Measurehead is a giant hulking jerk. Standing nearly a head and a half taller than us with enough muscle to make bodybuilders squeal, the massive man is an intimidating, if not infuriating, obstacle to overcome.
Even if there’s some truth to his mockery of us (we are a miserable drunk, there’s no getting past that), I cannot stand by and let him call us part of the failing “HAM SANDWICH RACE.”
Whether we plan on getting his boss to shame his poor gate-guarding skills or go in for the 360 dropkick, it’s time to take this massive jerk down a peg. I’ve never been so satisfied demonstrating that the ham’s still got it!
In this Disco Elysium Measurehead guide, I’ll review how to disable, bypass, and even befriend the giant racist so we can speak to Evvart. As a bonus, I’ll detail how to learn Measurehead’s real name and complete his part of the Fascist Political Vision quest.
Bottom Line Up Front: Invest in Physical Instrument and wear associated clothing to knock out Measurehead or invest in Savoire Fair, Perception, and Interfacing if we want to avoid him. If we intend to do the Fascist Political Vision Quest, invest in Conceptualization and subscribe to Measurehead’s ideology so we can convince him to let us pass.
Measurehead: The Biggest Racist in Revachol
Standing 220cm tall, about 7.2 feet, covered head to toe in tattoos, and speaking entirely in CAPITALIZED dialogue, the giant monster of a man stands atop the giant Dockworker’s gate and safeguards entry into the Union’s headquarters.
In case it wasn’t obvious, Measurehead’s name (his real name is Jean-Luc) is a call back to a race science, termed phrenology, widely used in the 1800s to determine people’s intellect from the size and shape of people’s skulls.
Measuring people’s heads was primarily used to justify the exploitation, abuse, and slavery of other people, and Measurehead appears to promote this racist way of thinking.
However, despite his grand claims to purporting racial heroism, talking with him in private during the Fascist Political Vision quest reveals he’s primarily motivated by love and attracting female attention.
Further talking with the giant man in private reveals that he’s strangely cosmopolitan, anti-nostalgic, and participates in abstinence. I was shocked that despite his focus on biological competition, he has no interest in bearing children and would rather people inherit his “spirit” and ideas than his genes.
How to Get Past Measurehead
Standing between us and the button to reach Evvart, getting past Measurehead is one of the more challenging tasks in Disco Elysium.
Fighting him is a harsh Physical Instrument check that drains two health per failed attempt (I can personally attest to its lethality), and convincing him to let us pass requires listening to a lengthy racist ramble and internalizing a xenophobic thought. Luckily we can make quick work of these tasks if we know what we’re doing.
Alternative: Jump the Gap or Steal the Card
If we’re uninterested in dealing with Measurehead, we can alternatively steal a dockworker’s keycard that opens the door or jump from a ledge atop Cuno’s shack. Grabbing the keycard requires interacting with the sleeping Dockworker in the Whirling Rags with high Interfacing.
Meanwhile, jumping from Cuno’s shed (to the right of the Hanged Man) requires high Perception and Savoir Faire to spot the door and jump. I advise exploring these two pathways before confronting Measurehead for safer, quicker alternatives to reach Evvart.
Option A: Knocking Measurehead Unconscious
If we’re uninterested in talking things out with Measurehead or want to smack some sense into the overblown jerk, we can knock out Measurehead in a brief fight. To initiate combat with the hulking brute, keep demanding to get past and push the button until we aggrieve the behemoth of a man. Eventually, a Physical Instrument check pops up for us to get past.
While this is a hard check to pass and results in a significant loss to our health if we fail, we can leverage several secret methods to increase our chances. To pass this check, I recommend performing the following tasks:
Lift some Weights
In the Doomed Commercial Complex adjacent to the Bookstore, we can use a weightlifting set to increase our Physical Instrument check for the fight. We can gain access to the area after getting the key from Plaisance or knocking down the door and spotting the barbell.
While lifting the weights doesn’t grant us any items or clues, it’ll help us with various other Physical Instrument checks throughout the game.
Dress like a Thug
Putting on clothes that enhance our Physical Instrument skill are fantastic for increasing our chances and scaring off the civilians in fear of our detective might.
I advise equipping the White Tank top we can find beside the horseback statue of King Filippe and the Speedfreaks DONKS we can get after talking with Lilienne’s Twin, then calling Speedfreaks FM in Kim’s car and asking for merch.
Have a Drink
If we’re okay with drinking and drugs in this playthrough, we can abuse alcohol to increase our Physical Instrument skill and cap temporarily.
We can also leverage thoughts like Revacholian Nationhood and Opioid Receptor Antagonist to further increase our Physical Instrument skill and remove the negative impacts on our health. We can acquire the related thoughts after subscribing to fascism and telling Klaasje off for consuming hard drugs.
360 Kick
Once we’ve maximized our chances for passing the Physical Instrument check and succeeded, we’ll enter a brief fight with Measurehead. After landing the first punch, go for the 360 kick to knock out the hulking fascist and press the button for the door to the inner Union.
However, ensure that we proceed directly left after pushing the button; walking away after the door relocks allows Measurehead to awaken and lock the door.
Option B: Get a Degree in Advanced Race Theory
If we built a character with low Physical Instrument skill and high Intelligence, we’re generally better off subscribing to Measurehead’s mean ideology. While this ideology wastes time and alienates Kim, it’s excellent for a nonviolent approach and is required for Measurehead’s part in the fascist political vision quest.
To be frank, I detest this option (it’s turns our detective into a racist jerk), but it’s undoubtedly more viable and less lethal if we have two or more Conceptualization and plan on trying out the fascist political vision quest for full completion.
To further increase our chances of passing the check, we can say and do fascist actions, like agreeing with the Racist Lorry Driver or opting into fascism, that’ll nearly guarantee our chances of passing the check.
Becoming a Rabid Traditionalist
After passing the check, we’ll have to endure a lengthy description of dialogue on three sets of differing peoples. I recommend skipping through the dialogue; it’s useless to our investigation and more than a little ridiculous.
Concluding the speech earns us the Advanced Race Theory Thought, which we’ll have to internalize before Measuehead lets us in. After internalizing the thought and speaking to him again with an opinion on his theory, Measuehead mocks our inferiority and lets us in out of pity.
Measurehead’s Political Vision Quest
On day 4, our subconscious contacts us and gets us to embark on the Political Vision Quest of our choice. While each ideology has different quirks and goals (i.e. trying to become rich vs. reviving Communism), the fascist political vision quest sends us on a journey to turn back the wheels of time.Â
On our quest, we’ll talk to various kinds of fascists with different approaches. While Gary is a xenophobic crypto-fascist that abhors other peoples and cultures, the lorry driven is a cynical misogynist that longs for patriarchal norms and oppression.
Overall, though the quest has us interact with different kinds of despicable characters, it culminates in a surprising finale with Measurehead, who, strangely enough, is revealed to partake in abstinence and is a proponent of feminism and cosmopolitism.
We can trigger this mind-boggling interaction if we adhere to the next few steps:
Triggering Measurehead’s Secret Reveal
After progressing far enough in the Fascist Political Quest that we finish talking with the Lorry Driver, we’ll next chat with Measurehead to figure out how to turn back the wheels of time. Though he first tries to stonewall us, we can continue the chat privately if we pass a high Suggestion check.
After passing the check and getting a reality lowdown from Joyce and the old female Paledriver, Measurehead will take you to his mother’s office to continue the conversation.
The Secret Measurehead: Love, Mom, and the SRS
Once we’re inside the apartment, the small room atop the bridge where Measurehead stands guard, the large man’s attitude deflates, and the tone shifts to one of polite discussion rather than hulking menace.
During the discussion, Measurehead throws out all the ideas regarding xenophobia and patriarchy that the rest of the fascists focused on and focuses on anti-nostalgia and personal growth. While the discussion is rather long, nearly 30 minutes, our chief takeaways are this:
Abstinence and the SRS
Whether from prolonged steroid use or hardcore idealism, Measurehead claims he is part of the Semen Retention Society (SRS) and practices a kind of abstinence where he abstains from climaxing during procreation.Â
Despite his earlier claims that love, and thereby the biological competition for sex, is the purpose of life, the giant man believes in the reproduction “of spirit rather than flesh.”
Though this could all be a product of steroids reducing his capacity for intercourse, I was shocked (and somewhat confusing) to learn this giant macho man is so chaste.
Optimistic about the Present
While the other fascists harp on how good things were in Revanchol’s heyday with a particularly xenophobic and patriarchal outlook, Measurehead welcomes the spread of new ideas and women’s civil liberties.
The macho man delights in people’s new ways to express themselves with ointments and perfumes and applauds the expansion of women’s reproductive rights.
Measurehead even goes so far as to give our detective somewhat sound advice, pushing him to move past the failures of his relationships and careers to focus on the positivities and opportunities of the present.
The giant man rails against self-destructive nostalgia, claiming that trying to turn back time is a delusional, harmful way to live, akin to walking into the brain-rotting pale.
Loves Mother
While this is less crucial than the other revelations, it humanizes Measurehead to know that he utterly loves and respects his mom, lauding her and his father for his safe upbringing.
During the discussion, Measurehead brings up fond memories of growing up in her waiting room, sitting on her couch with a coloring book whiling away the hours. After passing and sharing a Physical Instrument check, reminiscing on a maternal figure pushing us on a sled, the giant man agrees that “MOTHERS ARE THE BEST!”
Though I can’t say I developed a soft spot for the hulking man, after all he still calls us part of the “Ham Sandwich Race,” I was slightly more reluctant to 360 drop kick him on future playthroughs (I still did, though).
It was refreshing to pull back the mask behind the hulking fascist’s facade and get to know a man purely focused on the companionship of others, who worships his mom and adores her comfy couch.
Concluding the Discussion
After Measurehead finishes giving us his tips, he turns back into the hulking creature we knew before the discussion, claiming that biological competition resumes once we leave his mother’s office.
However, we can take pleasure in knowing that the giant man’s menace is an elaborate facade to hide his chaste, gregarious lifestyle. We can walk away knowing that Measurehead is a colossal softie that loves his mommy and is excited about living his best life.
Memorable Quotes
Saying hello: “YOUR BODY BETRAYS YOUR DEGENERACY.”
Hates alcohol: “YOU HAVE SUCCUMED TO *AL GUL*. YOU REEK OF IT. AN INVISIBLE SWORD OF *AL GUL* EMERGES FROM YOUR THROAT.”
Political opinion: “THE INFLUENCE OF THE HAM SANDWICH RACE IS FAILING.”
Referring to us: “IT IS MY TASK TO KEEP THE DEGENERATIVE DRUNKS FROM ENTERING THE HARBOUR.”
Letting us in: “IMPOTENT CLASS WARRIOR, I TAKE PITY ON YOU. YOU CLEARLY WANT TO ENTER THE HARBOUR BAD. LIKE A LITTLE BOY WHO WANTS TO GO THE POTTY.”
Legitimate advice: “STOP FIGHTING TIME AND FACE THE *REAL* ANTAGONIST. FACE *YOURSELF*, PUPA.
Related Characters
Evvart (Boss)
The leader of the Dockworker’s Union and Measurehead’s boss, Evvart is an amiable, corrupt figure who tasks Measurehead with guarding entry into the Union.
While it may seem odd for Measurehead, a self-declared fascist, to serve the socialist Union and work under a member of the “Ham Sandwich race,” he states that it is part of an effort to ensure a race victory for the Semenese people.
Overall while the relationship between the two is somewhat cordial and professional, Measurehead’s loyalty is not absolute, as he defies Evvart and lets us in if we subscribe to the hulking man’s racist ideology and humiliate ourselves.
Measurehead’s “Babes” (Cordial Relationship)
Sitting atop the Dockyard gates with Measurehead, three women encourage their macho man, echoing his greatness and disparaging us. While Measurehead appears to pay these women little attention, talking to him privately reveals that he utterly values their companionship.
While these ladies have little characterization beyond propping up Measurehead, they seem to be in a cordial, polyamorous relationship with the hulking man.
FAQs
Question: How Do I Get Past Measurehead?
Answer: To get past Measurehead, we can either knock him out, subscribe to his racist ideology, steal a dockworker’s keycard, or jump from a nearby building. I advise knocking him out or persuading him if we have high Physical Instruments skill or Conceptualization. Otherwise, we can sneak past with high Interfacing or Perception and Savoir Faire.
Question: How Do I Knock Out Measurehead?
Answer: After demanding Measurehead to let us pass, a Physical Instrument check pops up for us to knock out Measurehead. Equipping gear that increases our Physical Instruments stat, performing active checks like weightlifting, and drinking alcohol are all excellent ways to improve our odds.
After successfully punching him, we’ll need to follow up with a 360 kick to successfully knock him unconscious then we can press the button.
Question: Is Measurehead Racist?
Answer: Yes, Measure is both a racist and fascist that emphasizes biological competition and decries us as a failing member of the “Ham Sandwich Race.”
While Measurehead is less patriarchal than the other present fascists and refutes their desire to “turn back the wheels of time,” he emphasizes man’s desire to attract female company as the principle of all life. We can talk to him at the finale of the Fascist Political Vision quest to understand his nuanced views and learn how to turn back the wheel of time.
Question: What is the Point of Measurehead’s Name?
Answer: Measurehead’s name is a pun on the false race science of phrenology practiced in the 1800s, which tried to determine people’s intellectual capacity by measuring their heads.
Colonialists, slaveowners, and racist white gentry often used this practice to justify their enslavement of African peoples as uplifting and enlightening rather than murderous and brutally exploitative. Likewise, Measurehead’s name is an overt statement that the character is zealously racist and defines people by race and ethnicity.
Conclusion
Well done, brave detective. We’ve dealt with one of the most intimidating, physically imposing characters in the entire game.
Whether we knocked him down a peg or made friends with the giant brute, Measurehead was a formidable adversary that challenged our brains and brawn. While I’d never call him cunning or subtle (his capitalized text and lack of a shirt deter such a description), he offered a relentless challenge that tested our disorderly detective for the better.
Regardless of the outcome (though hopefully, we avoided becoming racist), we emerged victorious and got to prove that this world-weary detective’s still got it! Now lets waggle our finger in Evvart’s face and force him to lower down the Hanged Man. We’ve got a case to solve!
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