Mercy and Chaos in Death of the Outsider

Way too often DLC can feel like a huge ripoff--you spend a not insignificant amount on additional content only to find out that it's inadequate in quality or quantity.  I've made that mistake several times and my wallet has regretted it.  When I bought Dishonored 2, there was a package deal that included the DLC, Death of the Outsider, for 50% off.  I decided to take the package not really knowing much about the quality of the DLC.  The crazy part is that I think I actually enjoyed the DLC more than I did the base game!  It's definitely worth picking up.

Meagan/Billie is on a mission to kill a god.

(Minor Dishonored 2 character spoilers ahead!  A friendly warning.)

Late in the base game Meagan Foster (AKA Billie Lurk) reveals her dark past as a former assassin and sidekick of Daud, the royal assassin himself.  There's a very tense moment between Emily (and probably Corvo, but I didn't play as him) and Meagan as this fact is uncovered and then Emily leaves to finish off Delilah.  It seems like Meagan/Billie genuinely feels regret for the role that she played in the death of Jessamine Kaldwin.  Helping Emily seems to be her way of seeking forgiveness.

In Death of the Outsider you play as Meagan/Billie as she embarks on a mission to rescue her former murderous mentor--Daud--from forced imprisonment by a gang.  After rescuing Daud, he ropes Meagan into a quest that sounds absolutely crazy--entering the void and killing the Outsider.  There are tons of questions that abound regarding this scenario--is the Outsider a god?  Can he even be killed?  Daud has been extremely weakened by his imprisonment and forced "magical fighting" stint--he doesn't have long to live.  Meagan feels a sense of loyalty to Daud and promises to carry out this insane sounding quest.

Pros:

--Meagan/Billie's powers are a lot of fun.  At first I was really skeptical, but after figuring out how to master them...I liked them better than Emily's powers (with the exception of Domino...which is awesome).  Meagan's powers include--foresight, which allows you to send your spirit out and allows you to scout ahead,  semblance--which allows you to impersonate an NPC that you've knocked out for a short time, and displace which functions very similarly to dark reach and is used for rapid movement/maneuvering.  You are able to use your powers much more often thanks to the fact that the use of elixirs isn't required in the DLC.  Your energy automatically refills and requires a relatively short period of waiting.

Meagan/Billie is aided by special void powers...and even an artificial eye and arm.

--No low chaos/high chaos achievements or endings.  This is something that some people might not agree with, but I found it to be a good choice.  When players are basically offered the "good ending" or the "bad ending" it really seems to push them toward playing in a specific way.  In DotO, you can play however you want and don't have to worry about the consequences.  Knock everyone out or stab them all...it's your choice (unless you want to do all the contracts...which I'll get to next).

--Contracts!  Black markets now offer "contract" missions that require you to perform certain tasks on each level for some extra coin.  These tasks vary and could be something like stealing an item from an NPC or, in one particularly homicidal mission, killing all the Overseers/Oracular sisters on an entire level.  Some contracts are more like challenges on specific levels.  I enjoyed the fact that there were tasks to accomplish outside of the main storyline.

--Fun/interesting levels.  One specific part of the story involves a bank heist.  The best part is that there are many ways to accomplish your heist--you can barge in with guns blazing or you can stealthily attempt to steal an entire vault...or you can do something in between.  There just so happens to be a contract that will pay you if you don't harm (that also means knocking out) anyone in the bank.  This added challenge meant you had to be extra stealthy and creative.

I also thought it was great how they re-used the Conservatory level, but that it felt so much different than it did during the base game.  You really get a sense of the chaos that ensued after Delilah was dethroned--the place has been torn apart and is absolutely crawling with Overseers.  It's not very often that a re-used map feels like something new.

--Plenty of content for the money.  One full playthrough for me clocked in at 17 hours.  You're not getting a measly 3-5 hours of additional gameplay, but a meaty chunk of slaying.

--Performance seems better than in base game.  My settings didn't default to "very low" and instead started on "medium."  I don't really understand why, but I'll take it!

Cons:

--Ending was fairly bland.  You dispose of the Outsider and....that's pretty much it.  I wanted to know more about Megan and her future plans...sadly, it's more about the Outsider than anything else.  I wish there could have been more about Meagan, Dunwall, and what the future looked like with Emily back on the throne.

But, I suppose that's a door that can remain open for a possible next game in the series.  Could there even be a next game now that the Outsider is gone?  I certainly hope so.

I would recommend Death of the Outsider to anyone who enjoyed Dishonored 2.  Meagan's powers are fun and the fact that you can use them more often means that there's less sitting and waiting.  The story isn't the strongest aspect of this DLC, but the fact that you can make your own choices about so much of what goes on is a welcome change from the base game.  I wasn't so non-violent...I stabbed a lot of Overseers/Oracular Sisters--53 on one level, but I generally would knock guards unconscious.  I'm just nice like that.