Beginner's Guide - Basics and Features

Welcome to IGN's official Psychonauts 2 Wiki guide. In this section, we'll cover the basics before you jump into the story and highlight some of the important features to ensure you get the most out of your playthrough.

For helpful tips and guides for common questions, check out our additional pages by clicking the links below:

• Tips and Tricks
• How-To Guides
• Walkthrough
• Side Missions
• Boss Guides
• Collectibles

A Beginner's Guide to Psychonauts 2

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Psychonauts 2 Story

Psychonauts 2 continues the story of a young psychic named Razputin in his quest to join an elite group of international psychic secret agents, the Psychonauts. Set just a mere few days after the events of the original Psychonauts game in 2005, Raz and the team will have finally captured their suspect, Dr. Loboto.

With Loboto in tow, Raz will finally realize his dream of visiting the Psychonauts Headquarters. However, he'll quickly learn that it's not the perfect place he expected when he gets there. With a believed mole having infiltrated the HQ, Razputin will quickly realize that the Psychonauts may just need him more than he needs them.

Do You Need To Have Played Psychonauts 1

Simply put, no. No, you do not need to have played the original Psychonauts videogame from 2005. While playing the original game will definitely help you better understand the occasional callbacks to the first game, Psychonauts 2 does a fantastic job at recapping all the events that occurred within the opening cutscene of the game.

But, if you still need a bit of a recap before jumping in, check out our video above, which gives a detailed breakdown of the entire Psychonauts story so far!

How to Use the Intern Field Manual

As a welcome gift to the Intern Program, Razputin will receive a Field Manual - which will act as your primary guide as you navigate the world of Psychonauts. In this manual, Raz will have access to several very handy features that will make becoming a Junior Psychonaut much less intimidating.

The Field Manual will allow you to track your internship progress across all the following areas:

• Intern Profile: The first page of the manual will allow Raz to view his Intern Rank, which is one of the key components to unlocking new Psychic Powers.

• PSI Powers: The PSI Powers page of the manual will keep track of any progress Raz makes towards his PSI Powers. Here, you'll see every PSI Power that you've currently unlocked, as well as any potential upgrades that can be made with Intern Credit - which you'll earn as your intern rank increases.
• Pins: Once you've managed to purchase some pins from the Otto-Mattic, you'll be able to view and equip all of your available pins. As we mentioned, Pins can be purchased from Otto-Matic and allow you to add custom tweaks to your PSI Powers. Not only can you mix and match pins to suit your play style, but you'll unlock more powerful ones as you rank up.

• Area Survey: Next up is the Area Survey page. Here, you'll find a list of all brains and places you have explored in both the physical and mental worlds. Upon clicking the brains that you've visited, you'll discover a breakdown of the area that lists the total number of collectibles and secrets that you'll find in each area. Whereas places such as The Motherlobe and The Quarry will show a comprehensive map complete with all the same details.

• Mission Log: Here, you'll find a record of the official Psychonauts missions that you undertake. If you're ever stuck, consider checking the log, as not only will it display all your active missions, but also a detailed description that breaks down the mission steps that you'll need to.

What is Psitanium and How Do you Find It

Described as a psychoactive material, Psitanium is known to be used by Psychonauts as their official form of currency. In Psychonauts 2, Psitanium is primarily used to purchase consumables, PSI Pouches, Psychic Power and Pin upgrades, and even more through Otto-Matic.

How To Increase Your Psitanium Max Capacity

So after a little exploration, you’re probably wondering, how do you increase Psitanium carrying capacity? Well, it’s fairly straightforward, as when visiting the Otto-Matic, you’ll find several wallet upgrades that increase your carrying capacity from 100 all the way up to 1,000 and even more.

We highly recommend searching the Atrium for hidden Psitanium, as you’ll easily be able to wrack up the 75 Psitanium that is needed to increase your initial capacity. Should you attend your first mission before upgrading your Psitanium capacity, we guarantee that it won’t be long before you’re running out of space, ultimately causing you to leave any additional Psitanium - which will be quite a significant amount - behind.

How Does Health Work in Psychonauts 2

Health in Psychonauts 2 is represented by Brains, which can be found in the top right corner of the screen. These Brains signify Raz’s connection to the mental world and are broken up into four sections each. Should you happen to receive damage and your health - which is defined as Mental Energy - begins to deplete, your progress will be reset and to Raz’s last mental checkpoint.

How to Heal

Throughout the different worlds and mindscapes, Raz will find glowing green containers and goo. When hitting these, small neon green health icons will be scattered around the area. Upon picking these up, Raz will gain small amounts of health.

Alternatively, if you’re not picking up those bright green health icons, you may be lucky enough to find or even purchase from the Otto-Matic an item known as PSI Pop. This brain candy will restore a small amount of health when eaten - these are great for those tight situations when there are no other health sources available.

How to Increase Your Health Points

To get more health points, you’ll need to find Half-A-Minds. These unique collectibles have been scattered sparingly around the different mindscapes you’ll find and explore throughout the game.

When reuniting the Half-A-Mind with its other half, you’ll gain a while Brain of Mental Energy. It’s worth mentioning that Half-A-Minds is a permanent health increase.

You can find a complete guide to finding all Half-A-Mind locations when clicking the link below.

• Half-A-Mind Locations

Is There Fast Travel in Psychonauts 2

During the Report to the Mail Room mission, Raz will encounter Lili, where he’ll witness her exiting a large white hatch on the floor. Following a short cutscene, Raz will begin to ask some questions about this strange method of travel.

Having explained how the system works, Lili will provide Raz with full access to Otto’s Brain-Only Network (Otto B.O.N.), which is a special network that will allow Raz to fast travel around the Motherlobe and other local areas such as The Questionable Area, the Quarry, and even more. You can view the complete list of fast travel locations when clicking the link below.

• How to Fast Travel in Psychonauts 2

Control Schemes Psychonauts 2

Psychonauts 2 is a multiplatform game that is available across all consoles and PC, so we understand that sometimes it can be a little tricky working out the controls. So to help make things as easy as possible, we have listed every default control scheme below that’s available for Psychonauts 2.

Please note that the controls below are the standard default controls for the game; however, almost every button can be modified and changed when accessing the Settings menu and selecting Control Scheme.

What Are the Collectibles and How Can You Find Them

Scattered all throughout the world of Psychonauts 2, you will have the option to collect hundreds, if not, thousands of unique collectibles that can not only help you level up your Intern Rank but also give you a little lore on the characters and minds around you.

With up to eight different collectibles that can be found and collected throughout both physical and mental worlds, we've provided a quick summary of each collectible and detailed what you can achieve should you decide to invest the time collecting them.

• Mental World Collectibles:
  • Figments: With anywhere between 45 to 260 Figments to be found across each mind, these brightly colored 2D figments will increase your Intern Rank for every 100 you collect.
  • Nuggets of Wisdom: With approximately 2 to 4 available to be found per mind, each Nugget of Wisdom will allow Raz to gain a full Intern Rank when collected.
  • Half-A-Minds: When reunited with another half, Half-A-Minds will grant you a whole Brain of Mental Energy. The more Half-A-Minds you collect, the more health points you'll essentially have access to.
  • Memory Vaults: With up to 2 Memory Vaults to collect each mind, these cheeky pig-like safes will hold memories that have been repressed by their character. These are arguably some of the coolest collectibles to find within Psychonauts 2. You can view a slideshow of all Memory Vault stories here.
  • Emotional Baggage and Tags: Before you can help the Emotional Baggage out of its turmoil, you'll need to find its baggage tag. When successfully collected, Emotional Baggage will grant Raz XP.

• Physical World Collectibles:
  • PSI Challenge Cards: When combing 10 Challenge Cards with a Core - which can be purchased from the Otto-Matic - Raz will gain an entire Rank.
  • Supply Chest and Keys: Hidden amongst each physical area, you'll find Supply Chests that require keys to access. Once you've found their respective key, the chest will grant you a surplus of Psitanium.
  • PSI Challenge Markers: Much like PSI Challenge cards, finding one of these cards will automatically grant Raz a full Rank.

For a complete and detailed description of each Collectibles, as well as how to find them, click the link below to learn more.

• How to Find Every Collectible in Psychonauts 2

What Are Gadgets and How Do You Use Them

Once you gain access to the outside area known as The Quarry - which is unlocked after obtaining a secret mission, don’t worry though, you can’t miss it - you’ll have the ability to visit the Research and Development center.

Here, you’ll find Otto, who happens to loan Raz a few rather helpful Gadgets that he can use to take photos, find hidden collectibles, and even explore secret Mental Connections that are known as Stray Thoughts.

Piqued your curiosity? Find out more about each of the two Gadgets - the Thought Tuner and the Otto-Shot - below.

What is the Thought Tuner and How Does it Work

Found an area that you just can’t work out how to reach? Well, chances are these areas are locked behind the Thought Tuner, a unique and invaluable Gadget that allows Raz to tune into the energy of Stray Thoughts.

These thoughts will be found floating around the physical world, and with the Gadget equip, you’ll be able to enter what is known as search mode. Following the tune of a hot or cold game, the Thought Tuner will beat more frequently as you near a Stray Thought.

While the tool is only beneficial when equipped, you’ll notice that when unequipped, the Thought Tuner will still perform a short and small beep, informing you that a Stray Thought is nearby. Do note; you’ll need to have the Thought Tuner equip if you wish to locate the thought, though.

How to Unlock Photomode with Otto-Shot

During the early levels of the game, you’ve probably noticed that Psychonauts 2 has lacked the ability to take in-photos through the traditional form that’s become known as photomode. Thankfully, alongside the Thought Tuner, Otto will loan Raz an item known as the Otto-Shot Camera.

The Otto-Shot Camera will allow Raz to take photos in both the physical and mental worlds. However, for those photomode enthusiasts, you may be a little disappointed as the Otto-Shot is fairly bare-bones. While Raz can perform different poses, you’ll be able to purchase additional filters at the Otto-Matic if you’re looking to spice up your photo game with a little extra flare.

Can You Revisit Previously Explored Brains/Mindscapes

Missed a collectible or simply want to return to a particular brain? Well, you’re in luck as you’ll unlock the ability to return and leave mental worlds whenever you please, following the completion of your first major mission, Operation Lady Luctopus.

How to Exit Brains with Smelling Salt

Following a conversation with Sasha regarding Raz's actions during the Operation Lady Luctopus mission, Raz will be granted the ability to use Smelling Salts, which can break the astral connection to a mental world to return to reality.

So when you’re ready to return, open the pause menu and select Exit Brain. This will return you to your last known location in the physical world.

How to Return to Brains

Thankfully, you won't have to wait until the end of the game to return to previous minds/brains. Following the Operation Lady Luctopus mission, Sasha will grant you permission to use the Brain Tumbler machine in his laboratory to return to past mental worlds.

To return to a past brain, either speak with Sasha or use his nearby Brain Tumbler machine to enter the area known as the Collective Unconscious. Here, you'll find several doors leading to every brain you have explored and unlocked throughout your journey.

This feature is incredibly helpful for returning to past areas to find collectibles that you may have initially missed or may not have had the correct psychic power that was needed to access the necessary hidden areas that contained the collectibles.

How to Save in Psychonauts 2

Unfortunately, there is no way to manually save your game in Psychonauts 2. Instead, you'll need to rely on autosaves in order to save your progress. While there's no saving visual saving indication, we found that Psychonauts 2's autosaves were pretty consistent and we never ran into issues where we lost progress.

With that said, if you're curious if your progress has been saved or not, when exiting the game you'll receive a prompt that will display the time since your last save - this will usually be displayed in minutes.