How to become a superstar detective in Disco Elysium – The Final Cut, out March 30

Being a detective isn’t easy at the best of times – you have to inhale corpse stink and ask grieving families tough questions, for starters. But imagine waking up with a horrible hangover and no memory of where you are to then find out you’re the lead investigator of a murder case. No warning, no morning coffee; just you in your underwear, sore as hell, splayed awkwardly on the trashed floor of a rented room.

That’s what happens to our main character in Disco Elysium – The Final Cut. He’s a man in need of some serious help (even before his hideous tie tries to strangle him). Fortunately, we’ve made sure there is plenty of assistance available throughout the game. Here’s a quick rundown of how to progress from yesterday’s drunken mess to today’s law enforcement superstar.

Cure the hangover

It’s a good idea to deal with that head-splitting hangover first off. People have suggested all kinds of hangover cures throughout the ages: rubbing lemons on skin, drinking pickle juice, eating raw eels. They won’t help much but they are fun. Luckily, we’ve got a more effective range of cures that you can purchase over the counter at the local Frittte.

The most sensible option is a bottle of magnesium. Take this and the detective’s head should stop pounding. You might also want to grab some ammonia to help stop him puking when confronted with any nasty smells – beyond his own beer bottle breath, that is.

Painkillers such as Nosaphed and Drouamine are an essential purchase too. Once you have some of these, if you ever find yourself running low on health you can just hit left on the d-pad to instantly feel a bit better.

Reconstruct crime scenes

With a clear head, one advantage our detective will soon discover he has is being able to reconstruct crime scenes with his mind’s eye. This is done using a skill called Visual Calculus.

There are 24 skills in total, all of which can be improved to open up new possibilities in the investigation, but you’ll probably want to focus on the ones that suit your personal policing style – whether that’s calm intellect, physical aggression, or anything in between. This is a role-playing game, after all.

Opt to level up Visual Calculus and you might be able to figure out the weight of the person who left a footprint behind in the mud. Or you could even calculate the trajectory of a bullet that’s been shot through a window with mathematical precision. Very smart, very forensic, it may even impress your partner.

Tool up

Can’t get through a locked door? Unable to see inside a dark room? Need to motivate yourself by blasting some big tunes from your shoulder? This is what the tools in Disco Elysium – The Final Cut are for.

These items can be equipped in either of the detective’s hands. From there, just click the L3 button to use the left-hand tool, or the R3 button for the right-hand tool, and voila! You’re a tooled-up funky man of the law that few barriers can stop.

Tools include a heavy-duty pry bar that unlocks containers – including any bins you want to rummage around in (yes, we cater to Hobocops). We also have chain cutters, a flashlight, a portable tape player, and a yellow plastic bag. That plastic bag may seem silly now, but you’ll learn to love it once it saves your life on more than one occasion.

Gain new thoughts

It’s a good idea to talk to the locals to get eye witness reports and to illuminate the background of the case. But that’s not the only advantage of speaking to people as some of them can give you new thoughts for your arsenal.

Thoughts in Disco Elysium – The Final Cut give you new dialogue options that can lead to new investigative paths. Once you acquire one, you have the option to develop it in your Thought Cabinet, which is a special inventory just for thoughts. Each thought takes a specific amount of in-game time to develop – one of them takes nearly a whole day! You’ll know when the thought is done as the PS5’s DualSense controller will buzz in your palms.

Thoughts become part of your personality and give you a range of bonuses and drawbacks. For example, if you fully develop the Superstar Cop thought, you’ll get -1 Logic as this is the price of self-delusion, but your learning cap for other skills will be raised by your new daring and confidence.

Be the fashion police

The world is your stage so don’t be afraid to dress up a little. Who says you have to look like a cop, anyway? Not us, that’s for sure. Look out for any opportunity to gain new items of clothing as you explore the cold coastal district as wearing them can give you certain advantages.

Gown yourself in a silk kimono complete with a roaring dragon and you’ll get +1 Drama. Or put on the yellow gardening gloves and it’ll make it easier to perform a field autopsy. It’s well worth mixing and matching clothing items to get the bonuses you want at any specific moment in time.

For example, at one point in the game, you get the opportunity to sing karaoke in front of a crowd. To reach peak performance you’ll want to wear the silk kimono, a mesh tank top, and a bow tie. It’s quite the look! And one that we fully intended for this superstar moment.

Got all that? Now you should be ready to strut your stuff when Disco Elysium – The Final Cut arrives on PS4 and PS5 on March 30, 2021.