I’ve only played the WIP version and haven’t played the actual game yet.
But how do the different motivations and careers effect the story? Are the possible paths wildly different?
I ask because I can’t start the game until I build the optimal builds in Rebirth for each path.
You are asked again about your motivation and nemesis in the second book , whoever you choose to be your nemesis, that person gains points of suspection ( 5 )
If you choose yourself , puppet gains 5 points of individuality
Yes to the careers and kind of to the motivations
I think you misunderstood, sorry if I was unclear.
By motivation I meant revenge, justice, anger, and living good.
I’m pretty sure you can choose to reiterate it at the beginning of the game.
Damn. I’m gonna need at least 4 runs then. Thanks though.
There are a couple of places in b2 where you can change, if you want. Mine was all about justice, and stayed that way till the end.
That’s my girl.
Nice quote, but she really doesn’t want to destroy everything. Just the bad guys. Show the public the truth about what they are. Given her leadership skills (she gets leadership bumps a lot, she’d be a good one to rebuild).
Justice works well with anarchist 
Got it. And what about the Heartbreak scars?
I remember Puppetmaster being the one I got most frequently.
Plus Mailn said on the public discord that what career you pick have will massively effect what you can do in the other two books (For example a thief will have the option to pull off a nationwide economically effecting crime)
I’m probably gonna do a Anger Anarchist build. Just an absolute extremist.
the characters in this game are so well written that I want to romance everyone 
If your MC is trans, and you romance Daniel and come out to him about being trans, there’s a part where I think MC is supposed to be referencing Anathema in their thoughts during the convo (from what I remember from the demo) as another canonly trans character, but they say Daniel instead. I don’t remember the exact wording, but it’s something along the lines of talking about Daniel transitioning openly; didn’t sound right when I read it, anyway.
I’ve tried to locate this but I can’t find it, please let me know if you remember any other details!
If your puppet is romancing Dr. Mortum, and you brought the doctor back to the puppet’s apartment in the first game after going home from the hospital but DIDN’T sleep with them (at least, I chose the keep your clothes on option), then the second game will treat it as if Dr. Mortum has never been to the appartment (ie, giving you the options to choose whether you’ve brought anyone back to the puppet’s appartment again). At least I think that’s what it is, because I didn’t have this same inconsistency when I was going off of a save where I did choose to sleep with Mortum.
Making note of this, thank you!
I’ll see if I can’t get back to the first one and take a screenshot at some point!
So on my second play through now, and I’m wondering who exactly is the one who wakes up in Sidestep/the puppet’s body. The person is way too nonchalant to actually be the puppet with their mind recovered, and really in some instances, almost satisfied, as if a plan went well.
I wonder if somehow Heartbreak takes over the spare body…
Anyone have any good theories?
I actually just read it again and I realized I was confused and reading it wrong!
Maybe puppet developed copy of sidesteps mind or something? Or split personality thing(The whole conversation while unconscious is extremely suspicious to me). Maybe Heartbreak left a copy of themselves int Sidesteps mind, that’s a theory i read here multiple times.
For context, I don’t think it’s actually incorrect, but the sentence that had me confused was:
A very different man from Daniel who had started his heroic career still a woman and dealt with his transition in front of a national audience.
I got the subject of the sentence confused, though on reading it over again a couple times, I realized the subject is Sentinel, not Daniel. It’s just that, to me, my brain focused on “…Daniel who had started his heroic career still a woman and dealt with his transition in front of a national audience.” I think there would be a comma after Daniel if he was the subject of the end of the sentence. So like I said, not wrong—I just got confused.
In case someone doesn’t know this exists :
Congrats on the release!!
Is there a way to increase Subtle Manipulations in this one? I had a really hard time figuring out how to increase it in Rebirth too, but I’m at 78 and can’t get it to budge. I was hoping to get it further up there to do that certain big event that I experienced in the alpha.
Well my Sidestep’s better be at least half the telepath she thinks she is cause she’s burnt every single bridge and not a single soul was interested in breaking her out of the hospital in the end lol
Still I can’t say it’s not what I wanted because I’m a sucker for stories about self-destruction and isolation. Plus, if she actually were to break the hospital’s dampeners on her own, I’m sure the rangers would be quite alarmed as that might remind them of another powerful and dangerous telepath from the past… can’t wait to spread panic!
Anyways, having played multiple paths, here are some other unorganized thoughts:
I think Ortega might actually come around to the killing thing provided that you keep it on a utilitarian level, so to speak (though I will enjoy the friction till it lasts). I don’t think her morals are more inflexible than Argent or Chen’s, who can help you out in the end even if you’ve killed. It’s just that, given her previous relationship with Step, she has the hardest time reconciling the memories of her friend/lover with the current reality, as further shown by her denial if you trigger the fakeself tag.
On the topic of tags, I believe that the massacre one might be the only thing none of the RO except Mortum will get over.
I’m not too worried about Mortum’s backstabbing. She’s no idiot and I think she’ll be quick to smell bullshit at Possessed!Puppet’s first misstep (who, btw, I’m imagining to perhaps be the same virus/entity that got hold of Heartbreak).
Provided you end up stuck in the puppet, Mortum’s relationship (platonic or otherwise) is the one that feels the most comforting. She’s the only character who, as of now, can know all your major secrets and, once she’s gotten past the lying, it really does feel like a solid partnership. We’re frequently reminded that she’s dangerous however and I suspect that even if Sidestep’s done with secrets, she still has a few of her own that might throw a wrench in the relationship.
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that the Farm’s looking for Heartbreak’s successor and that Sidestep’s the number one candidate but until we know more about this project, the core and exactly what threat it poses not only to Step but, as it’s been hinted at, to the city as well, I’m unsure which path would be the most effective. Right now I’ve settled for anarchist but not enough info yet. It’s all part of the mystery of course, so I’ll be patient.
I love how the story takes into account all the possible gender combos and makes room for unique dialogue. The newly added conversation between Julia and F!Sidestep about the former’s failure to live up to the expectations of women her age felt right.
I have many more (all positive) thoughts but I’ll write them down to leave a review on steam as soon as I have the time.