Buoys Ahoy is a mission in Grand Theft Auto IV given to protagonist Niko Bellic by his fellow former army soldier Bernie Crane from Pier 45 in Fishmarket South, Algonquin, Liberty City.
Description[]
Having received a phone message from Bernie, who says that he has suffered from a panic attack, Niko goes to Pier 45 in southeast Algonquin to help him.
Walkthrough[]
When the player walks into the mission marker, Bernie will inform Niko he has something very important planned for both of them. This "business" is actually just a fun day. Niko finally agrees to have fun with Bernie.
Bernie will get onto a boat with his picnic basket. Take him over to a lookout spot in the ocean, near Firefly Island. Bernie will use some binoculars to get sight of another boat with "cute guys". Niko and Bernie find out that the cute guys are actually Dimitri Rascalov's Goons.
If the player shoots and kills the goons during the chase, Bernie and Niko will be teleported to the pier in Steinway where the men supposedly disembark their boat and the mission passes.
If players decide to chase all the way, the goons' boat will finally crash on a pier in Steinway near the cemetery; the player must follow the goons into said cemetery. Two are armed with SMGs while one (nearest the road) wields a Pump Shotgun. All of them use cover. After killing the goons, Niko gets back to the pier where Bernie is waiting. He'll thank Niko for help before sailing off. This will finish the mission. Some time after, Bernie will call the player. He will say that he left a present from him and Bryce in the car park behind his apartment.
Mission Objectives[]
In order to complete the mission the player must:
- Take Bernie to the coast off Firefly Island.
- Take out Dimitri's men.
- Go back to Bernie.
Video Walkthrough[]
Reward[]
- After the mission, Bernie calls Niko Bellic, or Niko can call him, telling him to collect Bryce Dawkins' orange or yellow Infernus, as a gift from both of them for helping them keep their love affair secret. This is the only orange/yellow Infernus available in the game, and cannot be repainted at Pay 'n' Spray, it also is the only version with black sport rims and a black stripe on the side skirts. The Infernus will be parked in the car park behind Bernie Crane's apartment, in Varsity Heights. Once in the car, Niko will thank Bryce for the gift, hoping it wasn't funded by the city budget. This will complete Bernie Crane's missions.
- $6,500
Deaths[]
- Three of Dimitri Rascalov's Russian Mafia members sent to kill Niko.
Trivia[]
- At one point during the chase, the player is led between two ships that are closing together, which is a reference to the early boat chase scene in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
- If players choose to chase the enemy boat over a stunt jump, it is possible to hear Bernie saying something like "Whoa!" or "Fun time!".
- There was originally going to be a phone call instead of the text message from Bernie in the final version. In it, he claims that he urgently needs Niko to come to the pier in Fishmarket South, sounding very scared. Niko, understanding that this means Bernie is in trouble, agrees. This explains Niko's reaction to Bernie during the introductory cutscene, as Niko claims that he sounded hysterical.[1]
- Similarly to Union Drive, a police vehicle (in this case, a Police Predator) will join the chase about halfway through the mission. After yelling a warning to shut down their engines, the boat is shot by the goons, and an officer will shout something like "Oh, crap!" or "Balls!" and the boat will explode.
- Shooting the Police Predator will still attain a wanted level as usual. This is also the same case in the previous mission, but it does not affect the mission itself.
- After receiving the phone call from Bernie about his Infernus, a pink Bc mark will show on the radar, showing where to pick the car up. Before picking it up (a glitch may occur, making this effect of common sport cars permanent), Infernuses will become much more common around Liberty City, as will Coquettes, Banshees, and various other sports cars. After picking the car up, however, these cars will become rare again. It is not necessary to pick up the car to finish the storyline.
