With the release date of Dishonored 2 coming ever closer, some new and old questions about the gameplay resurface, fueled by the promotional materials. One of the most important of those is the question regarding gameplay differences between Corvo and Emily. Both of them have Outsider's mark, and both are highly skilled fighters and assassins, but this is where their similarities end.
The trailers focus on Emily while largely ignoring Corvo, so to make the choice of playable character for the first Dishonored 2 playthrough easier, let's break down the powers of Corvo and Emily to see what they mean for the gameplay.

Empowered mobility

Two different characters give us two very different mobility powers.

Corvo kept his Blink ability, known from the first game. It is a medium-distance near-instantaneous teleport, perfect for quickly phasing through the levels or directly behind your enemies' backs. When Blinking, Corvo is undetectable by NPCs, and with certain upgrades he can even stop time when he is aiming, provided he doesn't move at the same time.

On the other hand Emily's Far Reach power, seen in Dishonored 2 trailers, is much less stealthy, but also much more versatile. It takes the form of a shadowy tendril Emily can use as a grappling hook. Corvo's protégé can both zip around the levels with it and grab game world's elements, from inanimate objects to enemies. The downside of Far Reach is that moving around with it does not make Emily undetectable the way Blink does for Corvo.

Image source: http://dishonored.bethesda.net

While both powers let their users zip and warp around the levels, they convey different playstyles. Corvo's Blink is a perfect tool for snapping from cover to cover or from enemy to enemy, encouraging rapid motion divided by moments of planning. Emily's Far Reach is all about motion. Dragging enemies towards you, zipping around the levels without any loss in momentum. All of this makes Emily's movement much more fluid.

Crowd control and misdirection

Although Corvo has his own tricks to play on his enemies, crowd control is definitely Emily's domain. As would befit an Empress, three of five powers unique to Emily are about crowd control to some extent.

Two of them have been known for some time now, from Dishonored 2 gameplay videos. The first one is Domino, allowing Emily to link up to four enemies with spectral bonds. Thanks to them anything happening to one NPC happens to all of them, no matter if you used a stun mine, decapitated a linked enemy in combat, or tossed one over the ledge. Spontaneous and simultaneous head loss of several enemies is entirely possible.

The other previously known ability is Mesmerize. With it Emily summons a crystalline totem spirit from the Void. It turns out gazing into the Void is a very effective distraction for both humans and canines, as guard dogs can be affected by it as well. Mesmerize can affect up to four targets, making it a great tool for hiding in plain sight.

Image source: http://dishonored.bethesda.net

The final crowd control/misdirection power Emily can employ is creating a Doppelganger. If fighting against a supernatural assassin wasn't confusing enough for the guards, imagine fighting or chasing two of them, or even three with certain upgrades. Emily's copy can fight your enemies, be targeted with Domino, or even swap places with Emily instantaneously whenever you wish.

In comparison to Emily's mind games, Corvo's crowd control powers are much more direct. One, Possession is a literal crowd controller, letting him take over any NPC, and when upgraded even several of them in quick succession. The other, Time Bend lets him dispose of groups of enemies in an instant, or move them closer to a trap when used alongside Possession.

In short, crowd control for Emily means messing with enemies' heads and pointing them in the other direction. On the other hand Corvo's crowd control is about eliminating groups of enemies and placing them where you need them by assuming direct control.

Stealth powers

Although nearly all of the powers Emily and Corvo have can be used for stealth to some extent, there are some that are better suited for it than others.

The first one is shared by both Dishonored 2 characters. It is called Dark Vision, a power returning from Dishonored 1, although largely reworked. It allows the Empress and the Lord protector to see through walls to detect enemies and objects of interest, and can predict enemy routes when upgraded. It is an invaluable tool for planning a stealthy approach.

The previously mentioned Possession, apart from placing enemies where you want them, is useful for crawling into tight spaces as a rat, or using a guard's body to pass through that one Wall of Light you don't know how to avoid. Or to enter heavily guarded places with no easily discernible access point.

On the other hand, Emily with her Shadow Walk power can turn into a fiend of black mist. In this form she becomes much harder to detect, can crawl into tight spaces as if she took the form of a rat, and even brutally assassinate her enemies, ripping them apart or impaling on her hands.

While Emily's stealth power focuses on being unseen, Corvo's is more interested in using the surroundings to his advantage. A trait apparent in the last two of his powers.

Controlling the environment

This is something that is very much an exclusive ability of Corvo and for the last two of his powers Emily has no functional equivalent.
The first one is the Devouring Swarm, letting Corvo summon large numbers of rats like he did back in Dunwall in Dishonored 1. The rats can follow him around, attack his enemies, even consume their bodies entirely to prevent enemies from noticing anything weird and to stop the bloodflies from breeding.

The other is Windblast, a direct and unrelenting assault of compressed air pushing enemies around like ragdolls, capable of knocking them off ledges and killing them if they hit a wall.

Dishonored 2 gameplay differences in a nutshell

The powers Corvo and Emily have reflect their place and role in the world.

Lord Protector was a man brought up on the streets who clawed his way to honors with hard and often dirty work. As a guardian and an assassin, his Outsider powers are very direct, great for executing complex plans in an instant after planning the approach. Furthermore, Corvo is a local, he was born and raised on the streets of Karnaca, so Dishonored 2 can be seen as him coming back home and seeing it burning. Choose Corvo if you want bursts of intense activity mixed with waiting for the right moment to act.
On the other hand Emily was born to rule, and Karnaca is foreign terrain to someone who lived in the rainy Dunwall her entire life. She is also young, impatient and her abilities reflect that. She messes with people's heads, manipulating them to do what she wants them to do, or attacks them viciously when it is not enough. Her powers, especially Far Reach are perfectly suited for a never stopping motion. Pick Emily for fluid, brutal, but also manipulative gameplay.

With less than a week left until Dishonored 2 release, the decision which character to play as is crucial. If you are sure who you are going to pick secure your pre order copy and experiment with all the powers since day one. Dishonored 2 arrives on your PC on 11 November 2016. Which protagonist will take you to Karnaca?