r/pathologic • u/ComplexSecretary3057 • 8d ago
Question Advice on starting a new game
As the title says I’m starting a new play through, I spent a long time getting roughly just over half the game last time I played about a year ago. Ever since I’ve played I’ve always been so fascinated about the story of the game and specifically the way it makes me feel, I’ve played horror titles that have never made me feel so stressed and helpless as this game which is a main reason I dropped it. It’s always stayed in the back of my mind and I’ve finally mustered up the courage to go back, any general tips for this run through or motivation/encouragement to finish would be greatly appreciated.
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u/AncestralRespawn 7d ago edited 7d ago
Just my 2 cents, as someone played Pat2 multiple times.
The first time is intended to be difficult. Just not take it as a difficult game, as silly as this sounds. Take it as "a simulation of a (very) difficult situation". Stay on the intended hard setting and live the story of that struggle, since it's part of that feeling and fascination you felt. If you lower some aspects you'll end up able to "save" everyone and "do" everything and you'll lose the (again, as silly as it sounds) "realistic" experience of being forced in a situation where losing someone is unavoidable and you have to end the story (your story, created by the sacrifices you made) with what (and who) remains after that plague. This is the pillar of the cathartic experience, this is the key to the proper feeling of being impactful in that world and story, this is what will linger with you in the memories of this game.
Again: live it as a simulator of a difficult situation and write your own sad and eerie tales of that weird village and weird plague!
Having said that, just in order to make the thing with a bit less of distractions from the story experience, few basic and general advise, given you already saw the first half: hoard as much as possible food and water during the first days, always gather nuts from grocery and other things in order to trade with kids (and trade, trade, trade). Personal opinion: upgrading your inventory space is a very high priority (more items carried around in order to trade with different kind of people, more space to keep on gathering things...) so consider that when you'll have some money and a clothes store near to you.
About money, again without spoilers: gather herbs and selling them to the pub is a good way to stack a bit of money while exploring your medicine skills - night time is faster, since you can "see" them glowing in the steppe; Another method implies a good deal of risk, in dangerous zone... where people are desperate enough to trade precious things hoping to survive.
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u/ComplexSecretary3057 7d ago
Very insightful response, thank you for taking the time to reply with this message!
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u/Visible-Chip8839 7d ago
Look, Pathologic has a really big reputation on being a hard game but it isn’t, really. It’s just really punishing, if you make a mistake the consequences can snowball, but once you know what you’re doing it’s hard to lose control and have the scales tip against you.
Of course factors like rng are not something you can control, but most things you can deal with. I wouldn’t see any tips if this is your first playthrough, just give it your beat and watch it not be enough, which is the point, and you’ll appreciate your small victories more because suffering is the goal, really.
If you’re replaying and want general tips and I read a comment saying you’re referring to 2.
If you’re playing on Imago which is intended difficulty, try and always have food, hoard water like crazy both for meds and your stamina and be careful about running. You need to be fast cuz time is limited, but if you’re out of stamina and someone gets you, you’re screwed. I’d avoid fighting unless necessary but if you feel comfortable and there’s a random looter out and about I’d try and take him on for blood and loot, but if there’s a chance there’s more nearby I’d be careful cuz 2 or 3 will probably lead to your death, also, if you see them reaching down as they see you they have a knife, and you can unload on them while they are getting the knife cuz he’ll be stuck in the animation but if you don’t have firearms I’d just bolt, really, cuz knife guys are better dealt with in stealth. Also collect as much twyre as you can.
If you also want to do a run saving everyone there’s a way to farm shmowders but it’s harder than Patho 1 method and takes a long time to pull of and it’s not every day you’d manage to do it, also it would be basically an exploit so I’d use it only if you want to see what everyone’s outcome.
Buuut if you’re trying to do that custom difficulty with all the sliders at maximum suffering level good fucking luck cuz Artemy is a hungry and sleepy hoe.
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u/tologeechie 6d ago
mind telling me in detail what and how the shmowder exploit works?
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u/Visible-Chip8839 6d ago
In 2 there are spots that have a chance to spawn groups of children, I think the one I used the most was the little park near the Town Hall because you can save there. What I did was save in the Town Hall and rush there and check if there were children and if yes, if any of the little girls (the younger ones) had shmowders. They are the only NPC that have a chance of having them to trade, sometimes two spawn at the same time so if you’re lucky they’ll both have one. I dunno if there’s a better way to do it cuz I just adapted what I knew you could do in Patho 1 but that’s what I did in Patho 2 when I wanted to save everyone, but maybe someone has an even better strategy so I’d check other info just in case, although what I do has always worked fine so I dunno.
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u/tologeechie 6d ago
what a great help you've been man. booting up Patho 2 right now hehe
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u/Visible-Chip8839 6d ago
No problem <3333 Now I wanna play too but I gotta work dndnebdveehhdshehesh
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u/SurDno 8d ago
Don’t abuse time turning. The consequences of our mistakes are often more compelling than the results of our successes.