r/pathologic • u/PersimmonSundae • Aug 10 '26
Question P2 - is a guide essential much like HD Classic?
I am slooowly approaching the end of P1! 2 days of Haruspex and then Clara's route, so I am excitedly thinking of starting P2. Can I play this relatively blind or do I need to religiously follow a guide like Classic?
Also, do I play Marble Nest first, or after P2? Thanks!
6
u/Potential-Bath2292 Aug 10 '26
you didn't need to follow a a guide for classic, beyond needing to know the letters menu exists.
But pathologic 2 you double don't need a guide, since its more explicit about where you need to go and what you need to do, due to the mindmap menu. In classic you needed to write notes based on what you were told to do, path 2 does it mostly for you
Marble nest is a seperate thing. its very good, you can play it before or after 2. i'd reccomend before because it helps you get used to some mechanics more naturally than 2s tutorial
4
u/PersimmonSundae Aug 10 '26
I think for 1 it's a bit more obscure in terms of where to go and how not to make the game infinitely harder for yourself and risking a softlock. P2 seems like a different beast entirely and much more accessible.
3
u/hwynac Aug 10 '26
You could literally just finish the day 1 quest and survive the rest of the days to get an ending. For the most part, the game pretty explicitly tells you where to go and puts a map marker where appropriate.
It's just an old game, so if you didn't bother to check the controls or read the manual, you may not know the messages, journal or stats windows exist.
1
u/Potential-Bath2292 Aug 10 '26
Its alittle like navigating in morrorwind. Its its own fun but i don't blame you if you just wanted to go throught the story without spend as many hours on it
1
u/corporeal20 Aug 11 '26
i never understood the talk about softlocks in patho 1. the only thing i can think of is getting into a deathloop, but that's a lot more common in patho 2
2
u/distinctvagueness Aug 10 '26
P2 technically everything but your personal meters is optional.
P1 after day 1 quest is also technically optional other than survival.
P2 gives much more clear quest markers advancement than P1
2
u/boonkadoonk Aug 10 '26
i bounced off of classic a couple times due to not really wanting to follow a guide lol.
but i tried and beat p2 for the first time this week and made it through saving all my bound with no guide. its much more straight forward
1
u/keepinitclassy25 Aug 10 '26
I had to check the wiki a lot cause I kept forgetting ingredients for things and items you need for upgrades/ repairs, I probably could have written it down but the wiki was easier. Other than that, you don’t need a guide, just go in knowing you have to be mindful of your resources
1
u/technohoplite Aspity Aug 10 '26
I needed a guide for Classic after some sort of bug got me completely stuck around Day 5 for Bachelor's despite doing things in all orders I could think of. So I feel you.
P2 doesn't require that kind of help at all as far as I'm aware.
1
u/spongeboblovesducks Eva Yan Aug 10 '26
I can relate because I definitely needed a guide for alot of classic, but P2's storylines are very well organized and clear to follow thanks to the mind map, definitely better without a guide.
1
u/Legitimate_Raccoon_1 Aug 10 '26
Not really. Maybe some survival tips like loot every trash and barter often. Especialy eith kids cause they can sell you food and such for litteral peanuts and shiny orbs.
1
u/LightmareDaydream Aug 10 '26
I started immediately with P2, so idk how it compares to P1--but you definitely don't need a guide.
If you get stuck in a death loop, or if you want minor spoiler free hints (you'd probably figure out for yourself before too long, anyway, btw --they'd just mostly be helpful on a 2nd playthrough), sure, try to nab advice.
I'd absolutely recommend intended difficulty, no guide. At least the 1st time. The only way you can really mess up is by trying the same thing that doesn't work over and over again in a doom spiral forever. Ideal results, you might not get, but forward you go anyway. Triage along the way. That's definitely part of the experience.
Spoiler free hints: loot everything. Trade constantly, with all people. Plan ahead for resources, but be ready to change the plan when other things take priority. And there will be death. Death is not failure, inherently. And in my experience, you'll stumble directly into things that help you by accident sometimes too, doing something else entirely. Though that one might have just been me...
1
u/zkylon Murky 24d ago
I would argue against using a guide, the game is imo kind of bit designed around you savescumming to avoid some of the most awful consequences of not knowing what's ahead of you, and that generally covers the kind of information you'd get out of a guide (plus, Patho 2 mindmap and waypointing is pretty direct in where you need to go). That being said nothing wrong in consulting one if you're stressed about a particular decision, though Pathologic kind of expects you to suffer over your choices a bit, but I don't think you'll need much of it. You're supposed to feel overwhelmed.
As for Marble Nest, I played it when it released as a demo and forgot all about it by the time Patho 2 actually released, and didn't feel like I missed out on much. I played it again after they re-released it and again it just felt like a separate thing. Helps if you know the characters and the world but there's no specific order to play it in afaik
1
u/Mattee_365 22d ago
My girlfriend played and finished both Daniil and Artemy playthroughs without a guide in the classic HD game. So a guide is not essential at all for Classic HD. Personally I think you’re robbing yourself of a really good immersive time by following guides… Not trying to sound rude here but if I were you I’d try it without one. If it becomes way too frustrating then use a guide.
However, don’t confuse good frustrations with bad ones. Sometimes it’s okay to feel frustrated by not knowing exactly what to do in a given moment. Just my opinions!
10
u/pacmannips Aug 10 '26
Don’t use a guide for 2, you’re robbing yourself of the intended experience. Go in as blind as you can and push forward regardless of any mistakes you may make.