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L.A. Noire
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L.A. Noire · Cases
L.A. Noire Cases: Every Case in Order and the Ending
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L.A. Noire has 21 story cases in the base game and 26 with the five DLC cases included in the Complete Edition and the remaster. Cole Phelps works them across five desks, in this order: Patrol, Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson. The last case is A Different Kind of War, which ends the story in the flooded tunnels of the Los Angeles River. Below, every case in order and the full plot.
Every L.A. Noire Case in Order
The order is the same in the IGN guide, the L.A. Noire Wiki and GameRevolution. DLC cases are placed where they appear in the Complete Edition.
| Desk | Partner | Cases |
|---|---|---|
Patrol | Ralph Dunn | 1. Upon Reflection 2. Armed and Dangerous 3. Warrants Outstanding 4. Buyer Beware |
Traffic | Stefan Bekowsky | 5. The Driver's Seat 6. The Consul's Car (DLC) 7. A Marriage Made in Heaven 8. A Slip of the Tongue (DLC) 9. The Fallen Idol |
Homicide | Rusty Galloway | 10. The Red Lipstick Murder 11. The Golden Butterfly 12. The Silk Stocking Murder 13. The White Shoe Slaying 14. The Studio Secretary Murder 15. The Quarter Moon Murders |
Vice | Roy Earle | 16. The Black Caesar 17. Reefer Madness (DLC) 18. The Set Up 19. The Naked City (DLC) 20. Manifest Destiny |
Arson | Herschel Biggs | 21. The Gas Man 22. A Walk in Elysian Fields 23. House of Sticks 24. A Polite Invitation 25. Nicholson Electroplating (DLC) 26. A Different Kind of War |
The DLC Cases
| Case | Desk | Released |
|---|---|---|
The Naked City | Vice | 31 May 2011, first as a pre-order bonus |
A Slip of the Tongue | Traffic | 31 May 2011, first as a pre-order bonus |
Nicholson Electroplating | Arson | 21 June 2011 |
Reefer Madness | Vice | 12 July 2011 |
The Consul's Car | Traffic | 26 July 2011, first on PlayStation 3 |
All five are included in L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition and in the 2017 remaster for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Patrol and Traffic
In 1947, patrolman Cole Phelps solves a major murder and is promoted to detective on the Traffic desk. After a spell in Burglary, he is moved up to Homicide.
Homicide: The Black Dahlia Killer
The Homicide cases echo the real Black Dahlia murder. Each time, the evidence points to a husband or a suspect with a motive, and Cole begins to doubt they are guilty. The trail leads to Garrett Mason, a serial killer whom Cole and his partner Rusty Galloway track down and kill. Because Mason is related to a powerful politician, the case is covered up.
Vice: The Stolen Morphine
On Vice, Cole investigates military-surplus morphine stolen from the ship that brought his Marine unit home, and former Marines killed on Mickey Cohen's orders. Meanwhile, he starts an affair with jazz singer Elsa Lichtmann. His partner Roy Earle exposes it: Cole's marriage ends and he is demoted to Arson.
Arson: The Suburban Redevelopment Fund
Suspicious house fires lead Cole to the Suburban Redevelopment Fund. Presented as housing for returning veterans, it is a fraud: its members, including Leland Monroe, Dr. Harlan Fontaine and Curtis Benson, buy land on the route of a planned highway and build cheap houses to cash in when the government buys them back. Fontaine's patient Ira Hogeboom sets the fires, one of which kills a family. Cole enlists his old rival Jack Kelso.
How Does L.A. Noire End?
Hogeboom kills Fontaine and kidnaps Elsa. In the final case, A Different Kind of War, Cole and Kelso chase him into the storm tunnels of the Los Angeles River. Kelso kills Hogeboom, but the water rises: Elsa and Kelso get out, and Cole is swept away and dies.
More L.A. Noire on GTAside
Everyone involved, with their actors, on our L.A. Noire characters page, and Cole Phelps's full story. The L.A. Noire game page covers the release, the remaster and the VR Case Files.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cases are in L.A. Noire?
21 story cases in the base game, and 26 with the five DLC cases.
What is the last case in L.A. Noire?
A Different Kind of War, on the Arson desk.
What are the DLC cases in L.A. Noire?
The Consul's Car, A Slip of the Tongue, The Naked City, Reefer Madness and Nicholson Electroplating.
What order are the desks in L.A. Noire?
Patrol, Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson.
Who is the killer on the Homicide desk?
Garrett Mason, a serial killer whose crimes echo the Black Dahlia murder.
How does L.A. Noire end?
Cole and Kelso chase Ira Hogeboom into the flooded Los Angeles River tunnels. Kelso and Elsa escape, and Cole dies.