Story
Derailed
Act III · Lucia & Jason
- Location
- Leonida Rail
- Protagonists
- Lucia & Jason
- Summary
- Ambush a train carrying evidence against the crew. Switch between on-train combat and chase vehicles.
Mission briefing
Derailed is a Story mission in Act III, playable as Lucia & Jason and set primarily in Leonida Rail. Ambush a train carrying evidence against the crew. Switch between on-train combat and chase vehicles.
Inside the Leonida campaign structure, this entry feeds the Story thread: its contacts, tone, and unlocks matter more to that lane than to unrelated hubs. Finishing it advances Rail yard shortcuts, with an immediate listed payout of Heat reduction · $20,000.
Tone-wise, Act III missions in this category mix free-roam travel with scripted set-pieces. You should expect driving, on-foot objectives, and at least one surprise that forces a change of plan - a chase, a betrayal, a wanted-level spike, or a dual-character switch.
Scout the pause map before committing to the first yellow pin. Players who learn district exits in Leonida Rail finish cleaner and medal faster than players who only follow the GPS line.
There is one backbone path, but dialogue picks and how loudly you resolve encounters can still change later mission lines and relationship outcomes.
Location guide
Derailed anchors on Leonida Rail. Moving cover, low ceilings, and chase vehicles alongside. Character switching is the intended solution for dual-pressure beats.
Before the mission marker goes active, ride the block once in free roam if you can. Note one-way streets, garages, alley motorcycle cuts, and any water ramps. That five-minute scout saves restarts when the alarm hits.
Ambient threats in this district match the Story fantasy: Expect mission-scripted crews, undercover officers mixed into crowds, and civilian witnesses who can escalate wanted levels.
If you fail and restart, your world position usually snaps to the checkpoint - but ambient wanted level and damaged personal vehicles may persist depending on how the checkpoint was written. Re-armor before re-entering the hot zone.
Objectives
- Board the train
- Reach the evidence car
- Fight rail security
- Destroy or steal the evidence
Recommended loadout
Pack a carbine or assault rifle with extended magazines, a shotgun for doorways and interiors, full body armor, max snacks, and either a high-handling sports car or a motorcycle for alley escapes. Heavy weapons (RPG, MG) belong in the backup vehicle - not always in your hands at mission start - so you are not slow during the opening stealth or social beat. Dual-character note: gear both Lucia and Jason before the mission. Switches mid-fight leave the idle partner on their last weapon and armor state.
Opposition & threats
Expect mission-scripted crews, undercover officers mixed into crowds, and civilian witnesses who can escalate wanted levels. Mid-act story missions often layer a second enemy faction after the first objective completes.
Detailed walkthrough
Motorcycle onto the flatcar. Switch freely. Ending choice: burn vs sell the files.
Mission start & preparation
Mission start places Lucia & Jason in or near Leonida Rail. Before you touch the first objective marker, open the full map and note police stations, hospitals, garages, and any water routes - Derailed punishes players who improvise without geography.
Read every line of the phone, corkboard, or in-person brief. Rockstar-style Leonida missions often hide soft fail conditions in dialogue: do not kill a contact, do not leave the district, keep a vehicle intact, or protect a VIP. Ambush a train carrying evidence against the crew. Switch between on-train combat and chase vehicles.
Recommended opening routine: repair or replace your vehicle, buy armor and snacks if a shop is available, set a waypoint to the primary pin, and approach without sideswiping traffic. Early wanted stars almost never help a gold medal run.
Moving cover, low ceilings, and chase vehicles alongside. Character switching is the intended solution for dual-pressure beats.
Walkthrough overview
Quick reference walkthrough: Motorcycle onto the flatcar. Switch freely. Ending choice: burn vs sell the files.
Rewards on completion: Heat reduction · $20,000. Unlocks tied to this mission: Rail yard shortcuts.
This mission follows a single primary path. How loud you play and which dialogue choices you pick can still alter later banter, relationship flags, and optional contacts.
Walkthrough - Board the train
Objective 1 of 4: Board the train.
This opens Derailed. Travel to the marker without farming wanted stars. Use the approach roads around Leonida Rail that keep you off camera clusters and police stations. If a cutscene plays on arrival, your loadout and vehicle state carry through - arrive prepared.
Stay oriented on the mini-map. Story missions in Act III often spawn secondary markers (escape vehicles, allies, or optional loot) that are easy to miss under fire.
Moving cover, low ceilings, and chase vehicles alongside. Character switching is the intended solution for dual-pressure beats.
Walkthrough - Reach the evidence car
Objective 2 of 4: Reach the evidence car.
Mid-mission objective in Leonida Rail. Expect the resistance level to rise compared to the previous pin. Clear the immediate area, complete the interaction or combat beat, then reassess ammo and armor before moving on.
Gameplay tip: this is often where Derailed teaches or stresses a mechanic - hacking, trailing, intimidation, boat handling, or protagonist switching. Failures commonly restart at a mid-checkpoint rather than the mission start.
Moving cover, low ceilings, and chase vehicles alongside. Character switching is the intended solution for dual-pressure beats.
Walkthrough - Fight rail security
Objective 3 of 4: Fight rail security.
Mid-mission objective in Leonida Rail. Expect the resistance level to rise compared to the previous pin. Clear the immediate area, complete the interaction or combat beat, then reassess ammo and armor before moving on.
Complication tip: plans break here on purpose. Prioritize the objective over perfect cleanup. Civilians and side enemies only matter if a gold criterion calls them out.
Moving cover, low ceilings, and chase vehicles alongside. Character switching is the intended solution for dual-pressure beats.
Walkthrough - Destroy or steal the evidence
Objective 4 of 4: Destroy or steal the evidence.
This is the closing beat. Motorcycle onto the flatcar. Switch freely. Ending choice: burn vs sell the files. Confirm gold-sensitive conditions before you trigger the end marker: vehicle health, VIP health, wanted level, and any cargo integrity. Once the final cutscene starts, you usually cannot reverse a failed criterion.
Stay oriented on the mini-map. Story missions in Act III often spawn secondary markers (escape vehicles, allies, or optional loot) that are easy to miss under fire.
Moving cover, low ceilings, and chase vehicles alongside. Character switching is the intended solution for dual-pressure beats.
Escape, delivery & cleanup
When the last combat or interaction objective clears, Derailed still requires a clean handoff. Lose heat with tunnels, public garages, mangrove blinds, district borders, or chop shops depending on where Leonida Rail sits in Leonida.
Deliver cargo, intel, cash, or VIPs to the final marker with integrity intact. Damaged vehicles and bleeding allies can fail gold after an otherwise perfect shootout.
Do not skip the debrief cutscene on a first playthrough - Rail yard shortcuts often appear as map icons or phone contacts immediately afterward. Save manually if you are about to chain heist prep.
Fail conditions & restarts
Common fail states in Derailed include death of a required character, destruction of a mission-critical vehicle, abandoning the mission area for too long, or killing a contact the brief told you to keep alive.
Wanted-level soft fails appear on stealth-leaning medals even when the story continues. If you are hunting gold, treat stars as a fail and checkpoint-restart rather than fighting the whole district.
On dual-character missions, letting the idle partner die in the world while you play the other can still fail the mission - watch both health bars when the UI shows them.
Gold medal strategy
Gold medal checklist for Derailed:
- 1. Evidence secured not just burned
- 2. Both protagonists healthy
- 3. Time limit
Strategy: run a learning attempt to memorize routes, spawn points, and fail triggers. Then replay specifically for medals with cutscenes skipped and a pre-staged loadout.
If a criterion conflicts with another (speed vs stealth, for example), prioritize the harder one on a dedicated replay - many players unlock gold across two focused attempts rather than one perfect run.
After gold pops, you can freely replay for fun or collectibles without worrying about medal state.
Gold medal criteria
- Evidence secured not just burned
- Both protagonists healthy
- Time limit
Tips & tricks
- Replay from the last checkpoint if a gold criterion fails late - Derailed evaluates medals per attempt, not across combined sessions.
- Stock snacks, armor, and ammo before accepting the mission; Leonida Rail does not always expose a shop once the script locks the area.
- Open the pause map during the opening drive and pin a hospital plus a garage. Derailed rarely gives you time to browse mid-chase.
- Gold timers usually start after the opening cutscene ends - skip dialogue on medal attempts only once you know every trigger point.
- Use cover and character switches to bleed pressure - many dual missions let the idle partner recover slightly between switches.
- If your stolen ride is smoking, swap to Lucia's nearby default vehicle - story spawns are usually undamaged and untraceable.
- Death during the final delivery drive can void payouts on heist-tier missions even after objectives show complete. Survive until the mission-passed banner.
Aftermath
When Derailed completes, the game grants Rail yard shortcuts. Cash, gear, and contacts listed under Heat reduction · $20,000 apply after the mission-passed state - not merely after the last shootout.
Narrative aftermath depends on cleanliness and any mid-mission choices (spare/kill, approach, loyalty). First-completion flags usually stick even if you replay for gold later.
Suggested follow-up: open the missions catalog and queue other Act III entries in Story, restock in or near Leonida Rail, and check the phone for new texts from characters this mission advanced.
If this was heist prep, return to the planning board before starting unrelated side content - some assets despawn or require re-acquire if you wait too long in certain designs. Chain prep while the board is hot.
Rewards & unlocks
- Rewards
- Heat reduction · $20,000
- Unlocks
- Rail yard shortcuts
Trivia
- Derailed adapts classic GTA mission pacing into Leonida's Leonida Rail geography - compare its beat list to similarly themed story missions from earlier mainline games.
- This dossier's lead image is sourced from brian-heder-03.jpg in the site media library.
- Tracked objectives: 4. Gold criteria: 3. Act placement: Act III.
- Playable cast label: Lucia & Jason. Primary setting pin: Leonida Rail.
- Short summary retained for cards and SEO: “Ambush a train carrying evidence against the crew. Switch between on-train combat and chase vehicles.”
