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Grand Theft Auto V

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Merryweather Heist (Freighter Approach)

By
Claire Farnworth

Quick Mission Guide (Freighter Approach)

Follow these steps to complete the mission successfully without worrying about medal requirements. If you need help with the Gold Medal, check here.

  1. Once you’ve done the heist preparations, head to the H on the map to begin this heist.
  2. Bridge - After the scene has come to a close, drive Franklin to the bridge, then go to the vantage point and call Michael.
  3. Clear out the Ship - Use the sniper to take out any Merryweather that are lurking before Michael climbs onboard.
  4. Bombs - Now switch over to Michael and plant bombs around the ship whilst Franklin continues to take down the guards.
  5. Defend - Once Michael had gone inside the ship, switch over to Franklin and take out any soldiers attempting to surround him.
  6. Detonate - After Michael has left the ship, ring the detonate contact on your phone to destroy the ship.
  7. Device - Now swim around the crash site until you find the device, then go to it with the submarine to collect it.
  8. Safe Area - Finally, take the package to the safe area to complete the mission.

Gold Medal Requirements:

  1. Headshots - Kill 12 enemies with a headshot.
  2. Accuracy - Finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 80 percent.
  3. Ninja - Kill 12 enemies using stealth attacks.
  4. Container Hunter - Find the container within 01:00.
  5. No Alarms - Get to the ship interior without being detected.

If you chose the freighter approach to this heist, you’re in for a tense few minutes. Luckily, we’re here to guide you through it.

Headshots

You will pick up a couple of headshots right from the off as Franklin targets two guards on the ship. Take them out in one by targeting the nearer guard’s head.

You can then either use a suppressed pistol for headshots on the guards as you sneak your way through the boat or you can wait until a bit later where Franklin helps Michael escape from the boat. I would recommend the latter as you can focus purely on headshots. Make sure Franklin has at least heavy body armour for this mission as he will take a lot of fire.

(1 of 3) Take out these two guards before Michael climbs onboard

Accuracy

If Franklin has good shooting ability when you play this mission, it will make things much easier. Just be patient and try to predict an enemy’s patterns to anticipate when they will stop to give you time to pop their heads. Always use weapons with a good scope or grip for headshots.

Ninja

This objective must of course be completed during the bomb planting. You have several options. You can either use Michael to sneak up on as many guards as possible and knock them out with melee. You must be able to know a guard’s movement patterns and know when to take them down otherwise you can leave the body in another guard’s route and they will see them lying there.

Secondly, you can use Michael’s suppressed pistol to sneak up on a guard and shoot him in the head. Again, this requires predicting a guard’s movements. The final, and easier, option is for Michael to get a guard in his line of sight and have Franklin (AI operated) take them out. This still counts as a stealth attack. So, you can do a combination of takedowns between Franklin and Michael.

Container Hunter

When you have control of Michael again after diving into the ocean, automatically right yourself and swim towards the blinking red light in the distance. Below that is the container, marked by a red light of its own. You can actually get there in around 30 seconds so even with a detour, you should still make it in time.

(1 of 2) Quietly take out the guards with your silenced pistol to get around

Quietly take out the guards with your silenced pistol to get around (left), then swim to the bottom of the crash site to find the device. (right)

No Alarms

If you try to take out a guard and fail with your first shot or hit, you must kill the guard instantly otherwise an alarm will be raised. You have only a few seconds to react so be on guard. Of course, the best way to avoid that situation is by making sure to kill them first time. That is why I recommend using Michael for the whole stealth section as the AI Franklin never misses a shot. You also have Michael’s special ability to help your aim if you need it.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Rockstar Games
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Steam, XB 360, XB One, XB X|S
  • Genre
    Action Adventure
  • Guide Release
    16 September 2013
  • Last Updated
    23 December 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author
    Claire Farnworth, Shane Williams

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