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Mercenary Work achievement in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Mercenary Work

Complete all contracts

Mercenary Work0
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How to unlock the Mercenary Work achievement

  • NoHeroes94NoHeroes94
    18 Sep 2017 18 Sep 2017 08 Oct 2017
    Hi Guys,

    For this achievement, you will want to complete the 13 contracts in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider in a single playthrough .

    The contracts are as follows

    2 in Mission 1 (Industrial Espionage & Burn the White Hound)
    4 in Mission 2 (The Mime, Workplace Harassment, Missing Brother, Kidnap the Bartender)
    4 in Mission 3 (The Art Connoisseur, Pickpocket's Delight, Quiet as a Mouse, Rags to Riches to Regs)
    3 in Mission 4 (A Risky Wager, Pilfer the Prophecies, Alvaro and the Abbey)
    0 in Mission 5


    Contracts are fun side quests that give you coin/bone-charms upon completion. Once they are failed, they cannot be attempted again without a reload; however, as this is a Dishonored game you can save at will so if you fail, just reload.

    Edit: I recommend you do this on your non-Shadow run. Some of these are much more difficult undetected. It isn't perhaps as hard as first implied but in my opinion you don't need the headache of trying to remain undetected as you'll need 2 play throughs anyway. Additionally, its easier to do this on normal mode and not on Original game Plus as the abilities suit better; however I did it on OG+ so it's entirely possible. Finally, as with everything in Dishonored, nothing is saved until you save or it autosaves. Once you've fulfilled a requirement and you're in a safe area, make a save or two to back up your progress.

    I have included a video guide at the end of the solution if you prefer a video reference for a couple of the trickier one, full credit going to video owner Rubhen295

    GUIDE: (I recommend you do the contracts in the following order for the easiest time; this is especially the case in Mission 2, as Workplace Harassment is pretty finicky)

    Mission 1 - One Last Fight

    Contract Pickup: Right at the start of the level, next to where you pick up your main mission info off the board.

    M1, C1 - Industrial Espionage. - Easy one. For this contract, we will want to be relatively chaos-free getting to the Bathhouse so we are neutral as we enter. Pay 100 coin to get into the door on the right (pickpocket people for money if you need to, they're pretty stupid). The first area we will be in will be a mini-distillery. Shut the door upon entering so the person you bribed doesn't turn on you, and kill the enemy/enemies (could be 1 or 2 depending on patrol route). Kill or subdue the enemy sweeping, and loot his key (he'll always be here). Use the key on one of the drawers next to him to get the recipe (from where we entered, it's to the right of the counter by a sink). Then smash ALL the orange bottles in the crate, and you should see a notification that you've completed the contract.

    M1, C2 - Burn the White Hound - Another easy one. Make sure your marker is active, and just proceed to it, killing any people on the way (stealth isn't overly important.) Once at the marker, you should notice a few wolfhounds in a pen. Hit a red button to the left of it and take them all out. Once everything is dead, carry the white one (the marker should be on this specific dog and it's the only one that is white) to the new marker - a furnace. If you killed everything on the way over here, you should be able to just sprint there (it's on the same floor.) Open the furnance, put the dog in, hit the button and you should get a completed contract notification.

    Mission 2 - Follow the Ink

    Contract Pickup: Black market. Follow the marker there, and pick up the contracts off the board inside the black market area.

    I strongly recommend you do the contracts in the order I detail here, especially doing 2 before 3 and/or 4.

    For mission ease, I also recommend you get your tattoo from the Red Camilla, the Secret knock for Shan Yun's door, and the key from Jacobi's apartment. The last contract will alert everyone, which means we can just run to Shan Yun's and complete the mission quickly after completing all contracts.


    On this level, if people see you killing aimlessly they'll be scared of you and alert guards. This can be pretty difficult to circumnavigate for a couple of the stealthier contracts, and for one of them we will become wanted no matter what so we're best leaving that one for the end. You've been warned.


    M2, C1 - The Mime - We'll start off with an easy one. Proceed from the black market, past the canals & to the mime. Make a save here, in case you mess up as the mime MUST be unconscious and NOT dead. The easiest method if you have an electric bolt is as the video details - to displace/blink up to the black pipe directly above & opposite from the mime (it's to the left of an alcove with a golden deer head). Shoot him with the electric bolt to knock him out. The crowd will run away, and you can then head back down, grab him and carry him to the marker, throwing him off. IF you DON'T have an electric bolt, you're best going to the black pipe, shooting the two crowd members with Voltaic bolts (be careful not to hit the mime). The mime will run, QUICKLY run, grab and choke him unconscious. If pulled off without a hitch, repeat the above - take him to the marker and throw him off to get a completed contract notification. Either way, once you're done, and are confident no one saw you (people won't freak out when they see you unsheathed) save and move on.

    M2, C2 - Workplace Harassment - In my opinion, this is the second most annoying contracted in Death of the Outsider, but it's best to do it now whilst the world is left relatively untouched. I recommend you follow the video (7:08) as the route is as perfect as anything I could explain to you and a visual guide for this one is easier However the video got pretty lucky with guards which were a PITA for me, so some tips ahead for safety.

    - Firstly, make a manual save before starting, then quick-save as you progress. If you f**k up, reload the manual save.
    - Secondly, as annoying as it is, navigate your way around guards in the courtyard whilst using the video's route instead of assassinating them. This is, effectively, a tailing mission and I found that the subject was hypersensitive and would investigate a/ not reach her destination at the slightest thing (a body, a sword left from a moved dead person, seeing you even for a split second). When I left everyone untouched, it worked the first time - thus I would be significantly more stealthy than the video. This is why I strongly recommend you did the contracts in the order I say, as if you leave this for last and lots of people are dead / you're wanted by the Eyeless, it makes this contract almost impossible).
    - Finally, if you do have to kill anyone, make sure they are incredibly well hidden.

    Follow your target to her destination, which will be a bench outside the Spector Club. Once you see the two markers, make another save in a separate slot.) Use bolts to kill them from a distance. You should complete the contract here, but be stealthy as people might now be on the lookout.

    M2, C3 - The Missing Brother - This one isn't too hard but requires some planning + strategic saves and reloads if things don't go right. You should conveniently be outside the Spector Club, so lets enter (note: to do so you must get a member only tattoo from Red Camilla if you haven't already. Go to the back of the Red Camilla shop, which is bright red, as the name suggests, enter through the door at the back and give yourself a tattoo from one of the rooms inside.)

    Inside the club you should be in a neutral territory. Head to the very top floor. Once here, make a manual save. Follow the contract marker to a closed door. Open it, close it behind you and take out the standing individual (kill or choke). There should also be a person on the bed, who is our target. DONT KILL HIM. Above his bed, you should see a contraption with a red lever. Pull it, and it will knock him out.

    Pick up your target, and head back downstairs (be stealthy, although everyone is pretty oblivious up here). As we are about to re-enter the bar, note the white poster and 2 kegs to your left at the bottom of the stairs. Put your target down gently by the kegs, then make a new manual save or quicksave when its safe. Head to the front door, open the latch (not the door, just the latch) and knockout the bodyguard who let you in. There should be no one else in view, and he should naturally be in a corner. If he's not, just tuck him in the corner by the door out the way. Move back to your target, crouch and quicksave again if you are certain you haven't been detected. Move your way left around the bar slowly - the bartender and the bouncer we knocked out just now are the only 2 people who will detect you. When you have a clear route to the front door, displace or blink your way to it and make your exit. This can be a little finicky, it shouldn't matter too much if you've been seen but obviously, your journey to the cabin will be easier undetected. Make your way to the marker with blink & displace to avoid civilians if still undetected, enter the cabin, and carefully place him inside to complete the contract. If you've been detected, just leg it.

    M2, C4 - Kidnap the Bartender. This is actually the easiest contract, but 9/10 will trigger everyone in Karnaca. We'll need to go back to the Spector Club and kidnap the bartender as the contract name suggests. There isn't really a delicate way of doing this unless you want to spend 30 mins slowly taking everyone out, which really isn't necessary. So, smash and grab it is Back at the Spector club, choke the bartender and pick him up quickly. This will spark a reaction out of everyone in the bar. Simply sprint, sprint, sprint to your marker. People will chase you, and they will have guns, so make sure you displace/blink ahead to get the jump on them. Put your target in the crate, and that's all 4 contracts wrapped up for mission 2.

    Mission 3 - The Bank Job

    On the whole, this mission's contracts are easier as it doesn't matter as much if you trigger guards; however, I recommend you still follow the same order to avoid backtracking You MUST also buy Poppy Tincture for 800 coin, which given all the contracts we've done to date shouldn't put you back too much. The final contract in the area requires zero alerts in the bank area (only here, not outside), and the third is also much easier using the poppy tincture. I'll explain below.

    Contract Pickup: Black market, exactly the same as Mission 2. Follow the marker there, and pick up the contracts off the board inside the black market area.

    M3, C1 - The Art Connosieur. From the black market, head to the marker to find a boat on the canal. There will be a guy on the small bridge by it, and one actually on the boat trying (unsuccessfully) to pick a lock. Take them both out however you see fit. Then, jump in the water. Directly underneath the boat, you should find a corpse. Loot the key from the corpse, jump on the boat and open the locked door. Then claim the painting for your first contract (note: if you're going for the "Art Aficionado" achievement, this is 1/4 paintings for this mission)

    M3, C2 - Pickpocket's Delight. Follow this video,
    (1:18 - 2:53). It is by far the most efficient route. Make sure you aren't seen before or after pickpocketing him or it'll void the contract.

    M3, C3 - Rags to Riches to Rags. Trickiest of the bunch for Mission 3 but not too bad. I'll be referring you to PowerPyx's excellent guide for "The Perfect Crime", another achievement for doing the heist without notifying anyone. This is because for the next contract you MUST be undetected the entire time you are inside the bank (outside is okay). It also makes this one much, much easier, as you only have to worry about clockwork soldiers and not standard guards.

    Make your way to the roof of the bank, and use your poppy tincture (800 coins, black market) in the vent at the top of the bank. If it's your first PT or can't remember how to get there, follow this guide until 5:13
    )

    Once in the bank make a manual save. Follow the guide until you're past the arc pylons (7:10), then head to -1 floor. Watch out for the clockwork soldiers. The patrol the area, and can be difficult to keep a track of, so use Foresight/dark vision to mark or keep track of their movements.

    Once at -1 floor, you should see an electrified floor. Displace/blink to the cabinet in the center of the electrified floor directly ahead of you, then blink to the open doorway slightly to your left (if you're following the clockwork soldier, he'll enter here). Head through, and stealthily follow your contract marker to a room on the right with some safes and an unconscious guard. Make a quick save when you're safe in here; there is a guard on the floor in an annoying position who can be easily woken up. If you're not going for the Perfect Crime achievement, kill him. By him, you should see a safe with "Morgan Yu" on it (nice Easter egg, if you've played Prey). Use the combination "315" and collect the gem inside to complete the contract

    M3, C4 - Quiet as a Mouse. This one is easy but does require zero alerts in the bank area to my knowledge. Go back to the bottom of the stairs before we traversed the electrified floor (remember to be mindful of the Clockwork Soldier patrolling). Once past the electrified floor, you should see a lift. Take it to the 3rd floor, the Director's office. Follow the contract marker, remaining crouched and by a woman slouched over a desk and some gold ingots (steal these whilst you're here) should be an address book. interact with it, and select the 2nd option "copy down the address". This should complete the contract, however, make sure you remain undetected for the remainder of the heist by following Powerpyx's video or the contract can still be void.

    Mission 4

    Contract Pickup: Black market, different location as we are in a new area. Follow the market, collect your

    This mission has 2 very easy contracts where the main video has the best solutions. I do them 2nd and 3rd, not 1st and 2nd as the other contract is very, VERY annoying and I'd rather you do this first so its out the way and if we fail you haven't wasted your time doing the others before reloading mission save. We'll do the tough one first.

    M4, C1 - Alvaro & the Abbey . For the first contract and easily most annoying contract, Alvaro and the Abbey. This single contract makes doing it on a Shadow (Edit) a pain, as as you must kill all overseers AND cultists except for one specific Overseer whom we need to knock out and put in a chair in the basement. 3 friendly NPC's (black market, side quest given by your apartment, a witch in the basement) don't need to die, nor do they void it if they die as collateral damage. Finding and killing all enemies can suck. If an enemy dies by any means other than your hand, it doesn't count. Save constantly so you avoid having to reload mission save if someone dies not by your hand (thanks Dresden N7 for confirming this). Additionally, finding them in the first place can be difficult if you're not methodical.

    The main piece of advice is to NEVER, ever knock an enemy out except for one specific one I shall point out. He is on the top floor of the conservatory with some cultists. Save often. (Edit) Although this doesn't void the a contract it does mean you have to remember who you knocked out to go back and kill them which can be infuriating. Use this video from 28:29 for good advice on who to watch out for and how to ensure you kill everything When you do find your target, drop everything, knock him unconscious and take him to the basement, then proceed with killing people.


    The general areas you need to comb through are as follows:

    Street: Jump onto the street and kill overseers. 4-6 should come to your location, kill all of them. At the end of the level, another 2-3 might pop up on your way back to the apartment, although I'm not sure if these are the apartment guards if you miss them (see next area)

    Apartment: Across the road from your spawning apartment should be a balcony. Displace/blink to it, and you should here 3 guards reasoning with someone (who's actually dead) to surrender and that they will be spared. Open the door, and kill the 3 guards.

    Courtyards in the Conservatory: An enemy or two will appear here.

    Foyer: There will always be 2 overseers here. If you are loud, you might also trigger the attention of a third.

    Door in Foyer area: There are a ton of overseers through here. Comb through them.

    Basement: Through the above area, go down to find 1/2 areas here with lots of overseers

    1st floor: An overseer (he might come down if you triggered him in the foyer area) + 2-3 cultists to the left of the large central area. There will also be some overseers in the side areas, including 1 praying, and some in the wooded areas with booths. Giving exact numbers is difficult but there will be a few

    2nd floor: Tons of Overseers & cultists here. Take them out on your way to your unconscious target.

    3rd floor: Cultists and your contract target (make sure not to kill him).

    Roof: Tons of cultists here, including the main story target.


    The contract will trigger before the end of the level once you've killed everyone, so you should know if you've done it right or not. If it hasn't triggered, someone isn't dead. Scout around, going through the area and combing through all the corpses to see if everyone is dead. Using grenades or smashing glass cabinets can also flush out any straglers.

    M4, C2 Pilfer the Prophecies - The main video below has the best route and solution, so adding another one would have little purpose. Watch from 27;36 to 28:29

    M4, C3 - The Risky Wager - Again, the main video as a pretty stellar solution. Watch from
    26:12 - 27:36.

    Guide not helping? View 2 more guides for this achievement.

    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    Yung RuggsLove spending several hours killing 53 people just for the achievement not to pop
    Posted by Yung Ruggs on 12 May 23 at 11:21
    cjandersoni was combing the observatroy for hours, then read this and it was the men at the apartment who i'd left sleeping! killed them 3 and then BOOM the whole thing popped thankfully.
    Posted by cjanderson on 27 Jan at 15:15
    cjandersoni was combing the observatroy for hours, then read this and it was the men at the apartment who i'd left sleeping! killed them 3 and then BOOM the whole thing popped thankfully.
    Posted by cjanderson on 28 Jan at 13:14
  • Have you got any tips or tricks to unlock this achievement?
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  • NE0182NE0182
    Locked 15 Sep 2017 19 Sep 2017
    Chapter 1 - One Last Fight

    1 Industrial Espionage (00:16)
    2 Burn the White Hound (02:14)

    Chapter 2 - Follow the Ink

    1 Death to the Mime (00:51)
    2 Missing Brother (02:35)
    3 Kidnap the Bartender (05:26)
    4 Workplace Harassment (06:50)

    Chapter 3 - The Bank Job

    1 The Art Connoisseur (00:03)
    2 Pickpocket's Delight (01:18)
    3 Quiet as a Mouse (02:53)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Complete Stealth walkthrough for "Quiet as a Mouse" Chapter 3
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4 Ras to Riches to Rags (07:53)


    Chapter 4 - The Stolen Archive


    1 A Risky Wager (00:05)
    2 Pilfer the Prophecies (01:05)
    3 Alvaro and the Abbey (02:36)
    Showing both comments.
    Gutsy Goddessi think there are some contract in all missions. this guide is incomplete i guess
    Posted by Gutsy Goddess on 17 Sep 17 at 04:51
    NoHeroes94This guide is incomplete; misses out all Mission 3 contracts and (I think) Mission 4 contracts (can't confirm the latter.)
    Posted by NoHeroes94 on 17 Sep 17 at 20:32
  • IAmYingCaiIAmYingCai
    26 Mar 2022 23 Feb 2022 24 Jun 2023
    Important Notes:
    -There's a total of 13 contracts. 2 in M1, 4 in M2, 4 in M3, and 3 in M4. There's 0 in M5.
    -Must be done in a single playthrough
    -If you miss a contract in one mission, you needa reload an older save

    Mercenary Work Guide Specifically
    For those of you who are doing a run specifically for contracts and are pretty familiar with the map, I would suggest you just follow this video.

    Shadow and Mercenary Work Missions 1,3,4
    Here's a playlist that I also shared for the Shadow achievement as this shows you without any cuts how to get all contracts done in mission 1, mission 3, and mission 4. Use this playlist if you want to work on Shadow and Mercenary Work at the same time, or have no fuckin knowledge of the map because all you want are the goddamn achievements. Because Mission 2 is not included, I will give you some information on how to tie in another guide with the M2 walkthrough in this playlist to get all the contracts done with Shadow.

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHN5cPeI2sqOZqnDcNmSC...

    Mercenary Work and Shadow for Mission 2
    Here's a video that I personally made demonstrating how to get through mission 2 with shadow, all paintings, story and all contracts completed.

    If you prefer Mr. Codeslinger's videos, here's a text guide which utilizes two of his videos.

    This will be referenced as Video 1. This is essentially the shadow walkthrough for mission 2 from the playlist above.

    This will be referenced as Video 2. This is the mercenary work video posted in this guide as well.

    1. We are going to start off with Video 2. Follow along exactly how the guide shows from 6:36 - 31:44.

    1.5 I am guessing you are doing attempting the story as well if you are reading this section, so you will need to pause Video 2 at 7:54 and switch over to Video 1 to get a story-specific item. Now from Video 1, start at 9:31 (which is where Video 2 cuts off at 7:54) and follow until 10:17 which gets your story progressed to the next step. After that continue Video 2 until 31:44

    2. Picking up from 31:44 at Video 2, you are on that porch. You want to get yourself back to the spectre club undetected. There's no part of in the videos that shows you a safe path directly, but you can just retrace your steps back to the shack and then head over to the spectre club from there which I am sure you know how to do by now.

    3. Once you are back to the spectre club, you want to switch back to Video 1 and follow along from 35:20 - 45:02. Now he mentions stuff about semblance/foresight when leaving Spectre Club and Shan Yun's house, but if you followed along with Video 2 until 31:44, you shouldn't have to worry about sneaking as those guards he's referring to detecting you have been taken out and stored on top of that porch.

    4. Ok, so you have stopped at 45:02 in Video 1, so you are staring directly out of Shan Yun's house. Now I want you to make your way back to the area where you took out mime from Video 2 (9:44 as a reference).

    5. Ok, so you are back to the square where you took out the mime (9:44 video 2 as a reference again lol). You now want to switch back to Video 1 and start at 14:33 and follow until 25:35. Now the place he is staring at in 14:33 V1 is straight at where your character would be standing at 9:44 V2. Just a reference if you absolutely short term memory loss or smth, i'm not judging.

    5.5 He didn't do this in Video 1 when he was at the black market, but you need to pick up the contracts while you are there or else all the extra work you are doing is going to be for nothing, so please don't forget to do that. Dw about robbing the black market with contracts. Contracts will still work and can be picked up even after the market gets robbed.

    6. Ok, so you stopped at 25:35 and are in front of that worker, perfect because that's where we will start in Video 2. Pull up Video 2 and follow along from 32:37 - 38:09. It is super important that you don't step a single foot into the bank, or you risk triggering the Workplace Harassment event early which means you won't be able to get the next few things done in a convenient fashion. .

    6.5 Read this if you want to get the painting for Art Connoisseur. Ok so from 38:09 in Video 2, you are literally staring at the exact same thing as Video 1 at 28:46. The only difference now is that you don't have another person's face, so what you want to do instead of walking down them like he does in Video 1, you can get up on the stairway railing and displace yourself over to the 'red awning' that is mentioned at 28:53. Ok, so you got the painting, you can use 29:20 in Video 1 as a reference. Just hop out the window and displace yourself back up to the stairway that goes into the area that you cleared out. (left-hand side when you are looking out the window at 29:20).

    7. Follow along with Video 1 from 25: 51- 28:44. You don't need to worry about semblancing that dude he did just before getting out the door cuz all the guards should be disposed of at this point, and you will be using a displace in a few seconds anyone on a better target.

    8. Alright, the home stretch. Back over to Video 2, starting at 38:11. This is pretty much the exact same angle you are facing when you paused at 28:44 from Video 1. Just follow along with the video until the Workplace Harassment is finished. He doesn't show you how to get back to the car, but at this point you are all done with the mission if you have followed along with my guide. You have all of the paintings, undetected, contracts, and story-related shit. Just avoid the civilians and get your sorry ass back to the railway and be thankful that you get to leave that hellhole.

    P.S. He mentions several times in Video 2 about the female employees walking around and just wasting everyone's time. If you find them, just knock them out so you don't have to wait for all that bullshit. Doesn't break anything, just knock them out.
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