A grinders guide into Cayo Perico

On the 15th of December 2020 we got the Cayo Perico heist in GTAO; the first heist which could be done completely solo! And guess what? This heist can be a grinders dream come true, if you focus on its main aspects then you can be done in around an hour. And get paid around a million... How? Let's find out!

Editorial (intro)

Hi gang!

When I first started messing around with Cayo Perico I was very unsure what to think of all this. I loved the storyline, the atmosphere and the added lore. Who would have thought that Patricia Madrazo could be such a party animal? Just wow! I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that Patricia also has a very ruthless side to her.

But there were also plenty of frustrations during my first runs of the island...

C'mon, why I can't I scale this *&*($HKH#Y#^ cliff! 😒

But still... the atmosphere of this DLC never bored me, it's amazing if you ask me. Infiltrating this tropical island with guards everywhere? And the best part: the payout can be very decent too, if you know what you're doing and have a little bit of luck with the loot then you can easily make 1 million around 1 hour!

Yes, that's coming from me: the guy who always claimed that those "make xxx money per hour" YouTube videos were a load of nonsense, and I still think they are. Because with the regular grinding methods there's no way to pin an exact amount of cash onto a timeframe. But with this one...

So yeah, welcome to my biggest guide so far! Meaning? There's a reason I had to cut some sections up into several parts; the article became too big for one guide section!

What do we need?

• Submarine (mandatory).
  
• Sparrow (optional, but highly recommended).
  
• Rebreathers (mandatory for my 'easy' intel approach).

So first you obviously need the submarine. But I also strongly suggest that you buy the Sparrow as well! That thing is so frickin' versatile that it's almost mind blowing. It's not as good as a Buzzard, something you'll soon discover when you're attacked by other helicopters and your missiles keep missing them; with a Buzzard you can then switch to machineguns and start blasting. The Sparrow on the other hand can't have both: either machineguns or missiles. But what it lacks in machineguns gets made up for with versatility!

You can spawn a Sparrow right next to you as if it were a Buzzard CEO vehicle yet without the limitations (non-hired players can't get into a CEO vehicle). Better yet: it'll spawn in areas where your Buzzard won't! And you can "land" a Sparrow right onto the submarine: when you hover over the sub then the Sparrow can get docked and lowered just like with the Avenger in the Facility.

So basically: wherever you're taking your submarine you'll always have a helicopter with you, and that can make missions easy to do! Oh, and you can also store your Toreador here (the "Stromberg Mk2"). It can be very useful to also have a regular car handy.

Next, the rebreathers. We'll need these to stay underwater for longer periods of time. You can buy those at an Amnunation, check our their accessoires section. When you're there I also suggest to stock up on bulletproof vests.

Warning: repeat gameplay shown!

This will not cover the initial heist where you need to get some papers for "mini Madrazo", but instead I'll be covering a repeat heist. After all: this guide is about the grinding aspect of the whole thing. But don't worry: although i won't be explaining how to get away from the Keinemusik party (<cough>, use the south road when the guards not looking</cough>) my guide will become usable for that once we reach the "main checkpost" of the island during the scope out. From that point on you can simply follow along for the most part, even if you're doing the first heist.

Spoiler & roleplay alert!

Obviously there will be a few spoilers in my guide. Also be warned that I enjoy a bit of roleplay from time to time, which includes this heist (esp. when making screenshots for a guide).

Special thanks to....

I'd also like to thank two of my Steam friends who both directly and indirectly helped me with this guide...

* Caped Crusader who helped me test several aspects of the new submarine.

* Elias who showed me a whole new (faster) way into the Cayo Perico compound.

Gathering intel ("pass checkpoint") - Part 1

No matter how many times you've played the heist already you will always need to start an intel mission so that you can see what's in the basement of Mr. Rubio's compound. And it makes sense too because the loot could be kept in his safe (then you'll need to try and get the codes for it) or it might be in a display case of some sort; for that you're going to need some cutting device to get through the glass (or whatever that case is made from).

In the first mission you could pose as the tour manager of Keinemusik, but because they're already long gone after the first heist is over you'll need to do something else. Now you're going to pose as one of Mr. Rubio's hired smugglers and fortunately enough Pavel has located a plane which recently landed.

Go there, kill the people involved and then grab the plane and fly south.



You will get to see a cutscene and then we need to make our way to the radio tower. Always remember these rules:

• Don't rush!
  
• Try to keep in the bushes for extra cover when guards are around.
  
• When in doubt lose whatever vehicle you're using (= more control).
  
• Don't panic when you're suddenly in a cone, it doesn't have to be a problem but if you panic then it will definitely become one (guards can overlook you, but if you start running then you can forget about that).
  
• Don't forget to bring a swimsuit, it's hot out there! 😉

From the airstrip...

The airstrip will have a bike near its official exit, that's the vehicle I always take because it gives you better control and it'll be easier (somewhat) to drive through the bushes. Just make sure to avoid the branches, the bushes, the plants and maybe everything else too! 😁

More seriously: the quickest way is to go straight into the bushes and go cross country towards the area of the beach party; so where you started your first mission. There's a checkpoint just down the road and that's where the fun begins. I'm not going to explain how to get there because there's no "best" way to do it and guide space is limited. Believe me: this is the easy part!



You can recognize the area we want to go to by the two roads which lead to the beach (shown in the screenshot above), and of course from the trollbait errr: jeep which is always parked there near the road. I call that thing trollbait because if you take the jeep either north or south using the road then you won't get very far.

If you're unsure about the area I'm referring to then I strongly suggest you either start your scope out mission again (during the first heist) or use the LSIA icon to get back to the beach party. Once you're there look carefully at the map to see where you are now and where you should be heading to.

The main checkpoint

Always approach the checkpoint close to the cliff, as close as you can get, because this will ensure that you won't be easily spotted. The goal is to stand next to the bushes and out of sight of the guards. The idea is to take your time and carefully plan your next move (which is to run through the gates, I'll show you in a moment).



I always do 2 things here: lose the smuggler clothes (hey, it's a tropical island, remember? besides: we're going to do some swimming next and that's actually easier (in roleplay) without thick clothes). Next we'll equip a rebreather (go to the interaction menu: style => accessoires, from there you can equip the rebreather). It's better to do this now because it gives you more time to observe the guards and plan your move, and now you also can't forget it later.

For the record: that's a fully legitimate screenshot above, hopefully you can now better understand my earlier "don't panic" rule. If you had freaked out here and started running or moving then the guards would have definitely caught you. Wait for the guard on your left to look in the other direction (away from the checkpoint).

When that happens....

Run to the gate

Go through and head for the water (right)

Optionally hide behind the wall if you want to do this slowly

The trick is to get to the waterside while the guard isn't looking in your direction. In the above screenshot you can see in my map that he's looking my way again. Which means that if I try to get to the water I'll be caught. I usually do this in one run but if you're trying this for the first time I strongly suggest to take this easy and hide: just wait for the guard to look away again.



Next you need to run towards the water, the most important thing here is to get behind that cliff as soon as you can while also making sure to avoid the camera. Once you're behind the cliff the guards at the checkpoint can no longer see you.

Down the stream...

See that stream? That's where we need to go....

There will be 2 guards here and they both overlook the stream. Get in while they're not looking, stay underwater and just swim right past the whole lot!

Try and steer clear of both guards overlooking the stream...

Normally this will be a smooth swim but I've ran into a couple of situations where I was spotted while swimming near the bottom of the stream. I really fail to understand how that could happen (especially because it was nighttime) but... yah, be careful. It's usually best to avoid both cones (as you can see I jumped in while the other guard was still looking).



Now, be extra careful near the end of the stream, as you can see in my screenshot there's a guard which may also look in this direction. Although he doesn't seem to spot you right away (one time I actually got my head out of the water while he was looking) you should still be careful because sometimes this area can glitch (as mentioned above).

Try to time this: get out of the water as soon as he's looking in the other direction again. Friendly reminder: you don't have to keep mashing buttons to swim, try keeping it pressed so that your character will swim slowly.



Next: get out and run towards the road, cross it:

Aim for the bushes, don't climb the hill just yet!

Sometimes a car can pass so keep this in mind. This is also why you should never immediately run up the hill but go for the bushes instead (= more cover). Remember: never rush things, that tower won't go away all of a sudden (maybe unless there's a cheater around 😜).

Gathering intel ("the tower") - Part 2

A quicker way towards the tower

You can also use the bike...

Although I strongly suggest that you start by trying this on foot you can also use the bike to get past the gate. Don't worry: the guards won't hear you. So this time you just drive your bike through the gate:

When the guard(s) aren't looking go towards the gate...

Go through and then take a sharp right...

And then a sharp left, right past the camera...

So you basically take the bike and drive through the area next to the road. Eventually you'll reach the road which goes towards the tower (it's on the left side of our little swim): just follow it and then drive straight up the hill towards the antenna. Don't worry: you won't alert any guards with the sound of the engine.

Alas, back to my original approach:



Now that we're at the base of the tower it's time to start climbing. I see that my screenshot doesn't clearly show this but trust me when I say that my character is pointing towards the tower.

Just climb up there, you don't have to worry about guards. Only when you're playing this for the first time: then there will be a guard which will eventually walk off. But during a repeating mission the guard will always be looking out the other way.



Fun fact: When there's no guard then the control box will be on the ground floor. It would seem even R* knows how unreliable their stealth mechanics can be sometimes ;)

You can enter the area from the left side (the gate is open) and well, if there's a guard then start climbing. This is what you're looking for:



The hacking mechanic is very easy: you just need to connect 3 dots so that you'll reach the total amount shown on top. I usually start with the highest number and then work your way upwards. This should be easy enough.

The required number is shown on top, your current result is shown below

Once you hacked the system you can then use your phone to check what's in the basement.



From what I can tell you can get bonds in the safe, a necklace (shown here), a jeweled liquor bottle or a pink diamond; these are in a display case. It seems there's also a panther statue sometimes but I never got that so far.

This won't change the mission(s) too much: if you need to open the safe you'll need to go to the casino and get the codes and if you need to cut through the display case then you're going to have to acquire a plasma cutter.

Next stop: get a ride back to the airstrip :) Just go down the tower and allow yourself to get caught by a guard. He'll knock you out and you'll be dragged back to the airstrip, exactly the place we wanted to go to because it's time to head back to Los Santos.

Don't bother scoping out secondary targets. Even if you don't then you can still try and get them during the heist if you wanted to. Remember: we're grinding now so we don't want to take up too much time.

The setup missions - Part 1

At this point in time we made it back to LSIA, the reconnaissance is done. Start by calling up your Sparrow if you have one and notice how it pops up right next to you. A CEO Buzzard wouldn't spawn here, only near the road... nice :)

I also suggest you call up your sub while at LSIA or maybe go to Vespucci beach first. Whatever you do make sure your sub is near Vespucci beach and thus also near the town. This will make the next setup missions easier because they all play out in Los Santos and you'll need to get back to your sub afterwards.

So now that we know what we're going to steal we need to get the equipment. At this point in time all your setup missions will be marked as "mandatory", this is because you don't have anything done just yet so... obviously we need to do something ;) You'll notice later on that once we have done a few missions then others will get marked as "optional" from there on.

A very good example of this are the explosive charges (under 'equipment'). We don't need them but they're still marked as mandatory. Yah, but as soon as we got the torch (this is coming next) then the charges will be marked as optional. I sometimes still get the explosives anyway because I think it's fun to destroy the O'Neil brothers ;)

But... since we're grinding we want this part to be quick and to the point. Make sure the sub is near Vespucci beach (and get on board) and we'll forget about those O'Neil hillbillies from here on 😁

Getting the cutting torch

We'll need a blowtorch to cut through the drainage pipe so... we're going to visit a construction site. Whatever you do: always make sure to grab the hardhat as shown above. You'll find it outside in the site up north, you'll find one at the top floor when going to the site in the middle of town and finally you'll find one as soon as you went up the ramp when going to the site at the western part of town (there's also a gang attack here during the morning).

Found it!

The trick here is to walk around to find the blow torch and while you do that make sure you don't stay in a guards vision for too long. Also make sure you don't run into the workers or do anything out of the ordinary (running is ok) because that will trigger the guards.

I even suggest not grabbing the torch right away when you find it but instead walk another (small) round: as long as you get out of the vision of whatever guard is looking at the toolbox you need. Then go back, pick up the torch and get the heck out of there.

The best solution is not to engage in any fights, but that's mainly for roleplay purposes. It doesn't affect the heist so feel free. But if you don't want to leave any trails then nothing will beat a torch that "just" went missing without anyone having a clue where it went.

The only exception to this is IMO the small construction site up north. It's very small, which gives you very little room to move around and that means that the guards are bound to spot you sooner or later. I usually don't bother with stealth there and just blast everything using my Sparrow.

The fingerprint scanner

I love flying the Sparrow...

Because the fingerprint scanners used by Mr. Rubio are top notch you're going to get his fail save device (talk about gutsy ;)). First you need to go to a warehouse to discover the location of the archive; that is the place where the scanner is actually stored.

Don't rush in! Go to the side of the building and find a switch:

A switch disables the cameras so that the guards won't know you're coming...

Now just get in and kill the guards, once done you can then hack the laptop found near the end of the warehouse to discover the location of the archive. Then get out and back in your chopper (or car) and head over to the archive.

Always destroy the cameras in front of the archive!

The warehouse is actually better guarded than the archive, a bit bizarre if you ask me... If you shoot the cameras of the warehouse then an alarm goes off. If you do the same with the archive then nothing happens. It would seem that Mr. Rubio relies on the well known concept of "Security through obscurity" and now you can see for yourself how good this method actually is ;)



Walk past the tables, the card is usually stored around the back so.. you might want to ignore the first table and start in the middle. Grab the device and take it back to the sub.

Plasma cutter

Getting a plasma cutter isn't easy because it's a very specific tool, but fortunately for you "mini Madrazo" has information about a crew which might have such a device. So you just have to "borrow" it from them ;) First stop is their safe house where they're said to be. Upon arrival you won't find anyone: all you have to do is make photo of their planning board:



Once you've done that Pavel will determine their current location. Head over there and kill the gang members. But be careful: as soon as you killed one then reinforcements will immediately show up:



This is why it's very useful to have a Sparrow at your disposal: just keep your distance and let the cars go towards the crime scene where you can then blast them into kingdom come. There will be 3 waves with 2 cars each. Once they're all destroyed you can simply land, grab the cutter and head back to the sub.

If you need the codes...


There's also a chance that you need to crack the safe. In that case you're going to infiltrate El Rubio's casino penthouse and look for his chief of security. Whatever you do: do not land your helicopter on top of the casino because once you leave Rubio's penthouse you'll always get dropped on the floor in front of the casino garage. And if your chopper is on top then you don't have an easy escape vehicle. Though... while writing this I think you can also just hop back into the casino to lose the cops, hmm...

If you're a member of the casino you can go right in, otherwise you need to steal a key from someone in the parking garage, though I can't help wonder what would happen if you'd get a daily membership card.

Anyway, the mission is simple: walk around the penthouse and find the security guy. Once found you take him out; unfortunately this will alert all the other guards so prepare to fight your way out of the penthouse. Then go back to the elevator and kill the police, and exit the casino. Once you're out the mission ends, but your wanted level remains.

The setup missions - Part 2

Weapons layout

Now that we got all the equipment we only need 2 more things... start with the weapons because those can be found in Los Santos. I always use Conspirator weapons but whatever you pick it shouldn't affect this mission.

When you start the mission 2 things can happen: you're either asked to go to a location in Los Santos (Penris building, 707 Vespucci, Schlongberg Sachs) or... Merryweather HQ. When asked to go to Merryweather then it's time to launch a missile their way and destroy the helicopter which you'll find on the roof. Or... if you don't have missiles then use the Sparrow to go there; send away your sub while you're on your way; then destroy the helicopter as soon as you can, recall the sub and start over.

It's best to simply destroy the Merryweather chopper

Why? Because if you don't then you'll have to follow the helicopter to the test site and it's so darn slow that when you finally arrive you could have finished this mission twice already. Remember: we're grinding and thus time is of the essence.



When you get the right location it's highly suggested to use a helicopter (though a Toreador would be good as well) and decide on your approach. You could go through the roof, this won't alert the guards inside so you have the element of surprise. Or go from the ground, this will alert the guards though.

You'll be invading an office just like your own CEO office, so take it slowly. Shoot the guard near the front, then immediately turn your attention to the right area and make your approach past the laptops.

Always go past the laptops. Why? Bullet proof glass windows ;)

See, the windows are bullet proof and they'll also allow you to see incoming enemies. More importantly:



You get a complete overview of the office with full cover and no risk of getting shot by enemies behind you (because those are now already dead). Go up to the gun locker, try to open it. It'll trigger a brief interaction, go to the laptop, hack it, open the gunlocker and this time take the weapons.

Oh, before I forget: there's also a guy in the personal area. He doesn't come out on his own so I usually leave him be (saves ammo). But just in case I always leave in the same way as I came in: past the laptops, so there's no risk that he can suddenly attack me.

Now... when you get to the elevator you can chose whether you want to exit to the ground or on the roof. If your chopper is on the roof always go back there, otherwise the guards downstairs will kill you instantly and you won't be able to get back in.

To make matters worse there will be 2 enemy choppers coming for you, so run to your helicopter, and get the heck out of there! This is why it can also be useful to approach from the ground: the helicopters need to get down first to reach you...

Now you can do 2 things... if you go straight for your submarine then the enemy helicopters will disengage when you're close enough; just land and the mission will be over. Of course this is not good for roleplay: you're basically laying out a fully open trail right towards your sub! Not good!

So... if you have a yacht then I highly advice you to ensure that the air defenses are on and then simply land your helicopter on your yacht. Get out of the chopper asap and let your air defenses handle the rest.

I always knew the yacht would come in handy someday! 😁

If your sub is nearby then you only have to deal with your pursuers. If your sub is further away then there will be 2 more waves. So basically: you get to hear your air defenses blasting off 2 more times and probably get to see more debris falling out of the skies. Now you're ready to get back.

I know it's silly, but I enjoy a bit of roleplay every once in a while. And it adds up: even if El Rubio would come knocking on your doorstep you could simply say that it had nothing to do with you, probably a glitch in your defense system ;)

One last mission to go; my favorite setup mission of the entire heist!

Kosatka approach vehicle

Why bother with a helicopter when you got a fast traveling submarine?

We're almost done. We're going to use the submarine for our approach, this is the easiest way. The only problem are Cayo Perico's sonar defenses. Fortunately for us Merryweather happens to have a sonar jammer. Just the thing we need!

This is by far my favorite setup mission because now we get to utilize everything our sub has to offer! Get ready for a treat!

First use fast travel to go to the Merryweather test site. Be careful: always make sure to pick a spot where there are no obstacles. So, for example, in the screenshot above there's a direct connection between the yellow dot and my sub. That's what you want. I could also have used a location south from there (Paleto Forest) but that would mean that the island gets in the way and we don't want that because you'd have to take a small detour to get around it, which is a waste of time.

So... you can do this mission in 2 (unofficial!) ways: stealthy or aggressively.



When you're going in aggressively then you simply take your sub to the test site while staying above water and then use the periscope to blast all the vehicles on top. So the boats and the heli need to go. Quite spectacular, very satisfying, but it would also create a possible lead back to our submarine. Roleplay, remember? ;)

So I prefer going in using stealth:

Optionally destroy the boats using your torpedoes

Take the sub around 25m below the water surface. This will make sure that you won't be bothered (too much) by shallow grounds. Then just head your way to the test site. You'll notice that you're getting close when your targeting sensors start to pick up the boats. Either use your torpedoes to blow them up or ignore them, it won't matter.

Sometimes the other sub may be difficult to spot, but fortunately there's a yellow corona on top and that part will stick out easily. You'll be sure to see the corona before you spot the sub!

So... next stop: park your sub next to the enemy sub by engaging your autopilot:

Its raining boats under water, amazing!

Step one completed. If you bought yourself a weapons workbench then now might be a good time to use it: make sure you have enough Mk2 ammo. I prefer blasting Merryweather using either my heavy combat rifle (Mk2 obviouslty) or my Mk2 shotgun with explosive rounds.

While you could easily make the trip using no extra equipment you should consider grabbing some scuba gear to make things look more professionally. No extra charge! Just walk up to the rack, press the button and you equip your gear right away. At the very least equip a rebreather and optionally wear something to swim in ;)

Of course this is optional but if you die you'll respawn on a jetski above water. Which means... if you run out of breath very easily you might have a bit of an issue (you could always surface your sub of course).

Alas, get in, find the device, get out and enter your sub again. It usually spawns on the bridge, near the engine or in the torpedo room. You could be done even before the broadcast kicks in!

2023 update in progress!

Important: this guide no longer works!

During the last 2 years (2022 and 2023) R* has applied several updates to the Cayo Perico heist which more or less ruined it. It's still profitable, but if you try to play it as I explain below then you will most likely fail.

Some issues:

• Guards outside the compound can see way beyond their cone of sight, often even through walls.
  
• Bodies are being detected both inside the compound as well as outside. Note: inside it's most notably the juggernaut who can detect them.
  
• If you exit the compound & shoot the guard standing next to the bike then his body will be quickly discovered.
  
• Also: If a body is discovered the whole island suddenly knows exactly where you are.
  
• If you restart the heist you'll lose all your weapons.

Summing up: the strategy shared below no longer works. Your best bet right now is to grab the main loot, exit the compound and then go all the way over to the right side of said compound and swim away. Optionally you can grab extra loot during your approach of the compound, but even so.... I wouldn't count on easily making the elite challenge anymore.

See: fastest way out is using the boat at the main dock, but thanks to the guards ultra-vision this is no longer realliy viable.

Therefor I'm updating this guide, but wanted to put this update disclaimer in first. As long as you see this disclaimer then I'm not fully done with my update yet.

The heist - part 1 (entering)

As soon as you see the above logo displayed on your terminal then you'll know it's time for the big one, time to clean out El Rubio once again ;) Make sure you use the follow settings for the most optimal way:

• Approach vehicle: Kosatka.
  
• Infiltration point: drainage tunnel.
  
• Compound entry point: drainage tunnel.
  
• Escape point: main docks.
  
• Time of day: Night (or day, doesn't matter but I'd start with night).
  
• And finally: be sure to equip suppressors on your weapons!

I think this pretty much speaks for itself, if you want to experiment then by all means but this is a grind walkthrough so we're going in as efficient as possible. Just as with the intel mission there are a few rules to keep in mind:

• Don't rush!
  
• Always sneak near guards to avoid detection.
  
• Use headshots; it avoids armor and only takes 1 shot (= less sound!).
  
• Don't kill a guard when he's near another guard, even if he's not inside the vision cone, because it could alert the other one.
  
• Don't kill a guard near a camera unless he's obviously not inside the vision cone.
  
• Don't take the shot unless you're fully sure! If you miss then you'd better hit the next time or else you're going to trigger the alarm and alert the other guards. And once the alarm goes off you might as well start over.
  
• Position yourself for double kills (2 guards shortly after each other), it's probably best to use the rifle for this. You only need to do this once in my walkthrough.

One very important disclaimer: this won't be the quickest way to do this, but I think my approach gives you the best balance between ease and efficiency. Consider it a starting point which you can use to figure out your own best strategy, or to simply grind yourself ;)

Also: I'm doing the heist in day time but mostly to make sure that you can clearly see what I'm doing. If you're starting out then I suggest using night time because it makes it a little more difficult for the guards to spot you.

Compound - starting point

You start next to the submarine and need to make your way to the drainage pipe. Once there start the mini-game to cut your way through the grate and you'll eventually end up in the compound itself. No hassle, no alarm, no nothing.

Once you're in the compound you'll be facing east (towards a staircase with a guard on a balcony). Don't bother with this direction and the guard, turn around (west) and go up the other staircase and wait there:



Our first target is "minigun man"; you can recognize him by the skull icon and the red cone in front of him. Although this is a very tough enemy (he's basically wearing some ballistic armor) he still has the same weakness as all the other guards: headshots! So aim carefully and take him out:


(Update 2/'22) => R* made his helmet deflect bullets so you can no longer kill him with a headshot, so don't bother! Instead: either run up to this section and climb the rail before he's here, or wait for him to pass.

Once he's dead passed you you want to walk up to the area but be somewhat quick about it because there will be a guard on your left who is going to take a look at the area you're in now (see my minimap in the above screenshot). If you time this right you can reach this area before the other gets in position, but when in doubt play it safe and just wait for him to go away; then head over.



Go towards the area with the dartboard and don't be alarmed by the Spanish (?) chatter. Notice the guard in the screenshot? That's our last obstacle to reach what I like to call the "inner circle". Climb over the fence and get ready. But be sure to destroy the camera before you take out the guard, otherwise you'll run into some serious trouble:



Also be adviced that it's probably quicker to simply sneak past him, even so I killed him:



If you're having trouble with a moving target just let him walk by and sneak up behind him to take the shot or walk past by. Shouldn't be too difficult. Now go left from here (screenshot) and take a right turn into a tunnel of some sorts (it goes 'underneath' the building), and make your way towards a stair leading up to the entrance of the main building:

Make sure that you're sneaking!



Don't go up too much, only enough to have a clear shot. Take aim and shoot the guard. Don't go up the main stairs just yet, go past this area (stay near the wall so that the other guard can't see you) and take out the guard who is patrolling the area between the gate and the side of the mansion:



You don't have to worry too much about other guards seeing him because he's standing behind a closed gate which is surrounded by walls. The reason we want this guard dead is because he can sometimes hear you shoot the last guard on your way up. Not when he's standing here, but when he's standing next to the wall of the compound.

Now, go back and then up the stairs towards the main office:



As soon as you step onto the stairs you'll notice the last guard is starting to move. Don't worry, just wait for him to get into position, then take him out.

Congratulations, you now have safe access to the office and the underground vault!

The office & underground area

When you reached the office always empty the safe. It's free money! Also be sure to check if there are any paintings hanging which you can take, that's also a good way to earn a bit of extra cash. If you ever managed to find a small key in Los Santos: it will open up the right drawer of El Rubio's desk in which you'll find his golden gun. I suppose it's fun but it's not that special. Careful: if you do pick up the gun be sure to check your main active weapons, you do not want to accidentally fire the golden pistol instead of your silenced pistol during this raid!

Next stop: hack the fingerprint scanner. I'll explain this procedure in full detail in its own chapter below, for now we'll continue with the heist:



Take the elevator, burn the chain and then either open the safe using the combination which Pavel will text you, or use the plasma cutter to get through the display case and grab whatever is inside.

Main target acquired!

If you managed to get some 'gate keys' along the way then you have 2 choices. You can take the lift back up, or use the underground complex to get to the exit. To do that you'd use the gate left of you instead of going back into the elevator. There will be another finger print scanner which requires 2 hacks on hard and 1 on normal mode. Once open you should go right, open the gate and then you'll be near the main entrance:

Underground passage

In this guide however I'll be using the regular way back.

The heist - part 2 (exiting)

So... go back to the office and from there down the stairs until you reached the dead guard at the bottom of the staircase. Go right towards the dead guard before the gate:

Optionally you can shoot the guard behind the car.

If you have the gate keys you can open this iron gate and make your way towards the main port (which is our escape point, you should be able to see the yellow corona from here). If not then continue going right and you'll overlook a patio:



Jump down and use that staircase going to the left, this also leads to the main gate. Be sure to avoid the guard who is patrolling the area as well as the guard who sometimes looks onto the main gate from behing an iron gate on the right.

Always be careful of the guard behind the car, if you haven't shot him already...

(the screenshots in this chapter were taken during other heist playthroughs; my original screenshots weren't clear enough. Having said that: be sure to look at my minimap in the screenshots above so that you can see what's going on).

You could make a run for it, despite the guards...

Fun fact: in order to trigger your escape you need to stand near the yellow corona and then press a key (d-pad right on controllers). Once triggered it doesn't matter anymore how many guards are around you or seeing you. Also interesting to know: it takes a few seconds between the guards noticing you and them sounding the alarm.

Meaning? You could make a run towards the exit, spam the trigger key and as long as the alarm hasn't been triggered you'll still get out in silence. However, I'd recommend taking out the guard behing El Rubio's car just in case, and simply avoid the patrol.

Out of the compound!

Run into the grass and you'll soon see a stationary guard next to a bike, kill him. Now you have 2 options... if you're unsure about avoiding & killing more guards then you could make a run for it right now:


(obviously a screenshot from yet another run)

Take the bike and drive south, right past the mansion as I'm showing you here. At the end you'll find a gap in the wall which gives you direct access to the cliff near the drainage pipe. Hop into the water, dive, and just continue swimming south. Eventually you'll trigger the end game. You won't make the elite challenge because you didn't fill your bag, but you will get home with a lot of cash.

Honestly? I more that often don't bother. The more you make, the more you're also going to pay Pavel. You can get more loot, I'm about to show you, but seriously: at best you'll make a few grand extra. And if you're unlucky you only get cash. I've had too many times where I went from 1,2 (main loot) to 1,6 (with extras) only to end up with 1,5 million total. Including the elite challenge bonus... 300k extra is peanuts, and not always worth the extra hassle IMO.

But it's still fun to do!

Going towards the main dock

There will be 3 more guards (and a camera!) before you can leave the compound. Always be on your toes because the alarm could still go off at any time, and if it does you'll be in trouble. All the guards (fully armed) will swarm you and there will also be some buzzards coming after you. Which is something we really don't want to happen, also because if they shoot you they could also damage your bag which means you'll lose money!

So... take out the standing guard, I suggest using your pistol.



Then take out these two. I always use my rifle because it makes it easier to fire multiple shots when I need to. I basically headshot the first, move my aim straight towards the other guard. He'll be ducking at first but immediately gets up fully again. That's when you can take the second headshot.


Don't forget about the camera!

There will be a second bike here, get on, drive through the gate and head down the road:



Around this time El Rubio will have noticed the theft and he's about to get into his helicopter, don't worry about him too much because at the time when he's above the dock we'll be busy grabbing more loot so he won't be able to see us.


Leave the road and head towards the cliff


Carefully make your way towards the main dock

This part is a bit difficult to describe because I always end up taking different routes, it doesn't matter too much. What does matter is that you keep clear of the two guards which you can see left of me on the minimap shown in the screenshot above; drive 'around' them.



Make your way through the bushes and park your bike here, right next to a storage where we can usually pick up some extra loot. Arm your pistol and be sure to do it again and make sure it's armed.



Take out the guard and don't forget about the camera above you! Go in and grab some loot (if there is any).

Now there are only 3 more guards left between you and your safe escape. Actually 4, but he doesn't matter because you'll be in your boat on your way to safety :)

I don't care what people say: the atmosphere is awesome!

The first guard is standing on the pier, take him out with your pistol. Careful, too much noise and the other two guards will hear you after which they'll sound the alarm. And if that happens you're as good as dead with all the other guards around you right now.



Then take out the two other guards in the same way as we did on the compound. One after another. If you're having issues with this shot you could also try and ignore them by jumping into the water and getting to the boat. Or... move around them and take the shot from a different angle.

This could be lucrative because there's another easily raided storage on the other side of the dock, you only need to kill 2 more guards to get there safely, and this also gives you a better position to kill these two.

But that's beyond the scope of my guide (for now). For the simple reason that I don't have screenshots ready and I've been playing the heist dozens of times extra to get different or better screenshots. Enough is enough ;)



Once they're dead hop into the boat and make a run for it. There will be one last guard who will notice you racing through but at that time I can't be bothered anymore to try and take him out. Just get it over with!

Congratulations!

And this completes the heist! I hope this walkthrough was useful for you.

Trust me... completing this heist only relies on one major thing: that you recognize the repetitive nature of the guards behavior. All guards and their movement are static, nothing is randomized. So if you kill a guard on the dock with your pistol then you will always have the chance to kill that same guard on the same spot with your pistol. There is no game of chance at work here.

The fingerprint scanner hack

That's what we want to see!

Do you own an Arcade by any chance? And if so, have you bought the hacking device so that you can practice on hacking keypads and fingerprints?

Guess what else R* added to their game?

That's right! If you have fully equipped your Arcade then you can use the hacking device to prepare yourself for the Cayo Perico heist as well. It allows you to try the fingerprint scanner as well as the Voltlab hacking mechanic (last two options in the menu shown above).

There's a good reason why I think that the arcade is so heavily underrated ;)

It's all about counting

So here I prepared a screen for you, I filled out the first 2 parts already. So how are we going to get the rest? By counting!

See, this hacking device is just as static as the whole Cayo Perico heist is. There is no randomness, nothing at all, the only thing you need to do is to put the segments in the right order.

And guess what? They're already laid out in sequence for you.

Meaning? What do you think these two segments at the top have in common? They sit right next to each other in the main sequence. If I were to select the previous segment in the screenshot above (by pressing <left>) you'd get to see a full list of the exact same segment (which is the first segment).

If I were to select the first segment in the screenshot above (by pressing <up>) and then press <right> once you'd get to see 2 of the same segments on top.

And the next segment I need is but one click away:



See, what I did in this screenshot was move the selection one down. Then I pressed <right> 2 times. The first time it selected the same segment as the one above it, and then we got this.

Now I pressed <down>, and then pressed <right> 3 times...

What I'm saying here is that as soon as you see the same segment as the one above it, then the next segment in the sequence will always be the one you need. It's all laid out in perfect order:

You can finish this hack by pressing <left> one time...

This hack is all about counting. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Or the other way around of course, as mentioned above: before the last segment you'll find the one which should go above it, the whole thing loops afterall.

Therefor don't bother trying to compare segments with the example on the right, in fact: don't look at that example at all. Just keep counting!

Identify the top segment (the top and bottom are always hard to miss). Once you have the top the segment which goes underneath it will be right next in the sequence. So you need to press <right> once to get to it. The next segment you need will come right after that. So.. now press <right> two times to get there. The one after comes next, now you need to press <right> three times. And so on...

Thanks for reading!

This is by far the biggest guide I've written so far. Fitting for a DLC which R* proclaims as their biggest ever I guess, but I'm not joking here. The main reason I cut up some parts in 2 sections was because I ran out of chapter space! Then add a few Steam quirks along the way (unable to save, unable to upload, etc.), a small period of writers block, playing the heist several times while forgetting to make screenshots 🤦‍♂️, some personal issues which I'm sure we all suffer from around these times, and before you know you're busy for hours.

Fun fact: I started writing this guide in December last year (2020), go figure.... 🎂

What an awesome heist, shame about the bugs though...

I think this new heist is awesome. I just love the submarine and all the crazy things you can do with it and I also believe that R* really managed to set the right atmosphere with this heist. Of course it's not all perfect, the heist also introduced us to tons of new bugs, and some of which can be quite annoying too.

Next I think it's somewhat of a shame that we don't get any more cutscenes once we finished the heist the first time. I mean... most of the other heists have some kind of cut scenes, and you can skip them when everyone has already seen them.

And for the record: I'm not referring to cutscenes like landing and taking off your plane, or when you get frisked by the guards. You can't skip those and it's always the same thing, gets boring quick too.

But more interaction... why doesn't mini-Madrazo have anything to say about the ongoing raids? Doesn't Pavel have more or interesting ideas? Stuff like that....

I also think it's a shame that while you can get back to the beach party you can't leave the beach anymore. It makes the whole thing useless IMO because.. why would I bother going to a beach with a bunch of NPC's where you can't really do anything?

Not to mention... why isn't Keinemusik playing in my club, hmm?

Anyway... enough for now. Hope you enjoyed my guide and more so: I hope that it could help you avoid some of the annoyances with the heist. Because trust me: I know well enough that going through the heist for a first time can be one heck of an annoyance.

Having said that: seriously, once you grasped the game mechanics, once you recognize the patterns then things will become a lot easier on you. Even when you start some experimentations of your own.

["CheeasyHaceR'']

nice guide so iwanna prep again n again and my computer blou *

[Chadjao]

Awesome. Thanks, dude.

[BCtorture]

Awesome guide. almost exactly as i do it. Main difference i ramp over the left side of the checkpoint during scope out. So quick, takes a few tries to get good at the jump but then pretty easy.

[ShelLuser]

@Bl!nkix Thanks for your input. Yah, keep in mind that I kept the guide a bit general to cater to all kinds of players, vets & newbs alike, so I kept things general.

So far the quickest way in which I found is not to wait for "minigun man" but walking straight in. If you climb over the fence right away then "minigun man" (now behind you) won't see you, nor will the patrol in front of you. Then you can take out the camera (when the patrol is at a good distance) and either kill or sneak past the patrol. Then you're already at the bottom of the stairs and can take out those guards as usual.

[Bl!nkix]

I wouldn't say that a sparrow is recommended for a use that already owns a mk2 oppressor, since its essentially the same vehicle. (But this is kind of a stretch)

There is a faster way of entering the basement by going where the first cctv is on your left, once your out of the drainage pipe, and following that route (of course you would have to destroy cctv and guards). In addition, you should ALWAYS get the key chain whenever possible from a guard and use it on the lower area near el rubios office. This is because doing so bypasses the need to do an extra fingerprint (3 on normal/ 4 on hard), thus allowing faster acsess to the primary target.

But, these are my own recommendations
(2/2)

[Bl!nkix]

This guide is good, but there are some things that you can do to improve it:

The checkpoint area actually has a jump you can do with the bike, bypassing the need to drive around like that.

For the sonar, you can just go on that small island and use a sniper to kill the helis+the dinghys, as since the ai isn't scripted to engage with you from that distance.

(1/2)

[ShelLuser]

@Eric: yups, I already mentioned that in the guide. However, the main dock will be faster, you'll earn a bit more cash and well... IMO it's also more fun that way.

[AMS Agent Eric Cartman🇺🇦]

You don't need to go to Main Docks to escape, instead, just swim down to the ocean until the screen fades to black and the HUD goes away.

[jas385]

Thanks for this detailed write-up - I've been grinding this heist for a while using mostly the same strategy, except for two points:

1. I've been using the loud method of getting the sonar deflector (use Sparrow missiles to take out helicopter and patrol boars, land on the nearest island, and swim to the submarine).

2. I've been fighting the gang on the ground for the plasma cutter since I didn't realize there would be only 3 waves of backup - I thought they'd keep spawning indefinitely and I'd have to fight them anyway.

Both of these tips will save me some time and effort.

In the finale, after grabbing the cash from the office safe, I then go to the basement entrance to the vault since are fewer fingerprints required, then escape the same way - that saves about half a minute. Of course, you can skip the office entirely but it's an easy $50-100k extra.

[Owl]

What’s funny is I basically did what this guide suggests to do without even knowing this guide existed, the only difference being I take the motorcycle and drive it off a cliff and get a boat and grab whatever cash is at the airfield