Disco Elysium Best Thoughts: Tier List for Experience, Money, and More

Disco Elysium’s ‘Thought’ system allows players who’ve been prompted - via observations or discussions with the game’s incredible cast - to truly ponder their experiences and actions in-game in order to internalize a specific theme, ideal, or value to their persona for the remainder playthrough. By taking these thoughts inward, the player can gain passive buffs to their skills, reach different conclusions in certain types of conversations, and of course, earn more experience points and money.

In this guide, we’ll go over the absolute best thoughts to take early on in a new playthrough: Thoughts that will target fast XP gain, finding as much Real as possible, and the best skill boosts. 

Disco Elysium Best Thoughts For Beginners To Get Experience and Money Fast

For those looking for a strong starting choice, two thoughts can be earned right at the beginning of the game, as soon as you leave the Whirling-in-Rags: ‘Jamais Vu’ and ‘The Fifteenth Indotribe’. You’ll need to speak to Joyce Messier, the Wild Pines representative over on her boat by the pier just northwest of the hostel where you started the game. Chase her on the “8% of trading” Wild Pines provides, and get the lowdown on reality from her by asking “where *are* we” to initiate each thought.

Jamais Vu will provide a steady increase of experience as you work your way through the game proper and interact with the world around you via the prompt orbs. The Fifteenth Indotribe will guarantee you a small suffusion of Real upon interacting with those same orbs, which will carry you throughout the many days you’ll spend in Disco Elysium.

Best 5 Thoughts in Disco Elysium

As ever, there’ll always be better thoughts for different kinds of builds and skillsets within Disco Elysium, it’s an RPG, and what gleams for one playthrough might not shine as bright on the next. To that end, we’ve put together our top five thoughts that will net you some solid XP, improve your chances with skill checks, and of course, earn you that sweet spending money.

5. Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre

• Pros: Encyclopedia passives grant +10XP and +2 Real.

• Cons: -2 Suggestion

First on our list is the Wompty Dompty Dom Centre, which whilst only becoming available on Day 3, will provide one of the best sources of experience and Real in the game. Reaching Day 3 will require most to have settled in with the day-to-day cash acquisitions for alcohol, drugs, and rent, so the XP offered is the true friend here. 

Running an Intellect build or putting a few points into Encyclopedia will ensure that this thought, once fully internalized, will return swiftly on your investment as Encyclopedia will often chime in as you explore Martinaise, ticking your XP ever higher and letting you level up much quicker.

You’ll need to speak to Trant Heidelstam after moving west past the water lock, through the Fishing Village, and finding the massive Feld Building mural in Land’s End. You’ll see Trant directly in front of the mural with his son, press him for as much information on the mural as possible and the thought will be yours to consider.

4. The Jamrock Shuffle

• Pros: Doubles Real found in containers

• Cons: None

Another excellent money-maker, the Jamrock Shuffle thought is prompted by breaking into three separate residences but takes quite a bit of time to get internalized, clocking in at an hour and 5 minutes to process fully. It’s a great way to get rolling on some daily cash that you’ll find by remaining perceptive of containers that you’d usually find the loose change in regardless.

For those keen on any story beats or Disco lore, it will also offer a bit of background information on your cop’s past life and work.

Note: Breaking into the Church or the Doomed Commercial Area won’t count towards the three residences required, we recommend breaking into the Capside Apartments residences or Gary’s home beside the Whirling-in-Rags.

3. Regular Law Official

• Pros: All Skill caps increased by 3

• Cons: -1 Inland Empire, -1 Shivers

This is an incredibly useful thought to take for players seeking the pure utility benefits of increasing their skillset, or for salvaging some neglected skills that are holding them back. Regular Law Official is triggered by feeding into the ‘copotype’ segment of the role-playing experience in Disco Elysium, whereby choosing certain responses will have the game deem players as a certain ‘type’ of cop. In this case: The Regular Cop.

To gain access to this thought in the quickest way, players should opt for every boring, run-of-the-mill standard answer or explanation for every conversation. No strangeness, just what a normal cop would say and do is what’s needed here. Drama will chime in with an orb that mocks you for your lack of imagination and will offer the thought.

2. The Fifteenth Indotribe

• Pros: Green orbs grant 0.10 Real, Savoir Faire skill cap raised to 6

• Cons: None

Acquired early from speaking to Joyce Messier about Wild Pines’ ownership of 8% of trade worldwide, this thought will offer a huge increase to your owl wealth, offering 10 cents per green orb interacted with throughout the game. 

Green orbs are commonly found as you simply wander Martinaise and make the most basic of observations and glean easy contextual clues, so the high value is obvious and perfect for paying Garte back for a night’s rent or for early vices or clothing. It’s a long thought to internalize, taking 5 hours and 55 minutes to process, but with zero drawbacks, it’s absolutely worth your while.

1. Jamais Vu

• Pros: Orbs grant +1 XP, all Intellect skill caps increased by 1

• Cons: None

With its staggering amount of XP gain, Jamais Vu easily makes it to the top of our list of best thoughts. Aside from the handy Intellect skill cap boost across the board, the sheer amount of orbs you’ll be clicking on throughout the game makes this well worth the early investment. 

It can be acquired just as early as The Fifteenth Indotribe and synergizes exceedingly well with the +0.10 Real from the very common green orbs you’ll encounter.

To get yourself both questioning reality and benefiting from this thought, you’ll need to first speak to Lena in the Whirling-in-Rags, and push her for information on “where we are”, once you’ve finished the line of conversation, she’ll recommend you speak to someone more versed than her, opening up the “Get a reality lowdown” task. Handily enough, that ‘someone’ is Joyce Messier. 

To acquire the Jamais Vu (Derealization) thought:

1. Speak to Joyce Messier and ask for a ‘reality lowdown’.

2. Push her on the “Where are we” dialogue thread.

3. Choose the second “Where *are* we?” option.

4. Jamais Vu will automatically trigger.

That does it for our list of best thoughts in Disco Elysium, while there are many more that could be honorably mentioned or might suit your own playstyle better, we feel these are some near-unmissable thoughts with a serious bang for your mental buck. 

For more Disco Elysium news, be sure to check out our dedicated section or take a look at some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

TIER LISTS -

Best Disco Elysium Build And Starting Stats | Best Thoughts Tier List

GAME GUIDES -

How to Fast Travel | How Many Days In Disco Elysium | Where To Sleep On Day 1 and How To Sleep For Free | How To Find Your Gun & Get It Back | How To Get The Body Down | Cuno Choices Explained | Where To Find Ruby | Can You Romance Kim & Other NPCs | How to Solve the Egg Head Puzzle | Should You Arrest Klaasje? | Should I Internalize All Thoughts? | Should I Help Evrart Claire? | Should I Take Evrart's Novelty Cheque | Should I Take Speed? | Should I Take the Hanged Man's Boots? | Should I Shave My Beard Or Not? | Should I Report My Badge Missing? | All Disco Elysium Endings, Explained |