The Sinking City 2 investigations work very differently from the detective cases in the original game. Investigation is still part of exploring Arkham, but optional cases no longer block the main story if you miss a clue or decide not to pursue a mystery.
Instead, The Sinking City 2 investigations reward players who explore with useful items and upgrades. Confirmed rewards include extra inventory slots, new Talents, weapon upgrades, valuable supplies, useful information and safer routes through parts of Arkham.
| Investigation feature | The Sinking City 2 |
|---|---|
| Required for main story progression | Not for optional cases |
| Can investigations be skipped? | Yes |
| Extra inventory slots | Possible reward |
| Talents | Possible reward |
| Weapon upgrades | Possible reward |
| Supplies | Possible reward |
| Shortcuts and safer routes | Possible reward |
| Story and lore | Yes |
| Investigation focus compared with first game | Reduced |
How The Sinking City 2 Investigations Work
The Sinking City 2 investigations exist alongside the main survival-horror progression rather than forming the road that every player must follow.
Frogwares deliberately changed the structure after the original The Sinking City. In the first game, investigations were central to progression. Missing an important clue could prevent you from discovering where the story expected you to go next.
The sequel removes that restriction from its optional mysteries.
You can explore Arkham, discover clues and investigate strange events without every case becoming a mandatory obstacle between you and the next main objective.
That does not make investigations pointless. Frogwares has instead tied them to tangible rewards that can make the rest of the game easier.
Are The Sinking City 2 Investigations Optional?
Yes. Many The Sinking City 2 investigations are optional.
Frogwares describes Arkham as containing mysteries that players are never required to solve. If you would rather concentrate on the main survival-horror campaign, optional investigations do not need to be completed simply to keep the story moving.
That is one of the biggest structural differences between The Sinking City and its sequel.
The first game’s detective systems were frequently mandatory. The Sinking City 2 allows investigation to sit alongside exploration instead.
What Rewards Do The Sinking City 2 Investigations Give?
The rewards are one of the main reasons to complete optional cases.
Confirmed The Sinking City 2 investigations rewards include:
| Reward | Confirmed |
|---|---|
| Additional inventory slot | Yes |
| New Talent | Yes |
| Weapon upgrade | Yes |
| Supplies | Yes |
| Safer routes | Yes |
| Shortcuts | Yes |
| Additional information and story | Yes |
Frogwares has specifically used an extra inventory slot, a new Talent and an upgraded handgun barrel as examples of rewards players can discover through optional mysteries.
That means investigation can directly improve Calvin Rafferty’s survival capabilities.
Can Investigations Increase Inventory Space?
Yes.
An additional inventory slot is one of the rewards Frogwares has specifically identified when explaining The Sinking City 2 investigations.
Inventory space is limited, making additional capacity useful when carrying ammunition, healing supplies and other resources around Arkham.
Inventory upgrades can also be found inside E.R.C. crates or on tables within some dungeon areas, so investigations are not necessarily the only source of additional inventory space.
However, optional exploration and mysteries can lead players toward these valuable upgrades.
Can You Get Weapon Upgrades From Investigations?
Yes.
Weapon upgrades are another confirmed reward for completing or following The Sinking City 2 investigations.
Frogwares gives the example of discovering a new barrel for Calvin’s handgun that would otherwise remain hidden.
That directly supports the sequel’s stronger survival-horror focus. Investigation is no longer required simply to know where to go, but solving a mystery can leave Calvin better equipped for the combat waiting later.
Can Investigations Unlock Talents?
Yes.
A new Talent is another confirmed potential reward from optional investigation content.
Talents are part of Calvin’s character progression and can be unlocked and equipped using the Talent Table found in Safe Rooms.
The Talent Table becomes available from the third Safe Room onward.
Optional The Sinking City 2 investigations can therefore contribute to character progression rather than only providing story information.
Do Investigations Unlock Shortcuts?
Yes.
Optional cases can reveal shortcuts and safer routes through Arkham.
This is particularly useful because The Sinking City 2 is structured as a survival-horror game with connected locations rather than the large open world used by the original.
Finding a safer route can reduce the amount of danger Calvin needs to face while moving through an area.
It also gives exploration a practical purpose beyond searching every room for another box of ammunition.
What Clues Can You Investigate?
The Sinking City 2 retains Frogwares’ detective-game DNA through the kinds of clues Calvin encounters.
Confirmed investigation activities include examining:
- Ritual residues
- Physical clues
- Journals
- Strange masks
- Environmental evidence
- Supernatural anomalies
These clues can lead deeper into optional mysteries hidden throughout Arkham.
The system is deliberately integrated into exploration, so a suspicious room or unusual object may lead to something larger without the game necessarily marking it as mandatory progression.
What Happens at Redemption Church?
Frogwares uses Redemption Church as a specific example of how The Sinking City 2 investigations work.
Calvin initially goes there because he needs to open a sluice blocking his boat.
That is the practical main objective.
However, the location also contains a trail of clues connected to an otherworldly anomaly.
You can investigate those clues and discover the mystery, but solving it is not required simply to operate the sluice and continue your journey.
That illustrates the sequel’s approach perfectly: main progression and investigation can occupy the same location without one being completely dependent on the other.
Do You Need Every Clue to Progress?
Not for optional investigations.
The Sinking City 2 was specifically designed to avoid the situation where missing one investigation clue stops the entire main story.
Optional mysteries can be left unresolved.
You may miss their rewards, information or shortcuts, but the central campaign does not require every optional clue to be found.
That is a substantial change for anyone who remembers wandering around Oakmont wondering which tiny piece of evidence had apparently decided the entire investigation could go no further.
Are Investigations Still Important?
Yes, but for different reasons.
The Sinking City 2 investigations are useful because they reward curiosity rather than because the game forces you to complete them.
Solving optional cases can leave you with:
- Better weapons
- More inventory space
- Additional Talents
- More supplies
- Safer routes
- More information about Arkham
Those rewards can make later survival-horror encounters easier.
Players who ignore every mystery can still progress, but they may also miss equipment and improvements that would have strengthened Calvin.
How Are Investigations Different From the First Game?
The difference is substantial.
| Investigation system | The Sinking City | The Sinking City 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Central genre | Detective adventure | Survival horror |
| Investigation importance | Core progression | Optional layer alongside progression |
| Missing clues | Could stop story progress | Optional mysteries do not gate main progress |
| Main rewards | Progressing the case | Upgrades, supplies, shortcuts and information |
| Combat emphasis | Lower | Much higher |
Frogwares describes the original as an open-world detective adventure with horror around the edges.
The sequel reverses those priorities and becomes a semi-open survival-horror game where combat, exploration and resource management take a much larger role.
Investigation remains present because it is part of the series’ identity, but it no longer dictates the entire structure.
Is The Sinking City 2 Open World?
No, not in the same way as the original.
The sequel takes place across several carefully designed locations around Arkham, including its flooded streets, Akeley Memorial Hospital and the Fish Market.
Frogwares moved away from the original game’s open-world structure so individual locations could contain denser exploration, secrets, enemies and environmental storytelling.
That more focused structure also supports The Sinking City 2 investigations, because optional mysteries can be built directly into the areas players are already exploring.
The Holloway Manor Is an Optional Investigation
The Holloway Manor side mission is another confirmed example of a larger optional investigation.
The manor stands outside Arkham and contains an occult mystery connected to the Holloway family.
Completing the investigation provides several confirmed rewards:
| Holloway Manor reward | Type |
|---|---|
| Bucking Bronco | Revolver |
| Kane’s Hefty Barrel | Weapon attachment |
| Kane’s Wrapped Grip | Weapon attachment |
| Revolver ammo recipe | Crafting recipe |
The Bucking Bronco revolver can then be used in the main game.
This provides a very clear example of how optional investigation content can directly improve Calvin’s equipment.
Can You Ignore Every Investigation?
Optional cases can be ignored without preventing main story progression.
However, doing so means missing whatever rewards those cases contain.
Because investigations can provide inventory upgrades, Talents, weapon improvements, supplies and shortcuts, skipping them all can leave Calvin with fewer resources than a player who explores extensively.
The choice is therefore about how deeply you want to explore Arkham rather than whether the story allows you to continue.
Where Should You Look for Investigations?
Optional mysteries are embedded throughout the environments rather than existing entirely as separate detective missions.
Pay attention to:
- Rooms away from the obvious route
- Unusual environmental details
- Written documents
- Ritual evidence
- Locked or inaccessible areas
- Strange objects
- Supernatural events
The game is designed to reward players who investigate areas beyond the immediate main objective.
A location that appears to exist purely for story progression can contain a completely separate mystery.
Are Investigations Worth Completing?
The confirmed rewards make The Sinking City 2 investigations worth considering whenever you find one.
An additional inventory slot permanently improves how much Calvin can carry. A new weapon attachment can improve combat. A Talent expands character progression. A shortcut can make travelling through a dangerous area safer.
Those are concrete gameplay benefits rather than collectible lore entries with no effect on survival.
Whether you complete every mystery is optional, but the game gives you practical reasons to investigate.
The Sinking City 2 Investigations FAQ
Are The Sinking City 2 investigations optional?
Many investigations are optional and do not gate main story progression.
What rewards do investigations give?
Confirmed rewards include additional inventory slots, Talents, weapon upgrades, supplies, shortcuts and useful information.
Can investigations unlock weapons?
Yes. The Holloway Manor optional investigation rewards the Bucking Bronco revolver.
Can investigations increase inventory space?
Yes. Frogwares specifically identifies an additional inventory slot as one possible reward from exploring optional mysteries.
Can you miss investigations?
Yes. Arkham contains mysteries you are not required to solve.
Will missing an investigation stop the story?
Optional investigations do not block main story progression.
Are investigations the same as in the first game?
No. The original relied heavily on investigations for mandatory progression. The sequel places them alongside exploration as optional content with useful rewards.
Can investigations unlock Talents?
Yes. New Talents are among the confirmed potential rewards.
The Sinking City 2 Investigations Reward Exploration
The Sinking City 2 investigations preserve Frogwares’ detective-game roots without forcing every player to solve every mystery before the story can continue.
Optional investigations never need to become roadblocks, but ignoring them can mean missing extra inventory space, Talents, weapon upgrades, supplies and safer routes through Arkham. The result is a system that rewards curiosity while allowing the survival-horror campaign to keep moving even when Calvin leaves a few mysteries unsolved.
