House of Pleasure - Dishonored Guide - IGN (2024)

The House of Pleasure is not as long as the previous mission, unless again, you wish to remain undiscovered (Ghost) or go out of your way to keep everyone alive (Clean Hands). It's otherwise a fairly quick mission (esp. if you just start murdering people). But first, let's chase down some additional runes in the Hounds Pit.

• House of Pleasure Coin Locations

Learn More About Weepers

And while you're at it, grab two more runes. Descend into the sewers and choke out the Weepers (killing them will fail the condition for Clean Hands - consider this the same as murdering lepers in the Middle Ages). Once you neutralize both Weepers, you can meet the Admiral, Martin, and weasel-face Pendleton up top. Note that stunning at least one Weeper earns you some respect from Piero (via a note and two free Sleep Darts) later. The two runes are in the dead end where you find the Weepers. One rune is in the toppled cabinet. The second rune is underwater, past the gate. Take both before going back. You may also want to check around the Hounds Pit for loot using Dark Vision (level 2).

Mission Preparations

Having gone through two missions, you should have plenty of loot (coins). If you want to snipe, you will want the mask zoom, as well as range (for the crossbow) and accuracy (let's assume the crossbow, because of its sleep darts). You can easily put your money into the Pistol, Grenades, Spring Razors, and Rewire Tools if you wish; the choice is ultimately dependent on your playstyle or the achievements you wish to earn.

Go and Meet Slackjaw About the Pendletons

Watch out for the turret, the Watchtower, which will turn and fire explosives at you if it sees you. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, you will need to meet Slackjaw - the gangster whom you poisoned the distillery last time - at the brewery. He will be amicable to Corvo (for now) since he needs two tasks done. The first is to locate a missing gangster by the name of Crowley. The second is to get the safe combination for an Artist's safe; this second part requires you to visit the Golden Cat brothel anyway, so it's all good.

Depending on what you did in the previous mission, the distillery will be having a Weeper problem, or be totally clean. If you poisoned the still, Weepers will be in a locked cage to the side of the front door; additionally, more Weepers will appear / spawn and attack Slackjaw's men in the yard after you meet with Slackjaw. If you poisoned the still and want to avoid combat (Clean Hands) or detection (Ghost), you can come back to claim the charm at the distillery (all enemies will be gone by then) after the Pendletons are neutralized.

Otherwise, you can unlock the door to the charm, let Slackjaw's men cack a few Weepers, then make it a point to take to the roof when you come back outside.

Slackjaw will be in the still room; if you didn't poison the place, you can fill up for free. Otherwise, the still will be empty. Negotiate your deal and leave. You can actually ignore his second deal (accept once you come back later) after you speak to the artist at the Golden Cat.

Assassination Detour

Three of Daud's assassins will be waiting for Corvo in the building next to the distillery entrance. Two will be indoors, and one will be patrolling the rooftop that leads to the ravine/ditch that runs under the street past the second Wall of Light. If you want to maintain your Ghost achievement condition, you need to find a way to knock out (or sleep dart) all three assassins or they will spot you.

The first assassin to be choked out should be the one on the lower room; once he's out, Blink past the assassin in the higher balcony (saving before trying something stupid is highly advisable). Choke him out and take the Outsider relic. The final assassin is too far to be Blinked past (unless you come at him from behind, which defeats the purpose of taking him out); use a single Sleep Dart is the best answer.

Pickpocket Griff

Visit Griff one last time, because you will not be coming back to Clavering Street or Bottle Street. Buy what you want (note that his prices are inflated compared to Piero's), but make sure to pickpocket him before leaving. You'll get some of your coins back.

Optional: Find Crowley

Crowley is in Dr. Galvani's residence. He's the corpse on the third floor. Four City Watch will be inside the house, a pair on the top floor, and a pair on the middle floor. Entering the building on the second floor balcony (choke out the Watch Officer there) is your best entry point.

Visiting Galvani's place isn't simply something to humor Slackjaw, but there are other "outside" reasons to do so. Neutralize all the city watch inside, check Crowley's body for the audiograph, and leave after you loot the place.

Optional: The Artist's Residence

Two thugs will be in the artist's residence trying to break into the safe. You can gain early access to the place by going through the unlocked second floor balcony. Once inside, choke out the thugs, then loot the place. To make your life easier, the artist's safe combination is 8-7-9. Other variations have been reported; these variations are listed on the Safe Combinations page.

Note that even if you open the artist's safe, you need the verbal "combination" from the artist to fulfill Slackjaw's condition, which is only earned if you interrogate his freaky ass at the Golden Cat.

Optional: Visit Granny Rags

Granny Rags will be in her new "home" in the understreet ravine populated by Weepers. The only reason to visit - besides having a backdoor entrance to the Golden Cat brothel - is to fetch an Outsider relic. For Ghost players, taking out the Weepers in the ditch/ravine is possible. You only need to be patient.

Optional: Save the Serving Girl

A woman will be hassled by two City Watch in the small rest that leads up from the ravine to Clavering Street. If you manage to neutralize the two uniformed bullies, you will gain the Artist's residence key. Completing this task reduces your Chaos level slightly as well, but is not necessary. If you are intending on not being seen, you will want to access the brothel through Granny Rags' place.

The Captain's Chair Hotel

Slackjaw will tell you to access the Golden Cat's district through the run down Captain's Chair Hostel. The place is protected, and there's nothing a little Blink and ingenuity can't solve. The second Watchtower is next to the Wall of Light. In fact, it's on the forking branch that leads to the brothel. If you want to keep the turret from killing you, jump and Blink to its service platform. Open the power cell cover and pull out its battery.

Brothels: The Only Way

You wind up on the street outside the brothel. The other "entrance" would be the door leading from the brothel to the fork in Clavering Street with the Watchtower.

Rescue Emily

Campbell's journal says for you to visit the madam and get Emily's location. The madam will be moving around, but Emily probably won't. She will bee in one of the small dormitory's on the third floor. Rescue her and send her on her way. You can deal with Emily later.

Optional: Interrogate the Artist

This is optional, because forcing a blunt piece of metal through someone's skull is far more quick and effective. However, doing that will negate the Clean Hands achievement, and you can get rid of the Pendletons with Slackjaw's grudging assistance. All you need to do is locate the artist in the "Silver Room" (the torture chamber) in the brothel's lower floors.

The best way to get through this is to clear the guards and girls who are moving around. The sleeping guard (the one on the chair) may not get up; if you are paranoid, shoot him with a sleeping dart. The two women who are engaged in Sapphic activity in the garden outside the Silver Room can be ignored. They will be too enamored with their activity to notice Corvo unless' you were stupid enough to get close enough to touch them. They will sound an alert, so steer clear of them unless you plan to kill them (for High Chaos).

Neutralize the Pendletons (Non-Lethal)

Find the Silver Room and use the switch on the shock machine until the Artist gives up his safe combination (8-7-9). Naturally, the combinations don't change, so if you opened his safe earlier (thanks to the guide) and took everything, you need not go back to the safe; all you need to is return to Slackjaw and you will neutralize the Pendletons with damning evidence.

Kill the Pendleton in the Gold Room

The Gold Room is atop the highest floor from the garden chamber. Watch for the guards (choke out the peeping Tom and use the nearby balconies to stockpile bodies), burst into the room and waste the s.o.b. Easy! If you are not interested in killing anyone, consider saving the game, and pickpocketing the Pendletons for money.

Kill the Pendleton in the Steam Room

There are two guards near the steam room. Take them out and then deal with the Pendleton in the steam room. If you want to kill this Pendleton by boiling him (and apparently, his current rented doxy) alive, visit the maintenance room adjacent to the steam room. Place the valve wheel into the slot and turn it for well-done results.

Otherwise, you will need to lure out the Pendleton to choke him out. You don't really need to deal with them directly; however, he has a purse worth 100 coins. There is another 100 coins in the steam room that's worth the effort if you don't mind being spotted by the girl or Pendleton (you can sleep dart him in the face to keep him alive).

Return to Emily and Sam

After you get the combination from the artist, or kill the Pendletons in a gruesome, gruesome methods (Spring Razors in the Gold Room for example), return to Emily and Sam by the shore. If you need to non-lethally take down the Pendletons, take the information from the artist's safe to Slackjaw, and he will take care of them for you.

Either way, you will be done with the mission and head back home.