Quantic Dream's branching drama puts you in control of three androids, Kara, Connor and Markus, in a Detroit set in 2038. There is no combat build and no gear here: scenes are decided by timed dialogue, quick-time inputs and a flowchart that records every branch you did not open. The PlayStation 4 version arrived on 25 May 2018 and the Steam release followed on 18 June 2020.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Finish one full playthrough without a guide before touching chapter select
Finish one full playthrough without a guide before touching chapter select. The flowchart is far more interesting when you can see which branches you personally closed.
2. Scan every object Connor can highlight before starting a conversation
Scan every object Connor can highlight before starting a conversation. Clue count feeds the mission success probability, and that probability gates dialogue later in the chapter.
3. Software instability is not a corruption bar
Software instability is not a corruption bar. Raising it opens deviant branches and improves Hank's opinion of Connor, so choose empathy deliberately rather than by accident.
4. Hank warms up slowly
Hank warms up slowly. Saving him on the rooftop instead of chasing Rupert is the single biggest relationship jump available in the first half of the game.
5. Alice reacts to cold, hunger and fear as separate states
Alice reacts to cold, hunger and fear as separate states. Kara's later branches check those states, so stopping to feed her or find a blanket is mechanically useful, not just a story beat.
6. Markus's public opinion is cumulative
Markus's public opinion is cumulative. One peaceful choice at the end will not undo three violent chapters, so pick a tone by the time you reach Jericho and hold it.
7. Let the timer run out on purpose in scenes where every option is aggressive
Let the timer run out on purpose in scenes where every option is aggressive. Saying nothing is a recorded branch and often the calmest outcome available.
8. Collect magazines as you pass them
Collect magazines as you pass them. They unlock bonus material in the extras menu, and several sit in rooms you cannot revisit without a full chapter replay.
9. Any of the three leads can die and the story keeps going without them
Any of the three leads can die and the story keeps going without them. Losing Connor mid-game produces a genuinely different final act rather than a game over screen.
10. Chapter select branches your save instead of replacing it
Chapter select branches your save instead of replacing it. Use it to open flowchart nodes after your first ending rather than restarting the whole campaign.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Connor (A-Tier):
- Focus on Per chapter flowchart with locked branches combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Scene reconstruction
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Kara (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Preconstruction preview
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Detroit: Become Human's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Per chapter flowchart with locked branches + Timed dialogue and quick-time inputs: Every chapter ends on a flowchart showing the path you took, the branches you never opened, and the percentage of other players who made each call. Combined with Timed dialogue and quick-time inputs, dialogue sits on a ring with a countdown, and letting it run out is itself a choice the game records.
Connor's reconstruction and preconstruction + Stress percentages in tense scenes: Connor scans a crime scene, tags clues, then scrubs a reconstructed hologram backwards and forwards to work out what happened. When paired with Stress percentages in tense scenes, several scenes put a live stress number on a character, the clearest being daniel on the rooftop in the hostage.
Chapter select creates a new timeline scaling: Replaying from chapter select branches your save into a new timeline rather than overwriting the old one. That is how you fill flowcharts and pick up missed magazines without losing the ending you already earned.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Scene reconstruction | Every Connor investigation chapter | Connor tags clues at a crime scene, then scrubs a blue hologram back and forth to replay events. |
| Preconstruction preview | Chases, jumps and combat quick-time chains | The blue path overlay that shows an action before Connor or Markus commits to it. |
| Stress percentage management | Hostage negotiations and high tension standoffs | Some scenes show a live stress number, and the wrong line pushes it up several points at once. |
| Timed dialogue ring | Scenes where every spoken option is worse than saying nothing | Options sit on a countdown ring, and letting it expire counts as a recorded choice rather than a failure. |
| Relationship and public opinion meters | Unlocking late chapter branches and survival checks | Connor tracks a relationship with Hank, Kara with Alice and Luther, and Markus moves a citywide public opinion bar. |
Location Efficiency
Jericho (Markus route, first half): The rusting freighter where deviant androids hide, and the base for every Markus chapter once he finds it. Choices here set the peaceful or violent tone for the rest of the revolution.
Stratford Tower (Markus route, mid game): A broadcast centre Markus infiltrates to address the city, and one of the few chapters with a hard fail state. The wording of the broadcast moves public opinion immediately.
The Eden Club (Connor route, mid game): An android club where Connor and Hank chase a lead. It is short, uncomfortable by design, and contains one of the game's clearest tests of whether Connor is still a machine.
Zlatko's house (Kara route, mid game): Kara and Alice take shelter with a collector who is not what he claims to be. Exploring the house rather than trusting the host is what opens the good branches.
Kamski's house (Connor route, late game): The CyberLife founder's lakeside home, and the setting for the single most discussed choice in the game. Whatever Connor does here reshapes his final chapter.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Treating a failed quick-time input as a game over. Most failures just push the scene down a worse branch, and reloading immediately robs you of the story the game wanted to tell.
- Rushing timed dialogue. The countdown is short enough that reflexive picks are usually the safest sounding and least interesting option on the ring.
- Playing Markus peacefully only in the finale. Public opinion carries across the whole run and the peaceful ending checks all of it, not just the last chapter.
- Ignoring Connor's scan prompts to save time. Skipped clues close conversation branches you will not notice are missing until the flowchart appears.
- Overwriting your first save with chapter select experiments. Branch to a new timeline instead so the ending you earned stays intact.
Pro Quick Tips
- Finish one full playthrough without a guide before touching chapter select. The flowchart is far more interesting when you can see which branches you personally closed.
- Scan every object Connor can highlight before starting a conversation. Clue count feeds the mission success probability, and that probability gates dialogue later in the chapter.
- Software instability is not a corruption bar. Raising it opens deviant branches and improves Hank's opinion of Connor, so choose empathy deliberately rather than by accident.
- Start with Kara, switch to Connor when ready
- Invest in Scene reconstruction above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Jericho → Stratford Tower → The Eden Club → Zlatko's house → Kamski's house. See our maps guide
- Per chapter flowchart with locked branches + Timed dialogue and quick-time inputs together are stronger than either alone
More Detroit: Become Human Guides
- Detroit: Become Human Detroit: Become Human Overview
- Detroit: Become Human Best Builds
- Detroit: Become Human Tier List
- Detroit: Become Human Walkthrough
- Detroit: Become Human Beginner's Guide
- Detroit: Become Human Weapons Guide
- Detroit: Become Human Combat Guide
- Detroit: Become Human Boss Guide
- Detroit: Become Human Maps & Locations
- Detroit: Become Human Crafting Guide
- Detroit: Become Human Classes & Characters
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