Dishonored is played in first-person, with an emphasis placed on stealth action and the use of gadgets and the environment to eliminate opposing forces. The game world is a series of self-contained, mission-focused sandboxes designed for multiple avenues of exploration in terms of in-game movement and powers. Between missions the player is taken to a central hub; the Hound Pits pub. In the pub Corvo can meet with his allies, receive mission briefings, alternate objectives, and convert recovered loot into new equipment and upgrades.[9] In-game areas include loading docks, royal estates, poverty-stricken streets, and a bathhouse. The game features the ability for the player to save anywhere and also includes a checkpoint save system. Both methods are disabled during combat. There are four difficulty levels which affect the effectiveness of health and mana potions, and enemy awareness, damage delivered, and responsiveness. The easy difficulty also enables health regeneration. Set in the fictional, plague-ridden industrial city of Dunwall, Dishonored follows Corvo Attano, the Empress's legendary bodyguard. He is framed for her murder and forced to become an assassin to seek revenge on those who conspired against him. Corvo is aided in his quest by the Loyalists, a resistance group fighting to reclaim the Empire, and The Outsider, a powerful being who imbues Corvo with magical abilities.