Story
Monkey Business
Act III · Lucia & Jason
- Location
- Coastal research lab
- Protagonists
- Lucia & Jason
- Summary
- Infiltrate a coastal lab tied to the conspiracy. Stealth in, chaos out. Remapped Monkey Business.
Mission briefing
Monkey Business is a Story mission in Act III, playable as Lucia & Jason and set primarily in Coastal research lab. Infiltrate a coastal lab tied to the conspiracy. Stealth in, chaos out. Remapped Monkey Business.
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 The Bureau Raid setup, with an immediate listed payout of Conspiracy proof · $35,000.
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 Coastal research lab 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
Monkey Business anchors on Coastal research lab. Scuba entry, laser grids, and scientist non-lethal options. Loud escape is expected after the download; stealth only needs to last until the data clears.
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
- Scuba infiltrate
- Download lab data
- Rescue or eliminate a scientist
- Escape the facility lockdown
Recommended loadout
Prioritize a suppressed pistol or SMG, light armor that does not slow vault animations, sticky bombs for panic exits only, and a quiet mid-size car staged one block off the objective. Bring snacks and a spare outfit if the mission involves cameras or social-media heat. Masks and boiler suits from heist prep should already be in inventory before you start. Water loadout: cigarette boat or airboat depending on depth, scuba if the act has unlocked it, and a waterproof backup pistol. Mangrove shortcuts beat open-water duels against Coast Guard. 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. Irregular fighters use property cover and call nearby reinforcements; clearing a yard does not mean the road out is safe.
Detailed walkthrough
Underwater entry, cameras and lasers, download minigame, loud dual-character escape.
Mission start & preparation
Mission start places Lucia & Jason in or near Coastal research lab. Before you touch the first objective marker, open the full map and note police stations, hospitals, garages, and any water routes - Monkey Business 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. Infiltrate a coastal lab tied to the conspiracy. Stealth in, chaos out. Remapped Monkey Business.
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.
Scuba entry, laser grids, and scientist non-lethal options. Loud escape is expected after the download; stealth only needs to last until the data clears.
Walkthrough overview
Quick reference walkthrough: Underwater entry, cameras and lasers, download minigame, loud dual-character escape.
Rewards on completion: Conspiracy proof · $35,000. Unlocks tied to this mission: The Bureau Raid setup.
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 - Scuba infiltrate
Objective 1 of 4: Scuba infiltrate.
This opens Monkey Business. Travel to the marker without farming wanted stars. Use the approach roads around Coastal research lab 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.
Scuba entry, laser grids, and scientist non-lethal options. Loud escape is expected after the download; stealth only needs to last until the data clears.
Walkthrough - Download lab data
Objective 2 of 4: Download lab data.
Mid-mission objective in Coastal research lab. 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 Monkey Business 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.
Scuba entry, laser grids, and scientist non-lethal options. Loud escape is expected after the download; stealth only needs to last until the data clears.
Walkthrough - Rescue or eliminate a scientist
Objective 3 of 4: Rescue or eliminate a scientist.
Mid-mission objective in Coastal research lab. 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.
Scuba entry, laser grids, and scientist non-lethal options. Loud escape is expected after the download; stealth only needs to last until the data clears.
Walkthrough - Escape the facility lockdown
Objective 4 of 4: Escape the facility lockdown.
This is the closing beat. Underwater entry, cameras and lasers, download minigame, loud dual-character escape. 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.
Scuba entry, laser grids, and scientist non-lethal options. Loud escape is expected after the download; stealth only needs to last until the data clears.
Escape, delivery & cleanup
When the last combat or interaction objective clears, Monkey Business still requires a clean handoff. Lose heat with tunnels, public garages, mangrove blinds, district borders, or chop shops depending on where Coastal research lab 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 - The Bureau Raid setup 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 Monkey Business 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 Monkey Business:
- 1. Stealth until download
- 2. Scientist choice
- 3. Escape alive
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
- Stealth until download
- Scientist choice
- Escape alive
Tips & tricks
- Replay from the last checkpoint if a gold criterion fails late - Monkey Business evaluates medals per attempt, not across combined sessions.
- Stock snacks, armor, and ammo before accepting the mission; Coastal research lab 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. Monkey Business rarely gives you time to browse mid-chase.
- Silence medals die on the drive home as often as on the objective. Stay off arterials and avoid sideswiping traffic after a clean job.
- Shallow sandbars shred boat health. Stay in marked channels unless you are deliberately cutting into mangroves to break line of sight.
- 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 Monkey Business completes, the game grants The Bureau Raid setup. Cash, gear, and contacts listed under Conspiracy proof · $35,000 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 Coastal research lab, 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
- Conspiracy proof · $35,000
- Unlocks
- The Bureau Raid setup
Trivia
- Monkey Business adapts classic GTA mission pacing into Leonida's Coastal research lab geography - compare its beat list to similarly themed story missions from earlier mainline games.
- This dossier's lead image is sourced from beyond-vice-city.jpg in the site media library.
- Tracked objectives: 4. Gold criteria: 3. Act placement: Act III.
- Playable cast label: Lucia & Jason. Primary setting pin: Coastal research lab.
- Short summary retained for cards and SEO: “Infiltrate a coastal lab tied to the conspiracy. Stealth in, chaos out. Remapped Monkey Business.”
