Liberty City Achievement Guide—Independent Action

Published May 19, 2008

Grand Theft Auto IV™ boasts fifty unique achievements, nearly every one of which can be attained more quickly with a few helpful suggestions. In this edition of our Liberty City Achievement Guide, we'll tackle the freestyle action-oriented achievements not included in regular story or side missions.

An ideal spot for Chain Reaction.

Chain Reaction (20 Gamerscore)

Exploding ten cars in ten seconds may seem a simple task, but there are a number of variables to consider.

• You won't have the necessary tools such as car bombs, rocket launchers, or grenades in the early going to attempt this achievement, so don't frustrate yourself by trying until you at least have access to grenades (Molotov cocktails make for lengthy, imprecise explosions).
• It's impossible to steal enough vehicles to bring them all together in one spot without the police taking notice. Once you've stolen your fourth or fifth car, you'll get a wanted rating whether the police are nearby or not.
• Despite the achievement's name, don't depend on one car's explosion setting off the other vehicles in rapid succession. Make sure you have plenty of rockets and grenades.
• Setting up a road block on a bridge or exit ramp is your best bet for quickly bringing ten cars close together. The tour buses work best for this and you can find them without fail near the Helipad in Algonquin. Turn the bus sideways on a two lane road/bridge and traffic should build up quickly.
• Once enough cars are assembled, position yourself in relative safety and let loose your explosives. Start first with a grenade, tossing it towards the rear of the line of cars. If you toss it up front, the smoke and fire will obscure your view and you'll have a tough time spotting any unharmed cars. Once the grenade is tossed, switch immediately to your rocket launcher and start firing at any vehicles not affected by the initial blast.

These achievements? Niko says, "No problem!"

Rolled Over (30 Gamerscore)

Rolling your car five times in a single wreck can prove quite difficult, but with the right car and ramp you'll be able to score this sometimes frustrating achievement.

• My ramp of choice for this achievement can be found on Frankfort Ave. in Algonquin along the western edge of Middle Park. You'll spot it on the western side of the road, just south of the Pyrite Street intersection.
• The key to this achievement is speed rather than height. Get too high on the jump and you won't have the momentum you need to roll five times upon impact, so if you choose a different ramp make sure it doesn't provide too much of a drop off.
• Vehicle choice is also important. Choose a car or truck that's a bit top heavy. Cars that are too stable, such as taxis or police cars won't roll well on impact.
• When you hit the ramp, aim a little to the left. This will destabilize the vehicle and help ensure that you roll rather than land safely on all four wheels. Tilt the left thumbstick forward once you're in the air to point the hood of the vehicle slightly towards the ground. Again, this will help propel the vehicle into an aggressive roll on impact.

Under the Radar (40 Gamerscore)

Like so many achievements, Under the Radar sounds easy but isn't. However, if you understand what the game is asking of you, you should score this achievement in one go.

There are fourteen total bridges required for this achievement, but identifying each one is trickier than it may initially appear. In short, any time a bridge comes into contact with land, including islands, that section is considered an entire bridge on its own. For example, the East Borough Bridge includes three distinctive bridges broken up by Charge Island.

Make things easier on yourself by using your map to identify which bridges you've yet to fly under. The city map on the Start menu highlights the bridges you have remaining for the achievement with a trophy icon, but only right after you've flown under a bridge for the first time. It's important then to attempt this achievement all in one go so you can check your map after each bridge if necessary.

Lastly, be sure to attempt this achievement after you unlock all the islands. If you try beforehand you'll be marked with a six star wanted rating when you invade the airspace of a locked island.

Not your best choices for Rolled Over.

Check out our Under the Radar Insider Moves video for even more help.

One Man Army (40 Gamerscore)

There are a few successful strategies for surviving five minutes with a six star wanted rating without doing constant battle with the police. We even highlighted one in an Insider Moves video, but perhaps the most foolproof method makes use of the relative safety found in the skies.

Once you've unlocked Algonquin Island, you should have access to the heliport in the southeast corner. Just jack a helicopter and fly over Alderney, the westernmost island. This will automatically grant you a six star wanted rating, after which you need only fly around for five minutes, avoiding pot shots from the ground and helicopter fire from the police choppers. If you find yourself in danger of being shot down, head out over water and ditch. Niko can survive a drop into the drink from any height.

Walk Free (50 Gamerscore)

Where One Man Army offers a number of safe strategies, Walk Free requires some slick driving savvy to complete as you attempt to outrun a four star wanted rating.

• There's no need to work for the required four star rating. Simply drive out onto the tarmac at Francis International Airport on the western edge of the first island. You should unlock a four star rating as soon as you pass into the restricted area.
• Once you've got your wanted rating up, it's time to high tail it out of there. This can be troublesome in a normal car as the NOOSE armored cars batter you. However, you should find a giant airport tug (the big trucks that push airplanes around) nearby. Hop in the tug and bash your way through any resistance.
• Once you're out on the open road, outrun the cops to unlock the achievement. Note that "outrun" means you cannot use a Pay n' Spray shop to lose your rating. You should find ditching the cops an easier prospect if you leave the beaten path, flying through alleyways and parks and even using stunt jumps to leave the pursuing police behind.

Wheelie for days on this bad boy.

Wheelie Rider (30 Gamerscore)

Completing a five hundred foot wheelie requires just two elements for quick success: a light, fast bike and a good long straightaway. Keep your eyes peeled for the NRG 900 or PCJ 600 racing motorcycles or the Sanchez dirtbike. Once you find one, there's no better straightaway then Francis International Airport's runway.

While it's easier to start a wheelie when you're just beginning to pick up speed, the wheelie is much more stable if you start it once you're flying at nearly top speed. Also, if you feel like you're going to tip over backwards, release the thumbstick for a moment to let the nose drop and then pull the stick back again to bring the nose back up.

This should put you well on your way to unlocking a healthy 210 Gamerscore. Now get out there and enjoy Liberty City!

Article by Ryan Treit