Disco Elysium: Extract a confession from The Deserter - walkthrough Disco Elysium guide, walkthrough
A very important confrontation with the Deserter of the island from the game Disco Elysium begins with the quest Make the deserter confess. Our walkthrough describes how to lead the conversation with the Deserter and what traces found can be shown to the shooter.
Last update: 06 August 2024
During Extract a confession from The Deserter quest from Disco Elysium, your task will be to make The Deserter encountered on the island confess thanks to the skillful leading of the conversation. Our guide shows the exact location of the Deserter and what evidence to present to the shooter so he budges and confesses the truth.
Unlocking the quest - finding the Deserter on the island
As a reminder, the Deserter is your sought shooter and you will finally find him on the island during the finale of the game. The journey to find the deserter will take you through the anti-aircraft tower where you need to complete two mandatory tasks - Open the blast door and Find fuel for the generator. The blast door encountered during one of these quests is also a western exit from the bunker (screenshot above), leading straight to the Deserter's dwelling.
Make sure you've checked the sniper's hideout (where you got the fuel canister) beforehand, so you should have completed an earlier task Determine where the shot came from - Harry will determine that the sniper was shooting from the island. This will be one of the pieces of evidence that you'll use to make the Deserter confess.
A linear path leads to a campfire next to which the Deserter is found. You don't have to worry about the Deserter killing you, but it's worth creating a manual save, as the conversation and the process of making him reveal the truth is lengthy and features multiple skill checks.
Confrontation with the Deserter
In the initial part of the conversation, consider asking the Deserter to put his rifle away instead of letting him keep it at the ready.
After the man stands down, you can examine the rifle - Triangong 4-46 - to determine that the caliber of the weapon matches what you've learned and eventually add it to your inventory.
As the conversation progresses, you can learn, among others, how long the Deserter has remained on the island and his previous murders. Ultimately, you need to broach the subject of whether the Deserter shot the hanged man - this will also begin the described quest.
Your task during it will be to present at least 3 pieces of evidence that incriminate the man. These can be:
- Deserter's rifle and that it is of the same caliber as the found bullet - this is a part of the Find the murder weapon task received much earlier.
- Found sniper nest in the ruins east of the anti-aircraft tower - you gained this knowledge with the conclusion of Determine where the shot came from quest.
- Found footprints inside Whirling-in-Rags - you could encounter them, among others, during Explore the Whirling's secret passages. Additionally, complete a Drama skill check to make a comparison.
- Examined dried may bells on the balcony of Whirling-in-Rags - you could find them next to Klaasje and this was one of the objectives of Ask the petanque player about the may bells.
At one point during the conversation, you can choose to hit yourself on the head to recall further clues associated with the Deserter. Kim or Cuno can also give you additional hints.
If you've correctly juggled evidence, the Deserter will finally confess and this will be rewarded with 70XP. This isn't the end of this conversation - you can continue by completing the Extract a motive task and we describe it in detail on a dedicated page of our guide.