This GTA 5 Achievement Is Practically Impossible
There are dozens of achievements that can be earned in Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online. Some of them require smaller feats like spending a ton of in-game money, modding a vehicle for the first time, or leveling up your character to a certain point. However, there is one achievement that seems almost like a fool's errand to attempt. It's called "Masterminds," and it's a real pain in the neck. It's right up there with some of the most difficult GTA missions of all time.
In order to acquire the "Masterminds" achievement, players must conquer each of the Doomsday Heist missions three separate times with three different team sizes. These are represented by challenges referred to as "Criminal Mastermind 2," "Criminal Mastermind 3," and "Criminal Mastermind 4," respectively. As you may have guessed, the numbers in the names of each of these challenges refer to the number of players that are required for each challenge. Oh, and you have to finish all of these missions without dying.
These missions are pretty intricate, requiring Prep portions to get ready for each one. These Prep jobs include stealing an ambulance, disguising a vehicle with a new coat of paint, stealing a key from security guards, and several other smaller steps. These are easy enough, but they have to be done in a public lobby in order to get the achievement, which means other players can take you out (and they probably will, let's be honest). Luckily, the game doesn't count any deaths that happen during Prep jobs against the achievement.
Maybe that's because the real challenge starts after the Prep is finished. The actual Heists themselves range from the straightforward to real trials by fire. The first act of the Doomsday Heist involves sneaking into a government facility, taking out hostiles, and then escaping again to meet at a rendezvous point. The second act involves stealing an Avenger jet from a heavily-guarded compound and escorting a kidnapped federal agent to safety. After that, you have to battle a group of enemies both by land and by sea. Finally, the last act involves a series of thefts (including one that automatically gives your whole crew a 4-star Wanted Level, meaning you're now on the run from the police). Afterwards, it's all-out war against the bad guys, followed by a race to stop the enemy from launching a deadly warhead.
...Sounds super easy, right?
Now, if you've ever played the Doomsday Heist missions before, you're probably thinking that the "Criminal Mastermind 4" section of this achievement doesn't sound so bad. A crew of four will probably have a bit of a challenge completing these missions without dying, but it's very doable with a decent bit of strategy and good communication. Heck, even a crew of three could probably manage it with a few tries to work the kinks out. However, the idea of completing all of the Doomsday Heist missions with only two players seems borderline impossible. This is especially true with the mission in which you have to steal the Avenger, which requires one person to lay down a ton of cover fire for the player boosting the jet.
Oh, and there's one other tiny problem that may rear its ugly head: the ever-dreaded glitches. According to Xbox Achievements, "As a final note, make sure you are checking your Challenge progress after each and every Prep, Setup, and Finale. There have been some reports that the Challenges often reset themselves (for reasons unknown), so checking your status periodically is a good way to make sure you are staying on track."
In other words, the game may decide to start you all over again or not register that you've made it to the waypoint you are supposed to. It would definitely be frustrating to be so close to the end of the Heist and realize that the game wants you to go through the Prep phase all over again.
Still, it is definitely doable and doing so will earn you quite a bit of clout, not to mention a handsome payout. You had better have a solid teammate, though. This seems like the kind of mission that simply could not be pulled off with random players in the lobby.
Xbox Achievements recommends making sure everyone on your team is outfitted with Super Heavy Body Armor and is carrying plenty of snacks to replenish health during these missions. Also, if you eat the snacks while behind cover, the game doesn't display the eating animation. Basically, you can get the required health boost quicker without needing to pause to actually consume the snack onscreen.
As of right now, The Doomsday Heist is easily one of the toughest challenges thrown at GTA players yet. If they're after the "Mastermind" achievement, then it can become nearly inconceivably difficult. However, GTA Online is always getting new content, so that may change. Also, with the news of a new GTA game in development, who knows what kinds of crazy missions the future may hold?