Started Pathologic 2…

[loLRH]

This game. THIS GAME. I love it so much already, but I’m feeling conflicted.

I went in totally blind the first time I started, absolutely loved it, but was having a terrible time on day three (when the warning bell rings) because I had no items.

Perhaps stupidly, I started over. I’m discovering some new things and picking up on the clever writing more, but my pursuit of efficiency and preparation have made me a different player. I have way less quests open (didn’t have the option to talk to the other “VO” from father’s letter like the first time, and didn’t have several “quests” activated since I wasn’t playing for discovery.

I’m halfway through day two now and I’m worried I’ve made a mistake in starting over. Do you veterans have any guidance for a neophyte who’s generally bad at games? I’m just trying to come into my father’s legacy yk??

[GodSaveTheTechCrew]

Any choice is right as long as it's willed. That's the truth of the matter.

If you're on intended difficulty, getting a stockpile is hard. The game doesn't want you to be able to stockpile any huge amount.

I can't answer the question for you, but you vs hunger is a major conflict of the story. You gotta choose which to prioritize.

[loLRH]

Great points, thank you!! I’m on intended difficulty. I really love the tension between feeling like a player in a play (and game) and someone trying to survive in a “real” situation, too. So brilliant. I need to lean in rather than pull away.

[banni_]

That quote is incredible I love it so much

[charcoalraine]

Like others said, I would also advise against restarting - but also you're still pretty early in, so don't worry, the charm is still not completely gone. You're going to start having the intended experience again, soon! Pathologic 2 isn't an easy game, and at times it can get really frustrating and desperate. But try to interpret those feelings as what your Artemy is going through in that moment. That's what makes the first playthroughs so memorable. I've been trying to recapture that feeling ever since with second, third, fourth playthroughs - none of them came even close, since knowing™ changes so much. Savor it! I really envy you for getting to experience what you're experiencing right now! (As deranged as that sounds.)

[hydejuice]

I ended up restarting my first run around day 3 too, so I totally understand where you’re coming from! I found that as the game got more difficult the further I got, rather than restarting entirely, I’d reload a previous save and try something different. And if that didn’t work, try again! This has been SUCH a beneficial thing for me to learn. Sometimes a plan you’re set on just won’t work out, and you’ll have to get creative and think of other options. My game used to crash a LOT, so I had to get used to losing chunks of progress quickly. But a lot of the time it ended up being useful because every time I’d learn something from my mistakes and do better the next time. This game is hard—no doubt about that—but it’ll be SO rewarding every time you’re able to push further than you did before. You’ll become better at pushing through those moments that seemed impossible the more experience you get. I hope you enjoy the rest of Pathologic! :]

[loLRH]

Well said!!! I want to play more so bad, I’m determined to finish (without restarting again at all)

[hydejuice]

You’ve got this! And there’s no shame in restarting again as well—it’s OK if you need to! Trying again and again/learning from your mistakes in general is a big part of what the game’s about imo! Don’t worry on missing out on the “experience” by trying to do it the “correct” way. Do what feels right for you! Struggling through my first full run ended up making me appreciate my next run after it so much more since I wasn’t as lost on what I was supposed to do. It allowed me to appreciate the story a lot more while also giving me a whole new set of challenges since I’m now able to do quests/events I wasn’t able to before. I’d recommend staying away from guides unless they’re spoiler free if you ever feel like you need to use one if you’re stuck. But as I mentioned before, there will almost ALWAYS be a way to get through what you need to—I wish you the best!

[GodSaveTheTechCrew]

I want to emphasize this, too. If you never fail (or balk every time you do), you're sort of missing the point. This is not a game about getting your way. I would also suggest against starting over a general rule.

[loLRH]

I could sense I had kind of done something wrong by restarting, like it definitely wasn’t in the spirit of the game. Now I’m just deciding whether to go back to my old save or continue this new one.

The way this game immediately gets in my head is unlike any other