Disco Elysium spoilery thread

[JarlFrank]

Just a sad old man

That's kind of a recurring theme here. Lots of sad old men around. You're kind of a sad old man. René and Gaston are sad old men. The cryptozoologist is a tragic, if not sad, old man. And yeah, Iosif is a sad old man.

No wonder I love the game so much, it's about me.

I feel like a major theme of the game is broken dreams. Most characters you meet have or had some kind of dream, something to aspire to, but it either broke down (Rene and his monarchy, the old commie and his communism, the programmer woman whose game dev company went belly up) or they just were dealt a shit fate and have settled for what they have (the dicemaker woman who wanted to be a jeweller but her jewelry business failed, the drunk guy in the fishing village who once had a better life but failed due to his clumsiness - and now just settles for being a drunk bum, the fisherwoman whose husband died long ago and now she's settled for doing her work on her own as a widow and single mom).

There are also plenty of people who you just know won't succeed at the thing they're trying to do. The kids who want to turn the church into a rave club? Yeah, the idea is cool, but get real, kids. This church is damaged, broken, and at the ass end of the district. Nobody comes here. If it were on the other side of the river, sure, it could attract and audience, but who's going to walk through miles of mud and a bum-inhabited fishing village to get to a rave club? The bookseller's shop is going to fail in the long run because she doesn't actually like books, doesn't know how to properly talk to her customers, and blames her failures on a curse instead of asking herself if her approach to business might be to blame.

Then there's Klaasje, who used to have an exciting life as an industrial spy. But now she's on the run, going from place to place, switching identities wherever she goes, and the last guy she had a thing with was just killed. Everything she has just slips out of her hands again and again.

Broken dreams and shitty pasts are a major theme of the game. As is people holding on to these dreams and pasts, despite there being no realistic chance of ever getting any of it back. The commie shooter, Rene, the bookseller (clinging to a business she can't realistically sustain due to her incompetence as a businesswoman), and of course Harry and his apricot-scented one.

 

[Prime Junta]

who's going to walk through miles of mud and a bum-inhabited fishing village to get to a rave club

Back in the day I've walked through worse to get to a club. I used to go to Russia to party in the Yeltsin years, it was pretty cray-cray and lots of the happening places were really out of the way.

 

[AwesomeButton]

who's going to walk through miles of mud and a bum-inhabited fishing village to get to a rave club

Back in the day I've walked through worse to get to a club. I used to go to Russia to party in the Yeltsin years, it was pretty cray-cray and lots of the happening places were really out of the way.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

I feel like a major theme of the game is broken dreams.

Also devs openly cited KRZ as a source of inspiration, and this godlike wonderful game have a recurring theme of Debt, which is quite similar.

I used to go to Russia to party in the Yeltsin years, it was pretty cray-cray and lots of the happening places were really out of the way.

I have a footage of you btw

 

[Prime Junta]

AwesomeButton can confirm, it was exactly like that

I have a footage of you btw

I was so young

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

the drunk guy in the fishing village who once had a better life but failed due to his clumsiness

if you about Doom spiral guy, he isn't "just clumsy", he is suffering from some kind internal brain damage that makes him forget majority of his life. I don't remember exact diagnosis revealed by skill check, but this serious illness, not clumsiness.

 

[ScrotumBroth]

Go right before Ruby's room, to the left. Hold Tab. There's some object you can't get to. A room? Most probably developer's mistake.

I know. It can be seen from Ruby's room as well (by holding tab).

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Go right before Ruby's room, to the left. Hold Tab. There's some object you can't get to. A room? Most probably developer's mistake.

I know. It can be seen from Ruby's room as well (by holding tab).

Did a picture for ya

Spoiler

 

[ScrotumBroth]

the fisherwoman whose husband died long ago and now she's settled for doing her work on her own as a widow and single mom).

The kids who want to turn the church into a rave club? Yeah, the idea is cool, but get real, kids. This church is damaged, broken, and at the ass end of the district. Nobody comes here. If it were on the other side of the river, sure, it could attract and audience, but who's going to walk through miles of mud and a bum-inhabited fishing village to get to a rave club?

Fisherwoman didn't settle, she had another guy who was a drunk and drowned. She doesn't want to be alone, after all she goes on a date with Harry, but then tells him she can't be in a relationship with another alcoholic. And alcoholics are all around. She's just out of options. She's definitely not a looserly type.

Kids also wanted to start a drug business in the Church, so the location is actually perfect. Away from grumpy old people complaining about loud noise. The distance is not an issue for young people.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Kids also wanted to start a drug business in the Church, so the location is actually perfect. Away from grumpy old people complaining about loud noise. The distance is not an issue for young people.

And don't forget Evrart's building his youth center/housing development right across the street. Given that Evrart's their business partner on the drug side, that might not be a coincidence. JarlFrank Acele is the one running the show and she's pretty smart. Plus, her dad killed a guy with a fucking kebab.

 

[bataille]

Oh damn, I've only just realized that the club's location is not random at all, and it being organized directly under the pale is the same metaphor as building the churches around the existential void-holes, adjusted for the end-of-modernity era. Even the club's potential names never tipped me off. It's just hilarious how just about everything in the game has a designated place in the subtextual underground. Punk lit usually has neither time nor patience for this level of calculated sophistication; it's what old pen-people do to yell at the cloud at the dusk of their lives and teach the youngins (who never listen anyway). I guess some intuitions are just superaware by default, eh.

It's honestly mind-boggling how much real lit there is in the game.

Spoiler

 

[Alpan]

So, I just finished my third playthrough of this game. Went with a 5/1/1/5 build (Shivers as signature skill) but really it was about seeing how much difference there would be in experience gain using the Actual Art Degree and Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre thoughts (Conceptualization and Encyclopedia passives grant +10 exp). They are positively ridiculous; with no effort made to min-max gains from these passives (which would have involved beelining to Day 3 with minimal interaction), I had 13 skills at 10 or above; every Intellect and Motorics skill plus Shivers. If I had made any effort to maximize XP gains (via the aforementioned speedrunning, and also getting Mazovian Socio-Economics), I could have easily gone further.

To no end, of course. If I play this game a fourth time I will go the opposite way, and distribute every skill and every clothing item randomly.

 

[JarlFrank]

Acele is the one running the show and she's pretty smart. Plus, her dad killed a guy with a fucking kebab.

Huh, looks like I missed a big part of her backstory.

 

[JarlFrank]

the fisherwoman whose husband died long ago and now she's settled for doing her work on her own as a widow and single mom).

The kids who want to turn the church into a rave club? Yeah, the idea is cool, but get real, kids. This church is damaged, broken, and at the ass end of the district. Nobody comes here. If it were on the other side of the river, sure, it could attract and audience, but who's going to walk through miles of mud and a bum-inhabited fishing village to get to a rave club?

Fisherwoman didn't settle, she had another guy who was a drunk and drowned. She doesn't want to be alone, after all she goes on a date with Harry, but then tells him she can't be in a relationship with another alcoholic. And alcoholics are all around. She's just out of options. She's definitely not a looserly type.

Yeah, but I meant it like, she has accepted her situation and goes on rather than clinging to the past. And she's all the happier for it.

 

[Alpan]

Also devs openly cited KRZ as a source of inspiration, and this godlike wonderful game ...

Spoiler

Calling KRZ a game about debt is calling KOTOR 1 a game about a reformed Sith Lord -- you're not wrong, and it is technically not a spoiler, but you've unintentionally and pre-emptively reduced the zest of the game for the unfortunates who have read your post.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Also devs openly cited KRZ as a source of inspiration, and this godlike wonderful game ...

Spoiler

Calling KRZ a game about debt is calling KOTOR 1 a game about a reformed Sith Lord -- you're not wrong, and it is technically not a spoiler, but you've unintentionally and pre-emptively reduced the zest of the game for the unfortunates who have read your post.

Oh come on
KRZ is so much more than its parts.

 

[Twiglard]

Having finished for the 3rd time... I absolutely love the part of Iosif's speech when he talks about the "naked face of the capital".

how much difference there would be in experience gain using the Actual Art Degree and Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre thoughts (Conceptualization and Encyclopedia passives grant +10 exp).

Does Wompty-Dompty actually work now? It was bugged on release.

Huh, looks like I missed a big part of her backstory.

It's not that much. That "silver bird" skill check. She elaborates on her background after the church is positively renovated.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

It's not that much. That "silver bird" skill check. She elaborates on her background after the church is positively renovated.

Passing that check unlocks an illuminating conversation with Evrart.

 

[Alpan]

Broken dreams and shitty pasts are a major theme of the game.

Any past that is referred to is a shitty one. Happy pasts are those left alone; as the Codex would know, nostalgia is an inherently self-destructive state.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

So next time I'll probably replay the game as sensitive shivering superstar nazi Hunter Thompson-style.

 

[Zariusz]

Disco Elysium was one of best RPGs that i played in a long time... Until i meet that abomination, that materialization of madness - THE BUNKER DOOR. What do you mean that i cannot open them!? I am a door opener! Its a heresy!!!

 

[Background Character]

What's detecting, detectives? I'm having this huge problem you see, I'm near the end of my second playthrough and every time I stop playing and try to do other stuff there's like a dozen or so voices ringing inside my head telling me stuff and these ones are different from the old ones that spoke some weird language and made me pass out, is this normal? Does it happen to anyone else?

 

[Prime Junta]

Probably just psychosis. Perfectly normal reaction to the reality we live in.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

What's detecting, detectives? I'm having this huge problem you see, I'm near the end of my second playthrough and every time I stop playing and try to do other stuff there's like a dozen or so voices ringing inside my head telling me stuff and these ones are different from the old ones that spoke some weird language and made me pass out, is this normal? Does it happen to anyone else?

It is totally okay and acceptable.

Spoiler

 

[Zariusz]

So did anyone tried to play with cheated 6/6/6/6 character? If yes then does game react to this?

 

[Konjad]

where the fuck is ruby? I wasted hours looking at every centimeter of the fishing village island, also checked around everything else but there's fucking nothing. The diary still tells me to check the area around the village, but I did it multiple times and I did all checks and dialogues there. There's FUCKING NOTHING. What the hell am I missing?!

 

[Konjad]

I also thought I need to successfully roll at the mural, so I save scukmmed for dozens of times only to find out that if you roll double six and succeed you get exactly the same text as when you fail.