The following contains spoilers for Disco Elysium - The Final CutOriginally released in 2019, Disco Elysium had a pretty good run in 2021. The ZA/UM developed and published game hit the PlayStations 4 and 5, as well as the Nintendo Switch, with its definitive edition, titled The Final Cut. The latest version of the game was also released on all platforms for which the detective RPG was already available. With added voice acting and new missions, Disco Elysium - The Final Cut was a critical hit, ranking number one on Metacritic’s list of Best Video Games for 2021.

Blending a neo-noir atmosphere with traditional tabletop RPG mechanics, Disco Elysium is an extremely beautiful, entertaining, and unique game. Set in the fictional occupied territory of Revachol, the story follows the alcoholic police detective Harry DuBois, from the Revachol Citizen’s Militia, or RCM, as he investigates a murder in the derelict district of Martinaise. Accompanied by his charming partner, Kim Kitsuragi, Harry must find his way through the labor disputes and broken hearts of Martinaise, all while fighting his own inner demons and the ghosts of a failed socialist revolution, brutally suppressed by the superpowers of the game’s universe.

With an art style that fluctuates between the weird and the beautiful, Disco Elysium is filled with charismatic characters and captivating stories, many of which only appear if you complete the game’s many side quests. To honor all of these amazing characters, from The Pigs to the Cuno, and the world they live in, here’s a list of the ten best side quests in Disco Elysium and what exactly makes them so fulfilling to complete.

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10. Find your badge

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Image via ZA/UM

During your investigations in Martinaise, you will eventually realize that, just like your gun, your dignity, and the shoe you threw off the window, you have lost your badge. Recovering it isn’t mandatory, but doing so offers you a couple of pieces to complete the puzzle of your identity. To find your missing badge, you must cross the water lock and find the crashed car by the seaside. Choose the option to investigate the car and take a seat on a swing set nearby with Kim to wait for the low tide. Take the time to know your partner better and maybe whistle a tune as your mind offers you insight into the world around you in this slow-paced, contemplative scene that is representative of everything that makes Disco Elysium such a unique game. Sadly, though, this beautiful moment must come to an end: little by little, it becomes clear that you were the one to drive the car into the snow. Inside it, you will find your badge, as well as an RCM jacket.

9. The Jam Mystery quest

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“A traffic jam for the ages”. This is how lorry driver Tommy Le Homme describes the Jam, the long line of trucks waiting outside the closed harbor, in which someone is hiding ingredients for illegal drugs. The Jam Mystery quest is somewhat tied to your missing badge – in order to convince Wild Pines company representative Joyce Messier that you are a cop, you agree to take on the drug case. The task sends you on a series of talks with the many lorry drivers stuck in the Jam. Some, like the racist driver, aren’t exactly pleasant, but they all help flesh out the world of Disco Elysium, making it even stranger and oddly realistic. Besides, having Joyce on your side isn’t at all bad for the investigation.

8. Sing karaoke

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Image via ZA/UM

In order to sing karaoke and show everyone your vast, oceanic soul, you must first pick a song. The terribly sad ballad “The Smallest Church in Saint-Saens” does the trick. Afterward, you must find a recording of the tune and ask Garte to plug in the Whirling-in-Rags’ karaoke machine. Then, you must pass a Drama check. If you succeed, what follows is a Leonard Cohen-like rendition of a truly touching song. If you fail… Well, let’s just say it's not pretty. But, hey, at least Kim appreciates your effort! And, let’s face it, what else can an alcoholic officer of the RCM want besides impressing Kim Kitsuragi?

7. Find Morell, the Cryptozoologist

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On your first in-game day at the Whirling-in-Rags, you will see an old lady in a wheelchair beside the Union booth. Her name is Lena. If you talk to her from Day 2 onwards, she will tell you that her husband has gone missing somewhere west of the village. Inform her about the broken water lock and then agree to look for her husband to trigger the “Find Morell, the Cryptozoologist” side quest. Morell isn’t an easy man to find. To get to him, you must ask around the fishing village, then head west until you find him near the coast, accompanied by his friend, Gary, the Cryptofascist.

It’s a long walk that takes you through many interesting spots that can tell you a lot about Revacholian history. After finding Morell, you can also engage in a conversation about different kinds of cryptids. His interest lies in one particular creature: the insulindian phasmid. You can either act skeptical or play along with Morell, it all depends on what kind of cop you want to be. Either way, you will learn a lot about an extremely interesting man and some even more interesting animals. And, if you play your cards just right, Gary may also be of assistance to your investigation, albeit unwillingly.

6. Find the insulindian phasmid

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Image via ZA/UM

Finding the insulindian phasmid is the last quest in a series of four that begins with finding Morell. After taking him back to Lena, you must agree to check his traps and then find out what happened to the locusts he used as bait. Then, you will be asked to refill the traps. When you finish putting the locusts back in the cages, report back to Lena. The insulindian phasmid is just as important to her as it is to Morell. After all, the couple fell in love over a childhood memory of Lena in which she saw the phasmid with her own two eyes. Now, however, she fears she might've been tricked by her mind. Agreeing to refill Morell’s traps unlocks a series of dialogue options that lead to a sweet moment with Lena in which you reassure her that, even though her memories might be false, her love for her husband isn’t. And, by the end of the game, Lena’s memory might even prove itself real after all.

5. Split a kilo with Cuno

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It’s hard to describe Cuno - or, as he would prefer, the Cuno - without using profanities. Anyone that has played Disco Elysium probably hates that red-haired Gremlin with all their might. It is also likely that they have a soft spot for the kid. After all, he’s just a product of his crumbling environment. If you manage to earn his respect – a tricky task that might involve punching a literal child – he will ask you to steal drugs from his dad, who is passed out in his apartment.

After getting the drugs, report back to the Cuno and decide whether or not to split it with him. The smart choice here is to punch your morals away just as you punched the Cuno and give the boy his cut. Getting the Cuno on your side unlocks a different ending for the game, in which the boy accompanies you on your final journey. And what better way to make the resolution of such a challenging investigation even more special than to have an annoying, foul-mouthed child delinquent yelling in your ears as you draw your final conclusions?

4. Find your gun

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Just like your badge, you don’t have to report your gun missing nor look for it if you don’t want to. However, locating your gun sure adds a lot of excitement to your gaming experience. The whereabouts of your gun are revealed by Union leader Evrart Claire after you do him a few favors: The Pigs has it. Yes, you read it right. The Pigs, in this case, is not the police, though the term is frequently used by the people of Martinaise to refer to members of the RCM.

Instead, The Pigs is a lonely, mentally ill woman that runs around the boardwalk at night blasting police siren sounds from a megaphone. Incredibly tense and heartbreaking, the scene with The Pigs is another bleak reminder of just how hard life can be for the people of Revachol and how difficult it is to make sense of such a chaotic world. As The Pigs cries her eyes out, you have the choice to either play the heartless cop or show her some much-needed kindness.

3. The dead body on the boardwalk quest

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If you go to the bookstore on Day 2, you will meet an unnamed working-class woman perusing the books in front of the shop. As you talk to her, you get the feeling that she needs your assistance with something, but you can’t figure out what. A missing husband, perhaps? She denies having a missing husband, but you can still give her a hug to make her feel better. It is only later, when you reach the end of the boardwalk, that you will realize just how right you were: there lies the lifeless body of the working-class woman’s husband, killed in a terrible accident. Now, it’s up to you to deliver the news. Completing the dead body on the boardwalk quest doesn’t add or subtract anything from your main investigation. However, the side quest is a great example of how Disco Elysium breathes life into characters that would be nothing but stock NPCs on a lesser game.

2. Investigate the doomed commercial area

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Why don’t the tenants of the commercial building by the Whirling-in-Rags pick up their intercoms? Was that a ghost talking to you from Slipstream SCA? What’s this curse Annette and Plaisance keep bringing up? To find the answers to these questions, you must carry out an investigation on the doomed commercial area that drives all of its small businesses to bankruptcy (or turns them ass-up, depending on your choice of words). Investigating the doomed commercial area unlocks new areas of the game map, as well as characters, quests, and dialogue options. It also gives you an upper hand on some parts of the murder investigation and teaches you about the hardships of living in Revachol, a country in which the dreams of young RPG-makers are crushed under the weight of poverty and war, but where a dicemaker might still find room to thrive.

1. Help the ravers start a nightclub

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Right between the fishing village and the boardwalk, there is an abandoned church. Near the church, there is a tent occupied by a group of youngsters that dream of opening the coolest nightclub west of Martinaise. They’re chosen venue? Why, it’s the abandoned church, of course! However, before they fill up the old temple with their equipment, they must find a way to deal with the strange woman doing sound experiments inside the church and with the “crab man” that lives in its rafters. This is the most rewarding side quest in the entire game simply because it is extremely fun.

If you pass your checks successfully, you might even have a little dance party with Kim in the end. To get the most out of it, though, you should really try to make everyone as happy as possible. Okay, maybe you don’t have to allow the ravers to put up a meth lab in order to financially support the nightclub, but do try to help Soona finish her experiments instead of kicking her out. Also, don’t forget to sync the sines with Noid and take your time to figure out what is up with Egg Head. That way, you will be in for some hardcore good times with even harder core kids.