In this The Sinking City Self-Defense Walkthrough, we will guide you on how you can complete the Self-Defense main case in The Sinking City. Self-Defense is the seventh main case in the campaign of the game and it takes an interesting turn. Normally you would be investigating cases to help others but this time around, you will be trying to clear your own name from the law. You will have several ways to reach the same ending in the chapter.
Our The Sinking City Self Defense Walkthrough details all the possible ways in which you can complete this case in The Sinking City. We will also share all the evidence spots, clues and other important bits of the case so that you can reach 100% completion at each investigation site in the case Self-Defense. We will also share the possible outcomes for clues in the Mind Palace.
Self-Defense Walkthrough – The Sinking City
Our The Sinking City Self Defense Walkthrough details everything that you need to know about solving the seventh main case Self-Defense in The Sinking City.
Starting Up
You will begin at the Crown Theatre right where the previous case Deal with the Devil ended. You will be able to see the dead body of Johannes van der Berg in his chair. You can start investigating the crime scene now. You can begin by first heading to the first floor where you can inspect the poster and 6 different books. Check the tables, chairs, and cabinets and inspect all six books.
Now you can head back to the ground floor where the dead body is present. Pick up the hat lying on the stairs and use Mind’s Eye to get a clue. Now check the bullet shells and examine the body of Johannes van der Berg. Also, inspect the first aid kit next to the body. Now move to the right of the stage where you will find a phone with some blood. Inspect it as well. Go to the round table in front of the dead body and use Mind’s Eye to find another clue about what happened.
Now enter the portal and use your Retrocognition to see four different locations. Once you have seen what really happened here, you must arrange the events in the following order:
Van der Berg greeting guests>Van der Berg getting shot>Killers escaping>person using the phone
After this phase, you will finish the investigation and conclude what had happened. When you will try to leave the theatre, the police will arrive on the scene and arrest you. You cannot do anything to prevent this situation and you will go to the Police Station with them.
Carpenter’s Manor and Pierce’s Apartment
The case will resume back when you are bailed out from the jail in the next mission. Speaking with Frank will reveal that Brutus or Graham (depending on your choice in Fathers and Sons) has paid the price for your bail. Go out and head to the reception. Speak with the policeman and choose any way you would like to speak with him. Once done, head outside.
Your next destination is Carpenter’s Manor. Enter the manor and meet with the person responsible in your case. It would be either Graham in the left office or Brutus in the right one. At the end of the conversation, you will get to know of the actual murderer called Milton Pierce who is your next target now. It turns out that Milton Pierce is also running for the position of Mayor.
Once you get the evidence Finding a Witness and Find the Real Murderer, pin the evidence Finding a Witness and head to the office of Oakmont Chronicle. You must find the apartment’s address as he recently gave an interview to the newspaper. Once on the Newspaper Archive, choose Officials in People, Articles and Interviews in Section and Reed Heights in Districts. This will give you the address of Milton Pierce from his interview.
The apartment is located on Museum Ave between Community Rd and Healog St. Once you are inside the apartment, you can begin your investigation. You will need to shoot the lock at the door to gain entrance. Before entering, make sure that you check the poster as well. Inside the apartment, you can inspect some posters, a book on Prince, speech titles My Fellow Oakmonsters! And the note A Note to Milton Pierce.
After these, check the New Candidate for Mayor in the frame, clothes lying there, laundry basket, a letter from Throgmorton and the EOD. Then you must check the knife on the table and the overturned bottle on the table. Once you have checked all the evidence in the apartment, the portal will open and you will be able to use your Retrocognition to solve out the crime scene here. Inspect all scenes and then sort them out in the following order.
Milton at the door>Milton drinking>Milton changing clothes> Milton throwing away the clothes
Now you can open your Mind Palace and connect the clue Blood Spatter with No Alibi to deduce Bloodied Clothes. Now exit the apartment, turn left and go down. You will be able to get to the basement from here where you will find the bloody clothes. Inspect them as well. Now your next stop is the City Hall where you must meet Milton Pierce who is about to address his voters.
He will agree to withdraw the testimony if you kill his mother. After the conversation with him, you will get three new things to play with. He will give you a bottle of poison and two new clues for the case. Open the Mind Palace and connect Suspected Newcomer with Killer was blackmailed. This will deduce Looking for a newcomer. The next step is totally optional as you can go to Milton’s mother and choose to kill her or simply warn her about Milton’s intentions.
Her house is located on Beacon St near Bollock St in Oldgrove. Enter the house and pick any of the options from killer her to warn her. If you decide to warn her, the outcome will be that Agatha will remain alive and Milton will stick to his original statement of Reed as a prime suspect. However, if you decide to kill her, you will need to get her the poison. When she gives you the rusty key, head down to the basement.
You can find a First Aid Kit and some ammo here and a letter as well. Pick up Milton’s photo and inspect the empty wine bottle. In the basement, you will need to fight some Wylebeasts and there’s also the big one so make sure that you go down there with full health and plenty of ammo. Kill all the Wylebeasts and go towards the wine bottle racks. Look around and you will find some more ammo and another first aid kit. Investigate all the wine bottles here but you will not find what you are for. Now find the hole in the floor and go down the lower basement. Explore the area to find some ammo and crafting parts. You will also find the poison here.
Now go back up and make her drink the poison. Once she dies, you will get some new clues in your casebook. Open your Mind Palace and combine I killed the lady with Milton Pierce, the sell-out. This will deduce Revised testimony and your name will be cleared as the prime suspect because Milton will withdraw his testimony. Now you can go back to the main case which is finding the newcomer.
Glenn Byer and Deciding the Final Approach
To find the identity of the newcomer, you must head to the City Hall and check the records there. In the Archive, choose Newcomers in Subjects, Legal Documents in Registry and After the Flood in Period. This will give you a Marriage License with a name and his residence’s address. Your next target is Glenn Byer and you now have his address. Time to meet with him. His house is located on Revenue House St near Powderhouse St and Orchard Av.
Enter the house and go to the first floor. You will find some broken glass next to a door. Inspect it and head towards Glenn’s apartment. Speak with Glenna and then you can choose your approach for the next part of the case. You will get the option to choose between Rescuing the kidnapped Byers family or Forcing Byers to hand over the murder weapon. Depending on your approach, you can check out the walkthroughs for both options below.
Rescuing Byer’s Family
Since you have agreed to help Glenn and bring back his family, you will need to combine certain clues in the Mind Palace first. Open your Mind Palace and choose Byers and I look alike and Milton Pierce, the sell-out. This will deduce two options and you can pick anyone from All-around jerk or Good citizen. Next, you must combine Killer was blackmailed with Repentant Sinner. This will also give you two options to choose from Fair Judgement and Victim, not a villain. You can decide on this later.
Now you must explore Glenn’s apartment for some clues. Check the envelope with the finger and the note inside it. Look at the inscriptions on the wall and move on to the flyer on the nightstand. From the bed, take Michael’s diary and check the bloodstains on the carpet. Inspect the gramophone and the poster of Joy Hayden on the wall. Next check the shovel on the floor, broken door and the broken floorboards. Now you will be able to enter the portal to sort out the crime scene in Retrocognition.
In Retrocognition, inspect the four scenes and then sort them out in the following order.
Bandits breaking the door>Bandits capturing wife>Son pushing bandit down the basement>Bandits leaving with wife and son kidnapped
Once done, you will deduce the whole case and then head to Glenn again. Speak with him and he will give you a key to the basement. Go out the apartment, head to the ground floor and use the key to open the door. You will find some Wylebeasts inside so make sure that you kill all of them before you start inspecting the area for clues. Once the monsters are killed, you can inspect kitchen floorboards, wine bottle, and the flowers. There’s also a leg trap here. Now head down to the basement where you will find the body of the dead bandit. Pick up the map and lock picks near it.
You now have the map for the gang hideout. The gang hideout is located in on Eel St in Salvation Harbor near Skipper Rd. Enter the building and get ready to fight the gang members. Kill the initial enemies and explore the hideout for some supplies. Once done, head to the first floor where you will need to use Mind’s Eye to make the illusion wall disappear. Once done, enter the room and you will encounter Billy Drunnon. Kill him along with his guards and you can move on the to the next room.
In the next room, you will find some collectibles so make sure that you collect them all. There are six notes along with the old key. Now go to the room upstairs and use the key to free the wife and the son. Speak with the son and then head back to Glenn’s apartment to tell him that his family is safe. Glenn will give you a Signed Confession and The Murder Weapon which will unlock new clues for you in the Mind Palace.
Open your Mind Palace and combine The with No alibi which will deduce Of Justice and Malice. Next, combine Killer was blackmailed with Out of danger to deduce Words pay the debt. This will eventually lead you to deduce Frank’s Confession which is your key to clearing out your name once and for all. Now head back to Carpenter Mansion where Frank is waiting for you. Choose the option Byers confessed to the crime to complete this phase.
Getting the Murder Weapon Forcefully
This is the second approach to this case. If you decide not to help save Glenn’s family, you will need to force him to give up the murder weapon. Open your Mind Palace and connect Byers and I look alike with Milton Pierce, the sell-out. Choose any one from All-around jerk or Good Citizen. Now combine Killer was blackmailed with Repentant sinner to get the deduction Fair judgment or Victim, not a villain. This is the same as that of the previous option. Your final actions will set the ending of this case.
Once done, go down to the ground floor and open the doors leading to the Kitchen. Kill the monsters here and check under the sink where you will find the murder weapon. This will unlock the clue A Matter of Conscience. Once done, open the Mind Palace again and combine The gun and No alibi to deduce between Justice or Malice. You will be able to choose Frame Milton Pierce now after the final questions.
Head back to Milton’s apartment and go to the basement where you earlier inspected the laundry basket with the bloodied clothes. You will need to kill some Wylebeasts here. Put the murder weapon in the basket once the Wylebeasts are dealt with and take a picture of the murder weapon along with the clothes. This will give you Evidence against Pierce. Now simply head back to Carpenter Manor and meet with Frank. Show him the evidence and frame Milton to clear your own name.
Finishing Up
Despite the option you took earlier in the case, the next phase remains the same. After the conversation with Frank at the Carpenter Manor, stay there and you will get a new trace called Eerie Feeling. If you turn around, you will see the portal to the Retrocognition. Enter it and you will see a mysterious character asking you to meet you at the Devil’s Reef Hotel. Head to the hotel where you will see the mysterious character was Johannes van der Berg who had faked his death. Speak with him and to end the case, you can either shoot him in the head or simply leave the room. Once done, this will begin the next main case Flying Phoenix.
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This concludes our The Sinking City Self Defense Walkthrough. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.
