For the similarly named mission in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, see Deconstruction.
Deconstruction for Beginners is a mission in Grand Theft Auto IV given to protagonist Niko Bellic by Trey "Playboy X" Stewart from his penthouse in Northwood, Algonquin, Liberty City.
Description[]
In the opening cutscene, Playboy X brings Niko Bellic to his penthouse terrace and boasts, contemplating the city skyline: "This is my town." After Playboy and Niko make acquaintances, one of Playboy's girlfriends announces that Dwayne Forge has arrived. Playboy is taken aback after realizing he must've been released from prison. When Dwayne shows up on the terrace, they greet each other amicably. "You didn't tell me you was getting out!" exclaims Playboy joyfully. Dwayne suddenly takes a more indignant tone and reminds him that he called several times. After Playboy retires into his penthouse, Niko asks Dwayne: "Where did you get out from?" Dwayne replies: "Preschool."
On the way to the construction site in Castle Gardens, Playboy X says he wants Yusuf Amir, a real-estate developer, to be on his team, but Amir is completely ignoring him. Therefore, X would like to get in his good graces and show that he has influence in Liberty City. Thus he sends Niko to eliminate Union goons working for the Messina Family on the construction site, which they seized from Amir. X hopes that Amir will ultimately have esteem for him.
Mission Objectives[]
In order to complete the mission the player must:
- Playboy has left the weapons in a car in an alley downtown.
- Take out the lookouts.
- Go to the construction site and find the first Union Leader.
- Take down the next union leader.
- Take down the next union leader.
- Backup has arrived to protect the last leader. Take him down.
Walkthrough[]
The player must drive with Playboy X to the construction site in Castle Gardens, Algonquin. Upon arriving, the player must get into the Cavalcade parked in an alleyway on South Parkway to acquire an AK-47, Sniper Rifle and 20 grenades. Then, Playboy will get onto a window cleaning platform at the side of a nearby building. The player can choose to follow him and go up to the roof, or eliminate the lookouts from the sidewalk.
Once the player is on the roof or sidewalk, they must equip a sniper and take out the three lookouts on the cranes (1-3 on the image).
When the player snipes each of the lookouts, they will have a different death cutscene. The first falls, discharges his AK-47 and dies. The second falls and smacks onto a nearby parked Cavalcade, destroying its doors, heavily denting the roof, breaking all its windows, triggering the alarm system and then landing on the ground. (The player can take his AK-47 ammo which falls beside the car and lands on the ground.) The third will fall and smack hard on the street below. Once the player has eliminated all three lookouts, they must head into the construction site and eliminate the first Union leader that will be right in front of the construction entry. A first aid kit hangs on a column nearby.
Once everyone is killed on the ground level, the player must run up the wooden board at the back of the site where more goons will be waiting for them. The player must eliminate them before proceeding to the second "floor". A cutscene will show Niko running for cover as soon as the player reaches the top of the wooden board. The player then must take out the second Union leader. There is another first aid kit next to the wooden board from were Niko came from in case the player needs some health.
The player must then go left around the corner and take out the goons and the third Union leader that will be taking cover behind some pillars. Once the third Union leader is dead, the player must run ahead to find the fourth and last Union leader. The fourth leader will start to run away and a helicopter will arrive with more backup for the workers. Playboy warns Niko of the guards in the helicopter. There's a third first aid kit near some gas tanks beside the place were the helicopter landed, and the player can use it if necessary. The player must continue to chase the fourth Union leader and eliminate him.
After eliminating the fourth Union leader, the player will be paid and Playboy X will call to debrief them.
Aftermath[]
Weazel News (Radio)[]
"A violent shootout in Castle Gardens earlier as striking union officials were killed at a construction site. Allegations had previously surfaced that the unions were blackmailing the project developer Yusuf Amir. Mr. Amir had no comment aside from promising that the development would be suspended as a mark of respect for those who passed."
Liberty Tree Newspaper[]
"Several members of the local Liberty City union for construction workers were massacred on a building site today. The site had been shut down because of disagreements with the property developer, Yusuf Amir, that resulted in a strike. No one is sure what caused the altercation but the union, which was long alleged to have links with organized crime, seems to have had several heavily armed delegates at the site."
Gallery[]
Video Walkthrough[]
Trivia[]
- Playboy X's mission strand can be ignored up until the Alderney section of the main storyline. The mission will eventually be necessary after completion of the missions To Live and Die in Alderney for Phil Bell and Flatline for Jimmy Pegorino, as later missions require the player to own a Whiz Cellphone with a camera, gifted by Playboy X during Photo Shoot.
- This may explain the reason why Yusuf Amir's luxurious condo construction site is active as late as For the Man Who Has Everything (post-Gracie Ancelotti's kidnapping), instead of the memorial for the dead construction workers planned by Yusuf himself after Deconstruction for Beginners.
- Once the player walks in the area in which the second Union Leader was standing, they will hear the police radio saying "Reports of gunfire possibly related to a union disagreement.", however the player will not gain a wanted level nor will the police take any action much like in Triads and Tribulations.
- This is the first appearance of Dwayne Forge.
- During the drive towards the Cavalcade, Playboy X will mention that Yusuf Amir comes from Dubai and thinks that it is in Africa and that he and Yusuf could be brothers. However, Niko corrects him by advising him to "look at a map". This is the first time Playboy X shows his ignorance; the second time would be at The Holland Play.
- The "Union Trouble" mentioned in this mission ties into the missions Practice Swing and Bang Bang in the The Ballad of Gay Tony.
- This mission is also the only time a black Cavalcade with black rims can be acquired. The player can take it when they enter the car to collect Playboy's weapons. The player can drive it back to the safehouse without failing the mission. Also the player can leave it at the construction site entrance, and once the mission ends it will still be there. Though its body color is not black, the Cavalcade that one of the lookouts falls onto has black rims. A similar Cavalcade is also coincidentally owned and driven by Armando Torres and Henrique Bardas in The Ballad of Gay Tony.
- If the Cavalcade is destroyed before acquiring the weapons, the mission will fail and a cutscene will play where Playboy admonishes Niko and then gets out of the car, becoming a random pedestrian.
- This is one of the two missions that the Cavalcade is unique to have an alarm system, the other being the Huntley Sport in Three Leaf Clover.
- If the last union leader is killed before the Maverick lands, the Maverick will instantly explode. The Maverick is also incredibly easy to destroy with conventional means, less than one clip of SMG fire will down it.
- The Maverick cannot be stolen.
- The lookouts do not actually have to be killed, however, walking too close to the site without killing them will alert the guards; immediately afterwards, the lookouts will despawn.
- If the player takes the subway to Castle Gardens, they cannot leave the subway, Playboy will stand at the exit; If the player walks in to him or get in a car he will die and the player will have to restart the mission. Thus the player can choose to ride to the next station, Feldspar, and then Playboy will follow him out of the subway.
- The unions will not appear on the construction site unless the player gets inside the car first.
- If the lookouts are killed on ground-level, Playboy will spawn on top of the building.