Chapter 2 - Friends, Girlfriends, and Random Characters

This section covers all of the friends, girlfriends, and random characters you can interact with in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Friends

There are five characters you meet during the main storyline that can become more than just mission contacts: these characters can become friends! Friends with benefits, actually! If these guys like you enough, you’ll gain their special benefit, which can be used to assist during story or side missions.

Completing their mission tasks will certainly elevate the friend’s admiration but you can further increase it after the mission tasks are over by setting up activities. Open your cell phone’s phonebook and select one of the friends. If you can set up an activity, it will be listed here.

Your friends like what’s on the list but they also have more specific likes and dislikes that can affect the relationship. For instance, Brucie likes to maintain his genetically superior body and doesn’t want to eat at fast food restaurants. Little Jacob, on the other hand, loves Cluckin’ Bell. A thumbs up or thumbs down after the activity will cue you in on how much (or little) your friend enjoyed the time you spent together.

The possible friendships are listed below as well as their special abilities and more details on their likes and dislikes.

Roman

You’ll gain Roman’s friendship early in the single-player game—he is your cousin after all! Roman’s a pretty laid back guy and enjoys just about anything. Take him out to eat at a Burger Shot or participate in any of the listed activities when you give him a call (bowling, darts, drinking, etc).

When Roman likes you enough, you’ll gain his special ability: car service! Open your cell phone, dial Roman, and select car service. A taxi will arrive at your location and take you anywhere for no fee. It’s a much nicer ride than the standard street taxi…although that comes with the driver’s attitude. Acquiring this special ability also unlocks the Driving Mr. Bellic achievement on the Xbox 360.

Little Jacob

Completing the Shadow mission with Little Jacob and Badman allows you to participate in their package business (see the side missions section of this guide for details on running packages for Jacob and Badman) but it also turns Little Jacob into a friend. Take Little Jacob to eat at Cluckin’ Bell or any of the listed activities when you give him a call.

Hang out with Little Jacob long enough (and show him a good time!) and you’ll gain his friendship and special ability. Give Little Jacob a call and he’ll send over a vehicle filled with weapons. You can purchase these weapons before a mission task. Acquire this special ability to unlock the Retail Therapy achievement on the Xbox 360.

Brucie

You gotta love Brucie. Upon completing the single-player mission No. 1, you and Brucie agree to sever the working relationship but to continue the friendship. You can now do activities with Brucie. He’s more high maintenance than your other friends: Brucie doesn’t like fast food restaurants and doesn’t like being woken up, so don’t call him in the middle of the night. Brucie loves activities such as boating and helicopter rides.

The pool hall is always a good time. Not a bad spot to take your friends.

Gain Brucie’s friendship and unlock his special ability: a helicopter lift! Give Brucie a ring and request a helicopter. Brucie will fly to a rooftop near your location. Get up there and board the chopper. Brucie will then fly you to any of the designated locations around Liberty City. Acquire this special ability to unlock the That’s How We Roll achievement on the Xbox 360.

Dwayne

In order to gain Dwayne’s friendship, you must first keep him alive—choose to kill Playboy X over Dwayne in the mission The Holland Play. After this mission, drive over to an Internet café and check your email. Find an email from Dwayne titled "Yo" and discover it’s about becoming better friends. Send a positive reply to initiate the friendship. If you fail to respond to the email in a timely fashion expect an amusingly desperate call from Dwayne: "I thought I heard the phone and maybe it was you." Sad, but funny!

Once Dwayne likes you enough, you’ll unlock his special ability. Give him a call and he’ll send backup to your location—certainly helpful assistance during most mission tasks! There isn’t an achievement linked to Dwayne’s special ability since you might have chosen to kill him during the single-player game.

Packie

Packie seems like the best of the McReary bunch and he’ll become a possible friend after the Heat-inspired bank robbery shootout mission. Give Packie a call and participate in any of the listed activities to improve your friendship. Once Packie likes you enough you’ll unlock his special ability: car bomb! Give Packie a call and he’ll make a car bomb, which you can use to plant on a vehicle. Acquiring the special ability unlocks the Dial B for Bomb achievement on the Xbox 360.