Disco Elysium Endings: Which One Is the Best

We know that there is only one murderer in Disco Elysium, the truth of the case, but the game still offers multiple endings for players to replay the game again and again. Technically speaking, Disco Elysium endings do not feature any after-stories, and they are just the last options for players to choose, unlocking achievements. To some extent, it is quite disappointing because the text is so thorough throughout the whole gaming experience. Anyways, this guide explores the critical junctures in the main story that lead players to different endings!

Critical Junctures of the Main Story

Disco Elysium features 3 major endings and 6 specific branches. Each major ending has two options.

1. Finish the case with Kim Kitsuragi: Choose whether to recruit Kim
2. Finish the case with Cuno: Choose whether to recruit Cuno
3. Finish the case alone: Depending on whether Harrier is sober or has internalized Waste Land of Reality

The results of critical junctures and incidents decide how the conversation goes with Jean Vicquemare and other colleagues, which include:

1. Whether players have arrested Klaasje
2. The military tribunal
3. The phasmid side quest

Generally speaking, players should consider finishing other side quests before confronting Ruby at the Feld Building. Kim also indicates that players should tie up the loose ends before seeing Ruby in the tunnel, and he will enumerate the key things that players should finish, such as getting info from Joyce and questioning Klaasje.

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When Can Players Reach the Ending

Players will reach Disco Elysium endings after confronting the deserter and returning from the islet. Therefore, players would be better off finishing the side quests before departing for the islet. The best case is to finish the major side quests before seeing Ruby in the Feld Building tunnel for skill points and thoughts, because later in the story, some NPCs will not be available anymore, and the game gradually shifts the focus onto the main plot, like the military tribunal.

The main plot progresses as such:

1. Investigating case-related sites and NPCs (Focusing on open world exploration, side quests, and skill development)
2. Revealing the relationships among the Hardie boys and Klaasje, and getting key information from Joyce.
3. Finding Ruby in the Feld Building and checking shooting point B”.
4. Solving the military tribunal: Decide to finish the case with Kim, Cuno, or alone.
5. Departing for the islet, and confronting the deserter, the killer of the case.

Some players can finish the whole game in 15 hours by pushing through the main plot. However, if you’d like to solve side quests such as the phasmid hunt, it can take longer, maybe 20 to 30 hours, and more to finish the whole game.

With that said, the time investment into side quests is certainly worth it. Not only can you upgrade Harrier’s skills more thoroughly and pass the critical checks more easily, which leads to better endings, but you can also unlock special dialogues in the end, like the phasmid one.

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The Good Ending with Kim Kitsuragi

To reach the good ending with Kim, either recruiting him or letting him return to his unit, players need to pass the check at the military tribunal and save Kim. This requires passing the Authority check (Medium 11) successfully.

Generally speaking, players need to upgrade the skills of Authority and Hand/Eye Coordination to survive the tribunal if the shooting starts. So, consider wearing your top gear and upgrading these two skills before returning to Whirling-in-rags after meeting Ruby.

With Kim saved, it would be just Harrier being shot in the tribunal. Players will continue the investigation with Kim, despite the fact that he is in low spirits. The next step is to recollect the missing clues and depart for the islet with Lilienne Carter’s boat. The deserter on the islet will admit that he shot Lely out of a mix of feelings (Despite towards corporate killers, hatred, and jealousy, etc. Maybe, affected by the phasmid as well.)

The end of the game comes after Harrier and Kim return to the fish village, because the deserter falls into a trance. With Kim defending and vouching for Harrier, players will reach the good ending no matter what. The difference only lies in whether players choose to recruit Kim or not. There is no after-story, and the game ends directly with the credits.

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Another Good Ending with Cuno

In Disco Elysium endings, players will continue the investigation with Cuno if players fail to pass the Authority check and save Kim in the tribunal. Kim is heavily injured and sent to the hospital. Therefore, Cuno is the only one left to take care of Harrier. As to other Hardie boys, depending on how many red checks that players have passed in the tribunal, the number of survivors varies. If you fail all the checks, no one will be left except Cuno.

Upon waking up in the hotel room, Cuno will fill players in on the updates and ask if he can join the investigation. Players need to let Cuno join to reach the good ending with Cuno. Cuno will not accompany players outside the hotel and the islet. So, players will be taking the boat to the islet alone, and Cuno will rejoin the party on the islet.

Players will have the option near the end of the game, when confronting the colleagues from the police department, of whether to recruit Cuno or not. Recruiting him is strongly advised because of the threat from Cunoesse and the fact that he is seen to be helping the police. If you have finished Cuno’s side quest about Cuno’s father, you will see Harrier’s insights on Cuno, about how the kid will suffer the same fate of the father (alcohol and drug abuse) eventually down this road. Therefore, recruiting him will be the best option, with what players know about Cunoesse, Cuno’s family, and the hostility towards RCM in Revachol.

The best part of having Cuno in the party?

1. Fresh insights and funny reactions to the NPCs from a twelve-year-old
2. Cuno can see the phasmid as well. Even though he has no camera to take evidence, his strong testimony convinces Judit Minot to believe its existence in the end.
3. Cuno acts as a civilian witness to the deserter’s murder confession
4. Cuno defends Harrier to the best he can, and can avoid the bad ending of being left in the fish village.

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The Lone-Wolf Ending

If the player fails to warn Kim and refuses Cuno’s help, Harry can still finish the investigation on his own. This is, no doubt, the more depressing ending of facing the murderer on your own.

Solving the murder case wouldn’t be a problem, though; the key difficulty lies in whether Harry can still return to the police department or not.

• Without Kim’s and Cuno’s help, the colleagues will not believe Harry’s story of seeing a phasmid on the islet.
• Moreover, if the player has drunk alcohol during the gameplay and did not internalize Waste Land of Reality, Harry will be left behind by the colleagues and abandoned to the shacks.

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Disco Elysium Endings: Which Ending Is the Best

Many players believe that the phasmid quests are not side quests, but the main quests in the game, which reveals the core idea of Disco Elysium. There are otherworldly beings observing the human beings in another dimension.

While the good endings are the ones where Harry can return to the police station and complete the investigation with either Kim or Cuno, the endings will not be complete if the player did not see the phasmid and talk to it. Most players deem this the true ending as well, as the phasmid’s appearance certainly adds an element of surprise to the game and elevates the theme that Disco Elysium tries to convey.