GTA 4's Derrick Or Francis Choice: All Pros & Cons Explained (2024)

Grand Theft Auto 4's main character Niko Bellic has to make a lot of tough decisions during his adventures in Liberty City. Developer Rockstar includes moments like choosing death for Dwayne or Playboy X to highlight the harsh realities of living a life of crime and how these decisions weigh on Niko throughout the story. Niko gets presented with another moment like this later in the game, being asked to choose between two brothers: Derrick and Francis McReary.

Both Derrick and Francis were raised in an Irish Catholic home prior to the events of GTA 4, with each brother choosing different paths in life. Derrick found himself in trouble with the law and moved to Ireland in the late-1980s, getting involved with the IRA and eventually being arrested in the United States after committing a number of violent robberies with friends from Ireland. The eldest McReary brother was set free after snitching on his two partners, allowing him to return to Ireland to continue his criminal activities. Derrick returns to Liberty City in GTA 4, where he meets main protagonist Niko during a bank heist and later recruits him for other jobs.

GTA 4: Choosing Between Derrick & Francis Has Different Results

Each Brother Gives Different Rewards

Niko's fateful decision in Grand Theft Auto 4 takes place during the mission "Blood Brothers," which starts with Niko meeting Francis at a club to talk. Francis explains that he wants Derrick dead to keep Liberty City safe, with the actual reason being Francis' desire to prevent Derrick from leaking incriminating evidence against Francis to the media that would destroy his career in the police force.

Francis crafts a plan to meet Derrick at a park, which would give Niko a chance to take him out. Things become more complicated for Niko when Derrick calls him later, voicing his concerns that Francis wants him dead and urging Niko to kill Francis in the park instead. When the day of the park meeting arrives, Niko climbs onto a nearby roof at Francis's request and retrieves his sniper rifle, which players will use to assassinate either brother. Before making their choice, players should be aware of the differences between the two choices.

What Happens If You Side With Derrick

Saving Derrick Increases Niko's Friendship With The Family

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Players may be tempted to side with Derrick and kill Francis from a story perspective. After all, Francis is a crooked cop who has not only been blackmailing Niko, but also condones the extrajudicial killings of petty criminals. However, players won't get nearly as many in-game benefits from siding with Derrick instead of his brother. Choosing to kill Francis only has one positive benefit — raising the friendship level between Niko and Packie, a brother of Francis and Derrick. Raising this friendship level allows Niko to request phone bombs from Packie, which he can place under cars and detonated using Niko's cell phone.

Though this is a handy weapon, there are plenty of explosives players can still get their hands on without Packie's help. There are some slight differences in the mission following "Blood Brothers," "Undertaker," based on which brother the player kills. "Undertaker" takes place at the dead brother's funeral. If players side with Derrick and kill Francis, then Niko will sit with Derrick at Francis' funeral. Killing Francis does make being a completionist slightly harder thanks to its effect on this mission.

The "Undertaker" mission is the only time in GTA IV that players have a chance to steal a Romero hearse. The hearse will spawn in different positions after finishing the mission based on which brother was killed. If players killed Francis, the hearse starts already driving away, and players are forced to make a tough shot through the back window to take out the driver if they want to steal it.

That isn't to say players should automatically choose to kill Derrick. If they prefer him to his brother, then players may decide to still side with Derrick even knowing that it is technically the worse decision from a gameplay standpoint. That said, they should at least know what they're giving up before deciding which of the two brothers to kill.

What Happens If You Pick Francis

Francis Gives Niko A Large Sum Of Money And A New Ability

Francis McReary took a different path than his brother, believing himself a better person and pursuing a career in law enforcement. He serves as the Deputy Police Commissioner of Liberty City during Grand Theft Auto 4, but takes an alternate approach to cleaning up the city by focusing on the killing of petty criminals and drug dealers without getting the legal system involved. This crooked nature translates into his relationship with Niko, blackmailing him into completing jobs in exchange for ignoring his other criminal endeavors.

If players choose to take out Derrick, they will get a few good rewards that they wouldn't otherwise. First, is the money for the hit. Francis offers Niko $10,000 to take out Derrick. If players call Francis while on the roof, Francis will increase this payout from $10,000 to $20,000. After completing the hit, Niko will contact Francis and blackmail him with the information that Derrick was going to take to the media. This allows Niko to remove wanted levels that are up to three stars for the remainder of Grand Theft Auto 4's story.

When it comes to the "Undertaker" mission, there are also a few differences when killing Derrick. First is that Niko will avoid Francis at the funeral, instead of sitting with him. It seems clear Niko isn't happy about being forced to kill Derrick, and doesn't want to associate with Francis. The other difference is that stealing the hearse after the mission is a lot easier. It starts within running distance of Niko, meaning players can highjack it without having to kill the driver from far away.

The choice to take out Derrick seems to have more gameplay-focused benefits for Niko, providing him with money and the ability to lower wanted levels to aid in his criminal activities in Grand Theft Auto 4. That said, it seems like Niko would be happier having killed Francis, giving his reaction at the funeral in the following mission. While the rewards are hard to pass up, this means there is still some reason to kill Francis over Derrick.

Grand Theft Auto 4

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox 360 , PS3

Released

April 29, 2008

Developer(s)

Rockstar Games

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol