Welcome back, everyone! This is Nate from GameMonkey, and I’m diving into Dishonored: Definitive Edition on PlayStation 4 to walk you through a very specific and rewarding kind of playthrough—one where we collect all the major stealth-based and clean completion trophies in a single run.

Here’s what we’re going for:

• Clean Hands: No kills throughout the entire playthrough.
• Ghost: Never be detected by any enemies.
• Shadow: Similar to Ghost, but allows for being spotted by main targets. For this run, I’m treating it the same as Ghost.
• Mostly Flesh and Steel: Use no supernatural powers except Blink—and don’t upgrade Blink at all.
• Just Dark Enough: Complete the game while maintaining Low Chaos.

A Bit of Background and Motivation

My love for Dishonored goes way back to the Xbox 360 days, where I completed nearly every achievement aside from a couple in the DLC. The game’s freedom, creativity, and replayability make it one of my all-time favorites—so much so that it has set the bar unfairly high for other stealth games. I’ve often thought, if I were to build a game from scratch, Dishonored is what I’d want to end up with.

I had no complaints when it was re-released as the Definitive Edition on PS4. Yes, the graphics haven’t aged all that well, and they were never cutting-edge to begin with, but the gameplay holds up beautifully. It’s tight, responsive, and layered—everything you could want from a stealth-action title.

Notes on the Walkthrough Structure

This guide is based on the PS4 version, but it’s applicable to any platform with the same version of the game. I’m dividing the main game into 10 videos total, 8 of which cover the core campaign (excluding the prologue), with additional content coming later for the DLC.

Here’s what to expect as you follow along:

• I cut out loading screens to keep things flowing.
• I skip as many cutscenes as possible using in-game controls to save time.
• Occasionally, you’ll notice route changes—sometimes I replay a section to discover an easier or cleaner path. Most transitions are subtle, and overall, I keep the edits minimal.

This run is played on Normal difficulty, which I found to be optimal. There are no trophies for higher difficulty, and playing carefully and patiently means the difficulty level barely affects the approach. You’re already avoiding direct confrontations, so harder AI doesn’t make much of a difference.

Early Tips and Prologue Observations

The only moment of gameplay in the prologue that might affect your run comes when the assassins arrive to kill the Empress. The game prompts you to engage in combat—resist the urge. Don’t strike. All you need to do is block their attacks. This sets the tone for the Clean Hands trophy. Even though this section is more cinematic than anything, it’s a good habit to adopt early: restraint over reaction.

As we step into Chapter One and Corvo’s escape from Coldridge Prison, the true challenges begin. Stealth, non-lethality, and no supernatural upgrades—all these restrictions will shape your playthrough, but they also make the game far more rewarding.

This playstyle, which was once an intimidating challenge when I first tried Clean Hands back in the day, now feels intuitive and achievable. With a clear structure, some creative thinking, and cautious movement, you’ll see just how accessible a ghost run really is.

Let’s get started. See you in Chapter One!