Rockstar added the Cayo Perico Heist to GTA V in a December update last year. This time around, players are tasked with helping Miguel Madrazo retrieve information from one of the drug lords in Cayo Perico. Madrazo wishes to impress his father, and needs a way into the island to get the files.
In order to complete the mission, gamers will need to purchase a submarine from Pavel. The cheapest option is $2 million, but a decked-out vessel will cost $9 million. In addition, players will want to get the New Sparrow for transport from the submarine. In total, this will set people back around $4 million, as long as they opt for the cheap submarine. After getting these items, preparations for the heist can begin.
Scoping Out The Island
Cayo Perico is the first heist that can be completed solo. Gamers can queue into this mission by themselves without the need for teammates or a public lobby. Once the long cutscene finishes, players will need to survey the island. During the survey objective, people will have two different disguises. The first is a tour manager, and the second is a smuggler. This first part of the heist entails traversing the island and photographing items for use in the heist. The following items are of note during this step:
- Bolt Cutters
- Chests With Guard Outfits
- Grappling Hooks
- Powder Cleaner
- Supply Vehicle
Every time the heist begins, these items will be located in different places. Thus, the survey portion of the heist is essential. Another part of the first step is photographing locations around the island. Thankfully, these only need to be photographed during the first playthrough.
Approaching The Compound
The items needed will depend on the way players choose to enter the compound. For example, the supply vehicle and guard clothes are only necessary if the plan is to go through the front gate. Likewise, the grappling hook is used to enter by climbing up the north or south wall into the compound. The guard clothes can be useful, as it will take guards longer to identify that there is an imposter.
Gamers will want to make sure they get the Powder Cleaner. It can be dropped into the water towers to contaminate the water supply. The guards will be less aware and reactive as a result. Tracking the secondary targets is important too, as it will lead the player on the most efficient route to secure valuable loot.
Bag Limits
Rockstar have included bag limits for the heist, making strategic looting a priority. During the heist, people will only be able to steal two paintings. A full display of gold will fill up more than half the bag as well. Also, the value of these items is now completely RNG. As a reference, the following list shows the most profitable loot per bag. Gold and Cocaine are the two best secondary things to loot during the heist.
- Gold
- Cocaine
- Paintings
- Marijuana
- Stacks of cash
Gold only spawns when playing the heist with at least one partner. This means that cocaine and artwork should be the priority as a solo queue.
Always Scope Secondary Targets
The main key to success during the heist is knowing where all of the valuables are on the island. This will help the user plan an approach to hit each of these targets before the getaway. Having a plan deceases risk and saves extra time for improvisation. The same principle applies to the getaway. Make sure to scope out the getaway area before jumping into the heist, there might be a few extra valuables to pick up on the way out.
The Madrazo Files
The main target of the heist is the Madrazo files. Get these while on the island, and receive a $1.1 million dollar reward. This may not seem like much after spending $4 million to get there. However, the heist can be repeated for a steady flow of cash. The Madrazo Files are always inside the safe in the basement of the compound. Each heist, one of the four other notable targets will appear:
- Bearer Bonds
- Panther Statue With Jewels
- Pink Diamond
- Ruby Necklace
- Sisimito Tequila
Gamers can access the compound CCTV cameras to identify the files and targets of note. There are a few missions people need to complete to activate the heist.
Mandatory Preparatory Missions
There are sixteen prep missions in total, but not all of them are important to finish. Each of the missions that must be completed are listed below. Make sure to identify the drainage tunnel while surveying the island, as it will unlock the "Cutting Torch" mission.
- Submarine Kosatka
- Cutting Torch
- Fingerprint Cloner
- Safe Code (if the target is in the safe)
- Plasma Cutter (if the target is inside the display cabinet)
- Crack Shot (spend the $5,000 for suppressors)
Gamers also have the option of paying for an airstrike, supply drop, sniper, recon, etc. To have these options available, the control tower defenses must be disabled during the heist. These are temporarily of help, but not that important.
Completing The Heist
There are a few things everyone must do successfully to complete the heist:
- Only kill enemies that must be killed
- Keep NPCs from triggering the alarm
- Follow a planned route
Those that have conducted proper surveys will know where each target is, and the proper path out of the compound. Then, gamers can check out secondary targets and plan their escape. Use suppressed weapons and hit headshots to keep the guards from alerting others. Failure is not a big deal. Users can load back in to a previous checkpoint and try again. As a general rule, the following methods are the easiest.
- Approach Vehicle: Submarine
- Entry Point: Drainage Tunnels
- Exit Point: Main Docks
It is a good idea to attempt the heist at night because it will be harder for guards to spot the character.
Basic Walkthrough
The entry point will be the drainage tunnels. As soon as people arrive at the grate, they can use the cutting torch to proceed. Once in the compound, there are two possible strategies. The first is to eliminate all of the guards in the courtyard with suppressed weapons. One of these guards will hold a key to the basement, but it is always a random guard. With that key in hand, people will need to head down the stairs into the basement. The only way to access the basement is to hack the fingerprint scanner.
An alternative method is to find El Rubio's office in the compound and loot his safe. There is an elevator in the room that can be hacked to reach the basement. After players have access to the basement, they will need to check the codes to the safe, which were sent by Pavel. If one of the targets is in the display case, the plasma cutter must be used. Let it get as close to overheating as possible and it will slice through the glass quicker.
Exit Strategy
The only way out is through the main gate. Kill any guards along the way and approach the main gate for the cut scene to initiate. Next, run up the road and kill the NPC standing by the bike. This will be the primary path to the docks. There will be a few enemies by the guard shack that need to be killed as well with headshots only. There is one camera on the outside of the shack that should be destroyed too.
Gamers can ride the bike down the mountainside to reach the main dock below. For a quick escape, kill all of the enemies to the left near the dingy. There are secondary targets that can be looted there as well, but they are guarded by a handful of enemies to the right of the dock. Get precision kills on the guards to pick up the additional loot.
The Final Stretch
Once on the dingy, there will be another enemy on the left. Kill him and head toward the large crane. One final enemy is hiding next to the crane. After taking care of that final enemy, it is time to speed away. As soon as the patrol boat passes by the inlet, throttle down and head to sea. A cutscene will begin and the heist is complete. There are obviously a number of other secondary targets and heist strategies, but this is the most straightforward. Following a fruitful heist, people may want to get greedy and fill up their coffers even more. However, the more complex the plan is, the better the chance of getting caught.