You're standing in the middle of Kupa Keep. Cartman is yelling at you to pick a class, and honestly, the pressure is weirdly high for a game that looks like a construction paper cutout. Most people just breeze through, hitting the main quests and calling it a day. But a proper stick of truth walkthrough isn't just about getting from point A to point B. It’s about not missing that one specific piece of gear in the Bard’s basement that you can never go back for.
Seriously. This game is a completionist’s nightmare if you don't know what's missable.
South Park: The Stick of Truth, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, is a love letter to the show, but it’s also a surprisingly deep RPG. It uses a turn-based combat system reminiscent of Paper Mario. You’ve got timed hits, blocks, and status effects like "Gross Out" or "Bleeding." If you ignore these mechanics, the boss fight with Al Gore will absolutely wreck you. It’s a reality check.
Starting Out: The Class Choice That Actually Matters
When you start your journey, you have four options: Fighter, Mage, Thief, and Jew.
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Most players gravitate toward the Fighter because it’s safe. It's fine. It does the job. But if you want a chaotic, high-damage run, the Jew class is arguably the strongest in the late game. It’s built on a "high risk, high reward" system where your abilities get more powerful as your HP drops. It's high-maintenance but devastating. The Mage is your glass cannon, great for area-of-effect (AoE) attacks, while the Thief is the king of stacking "Bleed" debuffs.
Don't overthink it, but do keep in mind that your gear determines your playstyle more than your class. You can be a Mage wearing heavy armor if that’s your vibe.
The Missable Items: Why You Need to Be Paranoid
This is the most important part of any stick of truth walkthrough. Obsidian didn't make this easy. There are several locations in the game that you visit once and can never return to. If you miss a Chinpokomon or a specific weapon there, you’re locked out of that achievement for the entire playthrough.
Take the school, for instance.
During the "Get Decent" quest and later the "Attack on the School," there are lockers and containers you’ll never see again. The same goes for the Giggling Donkey and the alien spaceship. If you’re inside a building that feels like a "dungeon," search every single corner. Break every box. Use your probe tool on every shiny surface.
The "Clyde’s Fortress" section at the end is the ultimate point of no return. Once you go in, that’s it. If you haven't found all 30 Chinpokomon by then, you’re basically starting a new save file if you want that "Chinpoko Master" trophy. It’s brutal.
Navigating the Combat Mechanics
Combat looks simple. It isn't.
You need to master the art of the "Perfect Hit." Every weapon has a visual cue—usually a flash of light—that tells you when to press the button. Missing this timing reduces your damage significantly. More importantly, it prevents you from applying status effects.
- Gross Out: This is basically poison. It deals damage over time and can make enemies vomit, skipping their turn.
- Bleeding: You can stack this up to five times. On bosses, this is how you win.
- Burning: Great for armor-heavy enemies.
Pro tip: Use your "Speed Potion" early. The game’s action economy is everything. If you can take two turns before the enemy takes one, you’ve already won the fight. Jimmy is a top-tier buddy for this reason—his buffs are insane, even if his combat dialogue takes forever to get through.
The Difficulty Spikes You Aren't Ready For
There are three fights that usually stop a stick of truth walkthrough dead in its tracks.
- Al Gore: He’s an optional boss, but most people trigger him early. He summons Secret Service agents who taunt you, forcing you to attack them while Gore heals or uses high-damage "ManBearPig" moves. Use coffee to get extra turns and focus on Gore first.
- The High School Hallway: The fight against the gingers can be tough if you don't have AoE attacks.
- The Final Boss: Without spoiling who it is, just know that you need to be able to block multi-hit attacks. If your timing is off, you’ll be dead in two rounds.
Exploration and Side Quests
Don't just follow the golden path. South Park is tiny, but it's packed.
Go to the Post Office. Check the PO boxes. Find the keys in people's bedrooms to unlock their garages. The best gear in the game isn't sold in shops; it’s hidden in Mr. Slave’s house or tucked away in the back of the U-Stor-It.
The "ManBearPig" questline is long and kinda tedious, but the rewards are decent for the mid-game. However, the "Find the Animals" quest in the woods is where the real fun is. Just remember the pattern to navigate the Lost Forest: Right, Up, Right, Down, Right. If you go the wrong way, you’re back at the start. It’s a classic RPG trope that the show mocks perfectly.
Managing Your Buddy
You can swap buddies at almost any time outside of combat. Use this.
Butters is the best healer in the game. He’s your "Paladin." If you're struggling to stay alive, keep him out. Kenny (as Princess Kenny) is great for charm and distraction, but her "Unicorn Stampede" can actually kill her if you mess up the button prompts. It's hilarious, but annoying during a hard fight.
Stan is the go-to for raw damage. His "Way of the Sword" attack ignores a huge chunk of enemy armor. If you’re playing on the Hardcore difficulty setting, you’ll find yourself cycling between Butters for sustain and Stan for finishing moves.
The Complexity of Gear Patches and Strap-ons
The equipment system is where the "Expert" level play comes in. Every weapon and piece of armor has slots.
Don't just auto-equip the highest level patch. Look for synergy. If you have a weapon that hits multiple times (like the arrows or certain wands), equip patches that add "100 Fire Damage" or "50 Bleed Damage" on every hit. A weapon that hits five times will apply that bonus five times. It’s broken. It’s beautiful.
Likewise, for armor, focus on PP recovery. You want to be able to use your special abilities every single turn. If you’re constantly having to waste a turn drinking a "Mana" potion, your build isn't efficient yet.
Nuance in the Narrative Choices
Does it matter if you side with the Humans or the Elves?
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In the grand scheme of the plot, not really. The game converges back to the same ending regardless. However, the immediate quests you play through are different. Siding with Kyle gives you a different perspective on the school invasion than siding with Cartman. If you’re a fan of the show, it’s worth playing twice just to see the dialogue variations. The writing by Trey Parker and Matt Stone is dense; there are jokes hidden in the item descriptions that most people never read.
Read them. Even the "junk" items have flavor text that explains some obscure reference from Season 4.
Late Game Strategy: The Canada Section
When the game shifts to an 8-bit top-down view in Canada, the rules change slightly. The enemies here—dire bears, dire snakes, and dire wolves—hit much harder than the kids back in South Park.
This is the point where you should have your end-game gear. If you’re still using the wooden sword you got in the first hour, you're going to have a bad time. Visit the shop in Ottawa. Buy the gear there. It’s a significant stat jump.
Finalizing Your Run
As you approach the end, make sure you've finished the "Friends" list. Some friends are only available through specific actions. If you don't talk to Father Maxi on the bench or find Jesus in the church during his hide-and-seek game, you won't get their summons. Summons are your "Get Out of Jail Free" cards. They do massive damage but can only be used once per day. Save them for the bosses.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
To make the most of your time in South Park, follow these specific steps:
- Check the School Lockers: Before you finish the first act, ensure you’ve looted every locker in the hallway. Several unique items are tucked away here.
- The Alien Probe: Once you get the probing tool, go back to previous areas. There are rooftops and hidden rooms in almost every house that are only accessible via the teleporter.
- Focus on PP Regen: Prioritize gear patches that restore PP on a "Perfect Block." This allows you to stay offensive without using consumables.
- Don't Sell Everything: Some "junk" items are actually required for specific minor side objectives, though most can be sold for cash to buy the expensive gear at the South Park Mall.
- Manual Saves are Your Friend: Because of the missable items, keep at least three rotating save slots. If you realize you missed a Chinpokomon three hours ago, you’ll be glad you have a backup.
The game isn't incredibly long—you can wrap it up in about 12 to 15 hours—but it’s dense. Treat it like a long episode of the show and you'll find that the mechanics actually support the humor rather than getting in the way. Focus on the status effects, watch your timing, and for the love of everything, don't forget to check the alien ship thoroughly before you leave it.