The Assassins (nicknamed "the Whalers" by denizens of Dunwall), are a group of killers in Dishonored, led by Daud. They wear industrial gas masks used in whale oil processing plants, presumably to protect themselves from the rat plague. Their base of operations is in the Flooded District. Before being recruited by Daud, they were ex-mercenaries, street kids and refugees.  They appear at times to attack Corvo Attano, and were involved in the assassination of the Empress, Jessamine Kaldwin.

Equipment and skillsEdit

Assassins possess supernatural abilities, including Blink (the use of which they refer to as "transversals") and tethering, which pulls a target toward the user.

The Assassins' transversals have a much greater range than Corvo's Blink ability, but whether this state is based on function or practice is unknown. Transversals also seem to work differently, requiring the user to think of the locale instead of seeing it, as revealed in a conversation during The Flooded District. It is also stated that looking at and focusing on the destination while performing a transversal limits the potential of the power. Assassins often use transversals in combat, Blinking next to targets and attacking them directly.

Tethering is used to snare and pin targets, and is not limited by physics; tethered targets can be lifted and held in the air, as performed on Corvo during the attack on the Empress. While a target is still able to move while tethered, moving against its pull is met with great resistance.

In addition to the use of their swords, Assassins use their wristbow to perform ranged attacks.

CombatEdit

• Be careful not to get ambushed when passing Assassin territory. Assassins have a habit of teleporting right behind Corvo's back, or pulling him into bad positions through their supernatural abilities. Time Bend is a good way to turn the odds in Corvo's favor.
• It is inadvisable to directly confront groups of Assassins as their powers make their attacks hard to predict or even block. Even on a high chaos approach, one is advised to single them out before attacking.
• When attacking Assassins with ranged weaponry, it is advised to catch them off-guard, otherwise they will often simply teleport or dodge; thus making Corvo waste ammunition.
• Utilize Dark Vision to find the hiding spots of assassins. Also, getting to high ground significantly decreases Corvo's chance of being ambushed.
• Assassins are much harder to shake off than normal guards due to their teleportation ability. When playing a low-chaos approach, often sleep darts are the only way to knock them out once alerted.
• If an Assassin is hit with Windblast, they will teleport, nullifying the damage. However, their Mark must recharge after the use of powers just like Corvo's, meaning if you hit them with another Windblast before their Mark recharges, they will not be able to teleport in time.
• Unlike Warfare Overseers, Assassins can be killed by a crossbow shot to the head, despite their masks.
• If tethered, whether by Daud or an Assassin, Corvo can blink away to escape the effects of the ability. Alternatively, he may charge the caster, turning their own ability against them and often allowing him to get a free strike in on what is otherwise a fairly difficult opponent to land a hit on.

TriviaEdit

• During the mission House of Pleasure, an Assassin appears in a room attached to one with a weeper in it. Peculiarly, the weeper does not attack the Assassin, despite them being aggressive to Corvo and other non-player characters. Three other assassins can also be encountered during the mission: one in the house with the mother's journal, one on a rooftop nearby, and the last on a rooftop near Granny Rags' former home. The last assassin appears later as Corvo returns from his mission.
  • This weeper will only appear if Corvo places rat plague in Slackjaw's still.
• In one of the letters found in the game, it is mentioned that Assassins are immune to certain poisons. This is, however, not applicable to the sleep darts utilized by Corvo.
• A note found in the Flooded District states that the Assassins' magic is bestowed upon them by Daud, rather than directly gifted by the Outsider.
  • Additionally, a book in The Knife of Dunwall DLC indicates that the degree to which, or even if, the assassins gain their magic is entirely beyond Daud's own control.
• If an unconscious Assassin is hidden underwater, they will still be able to breathe, meaning that they will not count as being killed.
• Assassins do not talk or shout during combat, even while on fire, but do speak upon spotting Corvo or while patrolling.
• The names for their abilities, 'Transversals' and 'Tetherings', are mentioned in the Report to Daud. It is mentioned that the Overseer's music box prevents them from performing these abilities.
• The Assassin's in-game model recycles an old design that was originally intended for Corvo.
• If Corvo chooses to spare Daud in the low chaos choice, Assassins in the Flooded District will no longer be hostile toward him. They will, however, push him aside if he stands in their way.
• The Heart has great difficulty learning the secrets of individual Assassins. It mentions that "It is as if there is a cloak around him, and I cannot see through it" and that they have "Secrets so well kept -- even I cannot discern the truth."

GalleryEdit

A close-up image of an assassin.

Assassins on a roof.

Multiple assassins.

An Assassin being trained.

An assassin in Dunwall City Trials.

Assassin.

Whaler Concept Render

Assassin's mask - concept art.

Assassin attacking Corvo.

A dead assassin.

Assassins vs. Thugs.

An assassin runs along a roof.

An assassin is hit by a fire ball.

Assassins fight the City Watch and the Bottle Street Gang.

An assassin faces Corvo.

An assassin uses tethering to pull Corvo toward him.

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