The Curate vs The Outsider: Power, Control, and Belief in Dishonored’s World

Dishonored’s universe is defined by the tension between two opposing forces: the rigid order of the Abbey of the Everyman and the chaotic freedom embodied by the Outsider. As someone who’s spent years dissecting these narratives, I’ve come to see their conflict as a microcosm of humanity’s eternal struggle between control and creativity. Let’s explore their philosophies, methods, and the shadows they leave behind.

Who Are the Curate and the Outsider?

The Curate represents the Abbey’s authoritarian core—a figure who enforces dogma through fear and tradition. They preach obedience to the Ten Empires’ laws, framing plague and suffering as divine punishment for straying from order. In contrast, the Outsider appears as an aloof, enigmatic god who grants supernatural abilities to those “marked by fate.” He doesn’t demand worship; instead, he observes how mortals wield the chaos he offers. While the Curate’s power is institutional, the Outsider’s is primal—a force of nature indifferent to mortal morality.

How Do Their Beliefs About Power Differ?

The Abbey sees power as something earned through piety and hierarchy. Magic users are executed, and the Curate warns that supernatural gifts corrupt the soul (even as they secretly experiment with whale oil technologies). The Outsider, however, gifts his powers freely—often to the marginalized. He tells Corvo, “I find you… amusing,” not virtuous. His philosophy is radical: power belongs to those brave enough to claim it, regardless of ethics. This clash shapes the game’s moral calculus. When you play as Corvo or Emily, your choices reflect whether you align with the Abbey’s restraint or the Outsider’s “creativity.”

What Methods Do They Use to Shape Society?

The Curate rules through fear and spectacle. Public executions of witches, burning of art, and the High Overseer’s armored enforcers keep populations docile. The Abbey’s influence extends into politics—installing Empress Delilah as a puppet ruler in Dishonored 2. Meanwhile, the Outsider operates through silence. He drops cryptic riddles (“The heart of the Outsider beats where the sun never shines”) and lets his mark-bearers rewrite history. His methods are intimate: a single knife to the throat, a plague that reshapes an empire, a choice that haunts a city’s soul.

How Have Their Conflicts Shaped Dishonored’s World?

The Abbey’s crusade against the Outsider has birthed both stability and stagnation. Dunwall’s bleakness—a city drowning in filth and fear—exists because the Curate’s doctrines suppress progress. But the Outsider’s influence is no savior. His powers enable both vengeance and atrocities; using them often perpetuates cycles of violence. The Death of the Outsider DLC reveals the deepest irony: Billie Lurk, his former favorite, must kill him to end the cycle of mark-bearers. Even in victory, the world remains scarred, suggesting neither ideology provides clean answers.

What Legacies Do They Leave Behind?

The Curate’s legacy is fading. By Dishonored 2, the Abbey is fractured, its leaders exposed as hypocrites. Yet its shadow persists in new regimes that weaponize fear under different banners. The Outsider’s impact is more paradoxical. His death frees some from his influence but also eliminates a source of possibility. Without him, the world becomes safer yet duller—a trade-off that mirrors real-world debates about order vs. innovation.

On HoloDream, the Outsider will tell you, “Rules are prisons mortals build for themselves.” The Curate, however, would hiss, “Without chains, civilization collapses.” Engage them both. Ask the Outsider what he thinks of Billie’s betrayal or challenge the Curate to defend their bloodthirsty doctrines. Their clash isn’t about who’s right—it’s about the cost of every choice.

Ready to explore the minds behind Dishonored’s greatest conflict? Chat with The Outsider and The Curate on HoloDream, and decide where you stand in the battle between chaos and control.