Here's how to investigate Cyberpunk 2077's I Fought The Law quest

Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought The Law quest - River Ward looking down at you
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Need some help with the Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought The Law quest? Similar to other side jobs, this mission finds you, but you'll need to have completed a main quest called Life During Wartime before you can take on this job. To kick things off, Elizabeth Peralez will call you and ask you to meet with her and her husband. It's in this questline that you'll meet River Ward, who also happens to be a Cyberpunk 2077 romance option.

This mission is quite long and features lots of choices, although most of them won't have a huge impact on the story. This job also links to later side quests, so expect to get to know these characters quite well over the next few hours. As this is a full walkthrough, expect to read some spoilers about the case below. Now let's get started on the Cyberpunk 2077's I Fought The Law choices, and more. 

Ahead of the big Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty expansion, we've updated this guide to ensure you're ready to rock, Silverhand.

Meet Elizabeth and Jefferson Peralez

Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought The Law: Speak to Elizabeth and Jefferson Peralez

Meet with Elizabeth and Jefferson Peralez in Heywood, The Glen. They'll be waiting for you in a car parked in a side road. They explain that Mayor Lucius Rhyne recently passed away, and they'd like you to investigate his case.

The mayor was reported to have died at home of a heart attack, but the Peralezes aren't convinced by this story. They mention that there was a Cyberpsycho attack a few days before his death in City Hall, and they have a braindance for you to inspect. The pair also discloses that Rhyne made cuts to the NCPD budget recently, so they suspect that he may have upset someone in the police force.

Find clues in the braindance

Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought The Law: Braindance

Take the shard to begin your detective work. As always, it's best to watch the braindance all the way through in playback mode to see how the events unfold. After watching, you'll uncover four visual clues and two audio clues on the timeline.

Switch to editing mode and rewind to the first visual clue at around 00:12. Scan the yellow silhouette to identify Deputy Mayor Weldon Holt. Then swap to the audio track at 00:14 and scan the green bubble that appears next to Holt. The conversation highlights a club called Red Queen's Race.

Back on the visual track, pause around 00:30 and scan the floor under the door frame as Holt leaves the room. V points out that the others left seconds before the attack took place. Fast forward to around 01:05 and exit the room to the security area. Scan the silhouette to identify Péter Horváth as he walks in. 

Now scrub back a few seconds to 01:00 and scan the CCTV on the other side of the glass. V notes that the terminal crashed as Horváth walked through the gate. Finally, switch to the audio track and scan Horváth as he enters. He sounds as though he's humming as he goes to attack the security guard.

Exit the braindance to find Elizabeth and Jefferson Peralez ready to board a vehicle. They ask you if you saw anything suspicious and you can choose between three replies, although they won't have a significant impact:

  • Too early to tell.
  • Think you might be onto something.
  • Pure coincidence, looks like.

If you say it's "too early to tell", Jefferson agrees. If you choose "Think you might be onto something", Jefferson is happy to hear that his suspicions have been confirmed. Stating that it looks like "pure coincidence" Elizabeth states that they disagree with you. Afterwards, Jefferson asks if you have any questions. This is your chance to question the couple about the Red Queen's Race, Holt, and the conference so it's worth doing for the extra intel.

Meet River Ward

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought The Law: Contact River Ward

Now it's time to call Detective River Ward. Let Ward know that you're investigating the death of Lucius Rhyne and he'll agree to meet you at Chubby Buffalo's in The Glen. After briefly meeting Detective Han, you'll have a chance to speak to River properly. He won't work with you unless you divulge that you're working for the Peralezes, so go ahead and spill the beans.

Shortly afterwards you'll head out to River's car and he'll fill you in on some of the details as he drives. He mentions Péter Horváth, a Cyberpsycho who attacked the mayor. It sounds as though he was arrested, but he disappeared before the police managed to take his statement. You need to speak to two people before you can search for the location of the Red Queen Race club. It doesn't matter which option you choose first.

  • Let's go see his (Péter Horváth's) boss.
  • Let's meet with your CI.

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Meet with River's CI

River takes you to Republic Way in Vista Del Rey and drops you outside a shop. He recommends that you speak to his CI and advises that you tell him that "Igor says hi" so he knows why you're there. Head over to the counter and speak to Neil. You can ask him where the Red Queen's Race club is, but he won't hand over the information that easily. 

Once you tell Neil that Igor sent you he'll try to make a run for it. Exit the shop and run after him. Thankfully River has already blocked his path, so he won't be escaping just yet. Neil isn't exactly in the mood to share this information with you, but keep talking to him and he'll tell you that the club is in the Bonita Street area, near the river.

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Meet Péter Horváth's boss

After Neil leaves, hop back in the car with Ward to head to travel to Cherry Blossom Market in Japantown. Follow River to the market and he'll propose that you split up and ask around for Christine Markov. He recommends that you search on the right side of the market. Speak to the vendor with the blue stall and they'll tell you that Christine has a stall on the other side of the market. Follow the marker to her stall and you'll find that River is waiting for you.

When she asks you who you are, you can choose any of the three options as you'll always get the same response. She'll confirm that he worked for her until he started making speeches. Christine mentions that Horváth began acting strange after he went to jail. Christine doesn't know exactly why Horváth would attack Lucius Rhyne, but apparently he thought a lot of people were out to get him.

How to handle the Tyger Claws

Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought The Law choices: Avoid or attack the Tyger Claws?

Speak to River and follow him back to his car. There are a couple of Tyger Claws waiting by the vehicle. If you chose the Street Kid option as your Cyberpunk 2077 lifepath, you can speak to them without upsetting them. However, if you're a Nomad or Corpo, talking to them prompts them to become hostile and attack you. The best option is to remain quiet and leave the talking up to River if you want to avoid confrontation. This also gives you the option to ride with River when he drives to the next location.

Enter the Warehouse

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Head to the address

If you fought the Tyger Claws, River says he'll meet you at the address you coaxed from the CI. Thankfully there's a fast travel spot closeby, so you won't need to waste time driving across town to Santo Domingo in Rancho Coronado. Head to the marker and sit down to wait for River, then speak to him to move the quest along. River didn't come with a warrant, so you'll need to find a way into the Animals' Warehouse.

Enter the Warehouse

From the reception area, turn left and follow the wall along to the end. Walk around the corner and you'll find a small flight of stairs leading down to an open vent. Crouch and crawl over to the rightmost corner of the room. Press F to push the metal grate upwards and climb into the building above. Now you need to head into the main building, but there are lots of enemies patrolling the area. You can use your quickhacks to disable the cameras and either sneak or fight your way towards the marker.

Find the entrance to the Red Queen's Race

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought The Law: How to find a way into the club

Once you're in the main building you'll see a yellow rectangle on the mini map. There's a secret entrance to the club in this warehouse, and we need to find it. Walk over to the large metal containers stacked on top of each other on the ground floor. You can climb on top of them and grab some loot stashed away in one of them. Then, hop down onto the floor and walk over to the container on the right of the one with the yellow police tape. Press F to open the doors, and head down the stairs with River to take the elevator down to the Red Queen's Race.

Look for the office

Unsurprisingly the club has some hostile folks wandering around, so clear the area and feel free to snoop around. There's lots of loot to pick up here, as well as some shards. You can find the office upstairs—just look out for a room with a blue hue and lots of monitors. Check the computer and click on the Files tab to watch a CCTV video featuring Detective Han—it looks as though Ward's partner isn't as trustworthy as we first thought.

Head into the room on the left (a lounge area with pink lighting) and interact with the braindance headset on the sofa. This ends up hurting V, but it also sparks a new theory regarding Rhyne's case. V believes that it was a spiked braindance that killed Rhyne, not a heart attack. Check in with River and then you're free to leave the club.

Speak to Detective Han

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Confront Detective Han

You'll be transported back to Chubby Buffalo's restaurant where River is eager to confront Detective Han. You can speak to the detective briefly, but River assures you that he can handle the situation. Unfortunately it sounds as though Detective Han won't be brought to justice for his actions, but River doesn't want to drop the case. He concludes that Weldon Holt (the Deputy Mayor) murdered Rhyne because he wanted his seat, then he used the NCPD to cover his tracks.

The choices you make when you speak to River in the next few moments won't change the story, but it's good to know what you're getting yourself into anyway. First off, you comment on River's summary:

  • Sounds about right.
  • Got no proof.
  • Nah, wasn't like that.

If you say "sounds about right", River says he intends to take it to the Internal Affairs department. He believes that he has enough information to get the case reopened. Opt for "got no proof", River highlights the spiked braindance that you found. If you choose "nah, wasn't like that", V mentions that they think this case goes much deeper.

Then you have the option to encourage or warn him not to continue poking at this mystery:

  • Go ahead.
  • Don't do it.

If you say "don't do it", River won't listen to you and say he's reopening it anyway. If you reply with "go ahead", he'll ask if you're going to report back to the Peralezes. He'll say he's staying behind, and you're free to call Elizabeth Peralez who'll invite you to her apartment. Regardless of your choice, there's no stopping River chasing this case.

The Peralez Penthouse

(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought The Law: Talk to Elizabeth and Jefferson Peralez Penthouse

After arriving in the penthouse, take a seat and speak to Elizabeth and Jefferson Peralez. You can choose to tell them what you think happened, or simply state that you can't draw any real conclusions.

When you mention that you have a decent picture of what happened you can put forward one of three theories: It was an accident and the NCPD covered it up, Holt's behind the whole thing, or Rhyne was murdered by the dodgy braindance. You should go with your gut feeling here, but painting Holt as the suspect seems to be the news that the Peralezes want to hear.

If you choose the NCPD coverup this seems to put the Peralezes minds at ease. If you mention Holt, Jefferson seems excited and claims that he suspected him all along. The couple agree to beef up their security. If you propose that Rhyne was murdered by the braindance, Jefferson asks you who you reckon did it:

  • Holt
  • No idea
  • Police

Choosing Holt leads to the same dialogue as above. If you state that you have no idea the Peralezes stress that they appreciate the fact that you risked your life to help them. Floating the idea that the police are on the case calms Elizabeth and Jefferson.

If you say that you don't have a conclusive summary for the case, Elizabeth reads between the lines and warns her husband that they should be careful. She agrees that their suspicions were correct and they thank you for your help. Leave the building to complete the mission, but bear in mind that this won't be the last time you see River Ward, Elizabeth, and Jefferson Peralez.

Emma Matthews

As PC Gamer's guides writer, Emma is usually juggling several games at once. She loves competitive first-person shooters like CS:GO and Call of Duty, but she always has time for a few rounds of Hearthstone. She's happiest when she's rescuing pugs in Spelunky 2.