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Lady Boyle's Last Party is a mission in which Corvo Attano must infiltrate a masquerade ball at the Boyle Mansion, eliminate the correct Boyle sister, and escape.

InfiltrationEdit

There are multiple methods of entering the Boyle Mansion. These methods include:

Front DoorEdit

Firstly, Corvo must make his way to the courtyard in front of the mansion, which can be achieved one of two ways:

Sneak past the tallboys near the house and enter the courtyard.
Climb to a rooftop and Blink once toward the courtyard, and once more over the wall.

Once in the courtyard, Corvo will not be seen as hostile, unless he acts in an aggressive manner. He can walk around with the Heart and other weapons drawn as long as he does not use them. Corvo can enter the mansion via a discarded invitation found nearby, or through Bunting's invitation if it is stolen during the House of Pleasure mission.

Side DoorEdit

The side door also provides Corvo with an opportunity to enter the mansion:

Swim down the length of the river, after leaving Samuel's boat.
Move to the left side of the riverbank, opposite the Boyle Mansion.
Blink to the riverbank where the mansion is, near a large gate.
On the right side of the river, there is a low fence that Corvo can climb to drop into a shallow walkway. Corvo will have to sneak past a patrolling guard and a tallboy (two tallboys in high chaos). At the end of the walkway is a wooden barricade that Corvo must destroy, which might draw attention to him.
Upon exiting the grate, Corvo will approach a trio of partygoers waiting for a friend. One of the women will drop her invitation which gets blown a short distance away by the wind. Corvo can pick it up and use it to enter the party.
Alternatively, if Corvo possesses Blink Tier II, he can Blink to a rooftop across the river from the mansion, Blink twice more to two different street lamps, and then Blink across the barricade into the neutral zone.

Guard QuartersEdit

Though a group of weepers are encountered along this path, the Guard Quarters offer a simple entrance to the mansion--and a bone charm.

From Samuel's boat, Corvo can blink to the top of the wall to the right. Avoiding the patrolling tallboys, Corvo can then follow an Officer down a side alley and incapacitate him.
There is open door to the right. At the end of a short hallway and under a stairwell is a group of weepers--Corvo must sneak past or neutralize them to access the stairs.
Climb the stairs to the upper floor. A bone charm is lying on a table in one of the rooms, and a wooden door leads to a small balcony outside. This balcony faces an open window to the Guard Quarters, which Corvo can Blink through.
The key to the quarters hangs beside the desk. Corvo can then exit the quarters and enter the estate without being detected.

SewersEdit

Corvo can also enter the mansion via the sewers underneath it, in one of two ways:

Possess a fish near to a sewer outlet, swim through the sewers until Corvo is underneath the mansion, and then unpossess the fish.
Find a small key in the water near the sewer door to access this area. This leads him to the wine cellar beneath the mansion. From here, Corvo can walk up the stairs to join the party, although he should be mindful of guards patrolling the area.

At the PartyEdit

Corvo will not be seen as a hostile unless he acts in an inappropriate or aggressive manner. Guests and guards will perceive him to be a partygoer dressed as the infamous Masked Felon, the name the authorities have given to Corvo's assassin persona.

Once inside the party, Corvo must find and eliminate his target, Lady Boyle. However, there are three Lady Boyles in attendance at the party - the three Boyle sisters, Esma, Lydia, and Waverly - all wearing the same costume in different colors. The target herself is randomized every time the level is played; Corvo can either investigate and attempt to find out which one is the "real" Lady Boyle, or kill any or all of them.

InvestigationEdit

Corvo can discover the identity of Lady Boyle in a number of ways.

GuestsEdit

Corvo can bribe Miss White with a drink, and she will tell him two of the sisters' identities and the colors of their costumes. Her hints will not reveal which Lady Boyle is the target, however.
Corvo can also wait for the arrival of Lord Brisby, who will tell Corvo the name of his target and reveal the non-lethal elimination for Lady Boyle.

UpstairsEdit

Corvo can search for clues upstairs, an area that is considered off-limits to partygoers. Under the majority of circumstances, if he is spotted, Corvo will be considered hostile and will be attacked.

There are several ways to reach the second floor without being detected:

Corvo can go upstairs by deactivating a Wall of Light that blocks the main stairway. To find the device's panel or tanks of whale oil, Corvo can steal a key from a guard nearby or possess a rat to enter the holding closet.
Corvo can distract or neutralize a guard who is blocking a servant-access stairway off the banquet hall.
Corvo can Blink up to a balcony from the mansion's garden, or from a apartment adjacent to the garden, as the guard posted on the balcony is not hostile.
Corvo can also possess a rat in the main hallway toward the entrance; there is a nearby vent for him to run through that splits into two different directions. Taking the path to the right leads into one of the bedrooms upstairs, which holds a Dunwall Tower skeleton key and one of the sisters' diaries.
Corvo can also stop time (if Bend Time Tier II is reached) to get past the Wall of Light on the main staircase. When out of view of guests and guards, stop time, sheathe weapons for faster movement, and run past the Wall of Light and up the stairs.
- Note: Sometimes a guard will stand at the top of the stairs. In this case, hide halfway up the stairs until he continues his patrol.

Each Boyle sister's room will have her diary open to the latest entry for Corvo to read. There will be a love letter from Hiram Burrows next to the diary of the "real" Lady Boyle, revealing her identity and what color costume she is wearing. Esma and Waverly's rooms are connected by a secret passage through the attic (opened via a door pull in each of the two rooms) bypassing the guards that patrol the second floor. Lydia's room is on the other side of a second-story walkway, and Corvo must evade or eliminate the roaming guards to reach it.

The HeartEdit

If the name of the target is identified, it is easy to determine which color she is wearing, as the Heart will identify each sister by name when used.

EliminationEdit

Upon discovering his target's identity, Corvo can eliminate her by killing her at any time during the party, or by successfully conversing with and accompanying her to a more private location. If Corvo chooses to assassinate her in plain sight, the Overseers present will block any use of magic with their music boxes and hinder his movement considerably.

If opting for a more stealth-based approach, Corvo must first converse with the target. Offering to get her a drink will result in a rejection based on each sister's personality: Waverly will say it is unfashionable for a hostess to be seen drinking at her own party, Esma will say she's "already seeing two of [Corvo]," and Lydia will express disappointment at his lack of creativity. Correctly guessing which sister is which will be met with approval by that respective Boyle sister.

Reading the Boyle sisters' diaries familiarizes Corvo with his target's personality, which is put to use here:

If Waverly is the target, Corvo preys on her paranoia, saying that her life is in danger and he knows who is after her. Waverly says she will meet Corvo in the cellar where they can discuss the matter further. Caution is advised when dealing with Waverly, as Miss White frequently goes into the cellar, potentially providing an unwanted witness. It is easier to choke Waverly out on the stairs leading from the kitchen to the cellar, use the lever to open the barred door, and carry her unconscious body further into the cellar. If Corvo asks to have a private conversation with her, Waverly will brusquely turn Corvo down. Telling Waverly that Corvo is there to assassinate her causes her to call for the guards.

If Esma is the target, Corvo preys on her insatiable sexual appetites. After some small talk, Esma will lead Corvo to her room (the guard in the stairwell will not attempt to apprehend Corvo because he is with the hostess). Corvo can then eliminate her however he likes, although guards patrolling the second floor might hear a gunshot if Corvo decides to use the pistol. Alternatively, telling Esma that Corvo is there to kill her leads her to believe it's all a sexual role-playing game. She can then be convinced to take him upstairs or meet him in the cellar.

If Lydia is the target, Corvo preys on her fondness for music. Lydia will bring Corvo to the music room where she will ask him to impress her by playing something on the harpsichord. As the music room is open to guests and servants, assassinating Lydia in this location is perhaps the most difficult and can lead to unwanted attention. It is made much easier if Corvo has Shadow Kill, as this does not leave behind any evidence of a crime. Telling Lydia that Corvo is there to save her life causes her to distrust him and she calls for the guards.

Alternate SolutionEdit

If Corvo manages to kill all three Lady Boyles – stealthily or openly – he will succeed without having to find out which one is the right target, as it will be recognized as a "process of elimination."

Non-Lethal SolutionEdit

If Corvo talks to Lord Brisby, the partygoer wearing the rat mask in the smoking room, he will reveal his undying love for Lady Boyle. He will say that if Corvo can deliver Lady Boyle to him, Brisby will make sure that she is never seen again. As such, the mission can be completed by rendering Lady Boyle unconscious and delivering her to Lord Brisby in the cellar.

In order to accomplish this act without being seen, Corvo must take/follow Lady Boyle to a secluded location. Speaking with her as noted above is perhaps the easiest method; based on what Corvo says, she will go to different locations within the manor, sometimes even directly to the basement where Lord Brisby is waiting. Corvo can also possess Lady Boyle and make her walk into the basement, where he can then knock her unconscious.

Side ObjectivesEdit

Corvo can deliver a letter from Treavor Pendleton to Lord Montgomery Shaw, the partygoer wearing the wolf mask. When Shaw opens the letter, it will reveal that Pendleton has offered Corvo as his substitute in a duel with Shaw. If Shaw is shot during the duel, he will be killed.
- During the duel Corvo will not be considered hostile for drawing his pistol, nor if he kills Shaw, as the whole ordeal is witnessed by seconds.
- To complete this mission in a non-lethal playthrough, Corvo can switch to sleeping darts during the countdown. Alternatively, it is possible to use Bend Time II at the conclusion of the countdown, Blink behind Shaw, choke him, then Blink back before the time freeze effect ends.
- Participating in the duel does not count as being "detected."

General Mission NotesEdit

If Corvo is discovered and the alarm is raised, either one or all of the Lady Boyles will hide in the true Lady Boyle's room, where they can be killed.
If the alarm is raised, various Overseers will activate their music boxes, preventing the use of supernatural powers and potentially making escape difficult for Corvo.
Under most circumstances, Corvo will be attacked if detected while on the second floor. However, if he is invited upstairs by Esma, the guards will not consider him hostile, allowing him to move freely about the floor.
Should Corvo linger too long at the party, a guard may approach him and ask for his identity. This can be avoided by saving frequently, or by holding the "Boyle Party Invitation" which can be stolen from Bunting's safe.

- Additionally, should Corvo bother Miss White's friend Ramsey – the man in the whale mask – too much, he will alert the guards to Corvo's presence. A guard will then ask Corvo his name. Corvo can lie and claim to be Treavor Pendleton; the guard will then ask Corvo to leave or force him to attack. Alternatively, Corvo can pretend to be drunk, and the guard will let him go on his way.
- Curiously, even if Corvo obtained Bunting's invitation, he cannot claim to be the art dealer when approached by the guard.

It is possible for Corvo to sign the guestbook near the door of the mansion's foyer. On interacting with the book and signing his name, it will display "Corvo Attano" at the bottom. This has no effect on actual gameplay; however, a note will be found in the next mission bringing the matter to Hiram Burrows' attention.
In order to unlock the "Well Mannered" achievement, Corvo must blend into the party and not arouse any suspicion. This can be achieved as long as Corvo does not harm any guests in front of others (and keeps unconscious or dead bodies out of sight), does not use offensive magic such as Devouring Swarm, and is not caught trespassing. Corvo will be able to use Blink, Dark Vision, and other non-offensive magic, and can also carry his weapons openly without arousing suspicion. Corvo can use either the lethal or the non-lethal solution when dealing with Lady Boyle, but it must must be done in a secluded area where no one will see.
Much of this mission's available gold is only obtainable by pickpocketing the party's guests. Partygoers will comment, telling Corvo to stop, or sometimes encouraging him (a guest in the smoking room claims that "everyone does it" and says that he had his servants sew him an extra pocket just for the occasion). Being seen pickpocketing twice by the same guard within a space of about twenty seconds causes Corvo to become detected, so he must be careful not to pickpocket too often in the same area.
Once Corvo enters the Boyle property from the guards' quarters, all tallboys on the street disappear (guards still exist) until he deals with Lady Boyle and returns to Samuel's boat.
If at least one of the Boyle sisters is spared, a letter and a rune will appear in Corvo's chamber, sent out of gratitude for his mercy.

TriviaEdit

While at the party, Corvo can hear some rather crude dialogue between the guests:

- Many will comment on how drab and boring the party is. The Boyle sisters have done guessing games at parties previously and the guests are unimpressed that the game is being repeated.
- In the smoking room are two male guests, one of whom is attempting to get the other to speak his mind about the Lord Regent and subsequently be arrested.
- A group of guests just outside the front gate may comment on how they plan to harass another guest named Emma.
- Some female guests may comment on Corvo's mask, calling it "scandalous."
- Much of the dialogue spoken displays the self-absorbed lifestyle of most of the aristocrats in Dunwall.
The mission is loosely modeled on the story The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe.
If Corvo obtained the party invitation from Bunting's safe, the guard at the gate will address him as "Mr. Bunting."
Even if Corvo correctly identifies each of the sisters, they will not offer him the Boyle cameo as promised. There appears to be no way to obtain the Boyle cameo other than stealing it from the attic.