Merryweather Security Consulting is a private military company and security contractor who appears as one of the main groups of antagonists in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online.
Description[]
Merryweather Security is a mercenary group led by Don Percival and dedicated to various military operations. According to their website, Merryweather is shown to be operating around the world, including the United States, Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and the Middle East.
Merryweather appears to have several divisions, which are determined by the uniform and equipment they carry:
- The first one appears to be a security division similar to Gruppe Sechs guards, which provides onsite and property protection with uniformed guards. They normally wear the same outfits and are either walking the premises with a guard dog or patrolling in security cars, which are Dilettantes with a distinctive "PATROL" livery.
- The second one is a paramilitary force consisting of operatives trained for high-risk operations. They have three types of uniforms:
- The first uniform (named "Blackops 1") wear relatively light gear, consisting of a cap (either forward or backward) bearing the Merryweather logo on them, shades, a polo shirt or a sleeveless shirt, sometimes with a bulletproof vest, camo pants with a gun holster attached to their left leg, and boots. Their arms have tattoo designs and may wear a headset when in an aircraft.
- The second uniform (named "Blackops 2") wear heavier equipment than the previous operator, consisting of either a military cap or a ski hat (both with varying color and camouflage patterns), sunglasses, a military jacket or a polo shirt, always with a bulletproof vest, tactical pants (with holsters, baggies and knee pads) and boots.
- The third uniform (named "Blackops 3") appears to be a black operations unit. They are identical to the Blackops 2 variant, except they do not wear hats, have sunglasses of different colors, and have night vision gear. This variant was added after the Heists update and is seen operating around Humane Labs and Research, particularly during GTA Online in The Humane Labs Raid and during a Resupply mission and an Air Freight Cargo Steal Mission.
- The third one (named "Chemsec 1") is similar in behaviour to the security division. They still wear the cap and shades combo, polo shirt with a bulletproof vest, pants with a gun holster and boots. However, the vests have a red outline and the word "SECURITY" is written on the back of their vests. This variant is only seen operating around Humane Labs and Research, specifically during the mission Monkey Business.
There exists a courier service announced[1] by Merryweather around the events of the mission Friend Request. The service transports art, artifacts, and perishables for museums and collectors. A train belonging to such is attacked by Michael De Santa and Trevor Philips and derailed.
As for their employees, Merryweather appears to primarily recruit ex-Military operators, ensuring well-skilled mercenaries. They are portrayed as incredibly aggressive and devoid of morals and ethics, happily committing wanton abuse against civilians they deem as a threat, Floyd being one notable example.
Influence[]
Merryweather is a parody of Academi, formerly known as Blackwater and Xe Services, a private military company infamous for alleged human rights violations during the Iraq War. Like Academi, Merryweather had changed its name following an incident that resulted in negative public relations. The styling of the name is also derived from Academi's former Blackwater logo.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online in 2013[]
Sometime before the game's start, Merryweather is cleared by the American government to begin operating on U.S. soil, both in service of the government and of other organizations in the private sector. However, it begins experiencing setbacks and problems almost immediately after their clearance.
During the story of Grand Theft Auto Online, Lester instructs the player to steal a Titan plane, two Buzzard Attack Choppers, a secretly-developed electromagnetic weapon, three containers full of weapons, and a large shipment of a base chemical for plastic explosives from Merryweather, to be used for his other, undisclosed projects. Lester also sends the player to steal over-the-counter stock transaction documentation and cargo guarded by Merryweather on numerous occasions. Underground crime lord Martin Madrazo has also hired the player to steal a van loaded with a painting from a Merryweather convoy, protect and escort his high-value contact from Merryweather bounty hunters, steal bricks of cocaine from Merryweather's naval base and shoot down a Merryweather air team with P-996 LAZERs. Trevor and Ron also hire the player to destroy Merryweather outposts and steal a shipment of diamonds from Merryweather.
They are also involved in numerous Gang Attacks around Los Santos, but unlike other gangs, defeating Merryweather in 5 separate gang attacks in one freemode session won't incur a bounty response or text message from their leadership.
Heists Update[]
On the finale of The Prison Break Heist, a few Merryweather mercenaries guarding a Buzzard Attack Chopper were killed off by a crew member in the Demolitions role instructed by Agent 14 to use to protect the Velum 5-Seater from the military's P-996 LAZERs in Blaine County and the rest of the crew and Maxim Rashkovsky from the police during their escape, and then fly back to the city with the whole crew to complete their mission.
During the events of the Humane Raid Heist, Agent 14 informs the crew that Humane Labs and Research, which used to be Maxim Rashkovsky and Dima Popov's pharma company, was leased to a shadow company a few years ago, run in part by Don Percival. According to his intel, the lab is being used to develop nerve agents, presumably to be used by Merryweather.
From there, the crew is instructed to steal their armored LAPVs in Davis Quartz and take a gunship helicopter from their headquarters. The crew also manages to kill a Merryweather group stealthily to place the EMP in the lab, to be later triggered in the heist finale, only to kill more Merryweather mercenaries to get the data and escape in their stolen gunship (which was later destroyed to get rid of any evidence).
The crew would later encounter Merryweather in the Pacific Standard setup, where they have to steal a truck containing the thermal charges, evading any of their reinforcements on the way.
Further Adventures in Finance and Felony[]
Merryweather is seen again during Special Cargo missions where Organizations steal numerous crates of supplies and weaponry particularly through convoys of helicopters and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage caused to pursuing units.
During the Special Vehicle Work mission End of Transmission, Merryweather was hired by a SecuroServ client's business partner to get a dark ops transmitter located at the Palmer-Taylor Power Station. However, the client has hired the crew for the same objective, which ultimately managed to defeat Merryweather using a SecuroServ Armored Boxville.
Events of Grand Theft Auto V[]
Later, during the events of Grand Theft Auto V, Merryweather suffers many problematic setbacks at the hands of the game's main protagonists, particularly those of Trevor Philips. During the game, Merryweather has one of the experimental weapons they were guarding for the U.S. government stolen; one of their planes, which was carrying millions of dollars in weaponry, hijacked and taken down; one of their courier trains, carrying millions of dollars worth of priceless artifacts, derailed; dozens of their men killed at a massive shootout in the Kortz Center, dozens of their men killed after an unsuccessful house invasion, dozens of their men killed while unsuccessfully attempting to stop a heist at the Union Depository Building and dozens of their men killed in a foundry while attempting to kill Franklin Clinton, Michael De Santa and Trevor Philips, and major shareholder/chief board member Devin Weston kidnapped, stuffed into a car, and rolled off a cliff.
By the end of the main storyline, Merryweather's reputation is in shambles after so many catastrophic failures, causing several of their regular clients to drop them from their payroll, including the U.S. government. After losing the government contract, Merryweather loses clearance to operate on American soil and is forced to shut down several operations they'd started in the country, costing them millions of dollars. Don Percival also buys out the majority of Weston's 11% stock in the company after his death.
In GTA V, the player can visit their official website, Merryweathersecurity.com. They can also buy their stocks in the Lcn-exchange.com website.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online after 2013[]
Despite all the negative setbacks suffered in the past, Merryweather continues to maintain operations in the State of San Andreas. Despite GTA V's endings stating that Merryweather has lost its license to operate in the United States, they can still be found at the Los Santos Naval Port, and continue to have a major presence in San Andreas in Grand Theft Auto Online post-2017. This may be the result of corruption and bribery from Merryweather to continue operations on American soil, or Merryweather may continue unauthorized operations there regardless. Alternatively, this may simply be an developer oversight.
After the events of the San Andreas Mercenaries update, Merryweather experiences their original fate, as the US government finally ends their relationship. However, this again seemingly makes no impact on Merryweather's presence in Los Santos, as the organization makes several appearances as enemies in later GTA Online updates, notably The Chop Shop and Agents of Sabotage. As a result, more trouble befalls them at the hands of the player, Organizations, and Motorcycle Clubs.
Gunrunning[]
Merryweather again takes a prominent role, where they are seen in most of the Steal Supplies missions. The Organizations and Motorcycle Clubs have to steal much of their equipment, so they will be broken down in Bunkers and sold off for profit. They may show off again during Sell Supplies missions, where they will attempt to take out the groups for gaining profit with their stolen equipment. They sometimes raid the players' bunkers for their supplies to reclaim their stolen equipment and load it up in their Valkyrie, only to end with their guards dead and Valkyrie stolen by the players recovering their supplies.
Merryweather also takes a prominent role on most of the Mobile Operations led by Agent 14, where again they suffer various setbacks, as most of their supplies were destroyed, their salvage team on a downed freighter were killed, failed to destroy a target truck, got their signal jammers destroyed and failed to protect an important agent, and lastly, failed to secure superbikes with important data.
Smuggler's Run[]
Merryweather is seen again during Air Freight Cargo missions. Organizations and Motorcycle Clubs continuously thwart their plans by destroying signal jammers, eliminating a bunch of guards on patrol at Humane Labs, or by destroying numerous Merryweather Cargo Planes and P-996 LAZERs in aerial dogfights.
The Doomsday Heist[]
Merryweather makes yet another appearance at the end of 2017 in The Doomsday Heist, conducting training and storing high-grade military vehicles such as the Avenger and Chernobog. Many of the latter are stolen at the behest of (and later for stopping) Avon Hertz.
They are first encountered during The Data Breaches, assaulting the Satellite Relay Station. It is revealed at the end of the mission they were evidently paid off by Bogdan's Crew.
In Act III, they are shown committing more illegal activities, kidnapping Agent 14 and ransoming him off to Avon and then later the International Affairs Agency.
After Hours[]
In the middle of 2018, Merryweather makes a few minor appearances during the Sell Goods missions where they will attempt to intercept Organizations and Motorcycle Clubs attempting to sell from their nightclubs.
The Diamond Casino Heist[]
Merryweather appears frequently during the preparation missions of The Diamond Casino Heist, where the player typically has no alternative but to steal items from them to use during the heist.
Lester Crest points out that Merryweather frequently receives shipments of unmarked weapons and shipments of heavily armored vehicles, the latter being field tested for performance, has possession of high-grade military body armor or covert operations suits complete with night vision and rappelling gear, or seeks hostile acquisition of high-grade plastic explosives owned by an oceanic salvage crew.
The Cayo Perico Heist[]
Merryweather appears frequently during the preparation missions of The Cayo Perico Heist, where the player can choose to steal items or vehicles from them to use during the heist.
It is possible for the player to acquire an approach method from Merryweather by boarding one of their submarines to steal its sonar deflector, stealing a strategic bomber from their hangar at Fort Zancudo, or stealing a prototype stealth helicopter or an attack boat from their headquarters.
One of the Unmarked Weapon preparations also has the player follow a Merryweather Valkyrie from their headquarters to a group of Merryweather operatives and an Avenger. The player must kill the operatives, steal the weapons from the Avenger, then parachute out of the Avenger as it lifts off.
Los Santos Tuners[]
In July 2021, Merryweather makes multiple appearances in the Los Santos Tuners update, specifically in The Data Contract and The E.C.U Job.
During the events of The Data Contract, a hacker contacts KDJ to steal some valuable hard drives from Don Percival's bunker. The player first tails a Merryweather Skylift leaving the Palmer-Taylor Power Station making a delivery to the bunker. Once at the base, the players take a photo of the bunker entrance before sending it to Sessanta, who will then tell the player to hijack a Barrage from Merryweather guards leaving the bunker as it will contain a transponder which will allow for ease of access into the bunker.
To defend the hacker while he uploads the hard drives, the player will need to steal as many armaments from Merryweather scattered around Los Santos that they can use to fight back.
During the finale, using the equipment salvaged from the previous planning works, the player breaks into the Merryweather bunker and engages in a shootout with multiple operatives while stealing the hard drives. Upon exiting the bunker, the player drives to Elysian Island where Avi is holed up. Upon arriving, the player protects Avi as he uploads the hard drives from waves of Merryweather. Upon all the operatives being taken out, Avi and the player will part ways.
Merryweather will once more become a target during The E.C.U Job, as KDJ has the player steal an engine control unit from a Merryweather Freight Train.
First, the player must board a Merryweather guarded cargo ship at the Port of Los Santos to steal a container manifest and a cutting saw to be used during the heist.
Following this, the player will need to go to the location of the Merryweather freight train at either Palmer-Taylor Power Station or Davis Quartz in order to survey it for any vulnerabilities while staying clear of the guards, taking photos of the brake cylinders. Afterwards, the player will be instructed to look for the train schedule located inside a control tower which is heavily guarded by Merryweather operatives.
Upon completing all of the planning works, the player arrives at the train tracks where the freight train is scheduled to be headed through before destroying the brake cylinders to halt the train in its tracks. The player will then need to board the train, steal the engine control units while fighting off Merryweather, and evade them before delivering it to KDJ.
The Contract[]
By December 2021, Merryweather's stock was still available on the stock market, but it was at an all-time low, along with the company's reputation. A stock insider comes up with a plan to artificially inflate their newly-bought shares in the company to make themselves money.
The insider contracts the F. Clinton and Partner agency to take care of a group of drug dealers that are selling bad product across Los Santos and making headlines. After the dealers are dealt with in a professional manner, agency co-founder Franklin Clinton spams Snapmatic with viral posts claiming he witnessed Merryweather taking down the drug dealers, which increases the company's reputation and thus their stock price. The agency is subsequently paid through the money made from the inflated shares by the insider.
Merryweather also planned to commission a new surveillance camera system in Los Santos and the F. Clinton and Partner agency are enlisted to destroy the equipment.
The Criminal Enterprises[]
In October 2022, during the events of The Criminal Enterprises update for Grand Theft Auto Online, UAP sightings were reported by local Blaine County residents, as seen in a Los Santos Meteor newspaper issue. It was eventually revealed to be UAVs (drones) being tested by Merryweather Security during a Los Santos Angels operation in 2023.
Los Santos Drug Wars[]
In December 2022, Merryweather forces responded to a break-in at Humane Labs by criminals hired by the Fooliganz to steal precursor chemicals for an illegal acid ring. The fighting moved out of the Lab and to a derailed Humane Labs train near the Palmer-Taylor Power Station, where Merryweather failed to stop them from stealing even more chemicals and a state of the art Brickade 6x6. They also have been hired by pharmaceutical companies to protect their shipments, only for their convoys to be destroyed along with their depot by the player at the Fooliganz's behest
San Andreas Mercenaries[]
As of 2023, private military organizations have regained prominence in San Andreas, and Merryweather seizes the opportunity to enhance their public image. They actively organize large-scale recruitment campaigns, secure government contracts, and engage in illicit activities on the side. In response to this, Charlie Reed unites a diverse group comprising former military personnel, outcasts, mercenaries, and traditional criminals. Together, they form the Los Santos Angels, with Charlie selecting the GTA Online Protagonist as their Team Leader. Charlie declares that their main goal is Project Overthrow, which aims to eliminate Merryweather.
During the mission Shock & Awe, Charlie reveals that the Los Santos Angels have been contracted by the US government to address the consequences of Merryweather's significant failures. Following the GTA Online Protagonist's successful capture of Avi Schwartzman from Merryweather forces, Charlie also says, "Uncle Sam no longer sees Merryweather as a viable business partner." In order for the government to maintain plausible deniability, the Angels' objective is to recover the research and development materials the United States had outsourced to Merryweather. Once the classified cargo is retrieved from Merryweather's naval base, it is promptly transported to Fort Zancudo.
Once the player has completed the final mission, Charlie will call them with good news. The player is informed by Charlie that the divorce papers between Merryweather and the United States are finalized. A decade after Congress approved their operations on American soil, they are no longer contracted by the government.
The Chop Shop[]
Despite their fate and losing the US contract, they are shown to still be active as of December 2023. During The Duggan Robbery, Jamal informs the Protagonist that Merryweather is developing a bypass module, which is required to immobilize and steal the target vehicle.
During The Cargo Ship Robbery, the Skylift is required to lift the container. Jamal informs the Protagonist that Merryweather has one and has to fight through them to steal it.
At the start of The McTony Robbery, in order to steal a vehicle from Tony McTony's Kosatka, Jamal informs the Protagonist that Tony McTony's Kosatka is the same tech level as Merryweather Security's, so Jamal suggests going to Merryweather's naval headquarters on Elysian Island and scope out their submarine and take photographs of their Kosatka's helicopter bay, blueprints, and portable sonar jamming equipment in a case. Several mercenaries are guarding their Kosatka and patrolling their naval base during the mission.
In early 2024, an unnamed militia is a potential robbery target for equipment and a getaway vehicle for the Cluckin' Bell factory raid. While no overt connections to Merryweather are made, the militia reuse the same members and vehicles as Merryweather.
Agents of Sabotage[]
In late 2024, former FIB agent Jodi Marshall and Pavel had the GTA Online Protagonist steal military gear and an experimental Tula from Merryweather Security as part of the planning for The Brute Force File and The Black Box File, respectively.
In early 2025, Merryweather Security sometimes appear as gunrunning competitors of Oscar Guzman when the player goes to steal a shipment of weapons on Elysian Island.
Known Members[]
Members[]
- Don Percival – Founder/CEO
- Devin Weston – Major Shareholder (Deceased)
- Merryweather Boat Driver
- Merryweather Helicopter Pilot
- Armored Gunner (Determinant)
Associates[]
- Molly Schultz (Deceased)
- GTA Online Protagonist (Optional)
- Avon Hertz (Deceased)
- Bogdan (Formerly)
Equipment[]
Vehicles[]
Weapons and Equipment[]
Services (GTA Online)[]
Despite being adversaries, Merryweather offers multiple services to the GTA Online protagonist. Some of these services are also available as a CEO in the Interaction Menu, by navigating to the "CEO Abilities" section, albeit in the enhanced and Expanded & Enhanced editions only. The other way to acquire those services is by calling Merryweather.
| Service | GTA Online Description | In-Game Effect | Cost | Level Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammo Drop | Request an ammo crate to be dropped at your GPS location. Be sure you are in a secluded location to stop other players from stealing it. | Merryweather will drop an ammo crate from a Cuban 800, which will add some ammo to the gun that you're holding when you pick the crate up. If you are unarmed or in Passive Mode you will not be able to pick up the Ammo Box. | $1000 | 12 |
| Backup Helicopter | Request a helicopter to provide covering fire. | Calls for a Buzzard helicopter to fly in and eliminate hostile players and other enemies. It will circle around the character for a while until it leaves. | $5000 | 20 |
| Boat Pickup | Request a boat to bring you to land. | Calls for a private Dinghy to come at the player's location. Works like a taxi. The player can choose to kill the driver and steal the Dinghy instead. Only works when the player is in water. | $250 | 25 |
| Helicopter Pickup | Request a helicopter to pick you up. | Calls for a private Maverick to land at the player's location. Works like a taxi. The player can choose to kill the helicopter pilot and steal the Maverick instead. Has the option of rappelling down in certain locations, such as building roofs. | $1000 | 30 |
| Call Mercenaries | Choose a player to be attacked by mercenaries. | Calls for mercenaries to track and eliminate a player. They appear in groups of 4 armed operatives driving Mesas and will continue coming until the player is dead. Should they not succeed, a full refund is then given to the contractor. Mercenaries will cease their attempts to attack the chosen player if the player manages to outrun them, enter their apartment or garage, or enter Los Santos Customs for a prolonged period of time. | $7500 | 35 |
| Airstrike | Request an airstrike at a selected position. | After the payment is received, the player will be requested to drop a flare before a P-996 LAZER arrives. If the player goes underground or doesn't drop the flare before the jet flies overhead, the LAZER will fly away, with no refund given. | $8000 | 50 |
Stock[]
- Although one might think missions such as The Merryweather Heist, Minor Turbulence, and Derailed would impact Merryweather's finances, they seem to have no impact on its stock price, or that of its competitor, Gruppe Sechs.
- However, the events surrounding the game's finale can have a huge impact on Merryweather stocks - sending them skyward if Franklin chooses The Time's Come, or through the floor if he chooses The Third Way. In the latter option, Merryweather stocks will recover after several weeks with over 70% profit.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- Scouting the Port
- The Merryweather Heist
- Minor Turbulence
- Derailed
- The Wrap Up
- Meltdown
- The Big Score
- The Third Way (option C)
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- A Titan of a Job
- Chop Chop
- Dry Docking
- Effin' Lazers
- Teaser Trailer
- By Land, Sea and Air
- Dispatch II
- Show Me the Monet
- Diamonds are for Trevor
- Defender
- Chemical Extraction
- American Exports
- Docks to Stock
- Docks to Stock II
- Stocks and Scares
- Various Gang Attacks [vaguevagueThe information near this tag is too vague, and requires clarification.]
Heists[]
Further Adventures in Finance and Felony[]
Import/Export[]
Gunrunning[]
- Supplies
- Two Steal Supplies Missions
- Sell Supplies Missions (Insurgent Pick-Up Customs ambushed by Merryweather)
- Bunker Raids: Merryweather Raid
- Five Mobile Operations
Smuggler's Run[]
- Four Air Frieght Cargo Steal Missions
- Cargo Planes
- Cargobob Infiltration (Humane Labs variant)
- Merryweather Jets
- Signal Jammers
The Doomsday Heist[]
- The Doomsday Heist
- Act I
- Act II
- Act III
After Hours[]
The Diamond Casino & Resort[]
The Diamond Casino Heist[]
- The Diamond Casino Heist
- Heist Prep: Unmarked Weapons (steal from Merryweather mission variant)
- Heist Prep: Getaway Vehicles (two Merryweather mission variants with Chester McCoy as the driver)
- Heist Prep: Infiltration Suits
- Heist Prep: Reinforced Armor
- Heist Prep: Vault Explosives
The Cayo Perico Heist[]
- The Cayo Perico Heist
- Heist Prep: Kosatka
- Heist Prep: Alkonost
- Heist Prep: Stealth helicopter (steal from Merryweather mission variant)
- Heist Prep: Patrol Boat (steal from Merryweather mission variant)
- Heist Prep: Unmarked Weapons (Tail Helicopter mission variant)
- Two Survivals
- Quarry Survival
- Underpass Survival (later waves)
Los Santos Tuners[]
The Contract[]
The Criminal Enterprises[]
- Ammu-Nation Contract (possible enemies)
Los Santos Drug Wars[]
San Andreas Mercenaries[]
- Project Overthrow
- Reporting for Duty
- Falling In
- On Parade
- Breaking Ranks
- Unconventional Warfare
- Shock & Awe (defeated [ref?ref?This fact is likely to be disputed and needs a source for confirmation.])
- LSA Operations
- Random Event: Finders Keepers (possible enemies)
The Chop Shop[]
Bottom Dollar Bounties[]
- Madrazo Hits (possible enemies)
Agents of Sabotage[]
- The Brute Force File
- Private Military Armor
- Finale [ref?ref?The chasers outdoors look like Merryweather, but in this mission this company is not involved and the enemies are the military.]
- The Black Box File
- Weaponized Aircraft
- Finale [ref?ref?The chasers in Mesas and Buzzard Attack Choppers look like Merryweather, but in this mission, the company is not involved and the enemies are the IAA and the military.]
- Arms Trafficking: Steal the Weapons (possible enemies)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Throughout the story, Trevor makes references to Merryweather as the "New World Order's" private army and part of the Illuminati. Their emblem, the owl, is also a reference to the Illuminati and the Bohemian Grove conspiracy. In fact, when listening to private conversations with LSPD officers, they discuss the possibility of Merryweather eventually replacing them as law enforcement in the city.
- In Grand Theft Auto Online, Merryweather operatives called by the player may attack other Merryweather operatives during missions where they are present.
- Despite being armed in the Port of Los Santos, when the player gains a wanted level, they start to run as if they were civilians. If standing outside, however, they will engage the player if provoked.
- Merryweather provides security for the Humane Labs and Research during Monkey Business, implying that they've been working at least once for the IAA. It is also possible to see mercenaries in the lab area during Chemical Extraction.
- The LSPD, LSSD, and NOOSE officers will engage with Merryweather operatives if they fire their weapon, despite them being a registered private company that has clearance to operate in the U.S. This can be seen in Meltdown and The Wrap Up in Grand Theft Auto V, and in the Port of Los Santos if the player calls them via contacts in GTA Online.
- In GTA Online, if the player requests a service from Merryweather where an operative is required to arrive in person (Helicopter Pickup, Boat Pickup, Backup Helicopter, etc), then kills the operative, Merryweather will blacklist the player and they will be unable to access their services for a short period of time.
- A neighborhood watch sign in Sandy Shores features the Merryweather logo.
References[]
- ↑ YouTube
