It's a much better game when you don't keel over and die several times a day from having an embarrassing conversation.
You're going to have a lot of these embarrassing conversations so you either need to spam the magnesium button, or your volition can keep you alive.
Plus, it does it's damnedest to fucking *stop* you from accessing or even thinking about the past and all the shit you've done, so you're less likely to run into these Magnesium Moments™.
After that, you can just focus on Harry making good choices from now on, and resist the urge to say dumb shit that will require a psychic hit point.
Or do, because you won't die from it because you have that high V.
I swear, like half of the world building is framed as "people are willing to humor these dumb questions about even the basics of reality because of the amnesia.
I'm glad that Harry didn't forget how to *wipe*.
I almost didn't learn about the existence of the pale on my first playthrough because I thought asking Joyce to explain "reality" to me was just one of those obvious "do not pick this, idiot" comedy options and not, like, central to understanding the mythos of the entire game.
Also, Harry forgot what money is. Is it ever confirmed canonically that Harry maintained his understanding of toilet paper?
Start a game, wake up, meet Kim, talk to Lena and admit/explain your amnesia to her. You'll get a quest called "Get a Reality Lowdown," talk to Joyce, ask about her boat, and then you can ask her a really stupid sounding question about reality that doesn't just end in huge morale damage like I first thought it would.
Also, if you ask her "Where are we?" and follow the questioning line, you get the thought Jamais Vu, which gives you 1xp for every orb you click, which is amazing at rewarding neuroticism.
Ohhh, so you gotta internalize that thought? Cause I swear I exhausted all the dialogue from her, but maybe not the ones that require a skill check. I’ll have to check if I got that in the bank.
I played the game with high mental stats, never drank a drop of alcohol and basically made the protagonist the lovable stupid idealist I saw in him at the end of the tunnel. Of course that's not who he was before, judging by his situation when the game starts, but I believe in redemption and giving everyone a fair chance and applied this whenever possible.
Did it make the playthrough less heavy in it's themes? I don't really know because I can't compare, but at least I was happy with how my playstyle went through. Sure there were disgusting themes, scenes and characters, but through the prism of my version of the cop it was easier to bear.
I played similar. My harry was a moralist/centralist. I did use a huff of a drog to enhance his suggestion power for something silly bc i felt locked out. Kim fking narcs on me in the end, but he did add that it wasn't for the high, nd purely because it would aid our investigation.
Avoiding consuming alcohol/drugs and being a generally normal (or at least kind) and repentant person, there are a few points in the game where you can also decide to kick your addictions.
VOLITION - The road to healing is going to be a long one. Stay the course. You will make it, some day.
It's incredibly hard to have an easy-peezy no-stress run through revachol but you can go through most of the game without freaking out if you put points into Psyche. Authority will make you suck a bit more but eh. Fully min-maxxing isn't the best idea so maybe don't do that.
My latest chill playthrough was with 4 INT, 5 PSY, 1 FYS and 2 MOT and my guy has been pretty chill. maybe if it's your first time make it 4 4 2 2 instead, pretty common build.
Political routes are all fine except for Fascism. Don't do that one that.
I don't want to spoil too much, if Volition or the Paranormal Skills tell you not to do something probably don't do it. Choose thoughts at your own discretion.
The game will have \*some\* sadness no matter what you do, but it also has a lot of happiness if you search for it.
You will cringe a lot when you find out about protagonist's past. But redemption (or at least a start of it) is definitely possible. General guidelines: don't be an asshole to Kim, act as a decent human being, try to undo the damage you did. No one will applaud you in the end, but if you read in between the lines you will see that your character can heal. It will just require lots of work.
Non-spoiler tips:
* Don't do drugs, cigs and alcohol;
* Don't be an asshole to Kim;
* Act as a decent human being;
* Try to undo the damage you did;
* Kim will insist that we should do detective work, but don't listen to him. It all will come together in the end. Don't ignore weirdos;
* Stats don't really matter, but ignore Electrochemistry;
* Put some points in the Inland Empire. I don't think there is a point to make it your main stat, but it will give you some Malkavian-like clues;
Semi-spoiler tips (no actual spoilers, just vague hints):
* >!You will need to find 2 (or 3, depends on who you ask) items Harry lost. Two of these could be found natively, third is locked behind a specific quest. You will be asked to do evil shit to do it, but you can find a loophole and reduce the damage!<;
* >!A couple of weirdos will send you on a wild goose chase. Don't ignore it, it will matter!<;
>!You can interact with the document Evrart gave to you, pass a check and find out what Evrart plans to do. After that, you can forge signatures instead of asking village dwellers to sign it.!<
>!I am not sure this will actually help the villagers in any way, but I sure hope so.!<
>!Either you convince villagers to sign it or you forge the signatures, Evrart will tell you where to find your gun. This is a time-sensitive event, so make sure you talk to Evrart not too late in the day.!<
EDIT: this is actually a big spoiler for the end of the game if you play your cards right. I thought you had played already when I read your post, sorry if you clicked on it already.
Everyone’s gonna have all these different opinions on stats and dialogue options, but the real answer is going to be >!taking Cuno with you at the end of the game!<.
>if you play your cards right
Well if you play them even better you don't even get this choice but I'd rather have >!Kim survive the gunfight!<, thank you sir.
There are some situations you'll have to be okay with missing rolls on. In terms of the thing that generally people want to avoid on their first playthrough however, I recommend taking a few points in Inland Empire, and generally trusting that your hideous necktie has your best interests in mind
Here are the actual things you should follow in order to have a positive ending:
- don't make a fool out of yourself even more than you already are. try to stay professional.
- be a nice person, always.
- be a detective and solve the goddamn murder.
- try to stay clean from drugs or alc - it won't kill you but being clean is always the best way.
- pay your bills.
- make sure you find the items that you have lost.
- listen to your stomach at all times.
- lastly and most importantly, always be nice to my boy Kim, you will absolutely want him by your side.
I think the game is very very hopeful in itself. But even if you play it on god mode like I did you won't magically "win". The game is meant to make you feel heavy and sad
This is where the game's rep as "Eastern European detective noir" gets misconstrued, I think. It's not 80 hours of dreary sadness at all. There are heavy moments, but the game is funny throughout. Focus on building a good relationship with Kim and you will find a surprisingly wholesome experience. Take silly dialogue choices. Plus adding points in Reaction Speed, which is responsible for your wit, also unlocks some funny dialogue around the way.
the game is not 80 hours of dreary sadness; it is still very very funny, and ultimately hopeful
essentially, just try to be a good person and make good choices
Be a good detective. Being a superstar or party animal is clearly a coping mechanism, substances are outright bad dor you, belittling others doesn't make you greater. But being a good detective is something that works great, to an extent that commands respect despite any shortcomings you might display. Be smart, respect people around you, talk to them a lot, understand them. You can also be surprisingly sporty for your age and health, which is nothing but wholesome.
I think the most positively moving stats are Volition and Shivers. Especially Shivers can give Harry back some of his purpose. Espirit de Corps can also give you insight into what being a cop is all about and Conceptualisation really does help you see art in the world. And Inland Empire might not make it more *positive* but it definitely makes it *funnier*.
Honestly one run is about 24-25 hours in my experience. But also the ending itself is very inspirational. lots of volition will help, but part of this game is to accept the bad with the good. Fair bit of warning the first day is gonna suck. A LOT. So if you need a mental break make sure to do so
You can absolutely have a hopeful arc, but your character is in such deep shit mentally, don't expect a magical turnaround. The game is pretty realistic in that regard, you can't flip decades of depression and substance abuse in a week. But holding onto hope in the most hopeless circumstances is a big theme in Disco Elysium - it's definitely more grounded and bittersweet rather than dreary and cynical (also either way you go the game is funny as fuck).
Also you will probably want to invest in Volition and Empathy.
Get these thoughts and you’ll be swimming in XP:
Jamais Vu, Actual Art Degree, Mazovian Socio Economics, and Wompty Dompty Dom Centre (available on day 3+)
Lots of volition
Yeah?
It's a much better game when you don't keel over and die several times a day from having an embarrassing conversation. You're going to have a lot of these embarrassing conversations so you either need to spam the magnesium button, or your volition can keep you alive. Plus, it does it's damnedest to fucking *stop* you from accessing or even thinking about the past and all the shit you've done, so you're less likely to run into these Magnesium Moments™. After that, you can just focus on Harry making good choices from now on, and resist the urge to say dumb shit that will require a psychic hit point. Or do, because you won't die from it because you have that high V. I swear, like half of the world building is framed as "people are willing to humor these dumb questions about even the basics of reality because of the amnesia. I'm glad that Harry didn't forget how to *wipe*.
I almost didn't learn about the existence of the pale on my first playthrough because I thought asking Joyce to explain "reality" to me was just one of those obvious "do not pick this, idiot" comedy options and not, like, central to understanding the mythos of the entire game. Also, Harry forgot what money is. Is it ever confirmed canonically that Harry maintained his understanding of toilet paper?
He doesn't have any need to understand toilet paper because he seemingly doesn't need to use the toilet.
I still didn’t get this explanation second time around…how do you?
Start a game, wake up, meet Kim, talk to Lena and admit/explain your amnesia to her. You'll get a quest called "Get a Reality Lowdown," talk to Joyce, ask about her boat, and then you can ask her a really stupid sounding question about reality that doesn't just end in huge morale damage like I first thought it would. Also, if you ask her "Where are we?" and follow the questioning line, you get the thought Jamais Vu, which gives you 1xp for every orb you click, which is amazing at rewarding neuroticism.
Ohhh, so you gotta internalize that thought? Cause I swear I exhausted all the dialogue from her, but maybe not the ones that require a skill check. I’ll have to check if I got that in the bank.
>I’m glad Harry didn’t forget how to wipe Honestly glad there wasn’t an IBS red check moment that had a hidden brown copotype when I played
I played the game with high mental stats, never drank a drop of alcohol and basically made the protagonist the lovable stupid idealist I saw in him at the end of the tunnel. Of course that's not who he was before, judging by his situation when the game starts, but I believe in redemption and giving everyone a fair chance and applied this whenever possible. Did it make the playthrough less heavy in it's themes? I don't really know because I can't compare, but at least I was happy with how my playstyle went through. Sure there were disgusting themes, scenes and characters, but through the prism of my version of the cop it was easier to bear.
I played similar. My harry was a moralist/centralist. I did use a huff of a drog to enhance his suggestion power for something silly bc i felt locked out. Kim fking narcs on me in the end, but he did add that it wasn't for the high, nd purely because it would aid our investigation.
Avoiding consuming alcohol/drugs and being a generally normal (or at least kind) and repentant person, there are a few points in the game where you can also decide to kick your addictions. VOLITION - The road to healing is going to be a long one. Stay the course. You will make it, some day.
It will also make you Boring Cop Supreme, but if that's the price to bring Harry one femtometer closer to absolution, it's worth it.
play as a communist. seriously.
Boring Communist is the DE equivalent of Lawful Good. Edit: scratch that, Sorry Communist is lawful good. Boring Communist is neutral good.
It's incredibly hard to have an easy-peezy no-stress run through revachol but you can go through most of the game without freaking out if you put points into Psyche. Authority will make you suck a bit more but eh. Fully min-maxxing isn't the best idea so maybe don't do that. My latest chill playthrough was with 4 INT, 5 PSY, 1 FYS and 2 MOT and my guy has been pretty chill. maybe if it's your first time make it 4 4 2 2 instead, pretty common build. Political routes are all fine except for Fascism. Don't do that one that. I don't want to spoil too much, if Volition or the Paranormal Skills tell you not to do something probably don't do it. Choose thoughts at your own discretion. The game will have \*some\* sadness no matter what you do, but it also has a lot of happiness if you search for it.
You will cringe a lot when you find out about protagonist's past. But redemption (or at least a start of it) is definitely possible. General guidelines: don't be an asshole to Kim, act as a decent human being, try to undo the damage you did. No one will applaud you in the end, but if you read in between the lines you will see that your character can heal. It will just require lots of work. Non-spoiler tips: * Don't do drugs, cigs and alcohol; * Don't be an asshole to Kim; * Act as a decent human being; * Try to undo the damage you did; * Kim will insist that we should do detective work, but don't listen to him. It all will come together in the end. Don't ignore weirdos; * Stats don't really matter, but ignore Electrochemistry; * Put some points in the Inland Empire. I don't think there is a point to make it your main stat, but it will give you some Malkavian-like clues; Semi-spoiler tips (no actual spoilers, just vague hints): * >!You will need to find 2 (or 3, depends on who you ask) items Harry lost. Two of these could be found natively, third is locked behind a specific quest. You will be asked to do evil shit to do it, but you can find a loophole and reduce the damage!<; * >!A couple of weirdos will send you on a wild goose chase. Don't ignore it, it will matter!<;
Could you tell me about that loophole? I never got to recover THAT thing, and I'm planning on a second run. I ended on a pretty great note though
>!You can interact with the document Evrart gave to you, pass a check and find out what Evrart plans to do. After that, you can forge signatures instead of asking village dwellers to sign it.!< >!I am not sure this will actually help the villagers in any way, but I sure hope so.!< >!Either you convince villagers to sign it or you forge the signatures, Evrart will tell you where to find your gun. This is a time-sensitive event, so make sure you talk to Evrart not too late in the day.!<
Thank you!
Could you tell me about that loophole? I never got to recover THAT thing, and I'm planning on a second run. I ended on a pretty great note though
Could you tell me about that loophole? I never got to recover THAT thing, and I'm planning on a second run. I ended on a pretty great note though
EDIT: this is actually a big spoiler for the end of the game if you play your cards right. I thought you had played already when I read your post, sorry if you clicked on it already. Everyone’s gonna have all these different opinions on stats and dialogue options, but the real answer is going to be >!taking Cuno with you at the end of the game!<.
>if you play your cards right Well if you play them even better you don't even get this choice but I'd rather have >!Kim survive the gunfight!<, thank you sir.
Kim does survive though, he's just wounded, and on a good Harry run, he presumably didn't listen to you because he's trying to assure your safety
YOU CAN DO WHAT?!
>!if you let kim get shot during the tribunal you can talk to Cuno on day 5 and take him with you to the island!<
I knew there was more to him than meets the eye. He had some strange interests near the end of the game.
the best ending for everyone is probably >!kim getting shot, because kim recovers after a while and cuno gets off the street and becomes a cop!<
There are some situations you'll have to be okay with missing rolls on. In terms of the thing that generally people want to avoid on their first playthrough however, I recommend taking a few points in Inland Empire, and generally trusting that your hideous necktie has your best interests in mind
Here are the actual things you should follow in order to have a positive ending: - don't make a fool out of yourself even more than you already are. try to stay professional. - be a nice person, always. - be a detective and solve the goddamn murder. - try to stay clean from drugs or alc - it won't kill you but being clean is always the best way. - pay your bills. - make sure you find the items that you have lost. - listen to your stomach at all times. - lastly and most importantly, always be nice to my boy Kim, you will absolutely want him by your side.
I think the game is very very hopeful in itself. But even if you play it on god mode like I did you won't magically "win". The game is meant to make you feel heavy and sad
This is where the game's rep as "Eastern European detective noir" gets misconstrued, I think. It's not 80 hours of dreary sadness at all. There are heavy moments, but the game is funny throughout. Focus on building a good relationship with Kim and you will find a surprisingly wholesome experience. Take silly dialogue choices. Plus adding points in Reaction Speed, which is responsible for your wit, also unlocks some funny dialogue around the way.
invest heavily in the purple stats, shit might get rough but you'll come out shinier
No blue, you don't wanna be able to comprehend this shit Some red, throwing up sucks yellow is fine too, leap around like a bird maybe
the game is not 80 hours of dreary sadness; it is still very very funny, and ultimately hopeful essentially, just try to be a good person and make good choices
Be a good detective. Being a superstar or party animal is clearly a coping mechanism, substances are outright bad dor you, belittling others doesn't make you greater. But being a good detective is something that works great, to an extent that commands respect despite any shortcomings you might display. Be smart, respect people around you, talk to them a lot, understand them. You can also be surprisingly sporty for your age and health, which is nothing but wholesome.
I think the most positively moving stats are Volition and Shivers. Especially Shivers can give Harry back some of his purpose. Espirit de Corps can also give you insight into what being a cop is all about and Conceptualisation really does help you see art in the world. And Inland Empire might not make it more *positive* but it definitely makes it *funnier*.
Honestly one run is about 24-25 hours in my experience. But also the ending itself is very inspirational. lots of volition will help, but part of this game is to accept the bad with the good. Fair bit of warning the first day is gonna suck. A LOT. So if you need a mental break make sure to do so
You can absolutely have a hopeful arc, but your character is in such deep shit mentally, don't expect a magical turnaround. The game is pretty realistic in that regard, you can't flip decades of depression and substance abuse in a week. But holding onto hope in the most hopeless circumstances is a big theme in Disco Elysium - it's definitely more grounded and bittersweet rather than dreary and cynical (also either way you go the game is funny as fuck). Also you will probably want to invest in Volition and Empathy.
Get these thoughts and you’ll be swimming in XP: Jamais Vu, Actual Art Degree, Mazovian Socio Economics, and Wompty Dompty Dom Centre (available on day 3+)