South Park: The Stick of Truth: Complete Guide

A full guide to South Park: The Stick of Truth on PC: choosing a class, how timed-hit combat and PP work, magic farts and summons, buddies, equipment and strap-ons, the friends system and Chinpokomon collecting, plus a spoiler-light story outline and tips for avoiding missables.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the final PC patch (Patch03, April 2014); the game is complete. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Class is mostly flavor, not a trap. Fighter, Mage, Thief and Jew all finish the game fine. Gear is not class-locked, so you can mix freely.
• Timed hits matter. When your weapon flashes during an attack, press the attack input again for extra damage. When an enemy attack flashes, press block to reduce damage.
• PP powers your abilities. Earn PP by landing timed hits and use it on class abilities. Magic (farts) uses a separate mana bar.
• Make friends. Talking to townsfolk and completing quests adds friends; friend milestones unlock perks.
• Collect Chinpokomon. Dozens of toys are hidden around town, and collecting them unlocks permanent stat perks. Pick them up as you go.
• Use your buddies. One buddy fights with you at a time; swap freely in battle.
• Magic farts solve puzzles. Cup-A-Spell, Sneaky Squeaker, Nagasaki and Dragon Shout all have exploration uses, not just combat.
• Summons are limited. Jesus, Mr. Hankey, Mr. Slave and Tuong Lu Kim deliver a devastating attack that ends most normal fights, but uses are limited, so save them for fights that matter.
• Explore every house. Loot, junk to sell, Chinpokomon and friends are everywhere.
• Level cap is low. You level quickly and hit the cap before the story ends, so gear and strap-ons carry most of your late-game power.

Classes

Class | Style | Tips

Fighter | Direct melee damage, gross-out and bleed effects | Easiest first run

Mage | Spells with elemental and status effects | Pairs well with fart magic

Thief | Bleed, multiple hits, backstab-style attacks | High damage when set up

Jew | "Jew-jitsu" and long-range attacks | Most unusual kit; read the ability tooltips carefully

Each class has a set of abilities you upgrade with points earned on level up. Upgrade your most-used damage ability first, then a crowd-control or status ability.

Sample Setups by Class

Class | Weapon choice | Strap-on / patch focus | Best buddy pairing

Fighter | Heavy melee | Bleed and gross-out strap-ons; PP regen patches | Butters for healing

Mage | Ranged or elemental melee | Burning and shock strap-ons; mana patches | Cartman to stack burning

Thief | Fast melee | Bleed strap-ons; damage patches | Stan for extra pressure

Jew | Ranged | Damage and PP patches; survivability | Butters to keep you alive

These are starting points. Because gear is not class-locked, the best build is whatever strap-ons you have found.

Combat System

Turn Order and Timed Hits

• Each round you get an item use (potions, food) and an action (attack, ability, magic, summon).
• Melee: normal attack with a timed follow-up; power attacks break enemy armor and shields.
• Ranged: bows, guns and more; some ignore armor.
• Defense: block on the flash to reduce damage.

Status Effects

Status effects decide most fights. The main ones:

Status | Effect

Bleeding | Damage over time

Burning | Damage over time; spreads

Grossed Out | Damage over time from gross attacks

Pissed Off | Target is angered; read the tooltip, since it changes how they act

Stunned | Enemy loses turns

Shocked | Electric status effect

Strap-ons and patches (weapon and armor modifications) add effects such as bleeding, armor weakening and elemental damage. Slot them in every weapon and armor piece.

Magic Farts

Fart | Main uses

Sneaky Squeaker | Distract and combine with objects, can knock enemies over

Cup-A-Spell | Remotely fart into objects to trigger puzzles

Nagasaki | Big explosion; destroys blockades and heavy obstacles

Dragon Shout | Powerful combat fart; knocks enemies back

Many environmental kills and shortcuts rely on combining farts with fire, flames or electricity.

Summons

Summons (Jesus, Mr. Hankey, Mr. Slave and Tuong Lu Kim) are unlocked through side quests and deliver a huge attack that usually ends a normal fight: Jesus sprays gunfire, and Mr. Slave deals with an enemy in his own memorable way. Uses are limited, and they are not a reliable answer to bosses, so spend them on regular fights you do not want to grind.

Buddies

Buddy | Role

Butters | Healer/support; the safest early companion

Cartman | Grand Wizard; fire damage and burning

Stan | Warrior; solid melee damage

Kyle | Elf; mixed attacks and status effects

Kenny | Princess Kenny; disruptive support

Jimmy | Bard; song-based buffs and debuffs

Swap buddies mid-fight when one is low. Each buddy's abilities improve as the story progresses.

Equipment, Strap-ons and Economy

• Weapons (melee and ranged) and armor (head, body, gloves) are not class-restricted.
• Strap-ons go into weapon slots; patches go into armor slots. They add effects and stats.
• Junk exists only to sell; sell it at shops for money.
• Costumes and accessories are cosmetic and do not affect stats.
• Money is tight early. Buy strap-ons and healing items before cosmetic items.

Friends and Chinpokomon

Friends

• Friends come from talking to NPCs, completing side quests, and story events.
• Friend count milestones unlock perks that permanently improve you.
• Some friends are only available in certain chapters; talk to everyone you see.

Chinpokomon

• Chinpokomon toys are hidden all around South Park; collecting them unlocks permanent stat perks.
• Some are in locations only reachable with a specific fart or later in the story.
• Achievements: Poco Chinpoko (5), Chinpoko loco (15) and Chinpokolypse (all of them; only about 6% of Steam players have it, so use a checklist).

Story Outline (spoiler-light)

The game runs over several days in-game. You arrive as the New Kid and get pulled into the kids' fantasy LARP.

• Day one: join the Humans (the KKK, Kupa Keep, led by Cartman) and learn to fight. Explore town, meet Butters and the gang, and learn fart magic from your dad, Randy. The day ends with the Stick of Truth stolen and a very strange night.
• Early days: you choose the Humans or the Elves (Kyle's side), which changes some story beats.
• Midgame: recruit allies across town and deal with the town's escalating weirdness.
• Late game: the story expands well beyond the LARP, with major set pieces (including a trip to Canada).
• Finale: a multi-stage confrontation for the Stick of Truth.

Side quests include ManBearPig with Al Gore, the Underpants Gnomes, and many local favors.

Missables and Completion Tips

• Talk to everyone in each chapter; some friends can only be added at certain times.
• Collect Chinpokomon early where you can; late-game access to some areas changes.
• Finish side quests before the finale. The ending chapters lock you out of free exploration for a while.
• Keep an eye on quest logs for time-limited tasks.

Achievements Worth Planning

Stick of Truth's achievements are mostly earned by playing thoroughly, but a handful are rare because they need a deliberate plan. Names and descriptions below are from the Steam achievement list.

Achievement | Requirement | How to plan it

More Popular Than John Lennon | Everyone in South Park is your friend | The rarest social one (about 3% of players). Talk to every NPC in every chapter and finish friend-granting side quests before the finale

More Popular Than Jesus | Make friends with half of South Park | Comes naturally if you do side quests

Friends in Strange Places | Befriend both the crab people and the gnomes | Easy to miss; follow those side stories through

Daddy Issues | Befriend your father | Story-adjacent; keep talking to Randy

Chinpokolypse | Collect all Chinpokomon | About 6% of players; use a checklist while exploring

Clothes Whore / Full Arsenal | Collect all costumes / own all weapons and costumes | Loot every container and buy from shops; very few players get these

No Child Left Behind | Finish the game without your buddy knocked out at the end of a battle | Keep Butters or another healer active and heal your buddy before finishing blows

Shutout | Block every enemy attack in one non-tutorial battle | Try it on a small fight against a single slow enemy

Weapon Proficiency / Skilled Defender | 100 perfect attacks / 100 blocked attacks | Comes naturally if you practice timed hits

Re-Buttal | Interrupt 5 channel attacks with a fart | Watch for enemies charging a big attack, then fart to interrupt

Truth to Power | Fart on four major authority figures | Keep a fart ready around important adults in the story

Dog Whistle | Fart on a dog while in gnome form | Only possible during the gnome-sized section; remember it then

Mastery | Unlock all upgrades for one New Kid ability | Put all your ability points into one favorite skill

Fart-out-of-combat achievements (Canadian Handshake, Animal Cruelty, Stay Down, Dragon Wrath, Just Saying Hi) are grinds you can pick up at any time while exploring.

Exploration Tips

• Timmy fast travel: once you unlock it, use Timmy to jump between visited locations instead of walking.
• Revisit houses after story beats. New characters and items appear as the days change.
• Look for interactables: glowing or highlighted objects often react to fart magic, arrows or your ranged weapon.
• Kill enemies with the environment before battles start to thin out groups.
• Check the map for quest markers from the in-game social feed; new side quests often appear after main story events.

Difficulty Advice

• Normal is fine for most players; the game is easy once you understand status effects.
• If a boss is tough, stack bleeding or burning and use Butters to heal.
• Use food and potions freely; they are plentiful.
• Summons are your panic button for normal fights.

PC Notes

• The Windows version is uncensored in every region. The 2014 PS3 and Xbox 360 versions were censored in Europe, Australia, Germany, Austria and several other territories.
• A controller is comfortable, but keyboard and mouse work fine.
• The game was followed by South Park: The Fractured but Whole (2017) and got console ports in 2018 (PS4 and Xbox One on February 13, Switch on September 25).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Ignoring timed hits and blocks.
• Selling strap-ons and patches instead of using them.
• Wasting summons on trivial fights before a hard one.
• Leaving houses unexplored.
• Not using power attacks on armored enemies.
• Rushing to the finale with side quests unfinished.

Advanced Tips

• Combine status effects: bleed plus gross-out plus burning melts bosses.
• Armor break: power attacks and certain strap-ons remove armor; do this first on shielded enemies.
• Environmental kills: look for hanging objects or electrical hazards before a fight starts.
• Jew class: lean on its long-range attacks and keep a healing buddy like Butters nearby.
• Swap buddies to use their abilities without wasting a turn.

FAQ

Which class should I pick? Fighter for an easy first run, Mage for fart synergy, Thief for high damage, Jew for a quirky playstyle.

Can I play The Fractured but Whole first? Yes, but Stick of Truth comes first chronologically and is shorter.

What is the level cap? It is low and you reach it before the end of the story. After that, progression is gear, strap-ons, patches and perks.

How many Chinpokomon are there? Dozens. The Chinpokolypse achievement requires every one, so follow a location checklist if you are hunting it.

Is the PC version censored? No. The original PS3 and Xbox 360 releases were censored in Europe, Australia and several other regions, but the Windows version remained uncensored everywhere.

How long is the game? Reviewers put the story at a solid 12 to 14 hours with some side content.

Sources

• South Park: The Stick of Truth — Wikipedia
• South Park: The Stick of Truth on Steam
• South Park: The Stick of Truth achievements (Steam)