Summary
- Choose a build based on your real-life personality, not a meta mindset, to get the most out of Disco Elysium.
- Balanced hybrid builds can offer more versatility than hyper-specialized ones in the game.
- Boost intellect in-game with items, consumables, and thoughts for faster learning and successful checks.
While Disco Elysium is explicitly a detective game that tasks the player with solving a complicated murder with many facts and technical problems to consider, choosing the intellectual thinker build is not necessarily the optimal approach. In truth, there is no optimal approach, as every build type and skill has something to offer, whether it be skill check success or story experiences players would otherwise miss without them.
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That said, players who see the appeal in a cerebral, Sherlock Holmes-type investigator will have a good time with this archetype, which allows the cop to produce facts, resolve logical puzzles, and understand art. Just like any other kind of build, there are upsides and downsides to ponder upon before beginning the investigation with the thinker mindset, and a few useful tips to help turn Disco‘s analysis-oriented cop into a sublime smartypants superstar, with minimal spoilers.
A Word About The Words
Bring Reading Glasses And Settle In
The best advice for players choosing which kind of build to start with in Disco Elysium is to pick something that appeals to their real-life personality. For example, action-oriented players might want to consider a physical build. Wildcards and art junkies will get a lot out of the sensitive archetype. Players interested in the thinker archetype (especially those on their first playthrough) should be comfortable doing a lot of reading (or at least listening to voiceover narration), and should enjoy deep dives into fictional histories and cultures as well as meaty philosophical debates.
In addition to speaking with NPCs, the cop’s skills will frequently converse with his own psyche. Intellect skills are by far the most talkative. Giving the cop a high intellect means getting bombarded with lore bombs, info-dumps, and plenty of abstract internal debates. This can be great for those with high levels of conceptualization and a strong memory in real life (especially given the high quality of Disco‘s writing), but it can be challenging for players who prefer to learn through action.
Attributes & Signature Skills
Laying Out A Sensible Stack
There is nothing wrong with running an Intellect and Sensitivity archetype hybrid. In fact, a balanced character can open more doors than a hyper-specialized one, but there can be some redundancy between Intellect and Sensitivity skills. It is possible to raise attributes temporarily and permanently in Disco Elysium, so not having “Genius” or even “Great” levels in Intellect is no hindrance.
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Choosing a signature doesn’t just increase a single skill but it additionally increases the skill cap (the increase potential) for all other skills of the same type. Motorics’ Perception is highly useful in picking up clues to analyze. Players with a penchant for analysis will find the Physical skill, Shivers, delightfully insightful as well as materially useful at high levels, especially near the end of the game.
Experiment (But Don’t Neglect Physical Or Mental Health)
Don’t Be A Total Pushover, Brain Boy
Years of traditional game design have, culturally and personally, cultivated a “What is the meta (most effective tactic available) build?” mindset among RPG players. However, Disco Elysium breaks free of these conventions by factoring in failure and fail states into every potential action and outcome. In other words, players should not be worried about covering their weaknesses too much and just experiment with whichever skills appeal to them. There are, however, two exceptions to this.
Players who opt for a thinker build should avoid leaving themselves with a cop that comes with one point in Volition (fragile mental health) and Endurance (fragile physical health). Being struck with either kind of damage will mean an instant game over. While it can be funny watching the cop die in the first few minutes of a playthrough because of his complete inability to handle any physical strain, it is better to have at least one backup point, especially as there are no limits on carrying health and morale-restoring items, and they come relatively cheap and easy.
Clothing For A Thinker Archetype Build
Dress Smart, Feel Smarter
To push the envelope on the cop’s intellectual potential, there are a few clothing items that confer bonuses to various intellectual skills. One of the storage rooms of the apartment buildings has a box that contains +1 Logic glasses (at the cost of Authority). Another pair of glasses found on the boardwalk confers +2 Encyclopedia at the cost of one Perception point, but these can only be obtained after the first day when more of the map opens up.
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Once the cop is able to cross the water, the fishing village, located near the boardwalk, has two additional Intellect clothing items for the taking: an abandoned shack contains a bowtie that grants +2 Drama and the Coastal Shack holds a stylish +1 Logic jacket. With this fit, the cop will look as well as feel smart.
Boosting Intellect Through Consumables
Clear Head, Smokey Lungs
Skill levels and their learning caps are generally set during character creation but both can be raised with specific thoughts and stat-altering drugs. For those willing to dismiss the very real health risks, it is worth knowing that “smokes Astra,” which can be purchased at the FRITTE convenience store, temporarily boosts the cop’s Intellect by one point.
Smoking also allows the player to increase an Intellect skill even after maxing it out, providing they have a skill point free (and at least two remaining health points). After the effects of cigarettes wear off, the level that the player raised it to will remain.
Only The Finest Thoughts
Bigger Brains Means Faster Learning
In many RPGs, having a high intelligence score is linked to faster experience point gain. This is also true in Disco Elysium, so long as the player equips two specific thoughts in the Thought Cabinet. The first thought, “Actual Art Degree,” can be obtained by becoming a champion of artistic values by choosing pro-art dialogue options around for to five times. With this, the cop’s Hand-Eye Coordination skill will suffer, but he will gain 10 experience points and be healed with every passive Conceptualization check as a bonus.
“Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre,” which can be obtained only after the second day, grants 10 experience points and some spare change following a passive Encyclopedia check. This thought is obtained by speaking to a man standing by a mural and discussing “tape computers.” Both of these thoughts will benefit cops with a high amount of investment in their respective skills, as the higher the skill, the more active they become during dialogue and exploration, and the more XP they will gain as a result.
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