The Big Score (GTA V)

"The big one."

- Michael

The Big Score is a mission in Grand Theft Auto V. It is the sixth and final heist mission and the penultimate mission in the game.

The player steals a total of $201,600,000 for the Obvious, or $201,300,000 for Subtle.

Description
Michael, Franklin, and Trevor work together to pull the biggest heist of their lives, which is to steal 201 million dollars worth of gold from the Union Depository.

Subtle
Get in the car after the cutscenes. Drive to the tunnel before 8:00 am. The time is shown on the lower right corner of the screen. After getting to the tunnel, wait for 2 Securicars to enter the tunnel. Drop a spike strip or Stinger before the vans leave, then drive away and wait for them to hit the spikes.

The vans' tires have deflated and stopped. Get out of the car and start pointing your gun at the windows of the vans. The occupants will be forced to get out of their vans as hostages. Another van will appear, and requested to change the tires. They will be forced to ride in the vans in order to support them. Drive to the Union Depository building's underground garage, and they will park the Securicars in reverse. A cutscene will show the manager requesting an authorization ID. It was successful, now follow the manager to an elevator going down to the carts containing gold. Trevor and a Gruppe 6 officer will push the carts back to the Securicars.

Get in the second van and follow Trevor as he gets out of the Depository. However, when Michael calls Franklin, it turns out that Merryweather Security had seen you stealing the gold of the Union Depository. Now switch to Franklin using a laptop to control the traffic lights of the city to help Michael & Trevor escape from the Merryweather troops. Control the traffic lights using the assigned buttons and stop Merryweather from spotting them by turning the lights to red. The mission will fail if the Merryweather vans catch them. Depending on the hacker skill, there either won't be lag on the changes or there'll be a second or so of lag. Change them less than 10 times to get closer to a gold medal.

Now they have parked the Securicars. They will open the doors to transfer the packs of gold to four modified Gauntlets. However, the Merryweather troops show up. This engages a large shootout. The protagonists will have to protect the crew while they transfer the gold from the Securicars to the Gauntlets, depending of the experience of the first gunman and the first driver, they may let some of the gold bars drop while loading the cars, making the crew lose almost $18 million of the total score. Keep focused on cover and try switching characters in order for a better shootout. Choose the best weapons, because there are many of them. Keep in mind that the security outfits that Michael and Trevor have on from the beginning will have a full body armor bar, making it somewhat easier. Be careful if switching to Franklin, for he'll have no armor unless you bought one for him ahead of time and haven't done anything to damage it.

You will be switched to Franklin once all the Merryweather troops have been killed. Drive one of the Gauntlets and follow the rest of the crew. Focus on the route and ignore the LSPD. The mission will fail if Franklin lags too far behind and loses the others. After jumping into Rockford Plaza, the scene will slow down, showing a tanker truck in the verge of explosion after a Vapid Interceptor rolls over and crashes the tank (at this very point if you took Karim as your driver for the fourth Gauntlet, depending on his driving experience, he ends up crashing his Gauntlet thus pulled out by the police and ending up incarcerated plus losing a quarter of the gold.  After going to the freeway, a LSPD Maverick shows up. Don't worry on the gunners, they will just shoot when you will enter the tunnel. Drive to two trailers waiting for the four Gauntlets, including you. Depending on the driver for Franklin's trailer, it could swerve side to side, making it harder to get in if their skill is poor, thus causing a greater risk of failure if you don't get in before the end of the tunnel. The LSPD failed to arrest them thanks to the two trailers.

The three will enter a Cavalcade. Drive to Michael's House. Mission complete. Regardless of the outcome all three enter a massive argument that supposedly leaves them on bitter terms despite the victory.

After this, Franklin heads home, and is suddenly visited by Devin Weston, who task him to kill Michael due to his failed attempt before, but Franklin refuses, telling him Steve Haines tasked him to kill Trevor and cannot kill both, Devin bluffs this and gives him three options in his words, "A. listen to some 50 grand a year pension hunter?" Which mean kill Trevor. "Or B. a billionare? Who even the president lets finger his wife." Which means kill Michael. "Or C. Try and be really stupid and save those two idiot mentors of yours and have everybody in the Goddamn state crawling up your ass." Which means Deathwish. Franklin has the option to choose which can begin the final missions, Something Sensible, The Time's Come or The Third Way.

Obvious
Drive the Oracle to the Union Depository with the gunman assigned. Then you will take control of Franklin, in a HVY Cutter, underground. Use the drills by pressing a button to create a huge opening on the bank vault. When the hole is created, park the Cutter an ample distance away. Plant explosive charges (aka sticky bombs) on the two vault doors, then stand back and detonate them. Approach the cart, but a NOOSE team has been sent to stop you. Defend the gunman assigned against the NOOSE team by shooting at them while the gunman pushes the gold carts. Focus on the officers, and use a good gun like an Advanced Rifle with extended ammo to eliminate the enemies faster. A minigun may be helpful as well due to its rapid-fire damage and no need for reloading. After the gunman pushes the 2nd cart, you will take control of Trevor. Fly north of Los Santos to Blaine County, and the game will command you to switch to Michael. Michael is in a heavy shootout against the cops. Focus on health and ammo, as there are too many officers to fight, and may take 10 minutes of gunfighting. Keep on killing them, and you can soon switch to Franklin. While advancing, a Buzzard will appear. Destroy it quickly with the RPG or minigun, as it will use the rockets to kill your team. After destroying it, advance to the underground parking lot where the getaway vehicle was stashed while fending off the cops. (Note: you do not have to kill every cop you see; listen to audio cues from Franklin or Michael (depending who you are not controlling at the time) to know when you can move on.)

At the parking lot, an FIB team will appear, in their Grangers. Destroy the vehicles quickly with RPG, grenades or sticky bombs (be careful not to hit the getaway vehicle). After killing them, get in the car and lose the cops. If you followed Lester's advice and modified the vehicle, it should take quite a bit of punishment. A 5-star wanted level may take about 1-2 minutes of cooling down, so hiding underground in places such as the sewers or subways would probably work best.

After the Wanted Level is cleared, you will then switch to Trevor in a helicopter. Follow the driver assigned. However, the Merryweather Security appears in helicopters, and Lester must destroy the helicopters. Keep the helicopter steady for Lester to get a clean shot, but be careful not to let both gold carts under the helicopters detach, or have Trevor wasted, or else the mission will fail. The other gold helicopter will speed up considerably so you'll need to do this while maintaining speed and altitude. Destroy the choppers too late, and the pilot of the other one could crash and make you lose half your take, the helicopter also crash if the driver is not experienced enough. After destroying the helicopters, locate a train in your radar and detach the gold cart in the train car. Finally, fly to the airstrip in Sandy Shores. Mission complete. Seen here

If the other pilot (If lacking in skill) crashes, the mission can still be completed, the mission only fails if Trevor is wasted or if his own gold cart is also dropped on accident or if he crashes, making them lose everything. However, if the final gold tally is important, consider intentionally crashing Trevor's helicopter, failing the mission, and then restarting at the last checkpoint. Keep in mind that, as noted above, there are some crew members who will always crash, so it is possible you may need to reload a save prior to "Planning the Big Score" and choosing an alternate pilot.

After the gold has been dropped off, both Trevor and Lester will fly to the McKenzie Field Hangar to meet with the rest of the crew for a debrief. Lester is in good spirits for the entire ride and has obviously never been so thrilled his entire life. For the debrief everyone else is in good spirits as well contrary to the meeting in the Subtle Method. Michael then proceeds to break the mood and soon after tells the crew to avoid spend large amounts of cash until the gold is sold with Trevor restating in a more agressive matter. The cutscene ends with Michael, Trevor and Lester flying away to the new location of the gold; Franklin departing in his new getaway vehicle and the hired crew members flying away in the second helicopter.

However, should the pilot crew member die, and half the gold is lost, a different ending cutscene will play instead. While Michael, Franklin and the gunman are initially jovial at the success of their heist, they become sullen upon being notified by Trevor of the death of their second pilot and the loss of half the stolen gold. The crew becomes disappointed and angry with their loss. The cutscene then ends with Michael, Trevor and Lester flying away to the gold's new location, while Franklin and the gunman drive away in the new getaway vehicle.

Either way, after the mission, Franklin will once again be faced with the choice of killing Michael, killing Trevor, or choosing another option.

Warning
Upon completion of this mission, the endgame mission is unlocked. It may therefore be advisable to complete any remaining side-missions, etc. that may be required for 100% completion before triggering it as, depending on the player's choice in the endgame, Michael or Trevor may no longer be available beyond this point, thereby rendering any activities/side missions specific to them inaccessible.

Subtle

 * Enter in the car. - (Michael)
 * Go to the tunnel entrance before 8am. - (Michael)
 * Release the spike strip in the tunnel before the Securicars get out. - (Michael)
 * Wait for the Securicars. - (Michael)
 * Go to the Union Depository. - (Michael)
 * Follow the manager. - (Michael)
 * Enter in the Securicar. - (Michael)
 * Follow Trevor. - (Michael)
 * Keep the streets clean for the Securicars. - (Franklin)
 * Kill all the Merry Weather soldiers. - (Michael, Trevor and Franklin)
 * Follow the rest of the crew. - (Franklin)
 * Go to Michael's House. - (Franklin)

Obvious

 * Enter in the car. - (Michael)
 * Go to the bank. - (Michael)
 * Pierce the vault wall with the driller. - (Franklin)
 * Park the driller near the wall. - (Franklin)
 * Plant the bombs on the vault doors and detonate. - (Franklin)
 * Protect the crew member from the NOOSE agents. - (Franklin)
 * Fly out of the city. - (Trevor)
 * Escape with the crew member. - (Michael and Franklin)
 * Enter in the getaway vehicle. - (Michael or Franklin)
 * Lose the cops. - (Michael or Franklin)
 * Follow the driver. - (Trevor)
 * Keep the helicopter steady so Lester can destroy the buzzards. - (Trevor)
 * Release the gold in the train. - (Trevor)
 * Land in the airfield. - (Trevor)

Subtle

 * Headshots - Kill 20 enemies with a headshot
 * Signal Man - Perform less than 10 traffic light changes
 * Accuracy - Finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 60%

Obvious

 * Headshots - Kill 20 enemies with a headshot
 * Time - Complete within 16:00
 * Cha-Ching - Drop the gold onto the train within 30 seconds
 * Accuracy - Finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 60%

Weazel News Newspaper
Subtle

"Thieves withdrew around two hundred million dollars' worth of gold bullion from the Union Depository earlier, making the price of gold skyrocket. Employees at the bank willingly handed over the gold to the criminals thinking they were an armored car crew. The gold was then transported to Mission Row were it was loaded into four cars. Events are unclear at this point, but it appears that a security team from Merry Weather discovered the heist crew before any crime was reported. They engaged them in a fire fight but were unable to stop them escaping past Legion Square and into the city. The police were finally called, but it was too late to stop the criminals from getting away."

Obvious

"Thieves withdrew around two hundred million dollars' worth of gold bullion from the Union Depository earlier, making the price of gold skyrocket. The crew staged a robbery in the bank lobby, drawing security teams into a standoff, while their accomplices drilled into the vault and airlifted out around four tons of gold. The crew were then forced to fight their way out throught Downtown Los Santos, eventually escaping a comprehensive city-wide manhunt. Connections have been made between the heist at the Union Depository and recent crimes at a Rockford Hills jewel store and a savings bank in Paleto Bay, but there are still no suspects in any of the investigations."

Lifeinvader Posts

 * Lester Crest - "You can retire for real this time, old friend."

Bleeter Posts

 * @felixwarlock - "Not the Union Depository! Just when I put all my money in gold! I'm so screwed!"
 * @ralphyscalpy - "How is even possible to rob the Union Depository? Is there anything left in Los Santos that can't be broken into????

Trivia

 * During the drive at the start of the job, even if you select Chef for the team, Trevor will express doubts on the entire team's capabilities (even though he recommended Chef as an option in the previous job).
 * There is a mission in GTA Advance that shares its name with this mission.
 * The reward from the job cannot be collected until after the final mission. However, the exact payout will vary depending on the final mission chosen. If The Third Way (Option C) is completed, each character gets an equal share. If Something Sensible (Option A) is completed, Trevor's cut is split between Michael and Franklin in addition to their initial cuts from the job, making it the most profitable option for them. If The Time's Come (Option B) is selected, Trevor and Franklin receive their respective takes but Michael's cut is given to his family rather than his accomplices.
 * During the Obvious approach, when Michael appears during the beginning cutscene, Trevor's upper clothing disappears.
 * The takes from the two approaches differ by $300,000, owing to the fact one brick of gold is given to Casey (the Gruppe 6 man) to ensure his silence. However, players should also consider that the Subtle approach requires additional money to be spent upgrading the Gauntlets needed for the getaway, thereby further reducing the profit for one or more of the characters.
 * The subtle approach contains several references to The Italian Job, both the 1969 original and the 2003 remake. As part of the mission, you have to manipulate traffic lights to prevent Merryweather Security reaching Michael and the armored convoy; in the films, traffic lights are manipulated to slow down the team's pursuers. Later the team is involved in a speed chase in three Gauntlets, which ends with the team loading the cars into the back of two trucks; this is similar to both films, which feature car chases involving Mini Coopers that end with the cars being driven into coaches.
 * Similarly, the Obvious approach is a reference to the 1995 film Die Hard With a Vengeance, in which Simon Gruber, the main antagonist, robs gold bullion from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York by drilling into the vault room (with a vehicle very much like the Cutter) from a subway station.
 * The shootout with the cops in the streets surrounding the Union Depository in the Obvious approach may also be inspired by the shootout in the 1995 film Heat, which features a similar running shootout with police following a bank robbery. Heat has been referenced numerous times in recent GTA games.
 * The post-mission cutscene features Franklin, Michael and Trevor in their default outfits from the beginning of the game; Franklin in his repo outfit, Michael in his grey suit, and Trevor in his white shirt and sweatpants.
 * This mission could be a reference to the 1983 movie The Big Score, as there is also a police chase, a big take of money and a character named Frank.
 * The trio manage to steal exactly 672 gold bricks, since when you pay off Casey (Subtle) you lose $300,000, indicating that each brick is worth $300,000. 201,600,000 divided by 300,000 is 672.
 * While the protagonists are going to Michael's House at the end of the Subtle approach, the radio will always tune in to Los Santos Rock Radio and it will always play "Hollywood Nights" by Bob Seger.
 * When Franklin drives away in the Tailgater at the end of the Obvious approach, the radio will always tune in to Radio Los Santos and it will always play "Smokin' & Ridin'" by BJ The Chicago Kid ft. Freddie Gibbs and Problem.
 * During the Obvious approach, after you get the getaway car and you're trying to lose the police, if you go back to the subway construction site you will see that the hole that the crew opened in the vault is closed again.
 * It is unknown why Trevor's Bodhi is parked by the underpass in the Subtle approach.
 * The final segment of the Obvious approach where Lester destroys Merryweather Buzzards with an RPG is similar to the mission Paper Trail, where Little Jacob uses an RPG to kill Eduard Borodin by destroying his Maverick.

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