Watch Dogs Legion has focused heavily on two things in its promotional material thus far, those being Watch Dogs Legion's UK setting as well as a focus on controlling anyone in the game’s world. Giving players access to dozens of potential characters is a unique idea, but one that has left many wondering what will happen if they lose a character they’re fond of. Today, those excited for the upcoming game got some clarification on the game’s permadeath setting.

In an AMA on Reddit, Watch Dogs Legion creative director Clint Hocking clarified that “difficulty and permadeath are separate options.” The game can be played on the traditional easy, medium, and hard difficulty settings, and within any of those difficulties players can toggle the permadeath feature on and off.

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Hocking went on to reiterate that players can indeed stick with one character throughout the entirety of the game, with the only exception being when a specific mission requires someone in particular. How many times that will happen was not shared, though it is unlikely that many missions will require a specific character given the game’s emphasis on the “play as anyone” mechanic. If someone specific is needed, they will likely be unlocked through Watch Dogs Legion's recruiting mechanic.

Hocking went on to say that, even with permadeath on, “you can choose to use one character throughout the game... as long as they are not arrested or hospitalized (or killed).” Allowing permadeath to be a choice shows that Ubisoft has spent time refining the mechanic and ensuring it works with different playstyles, which is certainly a good sign. It also lines up with the team's focus on adding accessibility options to Legion so that as many people as possible can enjoy the game.

It will be interesting to see how fleshed out the many playable characters are, and whether or not they’ll have stories of their own, or simply be playable NPCs that players don’t care about keeping alive. Regardless, the permadeath option will not feature in the game’s multiplayer and will always be turned off during online play. Hocking’s reasoning for this was the potential of griefing players that took away from the fun of the game. He went on to promise more details would be given “soon” as to how exactly the multiplayer component of Watch Dogs Legion will function.

Later in the AMA, Hocking confirmed that the game’s story focus will still contain the political aspect of “holding those in power accountable.” Despite this, Watch Dogs Legion won't feature commentary on Brexit, even though its setting is perfect for it. The team is making sure to keep its political commentary fictional, it seems, and is keeping Legion as close to the other Watch Dogs games as possible in that area. Whether its new gameplay direction proves successful remains to be seen, but optional permadeath is a good step to take for ensuring that people make the adjustment.

Watch Dogs: Legion launches October 29, 2020, for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series versions will launch alongside the consoles.

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