Disco Elysium: The Final Cutis a strange, engaging, and beloved game. It encourages players to explore every inch of its small but deep world and find everything from a suit of power armor to anunintentionalAttack on Titancosplay.
As players explore the depths ofDisco Elysium’s world and the depths of their character, they will come across various Thoughts. These can often be adopted or discarded, and then internalized over time. Each Thought locks the PC into a mindset that alters some things for better and, often, some things for worse. While it’s hard to definitively state that some of these are better overall, as many are double-edged swords, some of thebest Thoughts inDisco Elysiumare objectively better than others for various reasons.
Updated on Jun 19, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:Disco Elysium is one of the most deep and thought-provoking RPGs players can get their hands on. The sublime writing adds a ton of flavor to every conversation in the game, with an overarching murder mystery that ends on a satisfying note. Exploring Revachol is a task that players can get lost in for hours, with the amnesiac protagonist acquiring numerous interesting thoughts along the way that he can peruse for certain benefits. Some of Disco Elysium’s best thoughts should be unlocked if players want the detective to be as competent as possible across a host of important skill checks.
14Ace’s Low
How To Unlock: Shoot The Hanged Man And Slap It With Interlacing At 5 Or Greater
Kim Kitsuragi is a partner who will slowly become one of the best characters inDisco Elysium. Despite having his doubts about the detective in charge of the case, players will win him over unless they screw up considerably. One of the many ways to increase one’s relationship with Kim is to focus on some ofDisco Elysium’s best thoughts that help move this relationship in a positive direction, with Ace’s Low being a great example of the same.
After players cut down the body from the Hanged Tree and slap it with a decent investment in Interlacing, the detective can ponder upon the Ace’s Low thought to enjoy an increase in Espirit de Corps while deepening their relationship with Kim Kitsuragi. It’s a great thought that players can unlock early on to reap its benefits.
13Hardcore Aesthetic
How To Unlock: Ask Noid What True Life Is And Pass The Conceptualization Check
Any thought that permanently increases one of the main character’s stats is something that players should prioritize if they want to enjoy a higher chance ofsucceeding in most skill checks. This is why Hardcore Aesthetic is such a valuable thought, although unlocking it isn’t exactly straightforward.
Players must find Noid in the church and speak to him about true life. This triggers a Conceptualization check that, once passed, lets Harry ponder this thought. The increase in Volition and Endurance is much appreciated and helps the player make the most of one ofDisco Elysium’s best thoughts.
12Searchlight Division
How To Unlock: Speak To Certain Characters About Missing People
As a detective, one of the most common tasks assigned to these members of the police force is inquiring about missing persons. This is something that Harry and Kim are no strangers to, since they must inquire about certain people across Revachol and bring up this topic with specific characters to make progress.
Players who diligently ask pertinent characters in the game about these missing persons can unlock one ofDisco Elysium’s best thoughts. There’s no penalty involved in investing Harry’s brain power into developing Searchlight Division, rewarding him with a much-welcome bonus in the Perception stat for all his hard work.
11Apricot Chewing Gum Scented One
How To Unlock: Smell The Card In The Damaged Ledger’s Hidden Compartment And The Apricot Chewing Gum Wrapper
Harry can perform some weird acts while investigating the murder case in Revachol. No sane man would devote so much time thinking about the random smells they experienced while checking out a card in a hidden compartment in a ledger or a random gum wrapper they happen upon, but this odd behavior is precisely why players love this character to kingdom come.
One can argue that one ofDisco Elysium’s best thoughtsis locked behind these two random actions, with Harry spending a few hours thinking about the scents he experienced. This eventually leads to a bonus in Perception that can help players attain a positive result in one of the many skills checks that take place in the game.
10Cleaning Out The Rooms
How To Unlock: Pass A Logic Check With Soona After Investigating The Void Of Sound
The church is one of the most captivating locations to explore inDisco Elysium, housing a string of memorable interactions that will make players fall in love with this title for the umpteenth time. After investigating the void of sound in the church, players can talk about the same with Soona to unlock one of thebest Thoughts inDisco Elysium.
Cleaning out the Rooms is an excellent Thought that players should invest in, especially given the numerous benefits players can enjoy after riding this string of consciousness to the very end.Suggestion, Inland Empire, and Rhetoricare three of the most interesting skills in the game, and developing all three of them in one go is rewarding for obvious reasons.
9Detective Costeau
How To Unlock: Call Yourself Detective Costeau
Kim Kitsuragi is the perfect foil to Harry’s insanity, with his grounded responses and open-mindedness ensuring that the player can speak at length about some of the stupidest and most entertaining things that go through the amnesiac detective’s heads without being shut down. One such instance comes when players fail a Conceptualization check and call themselves Raphael Ambrosius Costeau, sticking to their guns even after learning their true name’s initials.
Not only is this a hilarious way to establish a bond between Harry and Kim, but it also unlocks one ofDisco Elysium’s best Thoughts. Players will increase their Savoir Faire and Esprit de Corps skills by one point while also exploring the rich and funny writing that helped this game become one of the most notable CRPGs of the modern era.
8Jamais Vu
How To Unlock: Speak To Lena And Joyce
Described as the opposite of Deja Vu, Jamais Vu is the concept of nothing seeming familiar at all. This thought grants players 1 XP for every orb clicked in the world and raises the learning cap of all blue (INT) skills by one. This may not sound like a huge bonus, but raising skill caps is always important, and getting constant XP for exploring the world is similarly important.
It encourages players to explore with tangible rewards and lets one important skill check be passed with no effort. For integrating story seamlessly with gameplay, Jamais Vu is a great example of whyDisco Elysium’s Thought Cabinet should become an RPG staple.
7Bringing Of The Law (Law-Jaw)
How To Unlock: Call Yourself The Law, Lawbringer, And A Policeman Multiple Times
Bringing of the Law is an interesting choice for players who embrace being a confident, authoritative cop. Thoughts that increase the learning caps for a player’s major skills are worthwhile investments, in this case, Hand/Eye Coordination.
The -1 penalty to Rhetoric is mild and can easily be offset by other items or Thoughts. Automatically succeeding at all Hand/Eye Coordination passives ensures that players will never miss any pertinent information regarding this skill. To unlock this Thought, players need to choose dialogue options that introduce Harry as a policeman/lawbringer.
6Kingdom Of Conscience
How To Unlock: Wear The Interisolary Trousers Or Acquire 4 Moralism Points
Some may not want to commit to this thought as it means locking into the Moralist pathexpanded on in the Final Cut. However, it is undeniably useful in many situations.
This thought heals players by one Morale point each time they choose a Moralist answer or response in dialogue, as well as raising the learning caps for Volition and Logic to five. Both of those are essential skills, and healing from dialogue means less spending on healing items later on.
5Indirect Modes Of Taxation
How To Unlock: Wear The Brown Derbies Trousers Or Acquire 4 Ultraliberal Points
Harry’s problems inDisco Elysiumextend beyond just amnesia. Money (or lack thereof) is also a problem, at least in the early game. For players who like having plenty of cash on hand, embracing Ultraliberalism is the way to go.
In dialogue, players should choose options that are pro-capitalist. Obtain money through any means necessary, including taking bribes whenever they’re offered. When internalized, this Thought grants a little extra cash for every subsequent Ultraliberal dialogue option, which can add up to a nice sum over time.
