims his pistol.

A City Watch Officer reads Corvo's invitation at the Boyle Mansion.

A City Watch Officer attempts to play the piano at the Boyle Mansion.

A City Watch Officer trying to play a piano.

A City Watch Officer reading a book at the Boyle Mansion.

City Watch Officers having a conversation.

Corvo fights a City Watch Officer on Kingsparrow Island.

Daud fights a City Watch Officer on the streets.

Daud stabs a City Watch Officer.

A City Watch Officer yells.

A beheaded City Watch Officer.

Daud fights a City Watch Officer by the water.

Daud slashes at a City Watch Officer.

Daud sneaks up behind a City Watch Officer.

A deceased City Watch Officer who served as Thalia Timsh's bodyguard.

Daud fights a helmeted City Watch Officer in the home of Arnold Timsh.

Daud fights a City Watch Officer wearing the uniform of a noble bodyguard.

Daud fights a City Watch Officer wearing the noble bodyguard uniform.

Promotional screenshot showing Corvo shooting a plague infected City Watch Officer.

Promotional screenshot showing two City Watch Officers in the Boyle Mansion.

Promotional image depicting a City Watch Officer in Pratchett's house.