Lester Crest


 * Lester redirects here. You may be looking for Lester Leroc or Lester Arnold.

"We are about to put the Darwinism back in Social Darwinism, and brother, it is gonna be fun."

- Lester Crest

Lester Crest is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series that appears as a central character in Grand Theft Auto V and its multiplayer mode, Grand Theft Auto Online, he is one of the two deuteragonists to Franklin Clinton, Trevor Philips and Michael De Santa.

Background
Lester is a career criminal and long time ally of Michael De Santa and Trevor Philips, being a regular member of their heist crews since the start of their partnership, working mostly as a planner and information scout. Lester suffers from a wasting disease that has, throughout his life, gradually worn down his motor skills, leaving him practically incapable of walking without the use of a cane. Due to his limited mobility, Lester has grown considerably overweight. Nonetheless, he makes up for his lack of physical skills with a genius-level intelligence, a masterful expertise in technology and computing and a sharp eye for detail, which is what makes him an excellent planner for the various heists he pulled off during his career.

Lester is also very well informed about world politics and the insider details and machinations of corporate action. Using this knowledge, he has been involved with stock fraud and corporate assassination for a large chunk of his career, both prior and during the game.

Grand Theft Auto Online
"Welcome to paradise."

- Lester to the player.

Lester is one of the several mission givers the player can interact with in Grand Theft Auto Online. He can be found at his house.

The player is introduced to Lester upon reaching rank 10; Lester phone calls the player and asks him to meet up at Lester's house. At Lester's place, he informs the player of their growing reputation and suggests to invest the player's money in real estate.

Before the player leaves, Lester tells him/her that he is able to put a bounty on other players by calling Lester. If the player sets a bounty on another player, Lester will take a cut of $1,000.

After the 1.15 Patch, the player can recieve messages from Lester who requires a target eliminated for easy cash.

Grand Theft Auto V
After Michael faked his death with the assistance of FIB agent Dave Norton, Lester left North Yankton and relocated to San Andreas, eventually discovering that Michael had indeed faked his death and gone into witness protection with the FIB in Los Santos. Nonetheless, since Michael told the FIB nothing about Lester's involvment with his team, Lester told nobody about Michael's ruse.

Lester and Michael reunite after nearly a decade when Michael finds himself in need of a new heist after angering Cartel boss Martin Madrazo by pulling his house down a hill (believing it to be the home of Kyle Chavis, the tennis coach who'd slept with his wife). Lester agrees to help, but only after Michael helps assassinate Lifeinvader CEO Jay Norris so that Lester can make a profit by buying Lifeinvader shares at minimal price, only to sell them at inflated ones later. Once the assassination is taken care of, Lester helps Michael, and his new associate Franklin Clinton, pull off a robbery at the Vangelico jewel store in Portola Drive.

Later on during the game, Lester hires Franklin several times to pull off other similar assassinations in order to make profits in the stock market. Other victims include Brett Lowrey, the CEO of Bilkington Research; Jackson Skinner, the Head of Product Development at Facade; Isaac Penny, a venture capitalist who planned to acquire a majority share of the Vapid Motor Company; and Enzo Bonelli, a mobster turned real estate developer who'd blackmailed his way into most construction contracts for Los Santos.

Lester's main role in the game is in helping the protagonists set-up various heists and operations. He helps them plan out a robbery on a County Bank to finance an FIB operation; he helps Franklin rescue Michael after he's captured by Wei Cheng's triad due to his connection with Trevor; he helps Michael and Franklin carry out a break-in on the FIB Headquarters to delete incriminating files about the team and Agent Steve Haines; he helps the three protagonists rescue Franklin's friend Lamar Davis after Franklin's former friend Stretch betrayed him to the Ballas; and ultimately he helps the trio pull off the biggest score of their careers: a robbery on the Union Depository.

Endings
By the end of the game, Franklin is given separate orders by Steve Haines and Devin Weston to kill one of his friends. Haines wants him to kill Trevor and Weston wants him to kill Michael. The player then has to choose between carrying out Haines' instructions, carrying out Weston's, or disregarding them both and getting together with both Trevor and Michael to take out their enemies.

If the player chooses either ending A or B, "Kill Trevor" or "Kill Michael", Lester only appears again through an email he sends to the two surviving protagonists. If Trevor is killed, he sends Franklin and Michael their share of the Union Depository job as well as half of Trevor's to each of them, as well as claiming to be rather disappointed that things had to end as they did. If Michael is killed, Lester sends Franklin and Trevor their shares of the Union Depository job and sends Michael's share to his family, while at the same time stating in his email that he hopes neither Franklin or Trevor were involved in Michael's murder.

If the player chooses ending C, the "Deathwish" ending, Lester does appear physically once again. Franklin contacts Lester and asks him for help on figuring out what to do. Lester initially suggests killing both Trevor and Michael, but eventually comes up with a better way to solve the problem. He lures Haines' corrupt FIB allies and Weston's private Merryweather batallion to a foundry where the three protagonists ambush and kill all of them, stripping both Haines and Weston of their brute force power. Afterwards, Lester acquires the locations of all of the protagonists' enemies, allowing them to take out their enemies once and for all. Michael kills Stretch, Franklin kills Wei Cheng and Trevor kills Steve Haines before going to Devin Weston's mansion to kidnap him. Trevor takes Weston to a cliff in Blaine County where he meets up with Michael and Franklin and all three protagonists proceed to mock a terrified Weston before pushing the car he's in off the cliff, killing him. After the assassinations are carried out, Lester sends all three protagonists their respective shares from the UD job and congratulates them on a job well done.

Mission appearances

 * GTA V
 * Friend Request (Boss)
 * Casing the Jewel Store (Boss)
 * The Jewel Store Job
 * Friends Reunited (Post-mission phone call)
 * The Hotel Assassination (Boss)
 * The Multi Target Assassination (Voice/Boss)
 * The Merryweather Heist
 * The Vice Assassination (Voice/Boss)
 * The Bus Assassination (Voice/Boss)
 * The Construction Assassination (Voice/Boss)
 * Paleto Score Setup
 * The Paleto Score
 * Hang Ten (Voice)
 * Surveying the Score (Boss)
 * Pack Man (Post-mission phone call)
 * Fresh Meat (Voice)
 * Cleaning Out the Bureau
 * The Bureau Raid
 * The Wrap Up
 * Lamar Down (Voice)
 * Meltdown (Voice)
 * The Big Score
 * Something Sensible (Option A/Post-mission message)
 * The Time's Come (Option B/Post-mission message)
 * The Third Way (Option C/Boss)


 * GTA Online
 * Cops Capacity (Boss)
 * Landing Strip (Boss)
 * A Titan of a Job (Boss)
 * Last Chopper Outta LS (Boss)
 * High Priority Case (Boss)
 * Quarry Quarry (Boss)
 * By Land, Sea and Air (Boss)
 * Teaser Trailer (Boss)
 * Four Trailers (Boss)
 * Sinking Feeling (Boss)
 * Bust Out (Boss)
 * The Parking Garage (Boss)
 * Hack and Dash (Boss)
 * On Maneuvers (Boss)
 * American Exports (Boss)
 * Chemical Extraction (Boss)
 * Stocks and Scares (Boss)
 * Docks to Stock (Boss)
 * Docks to Stock II (Boss)
 * Crime Scenester (Boss)
 * Master Data (Boss)
 * Denial of Service (Boss)
 * Truck Together (Boss)

Assassination Missions and Stock exchange fraud
Lester will give the protagonist Franklin Clinton, a series of 5 assassination missions;
 * 1) The Hotel Assassination
 * 2) The Multi Target Assassination
 * 3) The Vice Assassination
 * 4) The Bus Assassination
 * 5) The Construction Assassination

These 5 missions will give 5 different opportunities to gain a massive income from the stock market, so before the player starts the mission, be sure to buy as many stocks before (or after for Bus Assassination) the mission is taken. After the missions wait a few minutes and the market will change (the stock market will change every 30 seconds), so be patient and wait for the stock to reach maximum before selling, it depends on the mission/stock market, but it's not uncommon to go beyond 50% increase (150% for Bus Assassination), but most of the times it will level out at around 80%.

The assassination missions are not required for 100% completion and as such may be done after the main storyline ends (the only exception being The Hotel Assassination which is part of the storyline as it provides Franklin with a new safehouse). Players wishing to maximize the amount of money made by the characters may therefore wish to wait until after the main storyline ends before engaging in these missions, and particularly after receiving the cut from The Big Score which pays out after completing The Third Way, Something Sensible or The Time's Come.

Lester will give Franklin a hint to what is going to happen after the assassination, the missions are often a personal matter for Lester, but most of the times it is just for personal gain. He will advise which stocks to buy and when.

With the exception of The Bus Assassination, in which it's recommended that investment be done afterwards, players should invest all money held by the three protagonists in the indicated stock before Franklin triggers the mission. Once the mission triggers, Franklin may invest in a stock but the other two characters can only do so after the mission ends, by which time the targeted stock will have already started to rise, reducing potential profit. (Keep in mind also that switching to Trevor and finding him in the middle of a police pursuit or other activity will delay his ability to buy in, too -- and cash out.)

Stock Market Advice;
 * 1) The Hotel Assassination; Buy Betta Pharmaceuticals at BAWSAQ before the mission.
 * 2) The Multi Target Assassination; Buy Debonaire at LCN before the mission.
 * 3) After The Multi Target Assassination; And After You Sell Your Debonaire Shares at LCN Buy Redwood Cigarettes at LCN sell at %300.
 * 4) The Vice Assassination; Buy Fruit at BAWSAQ before the mission. After sleeping 2-3 times the shares should go up to 50%.
 * 5) The Bus Assassination; Buy Vapid Motor Company (VAP) at BAWSAQ after the mission, the stocks plummet and will go as high as 150% after a few days. (If you got stocks in the company before the mission, sell them)
 * 6) The Construction Assassination; Buy Gold Coast Construction at LCN before the mission. The next in-game day the shares has reached somewhere around 80%.

Note: the BAWSAQ stock market is only available to players who register with the real-world Rockstar Social Club. Players who choose not to do so will only be able to invest in the LCN market and thus will only be able to benefit from the Multi-Target and Construction assassinations (other than Franklin's fee which tops out at $10,000 for the final job).

Trivia

 * It is possible to see on Lester's Lifeinvader page, a message from a girl asking about his true age, implying that he fakes his age in order to talk to younger women. Also, he admits to Franklin that he hacks girls webcams to watch them.
 * Trevor has also referred to him as "Lester the Molester." This may be another indication that he is a sexual deviant. It is unknown if that nickname is a serious comment or not. This could also be a reference to the movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno or the novel A Prayer For Owen Meany, in which the character Hester has the stage name "Hester The Molester".
 * After The Bureau Raid, if the Fire Crew option is taken, Lester says "I'm going to get drunk and spy on those sorority girls again."
 * Another hint is that when Trevor goes to Michael's house and plays Tennis with Amanda, he may say "Just like the old times, old girl." to which she will answer "Is Lester jacking off in the woods? I don't see him."
 * Lester also posted a comment on his Bleeter that spoke of how getting revenge on his old high school class never seemed to get old. This shows that he had resentment for his old class and may have also been a victim to bullying.
 * Lester is an avid gamer, especially focused on Righteous Slaughter 7.
 * During the game, Lester is confined to a wheelchair. When he cannot use it, he walks with the help of a cane. Despite his disability, he's still able to walk without a cane (with some difficulty), as seen in The Bureau Raid.
 * Lester is also asthmatic, as he is seen holding an inhaler in his official artwork.
 * Lester may in part be inspired by the character Kelso from the movie Heat. Both Kelso and Lester have physical disabilities, and both men are more involved with planning heists than with actually carrying them out.
 * Lester has two boxes of files in his house on a shelf. Both the boxes say "Assasinations," and "Zombie Outbreak."
 * If the player chooses the Obvious approach to The Big Score, Lester will take a rare in-person role in the heist: as a passenger in Trevor's helicopter, he shoots down pursuing Merryweather helicopters with a Rocket Launcher.
 * According to the Rush Casting Call, Lester's beta name was Jerry Cole.
 * As reported by media outlets, Lester may be based heavily on Karl Rove, Senior Advisor and White House Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. Despite the uncanny resemblances in appearance they are both also criminal masterminds that operate from "behind the curtains," Karl Rove and Dick Cheney being coined "Bush's Brain."
 * Lester's email address is "t34b4g99@eyefind.com" which is Leet/1337 for "Teabag99."
 * Lester bears a slight resemblance to cult celebrity Karl Pilkington.
 * The in-game version of Lester's artwork shows him wearing a red shirt instead of the green check shirt. This outfit is only seen in the Paleto Score when he meets Michael, Trevor, Franklin and the chosen gunman at Ace Liquor.
 * Lester possibly has asperger syndrome, a form of autism. This is supported by his obsessions (hacking, Righteous Slaughter 7, etc) and the fact that he has a minor speech impediment. Furthermore, he has anger issues (killing Jay Norris, assassination missions), this is a common trait of aspergers' patients.
 * If looked at closely, Lester's Facade computer has a folder titled "Gay Porn" on it, hinting that he may be gay or bi-sexual.