Quick Links
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is a strange, engaging, and beloved game. It encourages players to explore every inch of its small but deep world and find everything from a suit of power armor to an unintentional Attack on Titan cosplay.
As players explore the depths of Disco Elysium's world and the depths of their own character, they will come across various Thoughts. These can often be adopted or discarded, and then internalized over time. Each Thought locks the PC into a mindset that alters some things for better and, often, some things for worse. While it's hard to definitively state that some of these are better overall, as many are double-edged swords, here's a rundown of some of the best Thoughts in Disco Elysium.
Updated April 7, 2022 by Mark Hospodar: Disco Elysium has so many layers that one playthrough often isn't enough. Fans can experiment with different Political Alignments that will have a marked effect on the flavor and dialogue of the game. In a similar vein, different Thoughts can be prioritized on a separate playthrough too.
Although every Thought in Disco Elysium has its pros and cons, some are a bit more useful than others. This list has been expanded to include a few more of Disco Elysium's best Thoughts to help give players a better idea of what to prioritize.
Jamais Vu
- +1 XP For Every Orb Clicked
- All INT Learning Caps Raised By 1
Described as the opposite of Deja Vu, Jamais Vu is the concept of nothing seeming familiar at all. This thought grants players 1 XP for every orb clicked in the world and raises the learning cap of all blue (INT) skills by one. This may not sound like a huge bonus, but raising skill caps is always important, and getting constant XP for exploring the world is similarly important.
It encourages players to explore with tangible rewards and lets one important skill check be passed with no effort. For integrating story seamlessly with gameplay, Jamais Vu is a great example of why Disco Elysium's Thought Cabinet should become an RPG staple.
Bringing Of The Law (Law-Jaw)
- Learning Cap For Hand/Eye Coordination Raised To 6
- Automatically Succeed All Hand/Eye Coordination Passives
- -1 Rhetoric
Bringing of the Law is an interesting choice for players who embrace being a confident, authoritative cop. Thoughts that increase the learning caps for a player's major skills are worthwhile investments, in this case, Hand/Eye Coordination.
The -1 penalty to Rhetoric is mild and can easily be offset by other items and/or Thoughts. Automatically succeeding at all Hand/Eye Coordination passives ensures that players will never miss any pertinent information regarding this skill. To unlock this Thought, players simply need to choose dialogue options that introduce Harry as a policeman/lawbringer.
Kingdom Of Conscience
- Moralist Dialogue Options Heal +1 Morale
- Learning Cap For Volition Raised To 5
- Learning Cap For Logic Raided To 5
Some may not want to commit to this thought as it means locking into the Moralist path expanded on in the Final Cut. However, it is undeniably useful in many situations. This thought heals players by one Morale point each time they choose a Moralist answer or response in dialogue, as well as raising the learning caps for Volition and Logic to five. Both of those are essential skills, and healing from dialogue means less spending on healing items later on.
Indirect Modes Of Taxation
- Ultraliberal Dialogue Options Give +1 Reál
- -1 Empathy
Harry's problems in Disco Elysium extend beyond just amnesia. Money (or lack thereof) is also a problem, at least in the early game. For players who like having plenty of cash on hand, embracing Ultraliberalism is the way to go.
In dialogue, players should choose options that are pro-capitalist in nature. Obtain money through any means necessary, including taking bribes whenever they're offered. When internalized, this Thought grants a little extra cash for every subsequent Ultraliberal dialogue option, which can add up to a nice sum over time.
Mazovian Socio-Economics
- Left-Wing Dialogue Options Give +4 XP
- -1 Visual Calculus
- -1 Authority
A useful alternative to the previous entry is Mazovian Socio-Economics. Players who shun capitalism and instead choose heavily communist dialogue options will eventually unlock this Thought. Although there are penalties to Visual Calculus and Authority, the bonus to XP gain will steadily pay for itself. Just be sure to always select heavily pro-working-class options in dialogue to get it.
Actual Art Degree
- -1 Hand/Eye Coordination
- Conceptualization Passives Heal +1 Morale & Give +10 XP
Not all-powerful Thoughts lock players into the Final Cut's political alignments. This one is instead tied to the Art Cop stereotype, so picking artistic answers or responses can speed up getting it.
Once internalized, it gives -1 Hand/Eye Coordination, but in exchange, it heals one morale and gives 10 XP for every Conceptualization passive passed. That means players get bonus XP and healing just by reading dialogue, not even making choices. It's very powerful and relatively easy to unlock.
Rigorous Self-Critique
- INT & PSY Red Check Failures Heal +1 Morale
- FYS & MOT Red Check Failures Heal +1 Health
- Learning Cap For Pain Threshold Increased To 6
In Disco Elysium, players need to be careful about managing their Health and Morale. Not having enough healing items for either meter can result in an untimely game over. If players aren't too diligent about collecting various items around the map, this Thought can come in handy.
Rigorous Self-Critique turns failure into a positive. Every time Harry fails a red check in the categories above, he will actually heal either Health or Morale. Since failure is quite common in the game, having this Thought in one's back pocket isn't a bad idea. Players should apologize in dialogue every chance they get to unlock this Thought.
Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre
- Encyclopedia Passives Give +10 XP & 2 Reál
- -2 Suggestion
In the same vein as Actual Art Degree, this thought empowers Encyclopedia passives, making them give 10 XP and 2 Reál (Disco Elysium's currency). This, provided Encyclopedia is relatively high, will almost ensure players always have the money and XP they need all on its own. Even though Disco Elysium makes failing fun, it's nice to know that there will always be enough money on hand, and that's what this Thought does best.
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is available now on PC, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Stadia.