Disco Elysium: Extract a motive - walkthrough Disco Elysium guide, walkthrough

Get the motive out of him is the second Dezerter quest from the game Disco Elysium. This page of the walkthrough tells you how to find out the reason for shooting the hanged man and how to extract maximum information from the island's Deserter.

Last update: 06 August 2024

A new main task and the next phase of the Deserter confrontation in Disco Elysium is to Extract a motive. Our walkthrough explains the most important moments of the conversation - completing a Reaction speed skill check and learning the motive behind the hanged man's killing. This will allow you to get the confession needed for charging the shooter with murder.

• Unlocking the task
• Next phase of the conversation

Unlocking the task

This quest is unlocked during the conversation with the Deserter from the Island - you will start it as part of a separate task Extract a confession from The Deserter.

You've presented your collected evidence to The Deserter to make the man confess to firing a shot at the hanged man.

Next phase of the conversation

During the conversation, exhaust all possible dialogue options, especially those connected to Klaasje.

Additionally, you'll be able to try a Reaction speed skill check - after winning it, you'll confirm that Deserter spied on Klaasje through the hole in the wall. You may have explored this place earlier in the quest Explore the Whirling's secret passages. This knowledge will also increase the chances of passing the check successfully.

In the final part of the conversation, you can ask about the motive behind killing the hanged man - there aren't any additional skill checks here. You will learn that Deserter wanted to punish Klaasje.

For concluding the interrogation and learning the motive, you'll receive 70XP. Save your progress again (as there are some major, difficult, skill checks ahead) and continue the conversation with the Deserter to unlock a new Inspect the phasmid quest.