Dishonored 2 Game Update 2 Adds New Permadeath Difficulty and Mission Select

Dishonored 2 Game Update 2 is coming soon from Bethesda, and while we don’t have full patch notes, they have written a full rundown of the marquee items featured in the patch. The big changes include brand new difficulty and mission select options, on top of some smaller changes that were made based on player feedback.

“Executing the perfect playthrough in Dishonored 2 is tough enough,” reads the announcement. “Whether you’re going for Clean Hands with Corvo, Ghosting through Karnaca as Emily – or any other permutation – Dishonored 2 will put you to the test. Now, with Game Update 2 (available for free starting next week) , you’ll have even more ways to increase the challenge, improve your odds of success and even replay a mission to try a different tack.”

Dishonored 2 Update 2 will hit PC on January 18th via a beta, and will be fully released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on January 23rd. The difficulty changes it makes are termed “Custom Difficulty”. “Let’s say you’re a stealth player who likes to carefully explore every option… now you can move a slider that adjusts how effective you are leaning from behind a barrier when skulking around. With more than 20 different sliders, these Custom Difficulty settings let you fiddle with everything from how quickly Sleep Darts take effect to how many active enemies are likely to attack you at once.”

Overruling all of this is the Iron Mode slider, which offers Dishonored 2 players the ultimate challenge: permadeath. Not just any permadeath either, you won’t even be able to save or load your game. This is true old school gaming, you either finish the game or you don’t, and have to start all over again. “Iron Mode adds even more teeth to Dishonored 2,” says Lead Designer Dinga Bakaba. “You will have to live with the consequences of your actions, or die permanently because of them.

Dishonored 2 Game Update 2 also adds a new Mission Select option, letting you jump right into any mission you’ve unlocked. This should help those who are trying to nail any specific achievements or trophies.