Released in early 2019, Pathologic 2 is the first of three games that were made available that cover the story of a surgeon named Artemy Burakh, who is called to his hometown to save it from a deadly plague.
The story continues immediately after the original game, where Artemy sees the tragedy that has struck his hometown. The game also features two more sequels covering the Bachelor and the Changeling stories, which will be added later on.
Pathologic 2 is one of the most challenging survival horror role-playing games. You'll find yourself dealing with many decisions that will set off a different course of the game. Everything you do changes the course of the game; hence here are some tips on how you can survive the game and play it effectively.
- Be The Trustworthy Guy
- Murder Is Not The Answer
- Spend Time Stocking Up On Resources
- Understanding Immunity In Pathologic 2
- Sleep To Recover Your Health
Be The Trustworthy Guy
The people in Pathologic 2 can easily sense if you are untrustworthy. If they don't like you, they won't help you, and you'll be left alone to fend for yourself in this game. The moment they smell something fishy with the way you act and talk to them, then your fate is sealed.
People won't be giving you any tips to help you in the game if they don't trust you. There are even times when they feel aggravated; they would even become aggressive and ambush you in a back alley.
Remember that getting knocked out will deal a tremendous amount of damage to your health, hindering your progress in the game. Always be the likable guy when talking to the locals, and don't try to push it with your conversations.
Be Agreeable
Always make sure that you agree with their terms and what they want. Trading is a good sign of having an agreeable personality. The more you trade with the locals, the more they begin to trust you.
You'll soon notice that they provide you with some information that will help you progress in the game. Sometimes, a character would be asking you to trade with other people as well.
Go ahead and seek out those characters and see what you can do for them. They might lead you to your next adventure.
Murder Is Not The Answer
Some of you might be tempted to murder someone out of pure boredom, or the character gets on your nerves. In this game, murdering people can affect your status within the community.
The townsfolk will always know that you have murdered someone, even if you do it in a discreet area or manner. Everyone will know, and you will be held accountable. There will come a time when the people will shun you, and there's no one left to talk to.
If you have to murder someone, then do it within the game's realm of morality or keep the body count as low as possible.
Start With The Easiest Level First
The game has three different difficulty levels. Even on the easiest level, the game is still very challenging. Avoid playing on the highest difficulty level if this is your first time playing the game.
You won't have the best experience when you do so. Leave that level of difficulty for when you have finished the game a couple of times, and you want to have a more challenging run in the game. For now, choose the easiest out of the three.
Always remember that there are no safe places to save the game, so you might as well take advantage of the easy setting first.
Spend Time Stocking Up On Resources
Whether you plan on exploring the town or meeting with new characters, you should always invest the first few minutes of playing the game to search for food and other items. Food is one of the most essential resources in this game.
You will find yourself hungry most of the time, which leaves you vulnerable to attacks. Another item that you should always have is immune boosters. This will leave you well-protected and should keep you alive for a specific duration.
One thing that everyone should know is that you should avoid eating nuts. They can be used as currency to trade for other items. Also, they usually do not fill your hunger bar, so it would not be that much help anyway.
Run Away
When you find yourself cornered or being attacked, most players would rather want to fight their way out of it. In Pathologic 2, you are always better off running away from a deadly mob or an infectious entity.
Fighting only burns your energy, and you run the risk of getting knocked out. It will cost many resources that could have been used in more important parts of the game.
If you're not able to take down an enemy in just three punches, it is best just to run away and consume a health potion if you have been critically hit. You even run the risk of lowering your immunity for no reason if you fight some infected enemies.
Understanding Immunity In Pathologic 2
Apart from all the things mentioned in this guide, you'll soon find out that your immunity is an essential aspect of your survival in this game. Immunity is exactly what you think it is. You'll be able to gauge your immunity by the green status bar.
As long as it is still green, you are still immune to all the dangers from the plague. However, when you go through infected areas, your immunity will be challenged and will gradually diminish until you see black patches on the corner of your screen.
If this ever happens, get out of the infected area as soon as possible and find ways to recover your immunity. Use immunity boosters to boost your immunity and prolong the status while you explore the infected area.
If you are stuck in the middle, find a safe space or an empty room to take a breather from the infection and go back again once you have recovered some of your immunity.
Use Protective Gear
Aside from raising your immunity when getting in contact with plague victims, you should also wear protective gear, especially when they try to grab you or if you get in contact with Hunting Clouds.
Hunting Clouds are black gases that hunt you down the streets, and if you are not aware, they may consume you. They often chase you down the streets and get into houses like doorways where you need to pass.
Having immunity is not enough to become invulnerable to these clouds. Make sure to wear protective gear whenever you encounter these black gases. Always check the immunity meter and make sure it stays green or within the safe level.
Sleep To Recover Your Health
Sleeping is another mechanic that you should always abuse in this game. For one, sleeping helps you progress in the game. Some dreams will unlock some achievements in this game and allow you to unfold the mystery.
Sleeping also helps you recover from exhaustion. Do this whenever you are a safe distance away from enemies. You can sleep at different shelters; however, do this only when you have built enough trust with the locals to let you in their house to sleep.
Sleeping will only help you recover if you also use morphine. Make good use of your morphine supply so you can recover your health.
Finding The Cure
There are two ways to make a cure from the plague that has ravaged the town. First, you have Shmowder, and the other is Panacea. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages.
The main advantage of using Shmowder is that the ingredients can be easily found; however, the process can be very harmful to you. Don't run the risk of getting killed by taking this route. Instead, make Panacea.
Panacea's ingredients are pretty difficult to find. You will need to gather Living Blood which is only acquired after Day 6, and tinctures that you can ask from the townsfolk. You can only make around seven cures for the entire duration of 12 days, so use it wisely.
Conclusion
The most challenging part of playing Pathologic 2 is staying alive and surviving the onslaught of angry infected mobs and other beings that lurk in the corners. Much like in real life, you need to be careful with many things, especially when it comes to getting infected.
In this chapter of the Pathologic series, players are tested even more, and who knows what the next two games will hold. Pathologic 2 is now available for download on Steam for Windows PC, the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 4, and the Microsoft Store for Xbox One.
