The Watch Dogs franchise has gone from strength to strength following the turbulent release of the first game. While the series may not have debuted in the best of fashion, it now stands as one of the most popular series in modern gaming. Watch Dogs Legion's release last October showed just how far the franchise has come since its troubled beginnings. However, it seems Ubisoft has looked back to the original Watch Dogs to gather inspiration for Legion's Bloodline expansion.

Aiden Pearce is a polarizing figure in the Watch Dogs fandom. While Aiden's motivations were clearly laid out in the original Watch Dogs, many struggled to empathize with him because they found him boring. Despite this, Ubisoft has seen fit to feature Aiden in a third Watch Dogs game. While Aiden isn't a fan-favorite character, he has one of the more human stories in the franchise and functions as a legend in the in-game world. The Fox, as Aiden is sometimes called, has a lot of depth to his characterization that fans who skipped the first game would have missed out on. With that in mind, here's everything Watch Dogs fans need to know about Aiden Pearce before playing Legion's Bloodlines DLC.

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Who Is Watch Dogs' Aiden Pearce?

watch dogs legion aiden pearce

Watch Dogs' Aiden Pearce was thrust into the events of the first game, but it wasn't his first rodeo. Aiden was actually already involved in the criminal underworld of the Watch Dogs universe. He even had access to the ctOS of Chicago, giving him a dangerous level of control over the city around him. He was an unethical hacker who used his abilities for personal gain by carrying out heists with his gang. Unlike the hackers that are traditionally portrayed in media, however, Aiden can handle himself in combat and is a family man. But it is these family man values that ultimately prove to be his greatest weakness.

In Watch Dogs, Aiden Pearce is sent down a dark path. He simultaneously sets out on a mission for vengeance, while attempting to maintain his status as a family man. World's collide at points in the original Watch Dogs, and Aiden is offered some much-needed perspective on life. However, this perspective ultimately doesn't deter him from his self-assigned mission, exposing one of his major weaknesses. Aiden Pearce isn't a perfect hero, and despite his status as a vigilante, it would be difficult to even call him a hero. As is the case with all of the best video game protagonists, he's heavily flawed, but ultimately makes the player root for him.

The Story of Watch Dogs

Aiden ends up getting involved in the events of the original Watch Dogs when his niece, Lena, is killed in an attempted assassination on Aiden. He is overcome with guilt and sets off on a mission for vengeance. Many fans found Aiden's characterization following the death of his niece to be one-dimensional, but his human reaction to grief actually makes him a very sympathetic character. Aiden isn't the perfect hero, not was he was never intended to be. The original Watch Dogs is a story of vengeance and of bad guys getting what's coming to them. While the story of Watch Dogs Legion and Watch Dogs 2 are a bit more moralistic in tone, that isn't what the original is about.

The story of Aiden Pearce and the original Watch Dogs is a dark one. The game pulls no punches and offers few breaks for reprieve. As such, the game and Aiden are often accused of being boring, but this is an unfair assessment. Aiden stands out in his brief Watch Dogs 2 appearance for how he contrasts with other characters. While the game's all-new protagonists are joking and laughing, Aiden is all business, using a guard's momentary distraction as an opportunity to escape his jail cell. He has a strong motivation and uses it as fuel to push on where others would quit, earning his nickname 'The Fox'. His story definitely isn't for everyone, but the label of boring is uncharitable.

Watch Dogs Legion's new DLC will add a new dimension to the game. Aiden's dark and gritty background has brought something that's been missing from Watch Dogs Legion since launch. The connection to the original games is loose at best in Legion, but Aiden's appearance has changed that. The man who became a legend in the Ubisoft universe when he took out Abstergo CEO, Olivier Garneau, has brought the Watch Dogs franchise back to its roots.

Watch Dogs: Legion Bloodline is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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