Bomb Da Base (GTA III)

Updated 2 November 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

Bomb Da Base is a two-part Grand Theft Auto III (2001) mission. In Act I Salvatore Leone sends Claude to 8-Ball; in Act II Claude pays $100,000 for explosives and covers 8-Ball with a sniper rifle while he mines the Cartel's SPANK ship at Portland Harbor. It pays $150,000 and is often ranked among the hardest missions in the series.

What is Bomb Da Base in GTA III?

Bomb Da Base is the job that destroys the Colombian Cartel's floating drug lab. Wikipedia's plot summary says Salvatore Leone discovers that the Cartel is making the street drug SPANK to pay for its push into Liberty City, and tells Claude to wreck the operation with the help of 8-Ball, the bomb maker he escaped with in Give Me Liberty. The mission is split into two acts.

What happens in Act I and Act II?

Act I is a short meeting set up by a call from Salvatore. Act II begins at 8-Ball Autos in Harwood, where 8-Ball names his price: $100,000 for the explosives. Claude has to come back with the money before the raid can start. gta.wiki notes that the cutscene asking for cash plays even if the player already has it, and that failing does not charge the fee a second time.

8-Ball's injured hands mean he cannot shoot, so he gives Claude a sniper rifle and they drive to Portland Harbor. From the dock Claude picks off the Cartel guards on the container ship while 8-Ball sneaks aboard and plants the charges. Once he is clear, the ship goes up and sinks.

According to gta.wiki the mission fails if Claude is killed or arrested, if 8-Ball dies, or if the guards are alerted too soon.

Why is Bomb Da Base so hard?

The difficulty comes from protecting a partner who cannot fight back. Guards have to be taken down in a sensible order with little time to hesitate, or the alarm goes up and 8-Ball is cut down. GTABase's 2025 list of the 20 hardest missions in the series places Act II at number 11, as our GTA III missions hub notes.

What is the reward for Bomb Da Base?

What comes after Bomb Da Base?

The success does not last. Wikipedia says Salvatore's next order is a trap: Maria warns Claude that the car he is asked to dispose of is wired with explosives. That betrayal leads Claude to the Yakuza and to Sayonara Salvatore. gta.wiki also points out that a similar wrecked freighter turns up off the coast in GTA IV, and compares the ship approach with The Merryweather Heist in GTA V.