Disco Elysium gives your character a lot of thoughts and traits. The Psyche category is one of the most compelling. Unlike the other characteristics, the Psyche is the key to communication. This isn’t just communication with people but your dreams and even unsuspecting creatures.
But which Psyche skills are the best to invest in for your playthrough? Maybe you just want enough psyche to convince suspects to spill the beans, or perhaps you just want to have better mental health. We’ll go through these skills and which ones deserve top priority and reveal the cool stuff you can do with each skill.
1. Inland Empire
The Inland Empire can be thought of as your telephone that gives you access to the weirder, wilder side of this world. It’s a gut instinct that turns your dreams into reality. Relying on this will give you extra hunches in solving cases. It’ll also give you the ability to get more in touch with the supernatural, including making communication with the phasmid at the end of the game.
Why Inland Empire is Great:
- Unlocks mysterious secrets.
- Makes you more in touch with the pale.
- Improves the odds of speaking to the phasmid.
- Speak with the corpse.
Choose Inland Empire if you want to…
- Have a relationship with the Horrific Necktie.
- Have an active imagination.
- Communicate with the other side.
2. Volition
Volition will improve your overall mental resiliency. If the Inland Empire psyche was meant to make you think outside the box, Volition will keep you more in the box. The higher your Volition, the less likely you’ll be to become suicidal or be an unhinged cop. The most important aspect is that Volition directly affects your morale.
Why Volition is Great:
- Keeps your morale levels high.
- Keeps you well-adjusted.
- Improves your will to live and solve the case.
Choose Volition if you want to…
- Have high levels of morale requiring less magnesium to heal it.
- Appear saner.
- Be a normal, boring cop.
3. Empathy
Empathy should be pretty obvious what it’s meant for. It allows you to better connect with others and appeal to their emotions. This can be a handy psyche to use if you plan on getting far in your investigations with questioning. You’ll not only be able to put yourself in the shoes of others but share their troubles as well.
Why Empathy is Great:
- You can get more information out of people.
- You can convince certain people to sell you stuff.
- Appeal more to emotions.
Choose Empathy if you want to…
- Make friends with Cuno.
- Improve your ability to talk to people.
- Better connect with sorrowful souls.
4. Authority
If you want to be the more assertive cop, Authority is the psyche that gets people to take you more seriously. Authority is best suited for handling the toughest of interrogations, namely with Titus and the mercenary. If you desire compliance and domination in your gameplay, a high level of Authority can make you closer to the role of being the Bad Cop.
Why Authority is Great:
- Pressure suspects into revealing information.
- Stand up to punks.
- Stand firm even when you’re outmatched.
Choose Authority if you want to…
- Play the dominating cop.
- Feel like a big man even if you don’t look it.
- Wage psychological warfare.
5. Suggestion
The suggestion psyche is pretty straightforward in terms of what it’s used for. With a high enough suggestion, you can successfully haggle for goods and information. You’ll be perceived as both a diplomat for tough situations (such as the mercenary tribunal) or a charmer among children and women. You can also improve it with some unlikely thoughts, including Finger Pistols (9mm) and Some kind of Superstar.
Why Suggestion is Great:
- Improves your success rate at the mercenary tribunal.
- Put the moves on the ladies.
- Coerce valuable information out of the locals.
Choose Suggestion if you want to…
- Talk your way out of situations rather than fight your way out of them.
- Barter for better goods.
- Become a smooth-talking cop with a bit of an ego.
6. Espirit de Corps
Espirit de Corps translates to pride and loyalty among your group. In this case, that group is cops. Having a high level of Espirit de Corps will allow you to better understand the nature of what is to be on the police force. You’ll not only better understand cop culture, but even fake certain aspects of it as well. It’s similar to the Shivers skill in terms of getting a peak behind the scenes but only for cops.
Why Espirit de Corps is Great:
- Turns you into a better cop.
- Let’s you in on the banter of the RCM.
- Helps you connect with other RCM officers.
Choose Espirit de Corps if you want to…
- Figure out the intentions of the RCM.
- Pose as a stabler cop.
- Become a better partner for Kim.
