End of the Line GTA SA: Final Mission Guide & Big Smoke

End of the Line is the 100th and climactic final story mission of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Taking place amidst the chaotic, smoke-filled Los Santos riots, the mission brings Carl "CJ" Johnson and his brother Sweet to East Los Santos for a decisive assault on Big Smoke's heavily fortified crack fortress, culminating in the final showdown against corrupt C.R.A.S.H. Officer Frank Tenpenny.

Spanning five demanding phases, including a four-story vertical gunfight, a boss fight in complete darkness, a timed escape through an exploding inferno, and an intense high-speed vehicle pursuit across the freeway system, this is the ultimate test of your combat skills in San Andreas.

This comprehensive walkthrough covers the 35% territory prerequisite, optimal weapon loadouts, boss strategies, fire escape routes, and how to safely catch Sweet during the fire truck chase.

Unlocking Requirements: The 35% Gang Territory Rule

Unlike standard missions, End of the Line will not appear on your map simply by completing the prior mission (Los Desperados).

You must conquer at least 35% of all gang territories in Los Santos. Check your stats screen under Gangs > Territory controlled:

• If your controlled territory percentage is below 35%, walk into purple (Ballas) or yellow (Vagos) colored neighborhoods and eliminate three waves of enemy gangsters to claim the turf for Grove Street Families.
• Once your territory control hits roughly 35% (around 20 distinct neighborhood zones), Sweet will telephone CJ to initiate the assault, and the green "S" icon will spawn outside the Johnson house in Ganton.

Essential Pre-Mission Preparation and Gear

Going into this mission unprepared will result in repeated deaths on the upper fortress floors. Equip this loadout before starting:

Phase 1: Infiltrating the Crack Fortress with the SWAT Tank

1. Meet Sweet at Grove Street and drive his car into the riot-torn streets of East Los Santos.
2. When you arrive outside Big Smoke's 4-story industrial building, Sweet stays in the car while CJ circles around to find an entry point.
3. Look across the street for a squad of police officers battling rioters around an armored SWAT Tank equipped with a high-pressure water cannon.
4. Eliminate the officers, hijack the SWAT Tank, and drive it across the street.
5. Align the front bumper with the reinforced brick wall at the entrance marker and ram straight through at full speed to breach the building interior.
6. Use the high-pressure water cannon to spray down the initial squad of Ballas guards inside the entrance hall.

Fortress Shootout

Phase 2: Floor-by-Floor Combat Ascent

You must fight your way up through three distinct industrial factory levels to reach Big Smoke's fourth-floor penthouse:

Floor 1: Security Checkpoint

Crouch behind the concrete pillars. Watch out for Ballas armed with Micro-SMGs hiding behind security desk partitions. Clear the room methodically and pick up the body armor pickup in the back security office before taking the stairs.

Floor 2: The Narcotics Processing Lab

This floor features workers and guards scattered among chemical tables. Do not stand near the red barrels. Instead, shoot the explosive red chemical barrels from a distance to wipe out entire clusters of armed guards instantly. Grab the health heart icon on the conveyor belt before ascending.

Floor 3: Heavy Weapon Lounge

The most dangerous floor. Enemies are armed with high-tier weaponry, including AK-47s, Combat Shotguns, and an RPG rocket launcher on the upper catwalk. Pull out your Sniper Rifle, peek around the doorway, and eliminate the guard on the high catwalk first. Clear the remaining guards in the lounge booths, collect the armor vest in the side room, and step into the red marker to enter Big Smoke's penthouse.

Phase 3: The Big Smoke Boss Battle

A cutscene plays where CJ confronts Big Smoke over his betrayal. Smoke refuses to back down, pulls out an AK-47, and attacks.

• Smoke's Durability: Big Smoke wears heavy military-grade Kevlar body armor. Standard 9mm pistol or shotgun shots barely chip his health bar.
• The Minigun Strategy: If you brought a Minigun, position CJ behind the central pool table, spin the barrels, and unleash a continuous burst directly into Smoke's torso. His armor and health will melt in 3 to 5 seconds.
• The M4 Assault Strategy: If using assault rifles, crouch behind the pool table to maintain 100% weapon accuracy. Fire controlled 3-shot bursts at Smoke's head while staying in cover when he fires back.
• The Blackout Phase: When Smoke takes substantial damage, the electrical generator shuts down, plunging the entire penthouse into complete darkness while Ballas reinforcements storm the room.
  • Immediately pick up the glowing Night Vision Goggles or Thermal Goggles resting on the low window ledge.
  • Put on the goggles to illuminate enemies in bright green or heat-signature orange.
  • Eliminate the incoming Ballas guards first, then finish off Big Smoke to trigger the mid-mission cutscene.

Phase 4: Escaping the Burning Fortress

Officer Frank Tenpenny arrives, demands Smoke's drug money at gunpoint, and destroys the central generator panel, setting the building ablaze before locking the exits.

Phase 5: The High-Speed Fire Truck Pursuit

Tenpenny flees the collapsing fortress in an industrial Fire Truck. Sweet leaps from the entrance canopy, grabbing onto the rear ladder of the truck as it speeds away.

1. Sprint to the red Feltzer convertible parked outside the building. CJ will jump behind the wheel automatically.
2. Follow the fire truck closely through the streets of East Los Santos, Commerce, and the freeway.
3. Crucial Rule: Do NOT shoot or ram the fire truck. The fire truck is programmed as indestructible during this sequence, and damaging it can hurt Sweet.
4. Stay directly behind the truck. Watch the Sweet's Grip gauge appearing on your screen.
5. A corrupt riot officer will step onto the rear ladder and begin stomping on Sweet's fingers, causing the grip gauge to drop rapidly.
6. Accelerate and position the front hood of your Feltzer directly underneath Sweet's dangling feet.
7. When his grip reaches zero, Sweet drops onto the passenger seat of your car safely!
8. The Drive-By Shootout: Sweet now takes the steering wheel, and CJ stands up with unlimited ammunition. Use your targeting reticle to destroy pursuing Vagos sedans, police cruisers, and motorcycles until Tenpenny loses control on the freeway bridge and crashes off into Grove Street below!

Things That Fail End of the Line (and How to Avoid Them)

The final mission is long, so a late fail hurts. These are the game's fail conditions, with how to stay clear of each:

• The SWAT tank is destroyed before you break into the fortress: drive it straight at the front door; don't stop to fight on the way.
• Sweet dies or his Greenwood is destroyed: clear threats near the car before you go inside.
• The Feltzer is destroyed during the drive-by section. Also, don't use the health/money cheat (HESOYAM) here: it's known to destroy the car and fail the mission.
• Tenpenny escapes in the final fire truck chase: stay close behind the truck and don't let it out of sight.
• CJ gets wasted. Grab the health and armor pickups on each floor; you won't get police attention during this mission apart from the scripted sequences, so all the danger comes from Smoke's men.

Don't Use Explosives on Big Smoke

Big Smoke is immune to explosions during the final shootout, so rockets, grenades and satchel charges do nothing to him. Save them for the guards on the floors below and switch to bullets for the boss fight: a Minigun or M4 from behind cover is the quickest way.

Achievements and What Happens Next

Finishing the mission pays $250,000 and unlocks The End of the Line achievement/trophy on versions that have them (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and the Definitive Edition). The story is then complete, but the game carries on in free roam, so you can still finish side content such as Breaking the Bank at Caligula's and work toward 100% completion, which earns the Definitive Edition's "Remastered" achievement.

Mission Rewards and Story Completion

Video Walkthrough: End of the Line

Frequently Asked Questions