In Dishonored 1, you can get either a light or dark ending depending on your Chaos level. That means your ending was greatly influenced by how many people you killed and how you "finished" each boss in every level. In Dishonored 2, the Chaos rating still applies but it is more nuanced and the endings will actually consist of four stages.
This information was revealed by Harvey smith, the co-creative director of Dishonored 2. Unlike the previous game where the High or Low Chaos rating is deeply tied into your in-game responses, the sequel will be less binary and "black and white."
"The endings are more driven this time by branching decisions you make along the way, like who you kill and who you side with. And then for every one of the endings there's a High and Low Chaos coloring to it. You'll see, it's a hybrid system. But it's much more nuanced than it was last time," Smith said.
The Chaos rating still affects Corvo and Emily's responses, the appearance of bloodfly nests, and the tone of dialogue. As the character kills with more impunity, they also become more cynical and the world becomes a much darker place. However, the ending you'll get will be much more complicated as Smith explained that there will be four stages to each ending and a different number to it. For example the ending in Karnaca will have four or five variations while Dunwall has three or four. He also said that there will also be a couple of variations for one of the characters who has become your ally and another one for another ally.
He also mentioned that there will be different voice parts for all of these endings because the Outsider's conversation will be affected by how you played. Moreover, there will be a cynical and optimistic cast to each of those variations. That is the power of procedural content. However, Smith said that they only had to do "four, five, two, one with different voice variations, but you can have the first version of the first stage, the second version of the second stage."
