If you missed a clue in Best Served Cold or are stuck, you can find questions to ask or which clues to combine in this guide.
Cases and Clues
In Best Served Cold, I usually get clues either from talking to customers or by piecing things together myself at the Clue Board at the end of each day. Sometimes, customers just hand over a clue at the start of a case. More often though, I have to dig a little either by asking the right questions or showing them specific clues I’ve already found.
Another method I rely on is connecting clues on the Clue Board. If I link certain clues together correctly, that often unlocks new information.
When I get stuck and can’t seem to find the right clues, the best strategy is honestly just persistence. I talk to everyone thoroughly and make sure to explore every clue connection on the board. For me, collecting clues has always felt pretty natural—just a matter of chatting with customers and following the trail. But if you hit a wall, this guide can definitely help.
Each section is organized into two tables:
- One for clues I get by talking to customers
- Another for those I discover by connecting existing clues on the Clue Board.
When a clue comes from regular dialogue, I note it in (parentheses). If it comes from presenting a clue with the magnifying glass, I mark it with “quotes.”
Customer Requirements
Sometimes customers won’t open up unless they’re in the right state. There are three things I pay attention to during conversations—Mood, Intoxication, and Affection each shown by sliders in the bottom-left of the screen.
Mood
A customer can be in either a good mood or a bad mood. Most of the time, they show up in a decent mood by default. Changing their mood is actually pretty easy:
- To improve their mood: I serve one of their favorite drinks (look for the star).
- To worsen their mood: I mess up their drink on purpose. Sometimes asking tough questions or showing certain clues can also make them grumpy.
Intoxication
Customers can range from sober to tipsy, drunk, or inebriated. Everyone has a slightly different alcohol tolerance, which I can check in the serving menu. Each drink has a blue percentage showing its alcohol content.
Occasionally, I need someone to be a little drunk (or just tipsy) to get the info I need. If they get fully inebriated, though, they leave immediately.
Affection
- Building affection is all about consistency. I try to serve a customer their favorite drink every time they visit, and I always pick dialogue options that appeal to them. Maxing affection is usually not too difficult. I recommend figuring out each character’s favorite drink as soon as you can, even if you don’t need anything from them that day.
- In cases 1 through 4, most characters return eventually, and their affection level carries over. (While I haven’t tested it fully, I think you need to max out affection 100% to unlock romances in Case 4.)
Case 0: The Last Drop (29 clues)
Clues from Customers
| Clue | How to Get | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| The Last Drop | Automatically given by Hugo on Day 2 | – |
| Peter’s Favorite Speakeasy | Automatically given by Peter on Day 2 | – |
| Peter’s Job | Peter → (Work) | Affection ≥ 25 |
| Potential Patrons | Peter → “Peter’s Favorite Speakeasy” | – |
| Blonde Victims | Hugo → (Work) | Drunk |
| The Lighter | Hugo → “Potential Patrons” | – |
| The Syringe | Hugo → “Potential Patrons” | – |
| Natalia’s Debt | Vincent → (Victim) | – |
| Evil Stepmother | Alina → (Victim) | Drunk |
| Doctor Durand | Killian → “The Syringe” | – |
| Alina’s Old Job | Killian → “The Syringe” or Alina → “The Syringe” | – |
| Lounge Chats | Clara → (Victim) | – |
| Loverboy | Olivia → (Victim) | – |
| Peter’s Matches | Peter → “The Lighter” | – |
| Clara Chased | Clara → (Chase) [Not available until Day 6] | Good mood |
| Elliot’s Missing Lighter | Elliot → (Reputation) | Drunk |
| Secret Smoker | Alina → “The Lighter” or (Smoking) | Affection ≥ 25 |
| Home Rules | Alina → “Broken Heart Killer” | – |
| Elliot Rejected | Elliot → “Lounge Chats” | – |
| Not His Style | Peter → (Criminal Background) | Affection ≥ 50 |
| Tactician | Wendy → “Alina the Assassin” | – |
| Killian’s Secret | Killian → (Smoke) | Affection ≥ 25 |
Clues from Clue Board
| Clue | Clue Combination |
|---|---|
| Peter’s Street Smarts | The Last Drop + Peter’s Favorite Speakeasy |
| Criminal Collector | Peter’s Job + Natalia’s Debt |
| Alina the Assassin | Alina’s Old Job + The Syringe |
| Killer Killian | Doctor Durand + The Syringe |
| Broken Heart Killer | Loverboy + Blonde Victims |
| It’s a Match | Elliot’s Missing Lighter + The Lighter |
| Career Criminal | Peter’s Matches + Clara Chased |
Case 1: A Bitter Pill (33 clues)
Clues from Customers
| Clue | How to Get | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Alina’s Death | Automatically given by Hugo on Day 2 | – |
| Threatening Letter | Automatically given by Hugo on Day 2 | – |
| Charcoal | Hugo → (Events) | – |
| Late Entrance | Olivia → (Witness) | – |
| Alina’s Secret | Wendy → (Alina Dragos) | – |
| Bookworm | Vincent → (Shop) | – |
| Dumped | Killian → (Attitude) | Affection ≥ 25 |
| Homecoming | Killian → (Family) | Drunk |
| Unfriended | Ms. Bai → (Victim) | Drunk |
| Toxicology | Ms. Bai → (Charcoal) | Drunk |
| Coming Clean | Maria → (Victim) | Affection ≥ 25 + Good Mood |
| Visiting Family | Automatically given by Wendy on Day 5 | – |
| Feng’s Past | STAC → [Feng Bai] | – |
| Lynxbane | STAC → [Lethal Poisons of Tsara] | – |
| Rhinestone Heirlooms | Olivia → (Wendy) | Drunk |
| Deadly Medicine | Elena → “Lynxbane” | – |
| Trip to the Farm | Automatically given by Peter on Day 6 | – |
| Maternal Perspective | Ms. Bai → “Coming Clean” | – |
| The Real Target | Hugo → “Huxian Assassin” | – |
| Clean Record | Elena → “Huaxian Assassin” | – |
| Second Fiddle | Wendy → (Maria) | – |
| The Truth | Wendy → “Keeping Up Appearances” | – |
Clues from Clue Board
| Clue | Clue Combination |
|---|---|
| Blackmail | Alina’s Secret + Threatening Letter |
| Cut Off | Homecoming + Dumped |
| Betrayal | Alina’s Secret + Unfriended |
| Killian’s Freedom | Cut Off + Blackmail |
| Killian’s Innocence | Lynxbane + Late Entrance |
| Huaxian Assassin | Feng’s Past + Toxicology |
| Checkmate | Second Fiddle + Betrayal |
| Impoverished Relatives | Visiting Family + A Trip to the Farm |
| Keeping Up Appearances | Impoverished Relatives + Rhinestone Heirlooms |
| Fresh Harvest | Trip to the Farm + Lynxbane |
| Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing | The Truth + Blackmail |
Case 2: Here’s to My Love (32 clues)
Clues from Customers
| Clue | How to Get | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Murder at the Opera | Automatically given by Killian on Day 1 | – |
| Star Couple | STAC → Stavros Stone → [Personal Life] | – |
| Closed Doors | STAC → Stavros Stone → [Career] | – |
| Nom de Plume | STAC → Gayle De Winter | – |
| Time and Place | Automatically given by Elena on Day 2 | – |
| Callback | Lawrence → (Dalliance) | – |
| Backstage Fight | Lawrence → (Work) | Affection ≥ 25 |
| Hands on the Table | Efia → (Case) | – |
| Butting Heads | Efia → (Reece) | – |
| Veiled Threats | Efia → “Backstage Fight” | – |
| Working Class | Bjorn → (Stavros) | Drunk |
| Efia the Writer | Lawrence → “Nom de Plume” or (Writer) | Affection ≥ 50 |
| New Prospects | Reece → (Work) | Tipsy (not drunk) |
| Dagger Sabotage | Reece → (Dagger) | Affection ≥ 25 |
| Prop Collector | Automatically given by Olivia on Day 6 | – |
| Exit Stage Left | Lawrence → “New Prospects” | – |
| Efia’s Motive | Efia → (Acting) | Drunk |
| Prop Fiend | Reece → “Prop Collector” | – |
| Anonymous Tip | Olivia → “Efia’s Motive” or (Stavros) | Affection ≥ 50 (for asking about Stavros) |
| Sisterhood | Olivia → “Efia’s Motive” | – |
| Stavros’s Motive | Lawrence → “Blacklisted” | – |
| No Hard Feelings | Olivia → “A Thousand Cuts” | – |
| Ditz | Reece → “Olivia’s Sabotage” | – |
Clues from Clue Board
| Clue | Clue Combination |
|---|---|
| Scripted Demise | Efia the Writer + Murder at the Opera |
| Toolsmith | Dagger Sabotage + Working Class |
| By a Thread | Time and Place + Prop Collector |
| Suspect #4 | Hands on the Table + By a Thread |
| Suicide by Proxy | Toolsmith + Suspect #4 |
| A Thousand Cuts | Exit Stage Left + By a Thread |
| Blacklisted | Anonymous Tip + Closed Doors |
| Olivia’s Sabotage | Prop Fiend + Dagger Sabotage |
| Self Defense | Veiled Threats + Olivia’s Sabotage |
Case 3: The Crucible (21 clues)
Clues from Customers
| Clue | How to Get | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Double Homicide | Automatically given by Vincent on Day 1 | – |
| Bjorn’s Alibi | Automatically given by Lucas on Day 1 | – |
| Sacramental Wine | Feng → (Problem) | Bad Mood |
| The Argument | Vincent → (Bjorn) | – |
| The Scotian Mule | Lucas → “The Argument” | Affection ≥ 25 |
| Clara’s Statement | Clara → (Work) | Drunk |
| The Set Up | Bjorn → (Memory) | Good Mood |
| Karla’s Demise | Peter → (Karla) | Affection ≥ 50 + Drunk |
| Karla’s Bribe | Peter → “The Scotian Mule” | – |
| Modus Operandi | Peter → “Bare-Knuckle Job” | – |
| Vladimir’s Profile | STAC → Vladimir Broz | – |
| Government Secrets | Ilya → (STAC) | Affection ≥ 25 (possibly also Vincent’s affection?) |
| For I Have Sinned | John → (Confessions) or John → “Bless Me Father” | Affection ≥ 25 |
| A Good Man | John → (Voice) → (Talk) → dialogue path: “you can atone for that” → “we all die eventually” → “your community hasn’t given up” | Good Mood |
Clues from Clue Board
| Clue | Clue Combination |
|---|---|
| Bless Me Father | Double Homicide + Sacramental Wine |
| False Alibi | Bjorn’s Alibi? + The Argument |
| Red Handed | Clara’s Statement + The Argument |
| Two Birds, One Stone | The Set Up + Double Homicide |
| Bare-Knuckle Job | Karla’s Demise + Double Homicide |
| The Killer’s Confession | For I Have Sinned + Clara’s Statement |
| Plugging the Leak | Government Secrets + Karla’s Bribe |
Case 4: Best Served Cold (24 clues)
Clues from Customers
| Clue | How to Get | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| The Crime | Given automatically by Ilya on Day 1 | – |
| Mugging | Given automatically by Elena on Day 1 | – |
| Street Sweeper | Peter → “Mugging” | – |
| Hugo’s Letter | Hugo → (The Crime) | – |
| Key Thief | Hugo → “Mugging” | – |
| The Second Letter | Ilya → “Hugo’s Letter” | – |
| Cigarette Case | Found automatically on Day 5 | – |
| In Danger | Elena → “Regards, the Culprit” | – |
| Elliot Lynn | Hugo → (Case) | Drunk + Bad Mood |
| Elliot’s Motive | Elena → “Elliot Lynn” | – |
| Khassian Crimes | STAC → [Khassia] → [Crime] | After obtaining “Elliot’s Motive” |
| Elliot’s Death | Ilya → “Khassian Crimes” | – |
| Skeletons in the Closet | Hugo → “Elliot’s Death” | – |
| Your Predecessor | Hugo → “Elliot’s Death” | Drunk (?) |
| Old Habits | Talk to Peter after presenting “Sandra Fischer” to Elena | You’ll softlock if you get “Sandra’s Switchblade” before talking to Elena |
| Peter’s Motive | Talk to Peter after presenting “Sandra Fischer” to Elena | Same softlock warning as above |
| Vincent’s Mistake | Sandra → (Attack) or (Confession) → “Why did you do it?” | Affection ≥ 50 + Bad Mood |
| Sandra’s Switchblade | Peter → [Confession] or [Convince] or “Sandra Fischer” | Possibly need high affection |
| Arson | Hugo → “Old Habits” or “Peter’s Motive” | Good Mood + say you don’t believe Peter |
| Peter’s Alibi | Maria → (Fire) | Tipsy |
| Coming Clean | Hugo → “Peter’s Alibi” | – |
Clues from Clue Board
| Clue | Clue Combination |
|---|---|
| Regards, the Culprit | Hugo’s Letter + The Second Letter |
| The Culprit’s Gift | Key Thief + Cigarette Case |
| Sandra Fisher | Skeletons in the Closet + Your Predecessor |
