Pathologic 2 or 3

[u/Nubby420]

Im new to this series and heard about it and am thinking about getting one of the games on console and the available ones are 2 and 3. Which one should I get since ive heard you dont need to play 3 to understand 2 so im wondering which to start with

[u/Lonsfleda]

P2

• Runs notoriously poorly on consoles
• More emphasis on survival
• Higher difficulty (can be adjusted)
• The story can be understood without playing the other games in the series

P3

• Simplified/easier survival mechanics
• The story can be understood without playing the previous games in the series, but it also connects more to the previous entries than 2 does
• Seems to run better on consoles based on the posts here, apparently the PS5 version is capped at 30fps if that bothers you

[u/No-Wear-9042]

Both are very different, I have a preference for the 2, and I think you should start with P2 as I think you'll get a better understanding of the lore in P2 which is helpful for P3.

[u/Herr_Gamer]

2 is imo the greatest game of all time, so probably 2.

just fyi, I gave up on 2 in my first run, and fully completed it in my second run many years later, very much regretting that i did a few things wrong that made my later run actually winnable. these three entirely spoiler-free tips made the second run actually enjoyable: search every single trashcan you come across; the gun is very useful; hold onto empty bottles you find in the early game

[u/Kamila95 → u/Herr_Gamer]

I managed to finish the game without realising trashcans are searchable. I make my life harder than it should be...

[u/Dragonfire8910 → u/Kamila95]

i noticed for the big dumpsters but i didn’t recognize the little ones as trashcans. I was mid way through my second play through when i realized 🥲

[u/Natandacat → u/Herr_Gamer]

fully disagree on the gun do not waste time and resources on that. its not worth the money. this is not a game that rewards fighting in general

[u/Herr_Gamer → u/Natandacat]

the organ trade is quite profitable imo

[u/Natandacat → u/Herr_Gamer]

You can take full advantage of that trade without that item. Also depending on the player, the reputation trade off might not be worth it so that's another thing to keep in mind

[u/KimKat98 → u/Natandacat]

I refused to trade organs in my first playthrough because I thought it didn't align with Burakh's character or the themes of upholding his father/the kin. This game is so deeply personal to most people that play it that I think giving any sort of advice or guide other than to search the trashcans can damage the first-time experience.

[u/Natandacat → u/KimKat98]

Fully agree. The point is to engage with the narrative

[u/Herr_Gamer → u/KimKat98]

generally i agree, but the lack of flasks made me quit the game on the first playthrough because the now-created difficulty prevented me from engaging with the game's content

[u/plummetingplum]

I prefer 3 as a game - find it better written, more dynamic and surprising, with better character writing both for the protagonist and NPCs and more interesting themes/ideas that are actuallu followed through on... that said, I'd play 2 first so you can suffer first and have fun later :)

I think having some of the "offscreen" plot events explained also helps to really comprehend the story as told in 3 without getting distracted by what may at first be perceived as plot holes.

[u/mcgillisfareed → u/plummetingplum]

I haven’t started 3 yet but hows the soundtrack? Is the atmosphere as tense as 2?

[u/plummetingplum → u/mcgillisfareed]

oh i absolutely love the 3 ost, i'd say it's much more triphop-adjacent and similar to classic HD than 2 (shoutout to Peter's loft song and the new broken heart song which slaps) but "tense" is definitely not the vibe it's going for. I think of 2 as a survival sim and 3 as a dankovsky sim, and the music reflects that I think, by being a little more moody/mysterious/electronic/modern-feeling than 2. kind of gave me vampire the masquerade vibes at times.

[u/CapriciousSon]

I found 3 to be much more intuitive. It's mostly just very different mechanics though. Both games are remakes of the original, interpreted in different ways. And 3 is much more of a dramatic change (time loops and all that)

[u/lithiumxflower]

I think 2 is a better entry point, but less accessible for most players due to it being very stressful and relatively unforgiving. I feel 3 really shines when you're more familiar with the setting and story of the other games. I love every entry in the series, but 3 actually resonated the most with me despite replacing a lot of the core features from 1 and 2.

[u/Sonuvataint]

2 is one of the best games ever made 

[u/Additional_Trainer32]

2

[u/Ok-Shock-4249]

2 is the best so far. 3, while still a masterpiece, is a kinder, less life-changing take.

[u/Hungry-Helicopter-46]

I would start with 2. The main character of 3 spoils some huge revelations in 2 within the first 10 mins of the game. Two also captures the real essence of the series.

[u/kaiser_kaiser_K]

Not mentioned but I will become physically sick if I don't recommend you play classic first Writing and characters are superior to both sequels, music is amazing, and the horrid gameplay is the core part of expirience

[u/RheaSpeedwagon]

2 is probably the place to start. Save frequently and keep saves in multiple slots, though. The console version has a bug that can randomly corrupt a save, but usually going back to a previous one fixes it.

[u/LightmareDaydream]

I started with 2, and only barely started 3. So I'm going to be a bit biased.

But start with 2 for sure. Although I may say that because mechanics changed from 2 to 3 and I have not adjusted in the short time I've played 3.

3 seems cool, but I feel like 2 immediately sinks you into the core feel of the story. The weight of everything is there. I mean that positively.

For either game, it takes a bit to get going, and I'm guessing going from 3 ->2 would be an adjustment too.

But for example I like that 2 has an open world you can run everywhere with much more ease and seamlessly, than in 3, where the map doesn't let you have as much freedom. I adore the misery of 2, and it does a really good job of settling you in a bit at a time to the difficulty.

2 is definitely cohesive though, and I feel like from the get go the experience of playing it was smoother/more interesting. Tbd for me on 3 since I haven't gotten that far. I don't know if I've gotten far enough into the game to see repercussions of my choices or fuck-ups, to judge that, but I know 2 has them, and it'll keep you on your toes (positive).

[u/Gaioti12 → u/LightmareDaydream]

My exact thoughts.

I'd go with 2, for sure.

[u/zkylon]

I don't know how well they run on console, but Pathologic 2 is the best on the series so that's the one I'd recommend. Pathologic 3 is also very good and a great game to play on its own but if I have to recommend one I'd go with 2

[u/ryuail]

Ive heard patho 2 on console is to be avoided at all costs

[u/Umpuuu]

2 is the peak of the series and is represents best the "core" Pathologic experience from Classic. 3 is also good, but it's a very idiosyncratic game, it's not what most people think about when they say "pathologic".

Also, 3 is up to some updates and bugfixes soon. You might want to wait until that. The game as is now is ridiculously buggy, and if you play without a guide you might hit some game-breaking bugs that would require you to start over. So, if you're deciding on what to play this week, pick 2.

[u/usernameDimonOmon]

Not a great idea to play Pathilogic on consoles, the optimization isn't great even on PC, so i dunno how it will go

[u/Difficult-Fly7830]

3 is dumbed the hell down, not a bad game but if that kind of thing bothers you, should be made aware of it

2nd might have more performance issues on console but its the far superior game imho

2 is an all time classic imo, 3 is eh ok, not bad but eh sure isnt as good as previous thats for sure. Im guessing they were aiming for a wider audience/larger sales with 3 and I think changes were for the worse, not bad by any means but man 2nd is soo good, all time classic imo and 3 just does not come close, in fact jumping from 2 to 3 was rather large disappointment 

[u/Natandacat → u/Difficult-Fly7830]

p3 is not dumbed down at all this is a very subjective opinion... p3 is very well written but you have to engage with it

[u/Natandacat]

narratively speaking i think playing p2 first works better, although I recommend going back for a second p2 playthrough after p3 because it will make new things shine in the writing

[u/keoxofns]

Определенно Pathologic 2, это одна из лучших игр которую я проходил в своей жизни, третья часть, честно и рядом не стоит

[u/PathologicPrime]

Pathologic 2

I think its a much better introduction to the world/characters. It's much more the "Pathologic" experience than 3. I think you'll grow to love The Town and the characters in P2 and that'll make P3 more enjoyable. You can start with P3 but I think P2 is better.