This manual will show you the requirements to reveal the San Rafaela Capos and Gang Emblems. It will also offer some advice for navigating the map in Cartel Tycoon.
Introduction
This guide aims to assist players in understanding the global unlocks featured in the San Rafaela DLC campaign titled “Crashing the System.” There are a total of four unlocks, consisting of two capos and two gang emblems.
To achieve all four unlocks, you can accomplish them in a single save folder, but you’ll need to revisit earlier stages of the game. To follow this guide effectively, it’s recommended to allocate two or three save slots within your gang’s campaign save folder. You may opt for more slots based on your preference.
Unlocks & Conditions
Capo: Guillermo Falcó
To unlock Guillermo Falcó, finish the Crashing the System scenario with support from the Party and Journalist. Capture the Southern territories by constructing buildings with legal money, and defeat Julio Ochoa’s gang, Espada de Bolivar.
Capo: Damian Luna
To recruit Damian Luna, successfully complete the Crashing the System scenario without Party support but with assistance from the Northern Gang. Take control of Southern territories by constructing buildings exclusively with dirty money and provide weapons to Espada de Bolivar.
Cartel emblem: Puppet government
Attain the Puppet government emblem by completing the Crashing the System scenario with support from both the Party and the Northern Gang. Conquer Southern territories by constructing buildings with legal money and supply weapons to Espada de Bolivar.
Cartel emblem: Watching eye
Earn the Watching Eye emblem by completing the Crashing the System scenario without Party support but with Journalist assistance. Seize Southern territories by constructing buildings solely with dirty money and overcoming Espada de Bolivar.
Getting Ready
We aim to set you up for success in completing the required quests, so here are some initial tips. If you’re already skilled, feel free to skip this section. Remember, I’m not your father.
The Map:
My main products for sale on this map are opium, cocaine, and meth. Although there are promising cannabis spots, I focused on these substances during the campaign. While in sandbox mode, selling everything is easy, but in the campaign, I didn’t find the need to progress to heroin.
It’s essential to note that many areas on this map lack resources, so effective logistics management is crucial. Holden Delgado and Gena Vargas, my top choice, prove to be excellent for this map. Their robust characters allow for effective mitigation of their tendency towards high terror by regularly engaging in meth and cocaine deals.
Prepare the economy first:
Start by taking over the Residence in Ballenas and giving Roberto a pay rise, but it’s wise to delay the pay raise. Focus on setting up your economy initially. The Residence is essential for generating money. If you’re concerned about upsetting Roberto, consider building another residence, though it’s not a major worry. Ballenas is mainly suitable for opium cultivation.
Although you can grow cannabis in Ballenas, the soil quality is low, leading to modest returns. Despite this, it’s recommended to cultivate it. Prioritize establishing a robust opium supply, including packaging the product in workshops for increased sales (necessary for a quest). Begin with coffee due to its robust growth, but position your farms strategically for potential production shifts. There’s available space for growing vegetables and avocados nearby. Once established, focus on cannabis cultivation.
Smuggling points:
While checkpoints (and seaports) are suitable for selling packaged goods, they can be troublesome. Occasionally, goods may be ‘confiscated,’ meaning the checkpoint won’t sell them. If goods are marked suspicious, they’ll still be sold but increase terror. Monitor your checkpoints closely and switch production and packaging if goods are under confiscation. In Ballenas, I alternate between packaging coffee, avocado, and chicken, but it takes time to reach that point.
To sell multiple goods simultaneously, assign a lieutenant to the checkpoint for smuggling. Keep in mind that smuggling increases the likelihood of goods being confiscated or marked as suspicious. You can also smuggle goods through the airport, but capturing the airport raises enemy gang strength. It’s advisable to complete airport quests after capturing Riomanos, ensuring free building slots, and then addressing it when you’re ready to take the region.
Get the River Pier early, but avoid capturing Riomanos:
There’s a possibility that capturing Riomanos before receiving the quest to capture the southern territories might disrupt the outcomes of that quest, although it’s uncertain. In a playthrough where I captured Riomanos early, I failed to follow the “No Party support path” correctly, but it’s also possible that I accidentally used legal money.
The developers on Discord have confirmed that you can spend legal or dirty money on either path, as long as the majority type of money aligns with the chosen path.
You don’t necessarily need to capture Riomanos to utilize the River Pier. Complete quests from the Riomanos mayor, and once finished, continue playing without capturing the city.
Obtain the River Pier early as it becomes a significant source of income. Additionally, secure the residence to facilitate the movement of dirty money. Ensure you acquire the necessary upgrades for the River Pier.
Build gang relationships:
Forge positive relationships with all gangs and maintain them. Adopt a strategic approach; the central gangs are stronger, so you might consider dealing with them first (which I’ve done). While the campaign suggests clearing out the northern gangs first and then targeting the central gangs, you have flexibility in your approach.
Engage with gangs, make deals, and pay for passage whenever possible. This not only brings in easy money but also keeps your relationship with the gangs in good standing. Strategically use these interactions when taking over regions to maintain friendly relations. If you’ve established a positive relationship, delay further communication until after taking a region, allowing you to instantly restore their attitude when it drops.
Deals can be significant money-makers in the early game. Purchase dried cannabis from Ismael in Tetlán and transport it directly to your workshops for packaging. Then, send the packaged product out through the River Pier. The returns you receive are well worth the initial cost of buying the product.
For even better profits, engage with Gerardo in Méxitlan. Buy meth from him and ship it without packaging through the seaport. This strategy can bring in substantial early-game wealth. Additionally, since your trucks don’t pass through Ismael’s city, there’s no tax on your money trucks.
However, be aware that going through Riomanos to the pier from Méxitlan or Tetlán may generate terror.
Once you feel confident, give Roberto a pay raise. Make a save at this point, and things should become relatively easy from here.
If it’s your first playthrough, consider pursuing Guillermo Falcó and the Puppet Government emblems first. This allows you to familiarize yourself with the map, as building with only dirty money in the early game can be somewhat challenging.
Pivotal Quest One: Party Support or No Party Support
In the early game, you’ll encounter the quest “Buried.”
After granting Roberto a pay raise, you’ll receive the quest “Fundraising,” which involves selling packaged opium and cannabis. When you approach meeting the quota, make a save and give it a distinctive name like “Party Support Choice.” You’ll return to this save for unlocking the other paths.
To pursue these paths, you must capture the southern territories (Riomanos & Monteleon) by either constructing buildings exclusively with legal money (Party Support) or dirty money (No Party Support).
Note: Despite developer statements, I have failed to achieve the No Party Support path when building a few structures exclusively with legal money (university, cathedral, residence). I recommend avoiding them to retain access to hotels, even though it’s challenging. This underscores the importance of establishing your economy first.
Capture Riomanos and Monteleon to acquire legal money. To confirm success, you’ll receive a quest to research the cocaine production chain if you followed the No Party Support path.
Regardless of the path, I suggest focusing on obtaining the indigenous territory next. It offers excellent cocaine production. The campaign will guide you towards capturing the guerrillas, where you can also produce cocaine and sell it at the River Pier in the indigenous territory. Additionally, manage your gang relationships strategically.
Choosing between Wagner and Camila (Optional)
During the quest “Campaign Trail II,” where you aim to take over the four northern regions, consider making a save when you’re prepared to capture the second one.
At this point, you’ll face a choice, and while it’s not confirmed, it seems that this decision may be influenced by whether you have party support or not. Additional confirmation would be appreciated.
The decision you make determines whether you retain Wagner Castrillon (rather uninteresting and mostly useless) or recruit Camila (a charismatic and appealing character). From my perspective, the choice seems straightforward.
Regardless of your path, choosing “Truth” during the quest will result in gang attacks that you must survive.
If you’re on the Party Support path, telling the Truth leads to recruiting Camila, and lying leads to keeping Wagner.
On the No Party Support path, telling the Truth leads to keeping Wagner, and lying leads to recruiting Camila.
I encourage others to confirm this information, and it’s worth noting that this quest won’t impact your global unlocks.
Make a Save
Prior to seizing your fourth northern territory, create a save. Give it a distinctive name that you’ll easily remember, such as “Journalist or Gang Support Choice.” This save will prove valuable for upcoming decisions.
Pivotal Quest Two: Journalist Support & Northern Gang Alliance
After gaining control of the northern territories, a significant choice awaits.
The decision is straightforward:
- Side with Roberto: Defeat Espada de Bolivar to secure Journalist Support.
- Deliver weapons to Espada de Bolivar: Obtain Northern Gang Support.
With these choices made, you’re now free to shape your strategy. Proceed as you see fit, perhaps targeting the central territories next!
Cleaning up the Global Unlocks
Assuming you’re following this guide and currently on the Party Support path, aiming to unlock Falcó first, proceed by siding with Roberto and eliminating Espada de Bolivar.
Play through to the end, and after the cutscene, make a save to ensure your unlocks are preserved (you can overwrite it later).
Now, load the Journalist/Gang save and deliver weapons to the gang. Progress through to the end, witnessing the cutscene, and you’ll acquire the Puppet Government emblem. Save again and return to the menu.
To complete the process, go back to when you took the southern territories and load that save.
This time, as you capture Riomanos and Monteleon, ensure you use ONLY dirty money.
Before seizing the fourth northern territory, create a save. Deliver weapons to Espada de Bolivar, play through to the end, and unlock Damian Luna.
Reload the previous save and wipe out Espada de Bolivar to secure the last emblem.
Congratulations, you’re done!
That's everything we are sharing today for this Cartel Tycoon guide. This guide was originally created and written by RedBrigade. In case we fail to update this guide, you can find the latest update by following this link.