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❝ I don't look back anymore. I don't regret. I look forward. Everything is connected, and I'll use that to expose, to protect, and if necessary... to punish. ❞ ―Aiden embracing his role as "The Vigilante"

Aiden Pearce (also known as "The Vigilante" and "The Fox" by citizens and the media) is the protagonist of Watch Dogs. He is a highly skilled grey hat hacker who has access to the CT OS of Chicago using a highly specialized device, the Profiler.

Because his actions led to a family tragedy, Aiden has taken to a personal crusade against the powers that be. His obsession with security, surveillance, and control borders on the paranoid and dangerous, extending to monitoring his own family (unbeknownst to them).

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Appearance

Aiden is an Irish man with green eyes, brown mid-length hair, and light facial hair. While having his mugshot taken, it is shown that he is 6' 2" (1.88 m) and appears to be of mesomorphic build. In the trailers, Aiden wears a grey, long-sleeve zip-neck sweater, usually un-tucked, though his clothes can be changed to several other jackets of similar style. On top of the sweater, Aiden wears a modern, brown, knee-length trench coat. Aiden wears dark grey trousers and brown boots. He also has a deep, gravelly voice.

Aiden also keeps a neckwarmer scarf tucked into the neck of his sweater, which he may pull up so that it covers his face up to the bridge of his nose. Aiden also wears a dark brown cap with a logo that can be debated to be either a stylized "Nexus" logo or a fox.

As of Watch Dogs: Legion, while his outfit is relatively unchanged, his light facial hair has sprouted into a full-blown beard, and, like the other resistance members, he wears an Earpiece in front of his right ear.

Personality

❝ It's impossible to say for certain what he's really like. He masks his personality. And he's very good at it. It isn't like someone playing poker. This is a very smart man who is looking to gain the upper hand in every situation. ❞ ―Dr. Yolanda Mendez's description of Aiden

Aiden grew up learning about computers. When he became an adult, he used the knowledge he had gathered growing up to commit clandestine scams. Pearce has a background as a criminal which has given him links to the underground of Chicago knowing the wrong people for all the wrong reasons.

Aiden is a protective person, wanting to keep the people he cares about close and safe. He is very protective of his family (as seen in the game, his sister and nephew), and will do anything to keep them safe. His compassion for his family is strong enough to become a vigilante and extradite revenge on those who have harmed them. Aiden is very calm under pressure, able to keep a clear mind and work through problems systematically and with composure. His approach is often light-hearted, especially in situations that can lead to his own death or that of others. He has also shown himself to be quite athletic, capable of performing parkour to escape the police and sprinting with speed and agility. His physical strength is also demonstrated when chasing down criminals and silencing them with his telescopic baton.

Although he has compassion for the people he is close to, Aiden doesn't hesitate in taking another life if he has to. Because of this, others often see him as cold-hearted and without conscience, but he does what he does to stop the corruption plaguing his city. The player can also finish the game and not kill anyone except the three main antagonists and three supporting characters of the game.

History

Background and Early Life

Aiden Pearce was born on May 2nd ,1974[1] and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland alongside his younger sister Nicole who greatly idolised him. His mother took the children to the United States in order to escape from their father who was implied to have been an abusive parent. As a child, he grew up in a rough neighbourhood and frequently had to protect his family. Over time, his mother notcied how Aiden was becoming similar to his father and that her once sweet little boy had gone.

As a young adult, he became a member of a criminal gang. He purchased lessons in combat, marksmenship and weapons all of which contributed towards his career as a thief. In 2005, Aiden was nearly arrested by a gym trainer who had noticed his injuries, unable to afford the risk, he swiftly eliminated him. After this event, Aiden began studying big cons, social engineering, pyscology and intimidation tactics in order to improve his mennal competance.

Aiden later became acquainted with a fellow hacker, Damien Brenks, where the two taught each other specific hacking skills and the two proved to be a strong team.

The Merlaut Job

In 2012, Aiden Pearce, along with Damien Brenks, hacked into the Merlaut Hotel, owned by Dermot Quinn, in order to siphon money from people's bank accounts. Quinn, otherwise known as Lucky Quinn, thought he was being hacked for a video of Chicago's mayor murdering a woman named Rose Washington. He issued hits on Aiden and Damien to scare them into submission.

After the failed mission Aiden severed all ties with Damien. One night while driving with his nephew and niece, Aiden's car tires were shot by Maurice Vega, a hitman hired by the Club. The car drifted, and shortly after, rolled upside-down. This killed his niece, Lena Pearce, and set Aiden out for revenge.

Aiden began investigating the identity of the people responsible for Lena's death and thus established a hideout located in the Owl Motel. At some point, Aiden visited her grave alongside Nicole who encouraged him not to pursue revenge as it would only cause more danger.

At some point, he became acquainted with Jordi Chin, a Fixer whom he asked to help find his niece's murderer. Sometime later, Aiden was contacted by an unknown hacker code named BadBoy17, who from there on gave Aiden specific advice whenever most needed.

The Search Begins

Eleven months later, Aiden had tracked down Vega and interrogated him for the name of his employer. Vega claimed he didn't know their name and stated that Aiden was walking into something he couldn't handle. Aiden then raised his gun to shoot him, but the magazine was empty. Vega then attempted to attack Aiden, who subdued him with his baton. He then meets with his associate, Jordi Chin, who confesses that he purposely emptied Aiden's magazine and had called the police to cover up the deaths of several Black Viceroys. Aiden then leaves Jordi to take Vega to a secure location while he escapes the stadium.

After resting at his motel hideout, Aiden went over to Nicole's house for Jackson's birthday. The exchange was relatively amicable, but then Aiden noticed Nicole acting distressed on her phone and hacked it, overhearing someone threatening to break into her house. After the call ended, Nicole hastily fastened the locks. Aiden expressed concern but Nicole told him that he can't fix everything and orders him to leave. Aiden then traces the number of the prank caller and pursues him. While in pursuit, he gets a call from Nicole, apologizing for her outburst and asks him to come back, and realizing what he's doing, insists that he let it go. Eventually, he catches his target and hacks his phone, learning that someone put him up to this. He gives the information to his DedSec contact, BadBoy17, in hopes of figuring it out.

Old Friends

After Aiden breaks into the CT OS center in The Loop, BadBoy17 is able to begin tracking down the source of the call. Meanwhile, Aiden has his first face-to-face encounter with Lucky Quinn while carrying out a Fixer contract for Jordi. BadBoy17 soon asks Aiden to meet him in person. Aiden agrees and discovers that BadBoy17 is actually Clara Lille, a female French-Canadian hacker masquerading as a male. Clara updates Aiden's profiler with DedSec level system hacks and initiates an official partnership between the two. Eventually, Clara pinpoints the source of the call to an apartment complex. Aiden follows the lead and discovers that his former partner Damien is the one who ordered the harassment of Nicole. Damien tells Aiden to meet him. Aiden meets Damien, who is heavily intoxicated, and Damien reveals that there was a third hacker at the Merlaut job, other than Aiden and himself. As he was crippled in the aftermath of the Merlaut job, Damien proposes to Aiden that they become partners again. Aiden, however, rejects him, since he blames Damien's "going too far" for Lena's death, despite Damien pointing out that Aiden's own investigation had "hit a brick wall".

Prison Infiltration

Troubled after his encounter with Damien, as well as the realization that he needs Damien's information, Aiden visits Lena's grave and reminisces about a previous visit with Nicole. Aiden is then alerted by Jordi that a gang member from the stadium incident, Raul Lionzo, survived, is incarcerated, and is likely to reveal Aiden's identity to anyone who wants it. After interrogating Lance Brenner, using Jordi as sniper support, he discovers that Angelo Tucci is planning to get Aiden's identity from Lionzo. Aiden eventually tracks Tucci down, after manipulating his niece Helena, and kills him before he can kidnap Lionzo.

In order to prevent Lionzo from revealing his identity, Aiden conspires with Jordi to sneak into Palin Correctional Center, the prison in which Lionzo is being held, and intimidate the gang member. Once Jordi had alerted his contact inside the prison to the plan, Aiden pretends to turn himself in. Once stripped of all of his weapons, although he was allowed to keep his phone due to a corrupt guard who owed Jordi, and placed in a cell, Aiden escapes. Aiden proceeds to sneak around the prison, hacking the security as he goes, until he finds Lionzo in the exercise yard. Lionzo, however, is led to the basement by some corrupt guards and beaten while they demand to know the vigilante's identity. After neutralizing all of the guards, Aiden threatens Lionzo with an extended sentence if he reveals his identity to anybody. Aiden then retrieves his gear and escapes from the prison.

Family Threats

After the prison break, Aiden is again contacted by Damien. Needing Damien's information, Aiden reluctantly goes to a meeting place and waits for Damien. Instead, Damien calls Aiden and hacks the area's TVs to show himself in Nicole's kitchen. Enraged, Aiden arrives at Nicole's house and, after physically assaulting Damien, discovers that Damien has kidnapped Nicole, although Jackson got away, and threatens to kill her in order to blackmail Aiden into retrieving a hard drive which will lead them to the third hacker. Damien then gives Aiden a hard drive full of data from his investigation and leaves. Worried about Jackson, Aiden locates him by tracking his tablet's signal. After neutralizing the fixers chasing Jackson, Aiden joins his nephew on the train and arranges for Jackson's therapist, Yolanda Mendez, to take care of him until he gets Nicole back, although he lies to Yolanda and says Nicole is taking some time to grieve alone. Aiden is also alerted to a possible lead in finding Nicole as Jackson, using a drawing on his tablet, tells him that the men in the house were talking about Racine Boat Restoration. After hacking the CT OS center in the area, Aiden breaks into the boat restoration facility in an effort to find its owner, Robert Racine. After hacking an office computer and the security cameras connected to it, Aiden overhears a phone conversation between Racine and Damien and discovers that, while Racine did kidnap Nicole, he doesn't know anything of use. Aiden then kills Racine and gets in a heated phone conversation with Damien, who refuses to let Aiden speak to Nicole.

A New Base

Upon returning to his motel room, Aiden finds a video in the flash drive Damien gave him; however, the file is corrupted. Already frustrated, he pulls a gun on Clara when she suddenly enters his room. Pulling it together, Aiden asks for her input on the video. Checking the file, Clara tells Aiden that the file is permanently corrupted, and he needs the original in order to view it. After showing Clara the IP address Damien gave him as well explaining his current situation, Aiden prevents Clara from leaving the room because he hears car screeches. Both take cover and Aiden detonates explosives in his room as armed men shoot at them through the window. Clara escapes through the back door as Aiden returns fire and detonates more explosives in order to remove all evidence of his investigation. After killing an attacker holding Clara hostage, Aiden defends her as she makes her way to her car, killing all of the attackers before reinforcements show up. Once out of danger Clara calls Aiden and arranges to meet him at a dock. Aiden also receives a mocking call from Damien who is indifferent to Aiden losing his entire network and simply tells him to solve his problem. Damien then allows Aiden to speak to Nicole. After reassuring her that Jackson is safe and trying to calm his sister, Aiden is cut off by Damien, who refuses to let them speak again until he gets results.

Having lost his base and all of his equipment, Aiden is informed by Clara of the Bunker, the first CT OS testing site which is a blind spot in the system through which none of Aiden's activities could be detected. Using a nearby surveillance camera's footage, Aiden discovers that a man named Tobias Frewer knows how to control the bridge to the Bunker. Clara informs Aiden of Tobias' history as a Blume employee and directs him to Tobias' Crafting Shop. The two visit the shop but discover that it is locked. After tapping into a phone conversation and tracking Tobias' phone signal, Aiden learns he is currently playing an illegal poker game. After neutralizing the Fixers also after Tobias, Aiden joins the poker game and identifies Tobias. Paranoid, Tobias flips the table over and flees, leading Aiden to give chase and tackle Tobias to the ground. After Aiden threatens him with his own gun, Tobias informs Aiden that the Bunker lacks power and, after some encouragement, gives Aiden the remote to the bunker's bridge. After telling Aiden to come to his shop if he needs anything, Tobias leaves.

After hearing that Maurice gave up some information to Jordi, Aiden activates the bridge to the Bunker and restores power to the island by activating the three generators scattered around it. Aiden then takes the elevator, disguised as a shipping container, to the Bunker. Clara soon joins him and the two agree to not divulge the Bunker's existence to anyone until Aiden completes his investigation. Together the two restore power to the Bunker and enable it to get back online. After tracking the IP address, Clara discovers that the address originated in Rossi-Fremont, the district where the Black Viceroys hold power.

Getting Access

After hacking the local CT OS center, Aiden ventures into the Black Viceroys' compound and shuts down all three security terminals in order to make infiltration easier. He also discovers that the Viceroys had rerouted all of the CT OS activity in the area, something made more suspicious by Blume's lack of action in repairing the damage. Aiden also concludes that Chicago was drastically underestimating the Viceroys as a simple street gang when in reality they were smart and organized (a charade unbeknownst to Aiden was intentional). After hacking the CT OS tower in the Viceroy compound, Aiden leaves the district. On his way to the Bunker, Aiden receives a call from Tobias who informs him of an arms trade being orchestrated by the police.

Upon his return to the Bunker, and after a brief discussion about teamwork with Clara, Aiden uses his CT OS access to look inside Rossi-Fremont's cameras to gain a deeper insight into their operations. He discovers that they utilize cross wiring and are heavily armed, confirming Aiden's earlier suspicion that the Viceroys are not a typical street gang. Eventually, Aiden observes Delford "Iraq" Wade emerge from a server room which requires a security card to enter, which is hidden in his dog tags. Aiden and Clara watch as Iraq meets with both his cousin, Tyrone "Bedbug" Hayes, whom he briefly threatens and a Chicago South Club member. The Club member puts Lucky Quinn on speaker. Quinn angrily questions Iraq over his stealing of Quinn's guest list, although Iraq dismisses it as a business collaboration. Once the call ends, a Viceroy explains to Iraq the meaning behind one of Quinn's phrases, angering Iraq, who proceeds to bash the Viceroy's skull in with the briefcase containing the guest list. Iraq then dismisses the henchmen and returns to his locked server room.

After witnessing these events, Aiden forms a plan to get inside the locked room. Theorizing that Bedbug is close to being eliminated due to incompetence, Aiden plans to blackmail Bedbug into sneaking into the locked room by getting evidence of him making his next mistake. Aiden also receives another call from Damien who allows him to speak to a significantly more calm Nicole after mocking him over his recent car chase, referencing his battle with the Fixers hunting Tobias.

Aiden arrives in Bedbug's neighborhood and begins to follow him as he makes contact with numerous associates. Slowly, Aiden begins to build up a cache of audio logs and videos proving that Bedbug is disloyal to Iraq. Eventually, Bedbug gets a call from his informant, Gary "Rabbit" Diggs. Aiden hacks a nearby surveillance camera and overhears the conversation between the two. Despite Rabbit trying to negotiate, telling Bedbug Iraq intends to kill him, Bedbug turns violent and pulls a gun on Rabbit. Aiden intervenes by causing a regulator to burst, interrupting the execution and giving Rabbit time to hide. Bedbug, suddenly enraged, orders the Viceroys in the vicinity to kill Rabbit on sight. Aiden, wanting to hear about the assassination plan, makes contact with Rabbit and offers to guide him to safety in return for information. Rabbit agrees and either escapes, giving Aiden information in the process or is seen and killed, meaning Aiden must hack his dropped phone to get the information. Either way, Aiden learns that an ambush has been set for Bedbug in the closed down Sienna Brick Factory, better known as "The Bricks". Aiden, seeing an opportunity, goes about setting up a trap for the hitmen so that it looks like Bedbug has murdered fierce criminals, which would lead to Iraq trusting him and gaining prestige in the Black Viceroys.

Aiden calls Jordi in order to procure some explosive IEDs and arranges to meet him along with "his boys". Aiden then meets Jordi and "his boys", in reality, two corpses Jordi wishes to dispose of, and, after testing the explosives, "the girls", on Jordi's truck, places several explosives around the site of the ambush. Using both the explosives and his own equipment, Aiden proceeds to kill all of the hitmen as well as their reinforcements. He then joins Bedbug's position in The Loop, where he exposes to him all the blackmail he collected on public screens. Aiden then informs Bedbug by phone that he is "gonna be [Aiden's] eyes and ears inside Rossi-Fremont". Bedbug tells him that the only way to approach Iraq is at an auction, where Iraq and Quinn will both be. Clara then tells Aiden that she can copy Iraq's key if he gets close enough.

Clara then localized the briefcase containing the guest list, which was spotted in Iraq's hands in Rossi-Fremont. Aiden tails the owner, finds it in an old Club-owned marina, and takes pictures of the list. He decides to assume the identity of Nicholas Crispin, an American friend of Quinn who moved to Europe 12 years prior, in order to safely approach Quinn. In order not to blow his cover, Aiden finds Crispin in a car dealership in Mad Mile (after hacking the district's local CT OS control center), hacks his cellphone, and kills him. He then goes to the Infinite 92 club where he meets "The Poppy Special", a sex slave intended to be Crispin's. Unaware of his identity, when he refused to harm her, she attacked him with a knife. Aiden managed to restrain her and showed that he had good intentions when he didn't raise the alarm. It was then that Poppy realized that he was an impostor. Aiden promised to help her. But as getting her out of the club would be risky, Aiden had Clara call the club, claiming to be his assistant requesting that Poppy be sent to the auction at the docks.

Aiden then attended the auction. Using Crispin's ticket, Aiden enters the auction, where he briefly meets Iraq. Aiden hacks Iraq's dog tags and sends the key to Clara. Lucky Quinn, however, was aware of Crispin's death and ordered his men to go after and kill Aiden on sight. Aiden, however, manages to escape the Viceroys' security guards and escape. On his way out, he calls the police and informs them about a shootout in Brandon Docks, at the auction, which would allow the police to raid the auction and rescue all of the women.

Once done, Aiden is contacted by Yolanda Mendez to inform him that Jackson disappeared. Aiden then receives messages from Jackson and finds out that he attempted to go out in search of his mother. Aiden manages to trace Jackson to a building in Mad Mile and goes to the Fixer-controlled area. Aiden eliminates all the Fixers and their reinforcement before meeting Jackson in the security room. Jackson is scared when Aiden approaches him - Aiden realizes that Jackson witnessed his uncle killing all of the Fixers. Aiden then takes Jackson back to Yolanda's house where Aiden tells him that making sure he is safe is what makes his uncle strong, Jackson comparing himself to a "healer" from the game "Glitch Wars". Yolanda then threatens Aiden with calling the police if she doesn't get news from Nicole soon.

Aiden then continues his job at Rossi-Fremont. He leaves a wire in a bin at a bar not far from the compound and calls Bedbug to tell him to pick it up. Sneaking into the building, Aiden enters a small room then hacks in the cameras to find Bedbug. Aiden guides Bedbug through the local security to the server room, which he opens using the key he hacked from Iraq at the auction. Bedbug starts downloading the data but starts panicking after hearing someone approaching, while he has only downloaded 23% of the data. Iraq and his bodyguard then enter the room and find Bedbug inside. Iraq threatens to throw Bedbug by the window, asking him why was he in the restricted part of the building. He, however, notices the bug from Aiden and orders his men to find Aiden. After Aiden evades the Viceroys' men, Bedbug calls him to tell him he is still alive and that Iraq mentioned a Rose Washington in the video. Convinced that Bedbug knew nothing, Iraq spared him. Aiden then agrees to cut him loose. He then calls Clara, who was looking at the partial download and discovers that Iraq has blackmail on the police and Blume, hence why no one has moved on Rossi-Fremont.

Upon his return to the Bunker, Clara tells Aiden that she is not able to decrypt Iraq's data. She then tells Aiden about Raymond Kenney, a former CT OS pioneer, who went missing after causing the 2003 North-Eastern blackout, which killed eleven people. She thinks that only he is able to decrypt the data. Aiden then called Damien to update him on his plans. However, Damien was against recruiting Kenney, knowing his reputation as a whistleblower, who would most likely release the blackmail to the public. Aiden noted that Damien sounded worried, and deduced that he wanted the blackmail.

Aiden went to The Wards, where Kenney's last signal came from. However, it turns out Fixers were looking for Kenney as well. Aiden eliminates the Fixers in the area before using a computer, allowing Clara to trace Kenney to Pawnee, and wipes the hard drive. Two Fixers aware of Kenney's whereabouts, however, escape in a fire truck. Aiden chases them and kills them, before heading to Pawnee to find Kenney.

Working for T-Bone

As Aiden arrives at Pawnee, he must first hack into the local CT OS center. Having CT OS access in the area, he finds Kenney's signal coming from a computer in the local marina. Aiden uses it to track another signal from "Ray", which came from an abandoned CT OS station in the mountains. Aiden hacks the terminal and finds an audio log, which gives Ray's position to a bar in Pawnee. Aiden goes there and finds a man who goes by the name of "T-Bone Grady". When Aiden asks T-Bone if he knows Kenney, he challenges him to a drinking game. As Aiden succeeds, T-Bone punches him out of the bar. Aiden briefly handles him with his baton, but T-Bone, who turns out to be Raymond Kenney, paralyzes Aiden using his taser. Later, Aiden wakes up in Ray's safehouse. "Ray" warns Aiden that he is not able to help Aiden in Chicago as Blume programmed the CT OS to identify him. T-Bone accepts to help Aiden if he sneaks into the Blume headquarters and wipes out all data about Kenney from their servers, using a virus T-Bone programmed. T-Bone then shows Aiden his safehouse, with armed robots that he crafted in case he was ever attacked. T-Bone offers Aiden a deal: if Aiden gives him some favors, T-Bone will help him. Aiden must first steal a truck containing hardware, that was taken from him by the local Pawnee Militia.

T-Bone then asks Aiden to tail a Blume helicopter that is heading towards a Blume compound, as Aiden needs the ID of a Blume security chief in order to break inside their headquarters. Aiden finds the two chiefs in a camping lot and copies their ID. He then proceeds to kill a few Militia men heading for the Blume HQ, in order to reduce the amount of security at the HQ. T-Bone then tells him that he has created a virus that should wipe any file about Kenney on the database. Aiden then heads into the Blume HQ. He sneaks inside the area and uploads T-Bone's virus into the database. However, as he hacks into the database, he finds out that Blume's public relations VP Charlotte Gardner has a scheduled meeting with Damien Brenks. By hacking through cameras, Aiden manages to reach the room, where he witnesses Damien offering to exchange Kenney's whereabouts for total access to the CT OS. Feeling that Kenney is uncovered, Aiden escapes the compound and races to T-Bone's hideout, being assaulted by the Militia men. T-Bone has then no other choice to blow up his hideout while being covered by Aiden. While protected by Aiden, T-Bone arms the explosives and escapes the graveyard which is destroyed by the bombs (with T-Bone recording "for [his] portfolio") before escaping towards the Bunker by boat.

T-Bone, otherwise "the legendary Raymond Kenney", is at first skeptical because of Damien's deal, but finally agrees to help Aiden, after being convinced by Clara for good. Aiden then heads for his next stop, Rossi-Fremont, after requesting sniper support from Jordi. Aiden enters the building with Kenney's help to open the main door, wipes out any resistance, and hacks in Iraq's server. On his way out, he encounters Iraq in person. After a brief standoff, Iraq escapes on the rooftop, followed by Aiden. He ultimately kills him after killing his remaining security. Aiden escapes the compound and then heads back to the Bunker, to see what he managed to obtain from Iraq, after getting yet another call from Damien, to confirm he got the data.

Recovering the data

However, as soon as they get the data, it is stolen by another hacker, JB Marcowicz, aka Defalt. During the hacking breach, Defalt sends an audio file that shows that Clara was hired by unknown men to trace Aiden and Damien after the Merlaut Job in order for them to place a hit on them. Aiden demanded to know who hired her, to which Clara denies any knowledge. This leads to Aiden shoving Clara away, even as she tries to apologize. Aiden is then forced to turn up at Damien's meeting without data. Aiden tries backing Damien into a corner, pointing out that without the blackmail, Blume would most likely send Fixers after him. Damien then allows another phone call with Aiden. However, believing he was not taking him seriously, Damien has a Fixer waiting in a WKZ truck broadcasting images of Aiden's vigilantism on all the large TV screens, effectively blowing his cover. Escaping the police, Aiden sends to T-Bone a piece of audio from the call with Nicky, that might give away her position. T-Bone then informs him that he found the apartment where Defalt lives. They, however, get nothing and must escape waves of Fixers sent by Defalt.

T-Bone then figures out that Defalt works as a DJ in a nightclub, Dot ConneXion, in the Ambrose Theater. Aiden enters the club and discovers that Defalt hacked the local profiler system, in order to protect himself, knowing that Aiden would come for him. After long hacking processes, Aiden ultimately accesses a camera near Defalt. Defalt, however, notices him and triggers a blackout in the club, allowing him to escape, only to be chased by Aiden. After dispatching the Fixers hired by Defalt to distract him, Aiden chases Defalt by car and with the help of T-Bone, recovers all of the data, before either letting Defalt go or killing him/knock him down.

Family away

T-Bone then informs Aiden that he got all of the data back and that he worked on the audio piece to find a name: Brent Ulster. Aiden goes to his place of work, a wastewater treating plant in Brandon Docks. He guides Nicky out of the Fixer-controlled plant and drives her (along with Jackson) out of town. Nicole, however, warns Aiden that Yolanda called the police, forcing Aiden to escape out of Chicago undetected. During the chase, Nicole ultimately learns that her brother was the Vigilante. After escaping the heat, Aiden and Nicky say their last goodbyes, before she leaves Chicago for good.

Killing Quinn

T-Bone then sends an audio piece revealing that the one who ordered the hit was Lucky Quinn, leader of the Chicago South Club. Aiden goes to Quinn's hotel, the Merlaut, "where he fucked up his life", and where Quinn organized a benefit. Aiden sneaks by the security, kills the Club hitmen, and reaches Quinn's offices. As Aiden makes his way to Quinn's floor, he is caught by two guards as he steps out of the elevator. Aiden reveals that he was seeking justice for his niece Lena, who was killed because of Quinn. Quinn scoffs at this, wondering why there was so much fuss over such a "little problem", then leaves his men to finish off Aiden, who overpowers them and fights through Quinn's hired Fixers to reach him.

During this time, Quinn had sequestered himself in an impenetrable panic room in his office. When Aiden discovers the panic room and confronts Quinn, he taunts Aiden from behind a pane of bulletproof glass, telling Aiden to give up and live his life. However, the glass could not protect him from Aiden, who induces a heart attack in Quinn by hacking his pacemaker. Reeling down in pain, Quinn realized that Aiden didn't know the reason he was targeted. Admitting it was a mistake, he then showed Aiden footage of Mayor Donovan Rushmore murdering Rose Washington, and revealed that the reason he ordered the hit was because he assumed that Aiden was looking for it, while Aiden and Damien were only there for money, whereas it was actually Iraq who attempted to get the video. Falling to his knees, Quinn promises that even if he dies, the people would erect a statue in his honor while Aiden would fall into obscurity.

However, Aiden reminds him that he's the vigilante, the man who cleans up "scum" like Quinn. Aiden then uses one last hack, shutting off the pacemaker and killing Quinn, while Quinn offers to "make any deal [he] want[s]." Aiden escapes the police forces after leaving the hotel. On his way out, Damien calls Aiden and is informed that Clara had tried to trade herself in for Nicole, unaware that she was previously rescued. Aiden realizes that Quinn intends to have her eliminated (hackable conversations imply Damien denounced Clara to the Club), and heads to the cemetery, where Clara is visiting Lena's grave to place flowers there. Just then, hitmen from the Chicago South Club locate her at the graveyard.

Alerted by T-Bone, Aiden races to her, but is too late to save her from being shot to death. After disposing of the hitmen, Aiden gives Clara a moment of silence, takes her flowers to put them on Lena's grave, before taking her phone. He listens to Clara's last voicemail to him. In it, she talks about first seeing Aiden and Jackson playing chess in the park, after Lena's funeral; and explains her reasons for helping him "heal" from Lena's death. The message ends with Clara saying that if they cannot talk when "this is all over", she can "at least disappear. That's something [she's] good at."

Ending

As Aiden enters the Bunker, he encounters T-Bone, who was in the midst of packing up, as Fixers were going to come for him. He then stated that he was unaware of Rose's death. Guessing that Aiden intends to distribute all of Iraq's blackmail publicly, T-Bone decides to leave Chicago to escape the fallout. Aiden leaves the Bunker after uploading the blackmail to the public, much to Damien's anger. Damien then reveals that he has gained control of the entirety of CT OS, which he uses to create havoc throughout the city, believing that everyone should suffer as he has. Escaping the police forces and Damien's CT OS hacks, Aiden calls T-Bone to inform him of the situation, with T-Bone telling him he could try hacking into the CT OS main source to get access to the network and shut it down. Aiden tries to hack into the CT OS but is not able to get past the firewall. T-Bone tells him that there is a way to disable the firewall: there are three CT OS weak points throughout Chicago, and that he has to upload a virus T-Bone created to disable the firewall. After Aiden does so, he goes back to the CT OS control panel. Before hacking in, Aiden receives a message from DedSec, who offers to install a breach in the CT OS if Aiden waits 30 seconds before hacking in. DedSec promises that they "will be the watchdogs". Aiden, however, refuses and DedSec warns that they will not forget this. Aiden hacks into the CT OS to get to the satellite. Aiden then disables the CT OS, triggering a citywide blackout and giving him Damien's location, a lighthouse east of the city.

Aiden goes to the lighthouse, where Damien uses a megaphone to taunt Aiden. He then joins Damien at the top of the lighthouse and confronts him. After a brief standoff, Jordi arrives and informs Aiden that he has a new contract before asking him to drop his gun. After doing so, Aiden uses the Profiler to blow up the lighthouse's beacon, knocks Jordi down and throws him over the railing. Aiden grabs a gun and then quickly shoots Damien in the head. Aiden looks over the railing but finds Jordi has vanished. As the city lights come back on, Aiden reflects on the past events. He started out trying to fix a little girl's death, only to end up weeding out criminals and corruption and it has changed him as well. Remarking that everything's connected, Aiden then embraces his role as the Vigilante, vowing to protect, and if necessary, to punish.

Credits then roll out, with various WKZ TV broadcasts, informing that Rushmore was found dead (though it was unknown if he committed suicide or was executed following the release of the video from the Merlaut) leading to Charlotte Gardner becoming temporary mayor; Joseph DeMarco, Lucky Quinn's associate, being arrested (after surviving Aiden's assassination attempt during the trafficking investigation) and convicted for human trafficking; and that Mendez was writing a book on the Vigilante.

After the credits, Aiden receives a final call from Jordi. He gives Aiden Maurice's location and tells him that he can do whatever he wants with him. Aiden finds Maurice in a garage and has the choice to either let him live or to shoot him. Whatever the option Aiden takes, more credits roll out, as the game ends.

Other appearances

Bad Blood

While not physically appearing in the DLC, he is called several times by T-Bone. It first occurs after finishing the first mission, when T-Bone announced that he had planted a false trail for Blume to follow so that Aiden could escape Chicago and head to St. Louis to visit Nicole and Jackson, who had moved there after the events of Watch Dogs.

Later, Aiden was performing an unspecified task as he was called twice by T-Bone. When he finally answered, T-Bone was annoyed and stated that DedSec knows about him and Clara, that Blume had discovered they were using the Bunker and that he stopped the Rosario brothers from hunting him down after Blume offered $100,000 to anyone who would kill Aiden.

Watch Dogs 2

❝ Guys I just did a tag team with Aiden Pearce! ❞ ―Marcus Holloway after saving The Fox.

Watch Dogs: Legion

❝ "Fight back". Easy to say, hard to do. Maybe I'm just what this city needs. Are you ready for me, London? ❞ ―Aiden's narration in his Legion reveal trailer.

Abilities and skills

High Intelligence: Aiden Pearce is an exceptional hacker and has incredible street smarts. Criminology: As the Vigilante and a former Fixer , Aiden Pearce has an exceptional insight into how illegal activities work, such as mercenary groups or how criminal and terrorist organizations. Intimidation: Aiden Pearce, as the Vigilante, is so infamous amount criminal and terrorist organizations, that it strikes fear into their hearts when they know he's coming for them. Hacking Skills: He is a master hacker with complete access to the CT OS network on his personal "Profiler", a versatile weapon allowing him to hack into almost any software-linked device or object and activate at will. After receiving an upgrade from Clara Lille, his Profiler gains more advanced capabilities including CT OS Scan, Jam Communications, Blackouts, and numerous other hacking skills which adds to his inventory. CtOS Manipulation: He has access to all of the functions of ctOS, thus has the entire system bent his will. CtOS 2.0. Manipulation: It appears that he is able to manipulate the functions and attributes of the new ctOS and bend them to his will. Drone Manipulation: His hacking abilities are even able to take command of machines. Escape Artist: He is a highly skilled escape artist, due to years of him being a fixer. Even in the most extreme cases, he requires minimal interference to escape.

Aiden Pearce is an exceptional hacker and has incredible street smarts. Combat Skills: As a former thief and Fixer, Aiden has acquired a vast set of skills throughout his criminal career. He is adept at stealth which aids him in infiltrating enemy territory. In addition, he can utilize various corners and objects to evade his enemies. He is extraordinarily strong & agile, being able to overpower an enforcer & knock him out. His combat skills appear to be a variety of martial arts and street fighting techniques, and he can employ both lethal and non-lethal tactics to overcome his enemies. He is also proficient in gunplay as he is able to wield several different firearms ranging from handguns to sniper rifles with excellent accuracy. Honed Focus: Pearce also has " focus mode " which slows down time and allows him to get a better shot or see what to hack. This has been confirmed to be representative of his quick reflexes and strong senses.

As a former thief and Fixer, Aiden has acquired a vast set of skills throughout his criminal career. He is adept at stealth which aids him in infiltrating enemy territory. In addition, he can utilize various corners and objects to evade his enemies. He is extraordinarily strong & agile, being able to overpower an enforcer & knock him out. His combat skills appear to be a variety of martial arts and street fighting techniques, and he can employ both lethal and non-lethal tactics to overcome his enemies. He is also proficient in gunplay as he is able to wield several different firearms ranging from handguns to sniper rifles with excellent accuracy. Athletic Skills: Additionally, he has proven to be a skilled freerunner, as with his speed and agility he can sprint far distances uninterrupted as well as performing various forms of parkour, allowing him to scale and vault over several obstacles with relative ease. Aiden can combine various combinations with his range of skills and arsenal of weaponry which ultimately make him an incredibly unpredictable and deadly threat, earning him the title of "The Vigilante".

Relationships

Nicole Pearce

Main article: Nicole Pearce

Aiden arrives in San Francisco to shut down a human trafficking ring run by the Auntie Shu Boys and the Bratva , however, he was captured by the Bratva. Marcus Holloway , who was also investigating the trafficking ring, breaks into where they're holding him and hacks Aiden's phone which was in possession of his guard (along with his Baton ). Aiden sees the distracted guard, then glances at the cell camera. He then goes to the guard and defeats him, taking the baton and phone with him before starting a miniature blackout to cover his escape.Aiden is set to return inas a fully-playable character as part of their post-launch plans. Described as "older, but not necessarily wiser", the DLC featuring him is said to "open up a whole new chapter" in his story.

Aiden and Nicky share a strong sibling bond. Aiden grew very protective of her after the death of her daughter, Lena Pearce. He feels extremely guilty and indebted to Nicky, despite her pleas and forgiveness towards Aiden as she wants him to stop looking for the ones who murdered Lena, in fear of getting themselves killed. It has been shown that she is very confused and left out of Aiden's profession.

Jackson Pearce

Main article: Jackson Pearce

Aiden cares deeply for his nephew, Jackson, and would even kill to keep him safe. He was shown to be very protective of him when his mother, Nicole Pearce, was captured by Damien despite knowing that living with his therapist would lead to danger. Aiden kills loads of Fixers in order to get to Jackson, however, his actions led Jackson to fear his uncle. Despite this, Aiden still cares about him and does not want to repeat the mistake he made with Lena.

Jordi Chin

Main article: Jordi Chin

Aiden and Jordi have a love-hate relationship, though they irritate each other often, the two do somewhat understand each other and work well together. But despite their different tactics and ways of handling situations, the two are aware that they have to work together in order to get what they want. Jordi handles Aiden's needs by giving him ammunition and weapons such as sticky bombs as long as Aiden keeps his end by doing jobs for Jordi. However, Aiden is shown to be very assertive with Jordi when it comes to his moral implication, something Jordi understands to a certain extent.

Clara Lille

Main article: Clara Lille

Although he initially could not trust her and, due to her DedSec codename BadBoy17, mistook her for a male before he met her in person, the two gradually form a close bond despite their initial interactions.

T-Bone

The relationship between Aiden and T-Bone is similar to Ajay and Hurk (Far Cry 4's characters), both are friends and help each other, but Aiden sees T-Bone as a simple helper and T-Bone sees Aiden like his best friend.

Murders committed

Murders

Angelo Tucci: Ambushed while on the way to the prison (can also be knocked down).

Robert Racine: Killed during a car chase (can also be knocked down).

Nicholas Crispin: Shot in order to steal identity (can also be knocked down).

Iraq: Killed in a firefight.

Lucky Quinn: Hacked pacemaker, causing Quinn to have a heart attack. Killed for ordering the hit on Pearce and killing Lena.

Damien Brenks: Shot in the head for threatening his family.

Optional murders

Audio Logs

Aiden has five audio logs that can be obtained (all five) simply by hacking Aiden's computer in his Owl Motel room. When hacked, the fifth will display but all other can be accessed in the Audio Logs app on Aiden's smartphone.

Audio log #1

"In my neighborhood, you stood up or you got beat down...So I stood up. I ran with an ugly crowd. Learned how to fight. How to shoot. I paid for it too. I took the hits so my family wouldn't have to. Mom always said we escaped Dad when we left him back in Belfast. She only wanted peace for us and he was always fighting for something. She saw that fire in me, too. She said her sweet little boy was gone - I'd turned into Dad. That should have stung, but it didn't. I was proud to hear it."

Audio log #2

"First time I came close to getting caught was about eight years ago, I had a trainer who started questioning me. He noticed my bruises, my stitches and how I tried to work through broken ribs. He suspected I was fighting outside the gym, but he didn't know why. Would he have called the police? I couldn't risk it, so I dropped him. I needed to focus on my mental game anyway. I'd been reading up on the big cons. Social engineering. Psychology. Intimidation tactics. I needed to be able to win a fight before it even began. I wasn't there yet, but I am now."

Audio log #3

"Things are rough with Nicky. She wants me back in her life, but I'm not ready to face her. If she knew the truth, it would hurt her even more. So I'll need to find another way to make sure she's safe. I dread the conversation if she ever finds my cameras..."

Audio log #4

"The news is calling it an accident. Wondering if the driver was drunk behind the wheel. I was not drunk. I did not fall asleep at the wheels. And frogs did not fall from the sky. Cops have the ballistics. Someone's covering up. I'm gonna find them."

Audio log #5

"I've hired a Fixer to help me find the shooter. Jordi Chin. I was skeptical at first because the guy's eccentric. He's got a motor-mouth. Insists on wearing a fancy suit to work. So far he delivers. He helped me dig up a name - Maurice Vega."

Behind the scenes

Aiden Pearce's character first appeared in the E3 gameplay demo in 2012, where he was shown carrying out the murder of media mogul Joseph Demarco. Actor Noam Jenkins provided the voice for Aiden Pearce in the game, while Sébastien Rouleau[2] provided the motion capture for Aiden's movement.[3]

Aiden Pearce has been compared to Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine kingpin, from the hit show Breaking Bad by Watch Dogs' creative director Jonathan Morin, and he even cited White as one of the main influences for Aiden's character. "When I think about it for a second, he’s the most self-centered motherfucker on the planet, right?" he said, speaking of Heisenberg (Walter White) in terms that could, it seems, easily be applied to Pearce as well. "And then I go back and I say, 'Oh my God, he’s awesome, he needs to win.' And what’s great about that is it’s true for all the characters in the series, right? It’s the same in our game."[4]

Gallery

Trivia