The Medium guide: Tips to help with dual-reality investigation

In The Medium, your character Marianne exists in both the material world and spirit world at the same time. This is the game’s highly-anticipated dual-reality system, and it plays a major role in how you investigate locations and search for clues. Here’s our guide to help you out.

Note: For more information, check out our guides and features hub for The Medium.

The Medium: Beginner’s guide and tips to help with the dual-reality system

Insight action

The first thing you might want to do in The Medium is to rebind the “Insight” action to something else. By default, it uses the “Ctrl” key and, because sprinting uses the “Shift” key, you wouldn’t really want it to get in the way while Marianne’s jogging.

In the material plane, Insight lets you see otherworldly patterns and clues (i.e., footprints left by spirits, important objects, or butterflies that can guide you). Likewise, examining certain objects and holding down the Insight key lets you hear that object’s “echo.”

Note: If you enable the “events auto-completion” gameplay setting, tasks such as finding an object’s echo will be faster since you won’t need to hold down the button anymore.

Spirit wells and spirit-based abilities

In the spirit world, you’ll find light wells that can charge her spirit-based abilities. These include a barrier that shields you against moths and a blast that can power-up electrical systems (you’re limited to just two blasts before needing to charge again).

You’ll often find a well when there’s a location/puzzle that requires a shield or a blast. Oh, and your spirit-based abilities might even help you escape the Maw.

Mirrors and out-of-body experiences

There are scripted moments known as “the split” (aka. the dual-reality system), allowing Marianne’s spirit world body to take form. However, there are cases when she can directly pass between the material and spirit realms by using a mirror.

Lastly, in case you experience the dual-reality system, it’s possible for Marianne to have an out-of-body experience. Simply hold “F” and you’ll be able to control only her form in the spirit world.

This allows you to go to areas that would be unreachable for her normal self. Just remember that you’ve only got a minute or so before she has to return to her body (signified by how her spiritual form becomes frayed and tattered).

The Medium is available via Steam, Epic, and the Xbox Game Pass. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.