Disco Elysium – Good Cop / Bad Cop points

How do Cop Points work, anyway?

Cop points basically measure Kim’s opinion of your abilities and personality. Anything that can convince him that despite your oddities, you still make an effective detective (and a decent human being) earns +1 cop point. Anything that makes him think you’re completely gone / a terrible freaking person grants -1 cop point (+1 / -1 cop point is probably easier to parse than “+1 Good Cop Point” and “+1 Bad Cop Point”).

Points are only awarded for things Kim actually witnesses. Like the game notes – if you can sneak away from Kim to conduct your sordid business, he (mostly) will never find out about it and / or adjust his opinion accordingly. You can send Kim back to the police station for various reasons, and you can also sneak out of your room after bidding him good night in the evening.

Points don’t really influence Kim’s attitude towards you THAT much (There’s only so much divergent writing the game can tolerate). However, there are a few important checks that rely on Kim trusting or distrusting you.

I thought quite a bit about how to best format this guide. I’ve concluded that it’s best to proceed in roughly chronological order, starting with the options that are available to you as you first meet Kim, and going on as you explore the gameworld.

Obviously, I haven’t completed every single permutation of every conversation, so I’m sure there are points I haven’t listed. If you are entirely certain about what specific interaction provides a positive or negative cop point, let me know. In particular, I’m interested in the initial interactions with Kim before you get your ledger, as you can’t actually track your cop points at that stage.

Talking to Kim

These points are available the moment you meet Kim, as you interrogate him about the case and himself.

+1 cop point each for:
“I want to know about you – more rapport”.
Ask about the case, whether Kim thinks it’s mysterious, “white male in his 40’s”.
Talk about the Cop-Off with Kim and suggest you’re an experimental cop, and this is just how you approach cases.
Talk about the Cop-Off, say that you were sent to teach him a lesson about style – he needs a patrol cap and he should trust you on that (only if Kim really trusts you?)
Pass a logic check about the Cop-Off, ask Kim whether you were sent as a joke.
Say “okay then” and “thank you, oh wise man” after you convince Kim you have medical memory loss (this just cancels out the -1 point for telling him to begin with)
Day 1 evening debrief (if you got at least some results during the day?)
Play Suzerainty – invest in the workers and say “You taught me that points were arbitrary”

-1 cop point each for:
Insist that your memory loss constitutes a medical emergency.
Talk about the Cop-Off with Kim and say you’re a hero cop who’s been sent to humiliate him.
Ask to know more about Kim, then call him a lame binoclard.
Do speed and tell Kim about it (not actually available the moment you meet Kim, but can be done at any point after doing speed).

The Whirling-in-Rags hotel

Good cop:
Pass a suggestion check to beg money from Lena. She’ll give you her pin – return it (right away or after buying it back from the pawn shop).
Wake up the worker (Physical Instrument check) and ask him about the dead body in the tree.
Your hypothetical relationship to the Man with Sunglasses in precinct 41 – Kim is cooler than him.
Find the footprints behind the blue door (only if you first insist on the Blue Door investigation in some form?)
Bring Garte a replacement stuffed bird from the fishing village
Sing Karaoke, dedicate the song to Kim

Bad cop:
Lick the booze stain next to the passed out worker at the hotel (Electrochemistry check)
Fail the empathy check when talking with Sylvie and talk to Garte about her.
Tell the cook “we speak Revacholian” (requires the fascist thought)

Kim’s car

Good Cop:
If you don’t have the money for your hotel bill by the end of day 1, Kim will offer to pawn a set of shiny hubcaps he previously confiscated.
Say you would have confiscated the hubcaps too
Say you’re sorry that Kim has to sell his hubcaps

Interact with Kim’s car, ask him whether other policemen have such cool cars. Medium Interfacing check followed by a Medium Encyclopedia check for him to mention TipTop. Say you adore the competition.

An opportunity to discuss Kim’s car further comes up on day 2+ (Interfacing check).
Pass a Medium Visual Calculus check to offer to help install lights on his car (only if your relationship is already positive)
Mention the specific engine specs of Kim’s car (Encyclopedia check).

Tell Pissf****t and ♥♥♥♥ the World that you’re one of the bad cops (Day 4+)

Bad Cop:
Call Silvie, ask why she hasn’t reported the murder, medium Half-Light check to call yourself her god.

Your ledger

Retrieve your ledger from the garbage container and inspect it at Kim’s motor carriage.

Good Cop:
Name the case in your ledger – ask Kim about his pens but stick with your pencil (+3 points total)
Review your autopsy forms in the ledger prior to the autopsy and select “First, what exactly is a *field autopsy*?”

Bad cop:
Tell Kim you “don’t take orders” while recovering the ledger.
Try to name the case, steal Kim’s pen, and deny him when he attempts to name the case (a total of -1 points).

Initial area around the hotel in general:

Good cop:

Back Kim up when talking to the racist lorry driver. +1 if you pass a Medium Rhetoric check and say the racist is undermining Revachol’s self-determination, +1 for “♥♥♥♥♥♥’ A, Kim”, +1 for “you just look at people and make arbitrary judgments”
Accept the “Waste Land of Reality” thought (requiring you to sober up) from Measurehead (after internalizing Advance Race Theory) or Tiego in the church. You don’t have to internalize the thought, just acquire it.
Succeed in knocking Measurehead out.
Give Gaston the photo from Rene’s guard booth in the harbor on day 5+

Bad cop:
Pass the Rhetoric check to get Gaston’s Sandvich. -1 for offering to share it with Rene, -1 for giving to Rene.

Check out the coin-operated viewer and tell Kim that you dig organized crime.

Pass the conceptualization check with Tommy, go “♥♥♥♥ the police”

Get down with racism when talking to the racist lorry driver (-1).
After the talk, Kim asks you if you meant it. Say you did, push further with a Rhetoric check, and say you have a responsibility to future generations (-1)

Try and fail to steal the Frittte poncho.
Talk to the Frittte shop girl about her magazine, and say it’s “very futuristic”

Attack Measurehead without knocking him out and tell Kim you may attack him again.

The Bookstore, Doomed Commercial Area and Apartment Building

Good cop:
Convince the book store owner to bring her daughter inside
Recover the Belle-Magrave in the Doomed Commercial District basement and wonder what it means.

Investigate apartment 10 for the cleaning lady

Ask the Sunday Friend about the hanging
Have the Sunday Friend confirm that about 8 men handled the hanging (depends on whether you succeed in the Visual Calculus check at the hanging scene first?)

Tell Billie her husband is dead (Day 3+, doesn’t matter how well you handle the news)

Bad cop:
Fail the Interfacing check to steal a map of Martinaise at the book store.
Look at the Kras Mazov bust in the Communard student’s apartment (requires chain-cutters), call him a deviant.
Insist on accusing the Sunday Friend of murder (you can still do this after getting his witness testimony).
When talking to the Sunday Friend about the dead mercenary’s history (requires having talked to Klaasje) use a racial slur.

The Harbor and Evrart

Good cop:
Find your RCM cloak
Discover the remains of your party at the harbor, pass an Inland Empire check.
Compliment Easy Leo (Evrart’s flunky)
Pass the Logic check to figure out what Leo is doing with the containers
Pass the Composure check when Evrart tells you about your gun
Don’t take Evrart’s second (smaller) bribe
Successfully pitch an investment idea to the MRLBG

Bad Cop:
Insult Easy Leo
Tell Evrart you don’t care about your gun – he can keep it.

Joyce

Good cop:
Let Kim handle telling Joyce about the drug investigation.

Bad cop:

Tell Joyce that Evrart is helping you find your gun.
During the reality lowdown, ask Joyce about what she is and whether she wants to ♥♥♥♥.
Volunteer to share the drug investigation info with Joyce (-1). Tell her you’ve poked around in the lorry and the radio didn’t have speedfreaks FM (Kim’s fav radio station, which you discover by messing with his car radio) (-1).

Roy and Siileng

Good Cop:
Don’t play along with Siileng’s finger-guns when you first meet him (only provided you have the option to play along to begin with – Reaction Speed check).

Bad cop:
Hit up Siileng for a bribe to improve relationships with the RCM or to keep his operation secret from his employer (investment in an experimental detective is fine though)

Ask Roy how much you sold your gun for.
Get Pyrholidon from Roy (requires an Electrochemistry check)

Cuno:

Good Cop:
Don’t give Cuno the drugs.

Bad Cop:
Make the deal with Cuno and say you’re a bad addict cop.
Give Cuno the drugs (-2 points).
Punch Cuno – “sick charade”.

The hanged man and the autopsy:

Good cop:
Say “I think he’s dead” and every single one of the following dialog options (+5 points total, one for each option) when looking at the hanged man.
Note the serial number on the boots, follow it up via Kim’s radio until you get a name for the Hanged Man
Note the odd-sole in the footprints around the hanged man.
Ask Kim about the odd-sole, and just nod without saying anything

Autopsy:
Recover basic information about yourself (either your initials in the ledger or your badge), and make sure you’re listed as the arriving officer.
Pass Conceptualization check to add a “Moral” to the story.
Pass a Physical Instrument check to list the height as 1.85.
Get the victim’s age (about 40) right during the autopsy (triggers when you have Klaasje confirm it later)
Get the victim’s race (Occidental) right during the autopsy (triggers when you have Klaasje confirm it later)
Find the bullet (+1 at the end of the autopsy) and offer it to Kim as a gift (+2) = +3 total.
Take the body away.

Bad cop:
Fail to make the check to approach the corpse even with ammonia, then say that you don’t want to get your ♥♥♥♥ together (-1) and shake your head (-1).
Make up a random serial number for the hanged man’s boots, then tell Kim you’re a psychopath when he questions you during the autopsy.
Autopsy summary – “this man was murdered by seagulls – I don’t like this game”.
Steal the hanged man’s boots (decide on the task while examining the hanging corpse, sneak out of your room after Kim goes to bed without sending the body into processing), wear them, and talk to Kim about it.

Fishing village and boardwalk area (Day 3+)

Good cop:
Investigate the car, then whistle a tune as you wait for the tide to come in.
Review your badge, check your rank, “I thought my rank was *drunk*”, “That gives me hope”
Suggest a funeral for your cop car when talking to Lilienne.

Listen to Idiot Doom Spiral’s story of the Headless Rider, tell Kim he’s a sharp-dressed man.

Let Gary know you’ve opened his apartment door for Evrart.
Pass Gary’s Composure check

Falsify the signatures on Evrart’s letter

Bad Cop:
Review your badge – “Putting up with my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ because I’m your superior” (-1) and “I don’t want to get better, I want to get worse” (-1)

Fail to make Isobel sign Evrart’s contract, then threaten her.
Find the catch in Evrart’s contract after getting the genuine signatures, and say “♥♥♥♥ these people”.

Ask Rosemary about his business, say you’re already hooking for Cuno

Fail the authority check with Acele (regarding the hat) and talk to Kim afterwards.
Ask Acele about where she got the mic (not Mike) and tell here you have a problem with ♥♥♥♥-sexuals.
Take a cut of the drug lab’s profits and reveal that to Acele

Keep making calls via the boardwalk phone. During the phone call to Girard, tell him you’re ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ his wife and don’t backtrack.

Tell Morell he shouldn’t leave his woman unattended (requires the fascist thought?)
Talk to Gary the Cryptofascist about Seol, ask him whether they are scheming.

The Church

Good Cop:
Enter the church.
Receive the Wasteland of Reality thought from Tiago by agreeing you have a problem with Alcohol (if you haven’t received it from Measurehead already)

Pass Soona’s logic check about the 2mm hole, say you’ve had this thought before.

Apologize for ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ up the check to make Kim dance (this just cancels out the -1 you get otherwise).

Bad Cop:
Try to use the pyrbar to enter the church and succeed in the Physical Instrument check.

Pass the Encyclopedia check for the window in the church, say you like the new RCM logo as it “puts the fear…”

Evict Soona from the church.

Fail the authority check when trying to get Kim to dance.

Refuse to apologize for failing the authority check – “getting bent out of shape over a word” (-2) + “Don’t really need you anyway” (-1).

Confronting “the Pigs”

Good Cop:
Find the narcotics and let Kim take them

Bad Cop:
Tell Kim to “blow her away”.
Insist on leaving the confrontation.
Confiscate her narcotics and say nothing in response.

The Hardie Boys and Klaasje

Good Cop:
Ask Klaasje about her passport and tell her she might be a suspect
Pass the Drama check with Klaasje.
Threaten to arrest her, pass the Shivers check – what is The Return?
After Titus calls you a can-opener, ask Kim whether that’s true.

Bad Cop:
Ask Elizabeth “what are you going to *do* to me?”
Talk to Easy Leo about Elizabeth and tell her he called her a “death machine”.

Connect Titus to the drug trade and tell him you’re on drugs right now.
Check the tape player in your room after being given Titus’ tape, and tell Kim to ♥♥♥♥ off.

Steal Preptide from Klaasje’s medicine closet (fail or don’t bother with the roll)
Call Klaasje a ♥♥♥♥♥ at some point (possibly pounding on her closed door), then bring it up again when talking about Titus’ tape.
Tell Klaasje you take drugs (at any point during the conversation) then ask her if the drugs made her kill the man.

The Instigator, the Tribunal, post-Tribunal:

Good Cop:

Let the Instigator go

Successfully warn Kim during the tribunal

Light the writing on the floor on fire with a cigarette.

Ask Kim about the generator on the Island, then kick it.

Ask the Deserter about Evrart, pass the Logic check

Pass the Electrochemistry check (requires Morell’s pheromones)

Talk to the Deserter after the check.

Bad Cop:
Don’t let the Instigator go.

Tell Kim to mind his own business as you prepare the necktie Molotov.

♥♥♥♥ up the tribunal : -1 for Titus dying, -1 for Elizabeth.

Tell Tommy that Ruby shot herself.

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