Gang Warfare in The Lost and Damned

Gang Wars is a side mission in The Lost and Damned which is unlocked after Johnny receives a phone call after completion of "Coming Down".

To start a Gang War, the player must drive to a designated meeting point where he will meet up with several Lost members, after while they must drive to the enemy location, which could be nearby or as far away as another island. The enemy might be holed up in a location, or they may be driving around town in one or more vehicles.

Clay, Terry, Jim and three non-storyline characters assist the player during a battle. Completing a Gang War earns money and raises toughness of surviving Lost MC members, and spawns weapons in Johnny's safehouses. Completing 25 Gang Wars raises the player's completion percentage, however the player can continue undertaking battles for additional weapon-spawning rewards for up to 50 Gang Wars. In addition to this, the enemy often drop money and weapons that can be picked up if Johnny is fast enough during or after the battle.

Gang Wars enemies

Rewards for completing Gang Wars

Completing Gang Wars will reward Johnny with weapons which will spawn at either of his safehouses. Unlike many other side missions, once the criteria for 100% completion is met (25 gang wars, in this case), the player can continue to engage in gang warfare for additional weapon rewards.

Gang War Variations

  • Hanging Out Wars: This gang warfare style is when a gang is situated in one location of the map and there are approximately 20-30 enemies to gun down with the capability to call for reinforcements. This type of war is indicated by one of the Lost gang members making a statement about them "hanging out" somewhere. All targets must be eliminated, and that includes gang members who might run away (it's possible for them to get many blocks from the scene, though almost always they're on foot making them easy to track down later). Some of the gang members will be armed with molotov cocktails or grenades on higher levels.
  • Cruising Wars: This gang warfare style is when gang members are driving around the streets in automobiles, motorcycles or a combination of both, waiting for a provoked attack. The battle begins once Johnny or a Lost member opens fire on any vehicle (or discharges a weapon near them). Once this happens, most vehicles will converge, and more will arrive elsewhere. (Occasionally, a vehicle will drive away from the scene, and either circle back later or it needs to be pursued). This type of battle is indicated by one of the Lost members telling Johnny that the targets are "cruising around", though alternately they might just say "They're somewhere in xxxx."
  • Transportation Wars: This style of gang war requires Klebitz to chase down and destroy the main enemy vehicle without it getting away. In this gang war there are also many enemies trying to protect a vehicle at all cost, and will call for more backup. If one of the Lost gang members says something like "They are doing a Little Escort Work" or makes any reference to a vehicle, this means that this mission is a Transportation War. This is arguably the easiest of the gang battles, as all Johnny needs to do is destroy the designated vehicle; the easiest way is to drive-by and fire three or four shotgun rounds at the vehicle, which is usually enough to set it on fire; get clear of the vehicle and avoid enemy attacks long enough for the vehicle to blow up, and the battle is won. This is also the battle where Lost casualties can be minimized the most. There is usually a large amount of cash that can be recovered from the site of the vehicle explosion if Johnny is quick enough (though there is danger of being hit by passing vehicles once regular traffic begins to spawn again).

Needless to say, Johnny needs to be close enough to the gang members during the drive over to the location in order to actually hear the "key phrases" regarding the type of war; the best way is to not begin driving to the site until the type of battle is indicated.

By completing an increasing number of Gang Wars, the number of enemies you have to fight increases, and their weapons get stronger as well. You will have to develop different strategies to beat these missions.

For Hanging Out Wars and Cruising Wars, try a hit-and-run-strategy. Some enemies will follow you to an ambush. Return to the remaining foes afterwards. Following the GPS path provided by the game is not always the best strategy, especially for "hanging out" wars. Approaching from a different direction, or finding a location where distance weapons such as sniper rifles and rocket launchers can be used to thin enemy numbers before close-up battles begin.

In the Hanging Out Wars, it's not uncommon for individual enemy gang members to flee the scene, sometimes putting many blocks between him and the Lost. The mission doesn't end until these targets are tracked down too. Just remember that putting too much distance between Johnny and the battle scene will cause any bike he brings to unspawn.

Gang Vehicles Used In Gang Wars

Below lists all of the vehicles used by enemy gangs in the Gang Wars. Some are target vehicles that require the player to destroy rather than kill off the enemy gang.

Gang Standard Vehicles Target Vehicles
The Angels of Death Angel
Daemon
Gang Burrito
Slamvan
Gang Burrito
Slamvan
Yardie Jamaican Hillside Posse Huntley Sport
Voodoo
Comet
Comet
The Commission(Gambettis, Pavanos, Messinas, Lupisellas, Ancelottis, Pegorinos) Sentinel
PMP 600
Phantom
Phantom
Russian Mafia(Petrovic's Family, Faustin's Family, Bulgarin's Family, Rascaloc's Family) Schafter
Rebla
Stretch
Stretch
Albanians Futo
Hakumai
Packer
Mule
Packer
Mule

Members of the Lost MC

There are 24 members of Lost Brotherhood that can join Johnny's formation in Gang Wars, other than the usually present Jim Fitzgerald, Clay Simons, and Terry Thorpe. Each new member (up to three) rides on the backs of Jim, Clay, and Terry and aid the group in killing enemies. Each can be toughened up to increase their AI and upgrade their weapons, but each can also be killed in every gang warfare event. Once one dies, the next member takes his place. There appears to be no limit to how many Lost members can be killed (however, Jim, Clay, and Terry can never be killed during gang war, only "wasted" for the particular battle).

Here are their names: Nick, Wayne, Earl, Horse, Buck, Dogg, Hank, Hal, Willy, Frank, Pat, Bruce, Tug, Leon, Chuck, Dick, Brett, Hamm, Monty, Spike, Conan, Petey, Glenn, Shawn.

Tips

  • Never trigger a gang war without being completely maxed out in desired weaponry (including, preferably, a supply of rockets, pipe bombs or grenades) and armor/health, as some gang wars last only a few moments (the escort missions) and some can be long, drawn out fights. Before triggering a mission, get off the bike and select the weapon you want to have equipped by default when you get off the bike again - this will save valuable seconds when the fighting starts.
  • The AI on your club allies can be stupid at times - be careful not to get pinned in amongst enemy because of your friends barreling into you. It's also easy to take damage from (or cause) friendly fire. Keep an eye on where your friends are.
  • Except for the escort missions, there is no time limit on completing a gang war. If Johnny's health, armor or ammo gets too low, leave the scene and head to a gun shop to stock up or to a food cart or fast-food place to replenish health. Note, however, that enemies might follow you.
  • Although traffic is reduced, it's still possible to obtain cars, trucks, and even fire trucks and ambulances that can be used as weapons to run down enemy and provide Johnny a bit of protection.
  • Enemy gang members have extremely high armor and/or health. Direct hits with assault rifles tend to make little by way of damage, and it's possible for them to even survive rocket or grenade explosions and being hit by vehicles. Effective weapons are the shotgun (but only at close range) and the Automatic 9mm if used for headshots.
  • Avoid being cornered by enemy; once all allies are killed, they will gang up on Johnny and can overpower him in the time it takes to reload a weapon. Getting a high vantage point or, conversely, staying in wide open areas can make it easier to avoid being ganged up on.
  • Keep an eye on the HUD - often, enemy will try to sneak up behind Johnny, either on foot or in a vehicle. The HUD and the map (which when zoomed in can show how many enemy remain) can be used to plan approach strategies, especially if the enemy is stationary or on foot (the latter usually indicated by the enemy icon being shown off-centre on any roadways).
  • Don't always rely on the GPS to guide you to the best point of attack in the hanging out wars; sometimes, approaching from another direction may make the battle easier.

Trivia

  • Malc, during the mission "Heavy Toll", mentioned, that the war between The Lost and AOD is very similar to warfare in Los Santos. It could be an easter egg, since the warfare system in San Andreas and TLAD are very similar.
  • Terry will refer an enemy gang as "lunatics" if the enemy gang is aggressive and this could be any gang except for The Angels of Death.
  • When a gang war is triggered, the game automatically reduces (and in some cases eliminates) other traffic and pedestrians around the battle zone. It is possible to get a wanted level; this makes battles more complex as Johnny will find himself being targeted by cops who might also try to arrest him. Often, other Lost members will attack the cops, and cops may also begin attacking enemy gang members, too. The biggest risk to Johnny is accidentally or intentionally shooting cops, which will raise his wanted level and make it more difficult to survive the battle. As with most other missions, however, once the last enemy is killed the wanted level instantly disappears.
  • On rare occasions, "good Samaritan" taxi drivers and pedestrians may start attacking Johnny during or immediately after a gang battle, if they venture too close to the battle site. Similarly, security guards (in particular the bouncers outside the strip clubs) will also get involved if a battle takes place close to their locations.
  • Occasionally, female voices will be heard during a battle, even though all combatants on both sides are male.
  • On rare occasions a gang war will fail before the Lost even arrive at the scene. This can happen if the AI on one of the Lost club members makes an error that results in the biker being injured or killed (perhaps by being hit by a vehicle or driving into the water) while en route. The player will see a message that one of his teammates has been injured, and the mission will fail. This appears to be random but might be avoided by Johnny not driving too erratically or too fast, and by sticking to regular roads (i.e. not driving overland).

See also