Honestly, if you played L.A. Noire back in 2011, or even the 4K remaster later on, you probably remember the exact moment the vibe shifted. You spent hours as Cole Phelps, the "Golden Boy" of the LAPD, hunting down serial killers and feeling like a detective god. Then the Arson desk happens. Suddenly, you're playing as Jack Kelso in the L.A. Noire House of Sticks mission, and the game stops being a police procedural and starts being a brutal, cynical conspiracy thriller.
It’s jarring. It’s meant to be.
The Reality of the Elysian Fields Scam
House of Sticks isn't just a mission; it's the moment the rug gets pulled out from under you. You aren't a cop anymore. Kelso is an investigator for California Fire & Life, and he’s looking into why a bunch of "matchbox" houses in a new development called Elysian Fields are falling apart or burning down.
The title itself is a dig. These aren't homes. They're sticks.
The mission starts with a guy named Courtney Sheldon. You might remember him as the guy who stole the surplus morphine from the USS Coolridge. He’s in over his head. He thought he was doing something good by helping provide housing for returning GIs, but he basically handed the keys to the city to Leland Monroe. Monroe is the villain you love to hate. He's the embodiment of post-war greed, using cheap materials to build substandard housing on land he knows the government is going to buy up for the new freeway system.
It’s a classic eminent domain scam.
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When you get to the construction site in House of Sticks, the gameplay changes. You aren't just looking for blood splatter or discarded cigarettes. You’re looking at wood. Literally. You have to compare the grade of the lumber on-site to the specifications in the manifest. It’s "Lumber Grade 1" on paper, but in reality, it's flimsy, low-quality "Grade 2" or worse.
Why the House of Sticks Investigation is Peak Noir
Most games give you a clear win. You catch the bad guy, you get the medal. But in L.A. Noire House of Sticks, every "win" feels like a loss. You find the evidence that the houses are built with stolen or inferior wood, but then you realize the scale of the corruption. It’s not just one developer. It’s the mayor. It’s the police chief. It’s the very people Cole Phelps worked for.
There is a specific sequence where Kelso has to escape a construction site while being shot at by thugs. It’s frantic. It’s a mess.
What makes this mission stand out is the sheer technical detail Rockstar (and Team Bondi) poured into the environment. If you look closely at the houses under construction, they actually look like the "dingbat" apartments and tract housing that sprouted up across Los Angeles in the late 40s. The developers did their homework on the Suburban Redlining and the 1947 California housing crisis.
The "Sticks" aren't just a metaphor for weak houses. They represent the fragile lives of the veterans who were promised a piece of the American Dream, only to have it sold to them by a man who was planning to bulldoze it for a highway check before the paint was even dry.
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Navigating the Elysian Fields Site
If you're replaying this right now, the most annoying part is usually the office search. You have to find the "Cement Delivery" slip and the "Lumber" manifest. Don't overthink it. Just head to the foreman's shack.
- The Cement Slip: This proves they are using sub-par concrete that will crack within a year.
- The Manifest: This is the smoking gun. It shows the discrepancy between what was paid for and what was actually used to build the frames.
- The Blueprint: This shows the planned route of the freeway, proving the houses were never meant to stand.
Most people miss the nuance here. You aren't just looking for crimes; you're looking for fraud. It’s a white-collar crime investigation tucked inside a gritty action game. That’s why Kelso is the perfect protagonist for this section. Phelps is too tied up in the rules of the LAPD. Kelso doesn't care. He’s a vet who’s seen the worst of humanity in Okinawa, and he has zero patience for a suit like Monroe.
The Conflict Between Kelso and Phelps
A lot of players were annoyed when they had to switch from Phelps to Kelso. I get it. You spent 20 hours leveling up Phelps. But narratively, L.A. Noire House of Sticks needs Kelso.
Phelps is compromised. He’s had the affair with Elsa Lichtmann, he’s been demoted to Arson, and he’s basically a pariah. Kelso represents the objective truth. He’s the "Deus Ex Machina" that allows the story to actually conclude because he can go places a cop can't. He can break into Monroe’s estate. He can rough up witnesses without a warrant.
In this mission, when Kelso finds the broken boards and the "shacks" being built, it’s a reflection of his own disillusionment with the country he fought for.
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Technical Tips for Completing the Mission
If you're going for a 5-star rating, House of Sticks can be a bit of a pain because of the tailing sequence and the combat.
- The Tailing: When you follow the guy from the site, stay back. The AI in L.A. Noire is notoriously sensitive during tailing missions. If you get too close, he’ll "spook" and you’ll fail.
- The Fight: You’ll end up in a brawl. Use the dodge mechanic. It’s clunky, but it’s the only way to not get your face bashed in.
- The Shooting: When you’re at the construction site later, use the cover. The enemies have better aim than you’d expect for low-level thugs.
The game uses its MotionScan tech heavily in this mission during the interview with Monroe. Watch his eyes. He’s one of the most arrogant characters in the game, and his micro-expressions are a masterclass in "I’m richer than you, so I’m untouchable."
Why the Ending of this Case Matters
The payoff for L.A. Noire House of Sticks isn't a handcuffs-and-jail-time moment. It’s the realization that the system is rigged. The "House of Sticks" is the entire city of Los Angeles in 1947.
It’s a city built on a foundation of lies, greed, and the exploitation of heroes. When you finish this mission, you aren't just moving to the next case. You're entering the endgame. Everything that follows—the fire, the tunnels, the tragic end for Phelps—starts right here with a piece of cheap wood.
Actionable Insights for Players:
- Check your evidence tab often: In this mission, the "Insurance" and "Land Value" clues are easily confused.
- Listen to the music: The score shifts to a more frantic, brass-heavy tone during Kelso’s segments. It’s a cue that you’re no longer in the "controlled" environment of a police precinct.
- Explore the site fully: There are newspapers scattered around that provide context for the freeway expansion, which is based on the real-life construction of the L.A. freeway system that displaced thousands of people.
- Pay attention to the names: Many of the victims of the Elysian Fields scam are names you saw on the manifest of the USS Coolridge earlier in the game. It’s all connected.
To truly understand the narrative weight of House of Sticks, you have to look past the "clue hunting" and see the social commentary. It's a brutal look at how the American Dream was commodified and sold back to the people who bled for it.
If you're stuck on the investigation, go back to the shack and look at the "Pink Slip." It’s the key to linking Monroe to the broader conspiracy. Once you have that, the rest of the game's final act falls into place. Don't rush it. The atmosphere of a crumbling dream is exactly what this mission is trying to make you feel.