What Are the Preparation Missions?

Before attempting the Big Score, the protagonists must complete several setup missions to gather necessary equipment. These vary depending on the chosen approach: subtle or obvious.

Subtle Approach Preparation

The subtle approach requires four preparation missions:

1. Stingers – Steal a police van equipped with spike strips.

2. Gauntlet 1–3 – Steal three Gauntlets from around Los Santos and customize them at Los Santos Customs.

The goal of these setups is to prepare stealthy vehicles and tools that will allow you to manipulate the security and escape routes without alerting law enforcement immediately.

Obvious Approach Preparation

The obvious approach involves three missions:

1. Driller – Steal an industrial cutter from a warehouse.

2. Sidetracked – Steal a train using a Skylift.

3. Getaway Vehicle – Park a vehicle near the Union Depository.

These missions focus on straightforward brute force and tools for drilling into the vault and transporting the gold by air or land.

How to Execute the Heist

The heist itself can be performed either subtly or obviously, depending on your planning choices.

Subtle Approach Execution

Most players agree that the subtle approach requires careful timing and coordination:

1. Tunnel Setup – Drive to the tunnel before 8:00 AM. Drop spike strips to stop incoming Securicars.

2. Union Depository Entry – Follow the manager into the vault and transfer gold onto Securicars.

3. Traffic Control – Switch to Franklin to control district traffic lights, preventing Merryweather Security from spotting the crew. Timing is critical; each hacker choice affects lag on traffic light changes.

4. Gold Transfer – Load gold from the Securicars into four modified Gauntlets. Protect your crew while under fire from Merryweather. Choosing experienced drivers and gunmen reduces gold losses.

5. Escape – Follow the designated route while driving one of the Gauntlets as Franklin. Avoid collisions and LSPD helicopters, and ensure your crew stays on track.

Subtle execution can be risky due to potential gold loss from inexperienced crew members. For example, Karim Denz may drop gold if unexperienced, which can cost millions of dollars. Players usually benefit from rehearsing previous heists with these crew members to improve efficiency.

Obvious Approach Execution

The obvious approach is more direct but requires heavy firepower:

1. Bank Break-In – Pierce the vault wall with the driller. Plant explosive charges and detonate to access the gold.

2. Defend the Gold – Protect crew members from NOOSE and other law enforcement while the gold is moved. Using an advanced rifle or minigun is recommended to control crowds efficiently.

3. Air Transport – Trevor flies a helicopter to airlift gold out of the city while avoiding Merryweather choppers. Destroying enemy helicopters quickly is crucial to prevent losing gold.

4. Final Delivery – Release the gold onto a waiting train, then proceed to McKenzie Field Hangar to meet the rest of the crew.

Obvious execution usually nets higher profits than subtle because it involves fewer expensive crew members and less reliance on precise timing. However, an inexperienced driver or pilot can drastically reduce the final take.

After the Heist

Regardless of approach, after completing the Big Score, the protagonists return to Franklin’s home, where Devin Weston gives Franklin conflicting orders to eliminate Michael. Players cannot finish the heist’s payout until the storyline’s final mission is completed.

It’s recommended to complete all remaining side missions before triggering the final missions, especially if you aim for 100% completion. Michael or Trevor may no longer be available afterward, and rare vehicles could be lost if not exchanged first.

Maximizing Profits

Choosing the right crew and approach is key to maximizing revenue:

• Subtle Approach: Gross take is ~$201.6 million, with ~$35.5 million per protagonist if done efficiently. Experienced drivers and hackers minimize gold loss. Casey’s bribe costs $300,000 but prevents him from exposing the crew.

• Obvious Approach: Slightly more lucrative, yielding ~$6 million extra per protagonist. Use Taliana Martinez and Karim Denz as drivers, and cheap but capable gunmen for maximum payout. Poorly chosen pilots or gunmen can reduce the net take by 50% or more.

Players often experiment with crew selection and vehicle modifications to achieve a gold medal rating while minimizing losses.

Gold Medal Objectives

For players aiming for perfection, there are gold medal objectives:

• Subtle: Achieve headshots on 20 enemies, perform less than 10 traffic light changes, and maintain at least 60% shooting accuracy.

• Obvious: Achieve 20 headshots, complete within 16 minutes, drop gold on the train within 30 seconds, and maintain 60% shooting accuracy.

Meeting these objectives usually requires switching characters strategically, selecting optimal weapons, and planning your route ahead of time.

Common Pitfalls and Tips

• Crew Inexperience: Choosing unexperienced drivers or gunmen can lead to dropped gold or crashes. Players often repeat prior heists to level up crew members.

• Vehicle Damage: In both approaches, damaged vehicles can hinder escape. Upgrade cars beforehand if possible.

• Police Interference: LSPD and NOOSE spawn infinitely; focus on moving to the next objective rather than eliminating every officer.

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The Big Score is the most lucrative heist in GTA 5, but success depends heavily on planning, crew selection, and execution. Subtle and obvious approaches offer different challenges and rewards, with obvious being slightly more profitable but riskier if the crew is inexperienced. Following the strategies outlined above will help ensure you get the maximum take while minimizing mistakes and lost gold.

By practicing preparation missions, using experienced crew members, and carefully planning escape routes, most players can complete the Big Score efficiently and enjoy the massive rewards GTA 5 has to offer.