Key Takeaway
There are 53 Thoughts in total within Disco Elysium. Although some Thoughts are the polar opposite of others, so it’s impossible to earn every Thought in a single playthrough.
Overall, there are a total of 12 empty slots in the Thought Cabinet. At the start of the game, however, you’ll only have access to 3. With that said, once you have an available skill point from leveling up, enter the Thought Cabinet and click on the Thought you’d like to forget to free up a slot.
Here’s our list of recommended thoughts:
- Actual Art Degree – passive Conceptualization skill checks give more +10 XP
- Jamais Vu (Derealization) – gives you +1 XP for each orb clicked and unlocks more dialogue options
- Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre – rewards you with +10 XP and 2 reál for each Encyclopedia passive check
- The Fifteenth Indotribe – rewards you with +10 cents for every green orb you click
- Ace’s High or Ace’s Low – unlocks more dialogue options with Kim
- The Bow Collector – helps you pass a difficult Shivers skill check later in the game
With the Thought Cabinet in Disco Elysium, you have the freedom to craft your character’s persona. You’ll occasionally form new Thoughts which can be internalized, altering your identity and influencing your beliefs. Unlocking and internalizing certain Thoughts can change your stats, unlock dialogue options, or grant unique bonuses.
Table Of Contents
What Is the Thought Cabinet?
Your character remembers absolutely nothing about himself or the world around him. As you start to explore your surroundings and chat with the game’s characters, new Thoughts will begin to appear in your Thought Cabinet in Disco Elysium. It’s up to you to choose which Thoughts are worth internalizing and which aren’t worth your time.
Any Thoughts you choose to internalize help define who you are. As you build your identity, you’ll also gain helpful bonuses depending on the Thoughts you keep. There is no right or wrong way to stock your Thought Cabinet—each playthrough can be entirely different based on the stats and ideas you prioritize.
Certain Thoughts are the polar opposite of others, so it’s impossible to earn every Thought in a single playthrough.
To access the Thought Cabinet, select the head silhouette inside the diamond at the bottom right of the screen. Clicking on this allows you to see the Thoughts you’re aware of, the Thoughts you’ve internalized, and the Thoughts you haven’t yet discovered.
How to Find and Research New Thoughts
Upon entering the Thought Cabinet, you’ll find a complete list of available Thoughts. There are 53 total, and they will appear in faded text until they are properly discovered. Discovered Thoughts that have not yet been internalized will appear in white.
Thoughts can be discovered in many different ways, including how you talk about yourself to other characters and how you approach politics. Reacting in a certain way during an event, passing specific checks, or asking the right questions can grant you new Thoughts as well.
For example, talking about motor carriages with Kim enough times will unlock the Torque Dork Thought. Leaning towards Fascism enough times in conversation will unlock the Revacholian Nationhood Thought. Wondering where you’re from will unlock the Lonesome Long Way Home Thought, and so on.
Once you unlock a Thought, you can internalize it as long as you have an empty slot in your Thought Cabinet. Internalizing a Thought takes a certain amount of in-game time. During this time, your character will often suffer a stat penalty.
TipAfter the required time has passed, the new Thought is added to your Cabinet. Each Thought grants you a Permanent Bonus/Penalty as long as it is slotted within the Thought Cabinet in Disco Elysium.
All 53 Thoughts in Disco Elysium
Below is a complete list of Thoughts found within the Thought Cabinet in Disco Elysium, along with their temporary bonuses or penalties, permanent bonuses or penalties, the time they take to internalize, and their method of discovery.
| Name | Research Time | Temporary Bonus/Penalty | Permanent Bonus/Penalty | How to Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ace's High | 2h 45m | +1 Empathy towards Kim | +1 Empathy towards Kim +1 Esprit de Corps | After successfully shooting down the Hanged Man, give Kim a high-five, but don't give him an Ace's Low. |
| Ace's Low | 2h 45m | +2 Empathy towards Kim | +2 Empathy towards Kim +1 Esprit de Corps | After successfully shooting down the Hanged Man, give Kim a high-five and wait for an Ace's Low. *Requires Interfacing ≥5 |
| Actual Art Degree | 1h 30m | -1 Perception | -1 Hand/Eye Coordination Conceptualization passives heal +1 Morale and give +10 XP | Choose four art-based dialogue options and agree to bring an Art Cop when the Conceptualization thought orb appears. |
| Advanced Race Theory | 1h 40m | -1 Drama | Learning Cap for Rhetoric raised to 5 +1 Conceptualization | Talk to Measurehead on the closed gate blocking the harbor and pass the Conceptualization check to agree with his theory. |
| Anti-Object Task Force | 2h 15m | -2 Pain Threshold | Attacking physical objects heals damage +1 Pain Threshold All FYS learning caps raised by 1 | Continually hit inanimate objects. |
| Apricot Chewing Gum Scented One | 5h 5m | -1 Reaction Speed | +2 Perception | After finding your ledger in the Whirling-in-Rags dumpster, smell the note attached to it. Additionally, check the jeans in the coal room near Cindy the Skull to find another wrapper and examine it, taking a deep breath. |
| Arno van Eyck | 50m | +1 Interfacing | All MOT white checks unlocked Reveal Arno van Eyck gig posters in the world | After setting up the church nightclub, Egghead will ask you to find a Reel of Magnetic Tape. It's in a Hawthorn tree near Siileng, the clothes vendor. Bring it back to Egghead. |
| Bankruptcy Sequence | 5h 15m | -1 Empathy | Int Check Failures give 1 reál | Successfully pitch a bad idea to the Mega Rich Light-Bending Guy in the locked Harbor container. |
| Boiadeiro | 6h 30m | -1 Physical Instrument | -1 Esprit De Corps Cigarettes give +2 INT | With a low Encyclopedia score, pass an Inland Empire check when taking to Mañana. He can be found on the stairs watching the strike. |
| Bringing of the Law (Law-Jaw) | 2h 55m | -1 Rhetoric | Learning Cap for Hand/Eye Coordination raised to 6 Automatically Succeed all Hand/Eye Coordination passives -1 Rhetoric | Refer to yourself as "The Law", "Lawbringer", or a policeman multiple times. |
| Caustic Echo | 10h | +1 Volition | +300 XP on Completion -1 Authority All MOT learning caps raised by 1 | Open the secret compartment in your Damaged Ledger and throw the card into the wind. *You must be outside. |
| Cleaning Out the Rooms | 5h 35m | N/A | +1 Suggestion +1 Inland Empire +1 Rhetoric | After investigating the mysterious lack of sound in the church at Land's End, talk to Soona and pass a logic check. (Day 3+) |
| Coach Physical Instrument | 40m | -2 Encyclopedia | +2 Physical Instrument if shirt slot is empty -1 Encyclopedia | Talk to Rene, the old man playing pentanque outside the Whirling-in-Rags. Observe rather than play, ask questions, then fail the check to play at the end. *Requires ≥ 2 points in Physical Instrument. |
| Col Do Ma Ma Daqua | 7h 10m | N/A | +3 Perception -1 Encyclopedia | Talk to Lena about the invisible Phasmid, then go outside. Listen to the thought that will prompt you to listen closely. |
| Cop of the Apocalypse | 6h 55m | -1 Rhetoric | Learning cap for Inland Empire raised to 6 Learning cap for Shivers raised to 6 Pyrholidon gives +2 PSY | Agree to being an Apocalypse Cop after choosing 4 related dialogue options. |
| Date of Birth Generator | 7h 15m | N/A | Learning Cap for Logic raised to 4 -1 difficulty to all FYS passives | Wonder when you were born in dialogue or in thought. |
| Detective Costeau | 2h 30m | -2 Conceptualization | +1 Savoir Faire +1 Esprit de Corps | Refuse your real name when it is offered to you, fail the Conceptualization check to consider your name and refer to yourself over and over as Detective Costeau. |
| Fairweather T-500 | 3h 30m | -1 Savoir Faire | +2 Hand/Eye Coordination against enemies in FT-500 armor | After finding one of four pieces of the Fairweather T-500 armor, equip it. |
| Finger on the Eject Button | 2h | +2 Authority +2 Suggestion | Suicidal ideas every evening | Have numerous suicidal thoughts and dialogue choices. *Requires ≥5 points in Pain Threshold. You must also fail the Hardie boys Authority check. |
| Finger Pistols (9mm) | 1h | -2 Savoir Faire | +1 Reaction Speed Empty hand slots give Suggestion +1 | Talk to Siileng, the clothes seller, and make finger guns at him. *Requires ≥5 points in Composure. |
| Guillaume le Million | 4h 30m | -1 Logic | +1 Pain Threshold All PSY Learning Caps raised by 1 | Interact with the mirror in your room at the Whirling-in-Rags or the Coastal Shack and pass an Encyclopedia check. |
| Hardcore Aesthetic | 1h 50m | -2 Interfacing | +1 Volition +1 Endurance | Sync sines with Noid, then pass the resulting Conceptualization check after forming the Church nightclub. |
| Hobocop | 4h 20m | -1 Composure | Reveals extra Tare bottles on the map More money from selling tare bottles Learning cap for Shivers raised to 6 | Refer to yourself as homeless in dialogue or sleep outside for a night. |
| Homo-Sexual Underground | 8h | N/A | Stopped obsessing about sexuality Allows Harry to discuss sexuality with Kim | Pass the Composure check when first talking to the Smoker on the Balcony, then ask if he's in the homo-sexual underground after he appears in the Whirling-in-Rags. |
| Indirect Modes of Taxation | 1h 45m | -2 Empathy | Ultraliberal dialogue options give +1 reál -1 Empathy | Acquired immediately if you wear the the Brown Derbies, or after 4 Ultraliberal points have been earned. |
| Inexplicable Feminist Agenda | 3h 45m | +2 Authority vs Males | +1 Empathy -1 Electrochemistry | Claim to be a feminist after Garte admits what he believes the true reason behind Sylvie leaving was. |
| Jamais Vu (Derealization) | 3h 25m | N/A | +1 XP for every orb clicked All INT learning caps raised by 1 | Speak to Lena about reality, then speak to Joyce and ask her where you are. |
| Kingdom of Conscience | 1h 25m | -2 Half-light | Moralist Dialogue options heal +1 Morale Learning Cap for Volition raised to 5 Learning cap for Logic raised to 5 | Acquired immediately if Harry wears the Interisolary Trousers, or after 4 Moralism points have been earned. |
| Lonesome Long Way Home | 6h 5m | +1 Encyclopedia | Perception learning cap raised to 5 Speed gives 1 PSY | Wonder where you live in dialogue or thought. |
| Magnesium-Based Lifeform | 1h 15m | -1 Shivers | +2 Volition -1 Logic | Speak to Cuno about the Magnesium found in his shack. *Requires high Composure |
| Mazovian Socio-Economics | 3h 10m | -2 Visual Calculus | Left-wing Dialogue options give +4 XP -1 Visual Calculus -1 Authority | Acquired after Harry earns 4 Communism points and doesn't discard the thought. |
| Motorway South | 8h 10m | -1 Visual Calculus | +1 Inland Empire All INT White Checks Unlocked | Speak to Joyce about reality, then question her about the Pale. After this, go to the elderly woman by the statue and ask her the same thing. |
| One More Door | 45m | +1 Half-light | -1 Half-Light All PSY White Checks Unlocked | Try to open the bunker door North of the Church and fail. |
| Opioid Receptor Antagonist | 55m | -2 Electrochemistry | No positive effects from drugs No negative effects from alcohol | Insist that Klaasje Amandou's drugs are nothing to be proud of. |
| Overproductive Honour Glands | 20m | -4 Drama | Learning cap for Authority raised to 5 | Act honorably, take no bribes, and refer to yourself as an Honor Cop when prompted. |
| Regular Law Official | 1h 20m | -2 Inland Empire | -1 Shivers -1 Inland Empire All learning caps raised to 3 | Agree to being a Boring Cop after choosing 4 related dialogue options. |
| Remote Viewers Division | 6h | -1 Perception | -1 Difficulty to all PSY Passive Checks -1 Drama | Show interest in the Remote Viewers Division, ESP, and the para-natural whenever it is brought up. |
| Revacholian Nationhood | 9h 10m | -1 Composure | Nationalist dialogue options damage -1 Morale Alcohol gives +2 FYS | Choose multiple pro-fascistic dialogue options. |
| Rigorous Self-Critique | 6h | -1 Authority | INT and PSY Red Check failures heal +1 Morale FYS and MOT Red Check failures heal +1 Health Learning Cap for Pain Threshold increased to +6 | Apologize repeatedly and feel constantly sorry for yourself. Agree to being a Sorry Cop after choosing 4 related dialogue options. |
| Searchlight Division | 3h 15m | N/A | +2 Perception | Acquired after Harry speaks to Lena, Lilienne, and the Working Class Woman about missing people. |
| Some kind of Superstar | 1h 10m | -2 Logic | -1 Logic Learning cap for Visual Calculus raised to 6 Learning cap for Suggestion raised to 6 Learning cap for Electrochemistry raised to 6 Learning cap for Composure raised to 6 | Choose multiple dialogue options where you claim to be a rock star. |
| The Bow Collector | 6h 10m | -1 Authority -1 Hand/Eye Coordination | +3 Shivers | Read the note in your ledger and choose "Bow Collector" when talking to your Ancient Reptilian Brain. *Requires ≥ 6 Conceptualization / Must not have thrown away the card inside the Damaged Ledger |
| The Fifteenth Indotribe | 5h 55m | N/A | +10 cents for each green orb clicked Learning Cap for Savoir Faire raised to 6 | Talk to Joyce about Wild Pines and how they control so much cargo. |
| The Insulindian Miracle | 7h 45m | N/A | All White Checks unlocked | Tell Joyce Messier about the Union's ultimate end goal and listens to her explanation of the history of the isolas' discovery. |
| The Jamrock Shuffle | 1h 5m | -1 Espirit de Corps | Find better loot in locked containers | Break into three places. |
| The Litany of Contact Mike | 15m | -1 Logic -1 Conceptualization -1 Drama | All FYS White Checks unlocked | Speak to Acele about Contact Mike. Acele can be found next to the tent at Land's End. *Requires ≥8 Encyclopedia |
| The Precarious World | 4h | All red checks fail | Critical success/failure thresholds -1 | Talk to the Dice Maker above the bookstore, and pass the Shivers check in her dialogue. |
| The Suicide of Kras Mazov | 4h 45m | -1 Rhetoric | +1 Rhetoric White Check failures heal all Morale | Break into the apartment in the building behind the crime scene and examine the bust of Kras Mazov. Insist that you are Kras Mazov. |
| Torque Dork | 25m | -2 Conceptualization | +2 Interfacing All Interfacing White Checks unlocked | Talk about motor carriages with Kim multiple times. *Requires ≥4 Interfacing |
| Volumetric Shit Compressor | 30m | N/A | All currently locked white Endurance checks unlocked Learning cap for Endurance raised to 4 | Throw up twice while examining the corpse of the Hanged Man. |
| Waste Land of Reality | 20h | -2 Physical Instrument | -1 Physical Instrument -1 Inland Empire -1 Suggestion +1 to all PSY skills No positive effects from Alcohol | Either speak to Measurehead after internalizing Advanced Race Theory and tell him he needs to get sober, or speak to Tiago on Day 3+. |
| White Mourning | 5h | -1 Authority | +20% Zoom Out Distance All MOT learning caps raised by 1 | Read the note in your ledger and pass the Interfacing check. |
| Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre | 42m | -1 Suggestion | Encyclopedia passives give +10 XP and +2 reál -2 Suggestion | Go to the building next to the boardwalk on Land's End and talk to the man admiring the mural with his kid. |
How to Unlock New Slots in the Thought Cabinet
There are a total of 12 empty slots in the Thought Cabinet. At the start of the game, however, you’ll only have access to 3.
Each time your character levels up, you’ll have the option to either increase one of your skills or unlock a new slot in the Thought Cabinet. When presented with this option, click on a locked slot in the Thought Cabinet to unlock it using your skill point.
How to Forget Thoughts
As you progress through the game, your priorities may change, or you may discover a Thought that is more useful. With limited space within the Thought Cabinet in Disco Elysium, you won’t want to waste a slot on a Thought you’ve outgrown.
Once you have an available skill point from leveling up, enter the Thought Cabinet and click on the Thought you’d like to forget to free up the slot.
Copotypes and Thoughts
Your character, Harry, is a cop. But what kind of cop is he? Depending on your preferences and how you refer to yourself in conversations with other characters, you’ll eventually be assigned a certain ‘Copotype.’ Different Copotypes result in Harry coming up with different unique Thoughts.
There are 7 of these Copotypes in all:
- The Superstar Cop
- The Apocolypse Cop
- The Sorry Cop
- The Boring Cop
- The Honor Cop
- The Hobocop
- The Art Cop
Recommended Thoughts
There are no right or wrong Thoughts to internalize in any given playthrough of Disco Elysium. However, the following Thoughts can be particularly helpful; as they offer additional experience, money, stat boosts, or other useful effects.
Actual Art Degree
After choosing enough Art-related dialogue options, you’ll be contacted by your Conceptualization. This unlocks the Actual Art Degree Thought.
Although this Thought slightly lowers your Hand-Eye Coordination, it comes with an extremely helpful bonus: passive Conceptualization skill checks will heal +1 Morale and give you +10 XP. With over 400 passive Conceptualization skill checks in the game, this Thought can help you level up much quicker if acquired early in the game.
Jamais Vu (Derealization)
Disco Elysium introduces this Thought in a powerful way, claiming that it “feels like the most important of all the Thoughts; the one you truly must complete.” While internalizing Jamais Vu isn’t a requirement, it offers a helpful XP boost and some additional dialogue later in the game. It’s also easily unlocked at the very beginning of the game.
Speak with Lena, the wheelchair-bound woman at the Whirling-in-Rags, and ask her to explain reality. After she suggests that you speak to someone more intelligent, head to the docks and find Joyce standing on a boat. Speak with her and ask her the same question to unlock the Thought.
Jamais Vu will give you +1 XP for each orb clicked. That may not sound impressive, but the extra experience is incredibly helpful toward the beginning of the game. You’ll want to replace this Thought later in the game, but there’s no reason to skip it at the start.
Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre
Money is an important resource in Disco Elysium, but lining your pockets isn’t always easy. The Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre Thought will reward you with +10 XP and 2 reál for each Encyclopedia passive check. The game has mountains of lore, so these checks are incredibly common.
To unlock this Thought, head to the boardwalk on or after Day 3. Talk to Trant Heidelstam, the man admiring the mural with his son. Chatting with him about nerdy things will cause this Thought to pop up.
The Fifteenth Indotribe
The Fifteenth Indotribe is another helpful moneymaker. Internalizing this Thought rewards you with +10 cents for every green orb you click. As you explore the streets of Revachol, colored orbs will occasionally pop up around your character’s head. Green orbs represent passive observations, and these appear quite frequently throughout the game.
To unlock this Thought, speak with Joyce Messier on her boat at the docks. Exhaust all possible conversation options related to Wild Pines, and be sure to choose the option “8 percent of all cargo in the world.”
Ace’s High or Ace’s Low
If you’re behaving like a respectable police officer, you may not need either of these Thoughts. However, if you’re choosing to drink, smoke, and cause problems for your partner Kim, picking up one of these Thoughts can help with approval. Kim is very by-the-book, and internalizing either Ace’s High or Ace’s Low will build more trust with him, unlocking more dialogue options that can be critical later in the game.
To unlock Ace’s High, give Kim a high five after shooting down The Hanging Man’s corpse behind the Whirling-in-Rags. For Ace’s Low, follow up your high five with a down low. These will grant you +1 and +2 Empathy with Kim, respectively.
The Bow Collector
While you’re free to choose the stats most important or interesting to you during your playthrough, the main plot implements a rather difficult Shivers skill check later in the game. Passing this is vital, and to boost your chances of success, The Bow Collector is a must.
When you find your Damaged Ledger in the dumpster behind the Whirling-in-Rags, read the entire note inside. You’ll need to have +6 Conceptualization to access the Thought. Respond to your Ancient Reptilian Brain by choosing “There was something about a bow collector too…”
This Thought will give you +3 Shivers, which will also unlock other unique happenings throughout your playthrough.
Prioritizing different Thoughts during each playthrough of Disco Elysium can completely alter the direction and aura of the game—much like how you can alter your physical direction with the use of fast travel. Whether you want to spend time obsessing over your own sexuality or become a fully-fledged rock star, anything is possible in this narrative masterpiece.
