5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting We Happy Few

Playing on Easy Mode Is Probably Best

“Easy mode?” you ask, the look of disgust evident on your face. Yes, easy mode. We Happy Few is a survival game at its core. It also features stealth and combat elements that aren’t executed very well. During our normal difficulty playthrough, we found that not only was the melee combat not very engaging, it was also tedious because enemies could hit us hard with no stamina penalties. Additionally, the survival elements often get in the way of the story, spoiling its pacing as you’re forced to constantly look for resources to keep your characters healthy.

All of these issues are still prevalent on the game’s easiest difficulty, but at least they’ll be much more manageable and won’t impede your enjoyment of the story as much. So yes, we recommend playing We Happy Few on a lower difficulty, because once you start a game on the normal setting, you can’t change it back.

Get the Super Duper Skills First

We Happy Few also features a small skill tree, in which you can spend skill points to upgrade your character’s abilities. Each of the three characters comes with their own unique skill trees, as well as a Super Duper section to the right that usually offers the best upgrades. The start of the game is the easiest to get through, and we recommend investing your skill points into the Super Duper tree first. You don’t have to buy all of them; just invest enough to get you comfortable for the remainder of your playthrough.

For instance, you’ll probably want to get the first three Super Duper skills for Arthur at least. Having access to better healing, better stamina, and being able to take down taller enemies and bobbies will be very useful. After that, you can start looking into the regular upgrades, which will cost fewer points to purchase.

Don’t Fight if You Don’t Have To

Speaking of skill points, you’ll get these by completing missions. We Happy Few doesn’t have a standard progression system, where you’re gaining experience points through combat and leveling up via traditional means. Instead, you’ll receive skill points for every main and side mission you complete, so there’s absolutely no point in fighting enemies if you don’t have to. Basic weapons break very easily in this game, and it can be hard to find healing items when you first leave the tutorial island, so try to rely on stealth as best you can.

However, it’s also worth noting that you can choose to fight enemies if you want to progress through a quest the easy way. One of the main story missions requires you to obtain a Boiler Suit so that you can convince an NPC to give you a key item. During my playthrough, I didn’t have enough resources to craft the outfit. Instead of backtracking and hunting down the materials I needed, I simply beat the shit out of the NPC and stole the item off his body. Brutal, but it works.

Behave Yourself

Once you get into Maiden Holm and the village proper, We Happy Few becomes a much more challenging game where you always have to mind your behavior. You’ll have to stick to a curfew, as bobbies will get hostile if they see you wandering about after hours. NPCs will frown upon you if you start sprinting, crouching, or engaging in classic Downer behavior like stealing or punching someone in the face. Thankfully, there is a skill that stops NPCs from minding if you sprint or crouch, though it’ll take a while before you get to that point. There are also several security systems in place that will trigger alarms if you attempt to pass through without taking your Joy.

For starters, make sure you’re always wearing the appropriate outfit. Save the Torn Suit for the slum areas like Barrow Holm and Lud’s Holm, but put on the Proper Suit in the classy areas. When you see a doctor —they’re the creepy ones in the trench coat and hat— stay away from them if you’re off your Joy. They’ll detect you very quickly, and cause the whole town to become hostile. If an NPC is about to turn hostile, sit on a bench and wait for them to pass.

Unlock the Fast Travel Hatches

Thankfully, it’s not that hard to lose aggro in We Happy Few. If you can make your way to a safe area like a fast travel hatch, you can leave the hatch and the NPCs’ behavior will be reset. Always be on the lookout for these ground hatches whenever you reach a new island. Some hatches can only be unlocked via side quests, and Arthur will make a comment on that point when you’re near one.

Fast travel hatches also let you travel between the islands easily, so you can pursue side quests at your own pace. They also come packed with crafting tables that allow you to create better gadgets and weapons. You’ll also want to dump all your resources into the pneumatic locker so that you’re not carrying too much stuff, and sleep on the bed to make sure you’re well-rested. Fast travel hatches are very useful, so try to unlock one on each island.

Be sure to check our wiki for more information on We Happy Few.