Current Events > Anything I should know before starting Disco Elysium?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I want to go in fairly blind but is it possible to screw up building your character or anything like that?

Just make sure you have a build that has more than one health and morale point so you don't instantly die from stuff. Other than that, I recommend you don't save scum. You can't really fail the game unless your character dies and you get a lot of interesting outcomes by failing dice rolls.

Keep some good cognac on your desk. This is a good experience that deserves good booze.

Just echoing post 2: Dont be afraid to fail. Some of my favorite parts of the game came from failing checks.

No. Less you know the better. Failure is just a different path, don't feel like you have to succeed at everything.

Save often. Also I've read it's possible to build your character in a way that you can't progress but I don't know if that's even true and if it is, I don't know if it's fixed in the definitive edition.

There's one repeatable skill check in the game that reveals a path to progress the main plot and get towards the ending. Some people have reported bad luck of leveling the skill repeatedly and still failing the check. It's a really interesting skill that grants a kind of dialogue you can't get from any other, so you may want to invest in it anyway. If you want to know, the skill is Shiver.

In general, the game is written in a way that check failures can still be fun and award great dialogue, so don't be afraid of losing the roll. That said, there's some red (one time only) checks that really deserve to be seen in success. Don't let other people shame you for reloading. I'm thinking of a very particular check at the end of the game (of the skill perception) that I consider pretty critical to receiving the full message of the game. I've seen YouTube comments of people saying they missed it and that's insane that it's missable.

The skills you put points in are most important to building your inner dialogue. So if you put points in Encyclopaedia a lot, then when characters mention people places and things in conversation, the Encyclopaedia is more likely to whisper you about what that is. All skills have their own manner of speaking and govern different parts of your character, so Visual Calculus is structured and fact-forward, while Electrochemistry will always just be peer-pressuring you to do drugs. Overall the three categories are sort of logical/emotional/instinctual, with a fourth row of skills like Hand-Eye-Coordination that may be used for skill checks but may not speak as often.

Don't sleep on the third row, Physical. It's not like in WRPGs where you just get big and tanky, a Physical cop transcends the mortal coil.

While it's not really used for required skill checks, it is worth it to invest points into Inland Empire.

I consider Disco Elysium the best game ever made

Thanks for the comments guys!