7. Challenges
Once you have completed the third mission of the game, you have access to the Saintsbook on your Cell Phone. Here, you can view all of the challenges in the game. There are 41 challenges in total, but only 30 are viewable at the beginning of the game, with the other 11 challenges appearing at various times throughout. Although you may not be able to see these 11 challenges, you can still make progress towards them.
It is worth noting that whilst these challenges can be completed at any time, some of them, such as 'Gang Members Taunted' should be done before taking over Steelport to make things easier in the long run.
Most challenges give $1,500 and 500 respect as a reward. In the instances where that is not true, the rewards are detailed below.
Challenges:
25 Nut Shots (Shaundi).
To complete a nutshot, you must kill a male enemy gang member by shooting them in their nether regions. This is best done with shotguns, which will often kill the enemy in one shot. You can tell if you have been successful, as you will see the 'Nut Shot' diversion appear on your HUD.
50 Grenade Kills (Burton Hale).
Use your grenades when there are several enemies in a small area. You can also use grenades to destroy vehicles for the challenge. Consider upgrading your grenade ammo in the Upgrade menu and damage/radius in Friendly Fire. The 'Explosive' kill diversion will show on your HUD.
300 Cars Destroyed (Scrapyard Sloan).
There are various solutions to this challenge. You will probably have made great progress towards it through natural gameplay. To finish it off, either play the Tank Mayhem activity, or take a Tank from your garage and roam the streets.
60 Helicopters Destroyed (Scrapyard Sloan).
This is another challenge that you will have made good progress towards by natural gameplay, as many missions involve destroying helicopters. The police, STAG and Morningstar all send helicopters after you with a high level of notoriety, so use this to your advantage. You may wish to finish this challenge off once you have upgraded the Anihilator with unlimited ammo, and your character with no bullet/explosive damage.
25 Boats Destroyed (Scrapyard Sloan).
As with the cars and helicopters, there are several missions in the game where boats are required to be destroyed to progress, so you will likely have made a decent amount of progress towards this through natural gameplay. Should you need extra boats, allow your police notoriety to increase and take a boat out to sea.
25 Tanks Destroyed (Scrapyard Sloan).
To allow the STAG tanks to spawn, you must have a high notoriety level. Use explosives to take down tanks quickly. You may wish to use the Tank Mayhem and Mayhem activities to increase your chances of seeing tanks, or make your way to Sierra Point and cause havoc.
250 Carjackings (Trix Vickers).
Any time you need a vehicle, be sure to take one that is not yours. Use Y or LB+Y to hijack the vehicle. If you still need this challenge after completing the game, you should pair it with some of the other challenges, such as 'Hostages Taken' and 'Windshield Cannon Distance'. If you continually use the Quick Hijack (LB+Y), you can work on unlocking the "Bo-Duke-En" achievement for quick hijacking 50 vehicles. This can be done on empty vehicles.
Hijack 50 vehicles - Dukes style.
200 Mascots Killed (Pierce).
You should have made great progress towards this by completing the six instances of the Prof. Genki activity. If not, replay them, or wait for the Survival mission where you only face Mascots.
18 Hoods Explored (Oleg).
For this challenge, all you have to do is visit each of the 18 hoods in Steelport. You will get this through natural progression of the game, as you have to visit each of the hoods for various missions and activities. You will also gain the "Gellin' Like Magellan" achievement. The hoods are:
Stanfield district: Burns Hill, Salander, Ashwood, Brickstone.
Carver Island district: Arapice Island, The Grove, Yearwood, New Baranec, Bridgeport, Port Pryer.
Downtown district: Henry Steel Mills, Loren Square, Sunset Park.
New Colvin district: Wesley Cutter Intl, Espina, Camano Place, Rosen Oaks.
Explore every hood in Steelport.
50 Shortcuts Found (Oleg).
According to the Stats menu in-game, there are 263 shortcuts. To find them, simply drive down as many alleyways as you can. The Trail Blazing activity is often good for finding new shortcuts, as some of the flame targets lead you off-road.
50 Hostages Taken (Wellmake Labs).
To take someone hostage, you must first find a vehicle with at least one passenger. Either enter the vehicle through the drivers door with Y, or enter through the windscreen with LB+Y. When you start moving, press Y to start the hostage diversion. You do not have to complete the diversion. Simply starting the diversion will suffice.
15 Stores Robbed (Pierce).
You can rob the same store multiple times. Some stores are easier to rob from than others, as the person behind the counter in Friendly Fire for example will simply give you cash when you aim your gun at them, whereas the people at Rim Jobs or Image As Designed may need to walk to the counter. The 'Store Hold-Up' diversion will show on your HUD if you are successful.
600 Seconds Streaking Time (Shaundi).
To remove your clothes, either go to your wardrobe at your crib, or to any clothes store. Remove all of your clothing and then go to the streets. Press down on the D-Pad twice to begin the Streaking diversion. Run around shocking people to continue the diversion. Complete this challenge for $5,001 and 1 respect.
1,524m (5,000ft) Big Air Distance (Speed Phreak).
Find one of the many stunt jumps based around the city. Use a fast car to drive over the stunt jump repeatedly. You may want to consider purchasing the Nitrous upgrade to increase your distance. This challenge can be done quite easily by either going to the airport, or using the draw bridges that are lifted later in the game.
50 Gang Members Taunted (Pierce).
This must be done against members of rival gangs, and you must have no notoriety with them at the time. You should aim to do this before controlling Steelport, as it is easier to find rival gang members this way. To taunt a gang member, walk up to them and press left on the D-Pad. You can taunt multiple gang members at a time, providing they are close enough to you. The taunt diversion will appear on your HUD if done successfully.
If you already have control of Steelport, you can attract gang members and then remove your notoriety (enter a store). Alternatively, start an activity, such as Snatch, attract attention and then exit the activity. Taunt the gang members that are still nearby for progress on the challenge.
In doing so, you will unlock the "Love/Hate Relationship" achievement. Note that this achievement can be obtained by using the 'Compliments Paid' challenge.
Taunt AND/OR Compliment 50 gang members.
600 Seconds Vehicle Surfing Time (Aimee).
To start the vehicle surfing diversion, jump on top of a vehicle. When it starts moving press Y. You must keep balance using LS. This can also be done in co-op to make things easier, as NPCs can often drive wrecklessly, causing you to fall off.
304m (1,000ft) Windshield Cannon Distance (Dr. Hastings).
The quickest way to do this is to play the Insurance Fraud activity. Simply drive fast head on in to another vehicle or in to a wall to force your character through the windscreen. You may want to consider purchasing the Nitrous upgrade to make this even easier.
500 People Run Over (Dr. Hastings).
This challenge can be done against all NPCs. The quickest way to work on the challenge is to go to Arapice Island later in the game, as there will be a countless number of NPCs on the sidewalks.
30480m (100,000ft) Oncoming Lane Distance (Trix Vickers).
This challenge is very easy. Simply find a vehicle and drive in the wrong lane, into oncoming traffic. Press and hold RS every so often to use the horn, or turn on the sirens if you are using an emergency vehicle to get other cars to move out of your way.
3048m (10,000ft) Wheelie Distance (Speed Phreak).
This challenge requires you to use a motorcycle. The larger motorcycles work best, as they have better stability. Drive fast and then hold down on the left thumbstick. This is easier to do in long stretches of land with little obstacles. Take a bike to the airport for easy access to wheelies.
300 Seconds Powerslide Time (Speed Phreak).
To powerslide hold A whilst you are accelerating, as you are turning a corner. The slower vehicles are actually very useful for this challenge, as they can take a few more seconds to turn a corner than most cars. Alternatively, take any car to the airport for the maximum amount of space and minimal interference.
50 Decker Specialists Killed (Kinzie).
The Decker Specialists appear throughout various missions in the story, and in various activities/survivals. You can also get them to appear by increasing your notoriety with the Deckers. If you have unlimited ammo in your Annihilator, this challenge will come very easily.
50 Luchadore Specialists Killed (Angel).
The Luchadore Specialists appear throughout various missions in the story, and in various activities/survivals. You can also get them to appear by increasing your notoriety with the Luchadores. If you have unlimited ammo in your Annihilator, this challenge will come very easily.
50 Morningstar Specialists Killed (Zimos).
The Morningstar Specialists appear throughout various missions in the story, and in various activities/survivals. You can also get them to appear by increasing your notoriety with the Luchadores. If you have unlimited ammo in your Annihilator, this challenge will come very easily. Two specialists will often appear in helicopters.
500 Near Misses (Trix Vickers).
This challenge can be obtained by driving close by other vehicles. This challenge should come naturally if you are aiming for the 'Oncoming Lane Distance' challenge.
$2,000 Car Torpedo Total Damage (Trix Vickers).
This challenge can be a bit tricky, as sometimes the damage caused by your vehicle does not count. A car torpedo is made by driving and then bailing out of the vehicle with Y. The damage does not count if you hit other vehicles or pedestrians.
$20,000 Vehicle Mod Spending (Zimos).
Take a vehicle to Rim Jobs and spend money on upgrades. If you spread this challenge over 10 vehicles, you can also unlock "The American Dream" achievement for improving 10 cars.
150 Human Shields Used (Wellmake Labs).
To take a person as a human shield, walk towards them and press Y. Alternatively, you can run towards them and press Y. The quickest way to get this is to increase your police notoriety and continually take people as human shields and quick kill them with RS. You may want to upgrade your bullet damage before attempting this method.
762m (2,500ft) Two-Wheel Distance (Speed Phreak).
This challenge can be completed relatively easily by driving along the highway and allowing one side of your vehicle to be raised by driving along the side-barrier.
500 Multi-Kills (Pierce).
Multi-kills only count against enemies. You must kill at least 2 gang members for a multi-kill. Upgrade your Annihilator to unlimited ammo and start an activity/survival mission for easy access to multi-kills. Continue destroying vehicles containing at least two enemies to complete the challenge.
15 Basejumps Nailed (Mr. Roller).
To complete a Basejump, either bail from an aircraft or jump off a tall building. Press Y once to use your parachute, and then press Y again to Set a Basejumping Target. You may wish to do this directly outside a Stronghold, where you can learn the locations of the targets. Land in the ring to complete the diversion successfully.
25 No-Weapons Kills (Angel).
Make sure that you are not using any weapons, and then punch and kick enemies to death for this challenge. You should make progress towards this in a couple of the missions in the story, but this is best done once you have upgraded your Melee damage and damage from bullets.
25 STAG Commandos Killed (Viola).
There is more than 25 STAG Commandos in the 'Air Steelport' mission, but you can also find Commandos by increasing your notoriety later in the game.
305m (1,000ft) Stoppie Distance (Speed Phreak).
Stoppies are easily completed by driving fast, and then breaking suddenly, holding up on the left thumbstick.
50 Compliments Paid (Oleg).
Compliments are completed by pressing right on the D-Pad. This can be done towards any rival gang-member or members of your own gang, and will earn you the "Love/Hate Relationship" achievement if you have not already earned it.
762,000m (2,500,000ft) Distance Travelled (Speed Phreak).
You will make good progress towards this challenge by completing all of the missions, activities, vehicle thefts and assassinations. Should you still require to complete this mission after that, take a fast Aircraft and just fly around the city.
32 Gang Ops Defeated (Pierce).
Information on where to find all 32 Gang Operations can be found on the 'Taking Over Steelport' page. Complete all Gang operations for $3,000, 1,000 respect and the "Flash the Pan" achievement.
26 Survival Completed (Pierce).
Survival missions become more frequent towards the end of the game. To start one, stand idle and wait for a phonecall from one of your homies. Press Y and then go to the location to begin the Survival. The survival missions will either be surviving for a certain amount of time per wave, or killing a certain amount of enemies per wave. Complete 26 survivals for $3,000 and 1,000 respect.
50 Emus Destroyed (Oleg).
Emus are the small cars that you can often find driving around parts of Steelport. There are a few ways in which you can do this challenge. For starters, it is one of the cars that you will need to find for a Vehicle Theft. You can activate the vehicle theft, and then drive around the hood destroying Emus. Emus are also a common target in Tank Mayhem activities. Finally, there is a survival mission that involves lots of mascots driving Emus (amongst other cars).
30 Kill Brutes (Oleg).
You will find Brutes in various missions and activities throughout the game. They are difficult to kill at first, but once you have unlimited ammo for the Annihilator, you can take them out relatively quickly. Increase your notoriety with any gang and destroy vehicles carrying brutes for easy kills. Once you kill 50 brutes, you will earn the"Who Loves Ya Baby" achievement.
500 Headshots (Pierce).
The killing shot against any enemy should be aimed at their head. Pistols are particularly good for headshots, so you should focus on using it early in the game.
Once you have completed any one of the above challenges, you will unlock the "Shake and Bake" achievement. The easiest challenge is probably 'Gellin' Like Magellan', but you will likely accumulate several through natural gameplay anyway.
Complete your first Challenge.
Once you have completed everything else in your game-save, you should work on the remaining challenges. Follow the advice given above for each challenge. Once you have completed all 41 challenges, you will unlock the"You're My Hero!" achievement.
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