Heist Crew Members



Heist Crew Members are minor characters in Grand Theft Auto V.

Description
In setups the player can select them when Michael selects personnel. He can choose from gunmen, hackers and drivers, needed to complete the job alongside Michael, Franklin, and Trevor (excluding The Merryweather Heist and Blitz Play). Better crew members can do the job well, but ask for a higher cut (except for Taliana Martinez). Cheap hirelings will get better with each successful heist they take part in, assuming they survive, but their base performance level can result in catastrophe, or at least a more challenging mission for the protagonists.

Two members need random events completed before they can be recruited, Patrick McReary from Grand Theft Auto IV can be hired, but first a player-character must help him get away from a robbery at the drug store near Franklin's original house, a random encounter available after Pulling Favors has been completed. He has a better rating than any gunman, but charges the second highest cut in his category; 12%. Taliana Martinez can also be hired after helping her receive medical attention following a car crash in the median of the freeway east of Paleto Bay, a random event available after Mr. Philips. She is one of the more skilled drivers, but charges only 5%; at her price she is a no-brainer choice. Two other members will call a protagonist and offer their services; Rickie Lukens, a hacker (but not a very good one without gaining experience), will call Michael after Friend Request, and again after The Paleto Score or The Bureau Raid if he has not been hired by then. Chef will contact Trevor after Blitz Play and offer his services as a gunman. Like Packie, he charges 12% and is quite competent.

Crew members
This lists the characters who can be used in either The Jewel Store Job, The Paleto Score (gunman only), The Bureau Raid and The Big Score.

Drivers

 * Eddie Toh - 14% cut
 * Karim Denz - 8% cut
 * Taliana Martinez - 5% cut (Only available once the player has completed her random event)

Gunmen

 * Gustavo Mota - 14% cut
 * Chef - 12% cut (Unlocked after I Fought The Law)
 * Packie McReary - 12% cut (Only available once the player has completed his random event)
 * Karl Abolaji - 8% cut (Only available after The Bureau Raid)
 * Hugh Welsh - 7% cut (Only available after The Paleto Score)
 * Norm Richards - 7% cut
 * Daryl Johns - 6% cut (Only available after Blitz Play)

Hackers

 * Paige Harris - 15% cut
 * Christian Feltz - 10% cut
 * Rickie Lukens - 4% cut (Unlocked after Friend Request.)

Smart (preferred):
Crew cut: 24%
 * Driver: Karim Denz (8%)
 * Gunman: Packie McReary* (12%)
 * Hacker: Rickie Lukens (4%)

Loud:
Crew cut: 30%
 * Driver: Eddie Toh (14%)
 * Gunman: Packie McReary* (12%)
 * Hacker: Rickie Lukens (4%)

It's essential for this first heist to choose a good gunman; McReary (12%) is slightly less expensive than Mota (14%). In the Smart approach, the cheap option (Richards) will drop some of the jewelry; in the Loud approach he will fail at crowd control, costing Michael precious time. In either approach, Richards will crash his bike during the escape and die; even if Franklin recovers his satchel containing a third of the take, his death costs will come out of the profits. As for drivers, in the Loud approach the driver rather than the gunman will be smashing and grabbing, and the cheaper choice (Denz) will similarly drop some of the jewelry. On the other hand, choosing Denz over the pricier Toh as the driver for the Smart approach will have no adverse consequences save the minor challenge of driving a street rather than a dirt bike through the sewers. As the hacker, while Lukens can only hold the alarm for 50 seconds, clearing the cases in 50 seconds is required for gold-medal completion anyway. Moreover, it's important for Lukens to start gaining experience.

The Paleto Score
Casualty expenses: 10.5%
 * Gunman: Norm Richards (7%)

Any of the cheap gunmen will die here, but even with the 1.5x casualty penalty Richards still winds up costing less than any of the good gunmen. Johns costs the least (6%), but 1.5% of this rather small take is far less than 1% of the Big Score, so save him for later. Note however that the firefight will be somewhat more difficult, as a skilled gunman (McReary, Mota or Chef) would create a diversion and take some of the heat off the protagonists.

Roof Entry (Preferred):
Crew cut: 15%
 * Driver: Taliana Martinez* (5%)
 * Gunman: Daryl Johns (6%)
 * Hacker: Rickie Lukens (4%)

Covert:
Crew cut plus casualty expenses 16-16.5%
 * Gunmen: Hugh Welsh (7%) and Daryl Johns (6%)

The Covert approach at first glance would seem less expensive (2 crew members rather than 3), but the game booby-traps this choice by guaranteeing that, in the Covert approach, one cheap gunman will die in a backdraft. (Two good gunmen will survive, but cost a minimum 24% combined). Nobody will die in the Rooftop approach, unless you fail to protect the rather fragile Johns during the firefight. Among the drivers, Martinez is both the best and the least expensive. Lukens, with experience gained from the Vangelico stickup, will help hack the system perfectly well; and although he can't turn off the sprinklers their effect on gameplay is merely cosmetic.

Obvious (Preferred):
Crew cut: 26%
 * Driver 1 (helicopter): Taliana Martinez* (5%)
 * Driver 2 (train): Karim Denz (8%)
 * Gunman 1: Hugh Welsh (7%)
 * Gunman 2: Daryl Johns (6%)

Subtle:
Crew cut: 35%
 * Driver 1 (Bravado): Taliana Martinez* (5%)
 * Driver 2 (truck): Karim Denz (8%)
 * Gunman 1: Packie McReary* or Chef (12%)
 * Gunman 2: Daryl Johns (6%)
 * Hacker: Rickie Lukens (4%)

In the Obvious approach, the helicopter pilot has to be good (otherwise the chopper will crash with half the take) and therefore should be Martinez; any fool can drive the train. Of the two gunmen, the first simply helps Franklin move the gold out of the vault and can be anyone; the second has to shoot his way through the cops to the getaway car and should thus be whomever you used previously in the Bureau Raid, Johns unless he died in the Covert approach.

In the Subtle approach, a poor driver in the fourth Bravado will wreck and get arrested, along with a quarter of the take; obviously this is a job for Martinez. If Denz is driving the truck and is completely inexperienced, he'll weave from side to side and make things more difficult for Franklin, but if you used him for the jewelry heist he'll keep it straight and true. The Subtle approach does require a good first gunman, because a poor one will drop a good bit of the gold while loading it, regardless of experience; the second gunman can be anyone. Lukens with two jobs under his belt (you did use him, right?) will hack the traffic lights every bit as well as Paige Harris. Note that the Subtle approach also will cost you a $300,000 bribe and the expense of upgrading the Bravados, so it's markedly less lucrative than the Obvious approach.

Losable crew members
Depending on your heist specialists experience, they can sometimes end up dying or left behind. In which case, their cut will increase by 50% e.g. Losing a crew member with a cut of 7% will increase to 10.5%.

Drivers
Eddie Toh Karim Denz Taliana Martinez
 * ​The Big Score (Obvious) If Trevor doesn't keep the helicopter steady so Lester can destroy the helicopters he'll lose altitude and crash his helicopter.
 * The Big Score
 * (Subtle) If his driving experience is low and if he is chosen to ride the fourth Gauntlet, he crashes his car, gets pulled out and arrested by the police.
 * (Obvious) If his driving experience is low and if he is chosen to ride in the helicopter carrying the gold, he crashes it into a windmill and it explodes, killing him. Or if he has experience, if Trevor doesn't keep the helicopter steady so Lester can destroy the helicopters, he'll lose altitude and crash his helicopter.
 * The Big Score (Obvious) If Trevor doesn't keep the helicopter steady so Lester can destroy the helicopters she'll lose altitude and crash her helicopter.

Gunmen
Daryl Johns Hugh Welsh Norm Richards
 * The Paleto Score Gets hit by a police car then pinned to a wall causing him to suffocate and die.
 * The Bureau Raid (Covert) Gets caught in the blast when the door opens.
 * The Bureau Raid (Covert) Gets caught in the blast when the door opens.
 * The Jewel Store Job Falls off his bike no matter which way you take to steal the jewelry, he either dies or gets arrested.
 * The Paleto Score Gets hit by a police car then pinned to a wall causing him to suffocate and die.
 * The Bureau Raid (Covert) Gets caught in the blast when the door opens.