Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is a captivating and critically acclaimed game known for its immersive world and complex characters. Players are encouraged to thoroughly explore this richly detailed environment, uncovering everything from advanced weaponry to unintentionally humorous costumes.
As players delve into the game's narrative and the intricacies of their character, they encounter various Thoughts, internal monologues that can be adopted, discarded, and ultimately internalized. Each Thought influences the protagonist's mindset, impacting the game in both positive and negative ways. While many Thoughts offer a double-edged sword, some stand out as demonstrably beneficial. This list highlights some of the best Thoughts in Disco Elysium, objectively superior for various reasons.
Updated December 23, 2024: Disco Elysium remains a standout RPG, celebrated for its profound writing and compelling murder mystery. Exploring Revachol is an engaging experience, with the amnesiac protagonist acquiring numerous Thoughts that offer distinct advantages. Unlocking these Thoughts is crucial for maximizing the detective's competence and success in skill checks.
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Ace's Low
Unlock: Shoot the Hanged Man and slap it with Interlacing at 5 or greater.
- +2 Empathy for Kim Kitsuragi
- +1 Esprit de Corps
Strengthening the bond with Kim Kitsuragi, a key companion, is advantageous. Ace's Low enhances this relationship while boosting Esprit de Corps. This early-game Thought provides significant benefits.
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Hardcore Aesthetic
Unlock: Ask Noid about true life and pass the Conceptualization check.
- +1 Volition
- +1 Endurance
Permanently increasing core stats significantly improves success rates in skill checks. Unlocking Hardcore Aesthetic, while requiring a successful Conceptualization check, is highly rewarding due to the increased Volition and Endurance.
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Searchlight Division
Unlock: Inquire about missing people with specific characters.
- +2 Perception
Investigating missing persons is a core aspect of the detective's role. Diligent questioning unlocks Searchlight Division, granting a substantial Perception boost.
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Apricot Chewing Gum Scented One
Unlock: Smell the card in the damaged ledger's hidden compartment and the apricot chewing gum wrapper.
- +2 Perception
This Thought, unlocked through seemingly inconsequential actions, rewards players with increased Perception.
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Cleaning Out The Rooms
Unlock: Pass a Logic check with Soona after investigating the Void of Sound.
- +1 Suggestion
- +1 Inland Empire
- +1 Rhetoric
Investigating the church's Void of Sound and subsequent interaction with Soona unlocks this Thought. The simultaneous boost to Suggestion, Inland Empire, and Rhetoric makes this a highly valuable acquisition.
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Detective Costeau
Unlock: Call yourself Detective Costeau.
- +1 Savoir Faire
- +1 Esprit de Corps
This humorous Thought, unlocked by embracing a specific persona, increases Savoir Faire and Esprit de Corps.
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Jamais Vu
Unlock: Speak to Lena and Joyce.
- +1 XP for every orb clicked
- All INT Learning Caps raised by 1
Jamais Vu provides consistent XP rewards for exploration and increases INT skill caps.
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Bringing Of The Law (Law-Jaw)
Unlock: Repeatedly identify yourself as the law, lawbringer, or policeman.
- Learning Cap for Hand/Eye Coordination raised to 6
- Automatically succeed all Hand/Eye Coordination passives
- -1 Rhetoric
This Thought, ideal for players embracing an authoritative detective persona, significantly enhances Hand/Eye Coordination while incurring a minor penalty to Rhetoric.
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Kingdom Of Conscience
Unlock: Wear the Interisolary Trousers or acquire 4 Moralism points.
- Moralist dialogue options heal +1 Morale
- Learning Cap for Volition raised to 5
- Learning Cap for Logic raised to 5
This Thought, aligning with the Moralist path, provides Morale regeneration and boosts Volition and Logic skill caps.
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Indirect Modes Of Taxation
Unlock: Wear the Brown Derbies Trousers or acquire 4 Ultraliberal points.
- Ultraliberal dialogue options give +1 Reál
- -1 Empathy
For players favoring a capitalistic approach, this Thought generates additional in-game currency with each Ultraliberal dialogue choice.
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Mazovian Socio-Economics
Unlock: Earn 4 Communism points.
- Left-wing dialogue options give +4 XP
- -1 Visual Calculus
- -1 Authority
This Thought, appealing to players with communist leanings, provides substantial XP bonuses for pro-working-class dialogue choices.
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Actual Art Degree
Unlock: Agree to become an Art Cop.
- -1 Hand/Eye Coordination
- Conceptualization passives heal +1 Morale & +10 XP
This Thought, linked to the Art Cop archetype, offers Morale regeneration and significant XP gains with successful Conceptualization passives.
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Rigorous Self-Critique
Unlock: Agree to become a Sorry Cop.
- INT & PSY red check failures heal +1 Morale
- FYS & MOT red check failures heal +1 Health
- Learning Cap for Pain Threshold increased to 6
This Thought transforms failed skill checks into opportunities for Health and Morale recovery.
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Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre
Unlock: Learn about the Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre from Trant Heidelstam.
- Encyclopedia passives give +10 XP & 2 Reál
- -2 Suggestion
This Thought significantly enhances Encyclopedia passives, providing substantial XP and currency rewards.
