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 a prominent enemy group in 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 US.
Merryweather appears to have several divisions, which is determined by the uniform and equipment they carry:
- The first one appears to be a security division similar to Gruppe Sechs guards, which provide 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 forwards or backwards) 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 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 in the back of their vests. This variant is only seen operating around Humane Labs and Research, specifically during the mission Monkey Business.
There exist another division, which is 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. This is attacked by Michael De Santa and Trevor Phillips and is deliberately derailed.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online (pre-GTA V)
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 Grand Theft Auto Online story, many of its aircraft and supplies are stolen by the GTA Online Protagonist, who was contacted by Lester Crest. Lester also sends the player to steal documentation and cargo guarded by Merryweather on numerous occasions. Underground crime lord Martin Madrazo has also hired the player to destroy Merryweather equipment.
- Heists Update
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 off from any evidence).
The crew would later encounter Merryweather in one of 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
- Trevor: "Do some research on Merryweather Security Consulting, friend. They'd be on trial for humans rights offenses if the US government didn't protect all its contractors from any kind of suit - military or civilian. They're immune from prosecution, and they behave like they are. Murdering, stealing, high on power, guns, and anabolic steroids. Lucky bastards."
- Floyd: "Look, I don't know about that stuff."
- Trevor: "You're right. You don't. Merryweather are employed by the richest, greediest scum on the planet to shit on the poorest and the neediest. So we're going to enjoy shitting on them."
- —Trevor to Floyd
Later, during 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; several 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 one of their chief board members 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.
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 (post-GTA V)
Despite the negative setbacks suffered in the past, Merryweather seems to maintain their operations around the state, though as expected, more trouble will be caused by 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/or Motorcycle Clubs have to steal many 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.
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, where they attempted to secure their supplies with stationary signal jammers, but the Organizations/Motorcycle Clubs managed to destroy them with FH-1 Hunters, they lost Cargo Planes for being destroyed by V-65 Molotoks and lost several jets for being destroyed by P-45 Nokotas. They are seen again in an infiltration mission in Humane Labs, where several of them were killed by the crew to steal the supply from there.
- The Doomsday Heist
Merryweather makes yet another appearance 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.
The Cayo Perico Heist
Merryweather appears frequently during the preparation missions of The Cayo Perico Heist, where the player can 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.
Known Members
- Members
- Don Percival - Founder/CEO
- Devin Weston - Major Shareholder (Deceased)
- Associates
- Molly Schultz (Formerly/deceased)
- Online Player (Determinant)
Image Gallery
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 an CEO in the Interaction Menu, by navigating to the "CEO Abilities" section, albeit in the enhanced version only.
| 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 stealing it. | Merryweather will drop an ammo crate, 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 Missions
Grand Theft Auto V
- Scouting the Port
- The Merryweather Heist
- Minor Turbulence
- Derailed
- Monkey Business
- The Wrap Up
- Meltdown
- The Big Score
- The Third Way (Option C)
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Various Gang Attacks
- Missions
- 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
- Heists
- The Prison Break
- Humane Raid - Insurgents
- Humane Raid - Valkyrie
- Humane Raid - Deliver EMP
- The Humane Labs Raid
- Pacific Standard - Convoy
- Special Vehicle Work
- Mobile Operations
- Doomsday Heist
- Casino 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)
- Other
Trivia
- 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.
- Every GTA V-era protagonist so far has been made an enemy of Merryweather. The only protagonist that can actually use Merryweather's services is the GTA Online protagonist.
- Devin Weston apparently owns 11% of Merryweather. If the player chooses the "Deathwish" ending and kills Weston, Don Percival buys out the majority of Weston's stock in the company.
- 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.
- On their official website, a map of the World shows Merryweather has several operations and bases across the continents in locations such as Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, as well as the Middle East.
- In GTA Online, Merryweather operatives called by the player will, oddly enough, attack other Merryweather operatives during missions.
- Despite being armed in the port, 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 Labs area during Chemical Extraction.
- Oddly enough, 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 GTA V, and in the Port of Los Santos if the player calls them via contacts in GTA Online.
- 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.
- Moreover, Merryweather continues to operate in San Andreas from 2017 onwards, as shown in Grand Theft Auto Online.
- This may be result of corruption and bribery from Merryweather to continue operations on American soil.
- It is also possible they are still not allowed to operate within the U.S., but continue unauthorized operations there regardless.
- Alternatively, this may simply be an oversight that the developers either forgot about or decided wouldn't matter in terms of gameplay.
- Moreover, Merryweather continues to operate in San Andreas from 2017 onwards, as shown in Grand Theft Auto 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.
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