Patrick McReary

"Patrick" redirects here. For other uses of the name, see Patrick (disambiguation).

“Well, Niko. That was a whole lot of effort for no fucking reward. Story of my life.”

—Patrick McReary to Niko Bellic at the end of the mission Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.

Patrick "Packie" McReary (Irish: Pádraig Mac Ruairí) is a character appearing as a central character and a friend in Grand Theft Auto IV, making a cameo in The Lost and Damned, and appearing as a supporting character in The Ballad of Gay Tony and a minor character in Grand Theft Auto V. In the latter, he appears in a random event and based on its outcome, he can become an optional heist accomplice. In the Grand Theft Auto Online update The Diamond Casino Heist, he returns as a recruitable member for the heist in 2019.

Packie is a member of the McReary Crime Family and the youngest brother of the McReary family itself.

He is portrayed by Ryan Johnston.

Background

Early Life

Packie was born to Maureen McReary and an unnamed father. His siblings consisted of older brothers Derrick, Francis and Gerald, with Kate being born one year after him. Born and raised in Dukes, he had never been outside Liberty City – except for Alderney State – until after the events of GTA IV.

Packie's father was a violent, perverted alcoholic whom Packie blames for their mob's loss of influence. He says of his father, "I used to think I loved him, but then I realised I hated him". He eventually admits to Niko that his father used to molest both him and Gerry. He developed a drug habit at the age of fourteen and claims he was constantly staying home from school to roll joints for his father.

Packie became involved in crime at an early age, having chosen Gerry as a role model and began spotting for his brother's scores when he was in middle school. His first conviction was in 1997 when he was arrested for stealing a car aged eighteen. The following year, he secured his first felony conviction when he was arrested for grand larceny, but he was (presumably) acquitted. He was arrested again in 2000 for hijacking. Packie's last known arrest was in 2005 when he was caught with several grams of cocaine in the presence of a known prostitute. At some point, his father apparently committed suicide, and Gerry became the head of the McReary crime family, although Packie admits that he initially suspected Gerry of killing their father.

Plot

Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes from Liberty City

By the time of Grand Theft Auto IV, Packie largely operates independently of the Irish Mob, committing stick-up robberies with his friends Michael Keane and Gordon Sargent, and working as a hired gun for the Pegorino Crime Family.

Packie was introduced to Niko Bellic through cocaine dealer Elizabeta Torres. Packie and Niko quickly befriend each other after escaping from a botched cocaine deal together. Impressed, Packie called up Niko and introduced him to his family and his gang. They all participated in robbing other criminal gangs (first robbing the Triads and then the Ancelotti Crime Family), and eventually the Chinatown branch of the Bank of Liberty in Algonquin during a heist. Packie purchases a red Comet with his share of the takings.

After the bank robbery, Packie continued working with Niko, particularly in the kidnapping of Gracie Ancelotti for Gerry. Unknown to Packie, Niko murdered one of his brothers. Nonetheless, Niko's assistance in suppressing an attack on the funeral of the same brother cemented their friendship. Packie trusted Niko enough to encourage him to date Kate, the youngest of the McReary clan. Though he was confident she wouldn't "put out" – as he regularly states – his bypassing of his protective instinct showed that he held a distinct level of trust in Niko, and a hope that he would treat Kate with respect. That is, if the player doesn't choose the Revenge ending.

If the player chooses Revenge, it will lead to Kate's death, and also lead to an immense heartbreak for Packie. He will call the player post-credits and express to Niko immense heartbreak and survivor's guilt about his and his brothers' actions, saying tearfully, "It was us McReary men who were the sinners! We're paying for that ourselves, she didn't have to pay too!". He also explains to Niko that he has to stay with his mother, since he is all she has left now with Kate being gone, insinuating to the player that Francis McReary and Derrick McReary, if either one not previously killed by Niko, are either now killed, captured, or cut off completely by Maureen.

In the credits of The Ballad of Gay Tony, Packie is seen leaving a taxi and entering Francis International Airport carrying a duffel bag, presumably filled with money. In the following scenes, a plane is seen leaving the runway heading for an unknown destination. By 2013, he was living in Los Santos.

Whether or not the reason(s) of Packie's departure are related to either his mother not wanting him around at that point of time, the possible deaths of his other brothers, and/or even just the guilt of Kate's death is left to speculation. It could be a mix of all these factors, but it is still left ambiguous. Regardless, Packie departs and leaves Liberty City, in pursuit of a new chapter to his life.

Grand Theft Auto V

“I knew this guy in Liberty City, he was hardcore, you know? A killer. But sorta confused too. He had these cold eyes, but we connected. Anyway, man. I helped him out. I can help you too, if you let me. My partner's an asshole, but I'm useful, I swear it.”

—Patrick McReary to Trevor Philips during his random event.

Packie appears again in Grand Theft Auto V, appearing early in the game as he holds up a drug store in Strawberry with an unnamed accomplice. Once the player finds him, he requests that they find a getaway car and help them escape. The player may do so, or assist the store owner and kill Packie and his accomplice, although killing them is considered non-canon. If they help them instead, Packie will thank the player and become available as a gunman in further heists. Packie has some of the highest possible skills for a gunman available, but takes 12% percent of the cut.

“Thanks for the help. If you've ever got a job coming up, try and find me. The name's Packie McReary of Dukes, Liberty City.”

—Packie after being aided in escaping the police.

Interestingly, if Packie is chosen as a gunman, he mentions his biggest robbery during the drive from Sandy Shores to Paleto Bay in The Paleto Score. On the journey to the bank, the gang will talk about their first robberies. Packie mentions that one of the gunmen was killed by one of the hostages, and goes into detail regarding how they escaped. He will also mention his brother, Derrick, who was also a gunman in the Bank of Liberty robbery, and reveal that he is now dead. Lastly, he mentions Niko Bellic, the fourth gunman. Packie says that he had lost contact with Niko after leaving Liberty City, and that he doesn't even know what became of him, presuming him to be dead. It's left up to uncertainty and for the player to decide for themselves as to whether or not Packie meant it truthfully that Niko is dead, or is speaking symbolically since he just hasn't contacted him.

Lester Crest:

“McReary? He was a part of a well known Liberty City stickup crew. Small world.”

Michael De Santa:

“I got a good feeling about him.”

—Lester and Michael about Packie.

Packie can be selected in all the heists of the game. In either approach of The Jewel Store Job, he manages to successfully get all the jewels in the glass cabinets, helping the crew reach the maximum possible score of the job. In the loud approach, he also stops the manager of the jewelry store before she screams for help.

In The Paleto Score, Packie survives the heist and provides good assistance against the authorities. Michael even compliments Packie's help by saying that he is glad they chose him for the score.

In The Bureau Raid, he survives the explosion during the escape in the covert approach, while in the roof approach he does a good job with no consequences.

In the subtle approach of The Big Score, if placed as one of the gunmen, he does not drop any gold bars while he is loading them into the Gauntlets, preventing the crew from losing any of the final score.

In the obvious approach, if he is selected as either the first or second gunman, there are no consequences to the heist. Previous experience in past heists won't change Packie's performance in any of the scores; he does a good job in all of them even if he is selected for the first time.

Grand Theft Auto Online

Packie is still alive in 2019, thus confirming that the canon option for his random encounter is to help him and his accomplice escape. He appears in The Diamond Casino Heist update, and has a new random encounter which sees him locked up in the back of a Police Transporter with an unnamed accomplice. He will call out for help if the player gets close, whereupon the player can choose to attempt a rescue. If the player successfully stops the van, escapes from the police and drives to a designated remote area, then Packie will be freed. Lester Crest will send a text message suggesting McReary owes a debt to the player that can be repaid by participating in the heist.

Similarly to his role in the Grand Theft Auto V heists, Packie is a good option for the casino heist, as he has average skills and an intermediate cut, of only 8%.

In the preparation mission Unmarked Weapons, Packie will provide the following loadouts:

Approach	Loadouts	Primary Weapon	Secondary Weapon	Support Weapon
Casino Heist - Aggressive	1	Heavy Shotgun Extended clip Grip Flashlight	SMG Extended clip Scope Flashlight	Sticky Bombs
Casino Heist - Aggressive	2	Combat MG Scope Grip	SMG Extended clip Scope Flashlight	Sticky Bombs
Casino Heist - The Big Con	1	Sawed-Off Shotgun	Ceramic Pistol	N/A
Casino Heist - The Big Con	2	Compact Rifle Extended clip	Ceramic Pistol	N/A
Casino Heist - Silent & Sneaky	1	Combat PDW Extended clip Scope Clip Flashlight	Pistol .50 Suppressor Flashlight	Stun Gun
Casino Heist - Silent & Sneaky	2	Assault Rifle Suppressor Scope Grip Flashlight	Pistol .50 Suppressor Flashlight	Stun Gun

Description

Appearance

Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes from Liberty City

Packie is slightly shorter and slenderer than Niko. He also has a long scar under his left eye, possibly from a drunken fight. His nose appears to be slightly crooked, hinting that it may have been broken. He wears a white long-sleeved undershirt, green polo shirt, blue jeans and sneakers that look very similar to the ones at the Russian Shop. He has green eyes with a grey tint, and a buzz cut hairstyle with visible sideburns. He has noticeable skin damage, probably due to cocaine use.

Grand Theft Auto V and Online

Packie appears, but looks very different from his Grand Theft Auto IV look. He is seen with considerably more scars, light stubble, and looks much older. The mole on the top right corner of his lip is more noticeable and has developed wrinkles around his eyes. His eyes appear as a lighter auburn and are less distressed and bloodshot. His outfits are determined by his appearance in heists; his default appearance consists of a tan flight jacket, jeans, and black sneakers. His nostrils are also more enlarged than they were five years previously in GTA IV. All of these cosmetic changes are likely due to his habitual cocaine use.

Personality

On the surface, Packie portrays himself as strong and without feeling. But when drunk or otherwise confiding in Niko, he is shown time and time again to be suppressing deeply painful emotions. For example, he will lament that "the world is ugly and unkind", question what being a man is all about, and contemplates suicide. He has an addictive personality, as shown by his habitual use of cocaine and prostitutes. He doesn't seem to seriously consider immediately and directly killing himself, but does glamorize the idea that he will die young of a drug overdose. Compared to Niko, Packie is equally capable of violence and criminal activity whilst appearing to show little or no remorse. He does, however, still hold certain moral standards; if the player kills too many hostages during the mission Three Leaf Clover, the mission will fail and Packie will say that he doesn't take "bloody money". Also, after the trio manage to find a getaway car, Packie laments Michael Keane's death during the robbery, exclaiming that "he [Packie] could've been nice to him once in his fucking life", showing that Packie cared about his now-late friend/partner-in-crime.

Packie's cocaine addiction has caused him numerous problems. He claims that he can't look for women without cocaine in his system and when he's with women, he spends his time in the bathroom snorting rails of coke, which lowers his sex drive (he calls this a "catch 22"). Kate claims that Packie is very overprotective of her and he will violently attack anyone who he thinks is looking at her "wrong".

Friendship

At some point after completing Three Leaf Clover, Packie calls Niko to do a friend activity with him. After this event is completed, Niko will become friends with him. Packie is one of five friends Niko will make within the game, and is available between 4 PM and 6 AM. He is available for six different activities: Bowling, Darts, Drinking, Pool, Show, and Strip Club. He is the only friend that cannot be taken out to eat. If the player brings Packie to any restaurant, the yellow arrow corona will not pop up and Niko can enter and purchase food as normal.

When Packie's "Like Stat" rises above 75%, the player will unlock his Special Ability. Packie's Special Ability allows Niko to call Packie and ask him to prepare a car bomb, which can be used to take down difficult targets. This ability can be useful in certain situations and missions. When the player requests a bomb, Packie will inform Niko of its location. Once Niko has located the bomb, he can detonate it by calling Packie. Receiving Packie's friendship bonus will award the player the "Dial B For Bomb" trophy/achievement.

He likes it when Niko drives fast, saying things such as "If you have somewhere to be then you may as go at pace. I like it!" and "This is the way to do it, Niko." He also enjoys fighting while on friend activities, and – as with all friends – will assist in any combat during the activity.

Skills (GTA V)

Packie's Heist Skills for GTA V:

Max Health*
Accuracy*
Shoot Rate*
Weapon Choice*

Murders Committed

Eugene Reaper – Murdered during a bank heist by him and Derrick in retaliation for killing Michael Keane.

LCPD Database Record

A - E

F - J

K - O

P - U

V - Z

SURNAME

McReary

FIRST NAME

Patrick "Packie"

AGE

29

PLACE OF BIRTH

Dukes, Liberty City

AFFILIATIONS

Linked to Irish American Criminals in Dukes and the Alderney based Pegorino Crime Syndicate.

CRIMINAL RECORD

1997 - Grand Theft Auto

1998 - Grand Larceny
2000 - Hijacking

2005 - Possession Controlled Substance: Cocaine

NOTES

- Youngest brother and employee of Gerald McReary.

- Suspected in a number of robberies and hijackings.
- Arrested with several grams of cocaine in the presence of a known prostitute.

- Believed to be working as muscle for the Alderney-based Pegorino Crime Syndicate.

LIBERTY CITY POLICE DEPT.
PROTECTING LIBERTY CITY

NAME
PATRICK "PACKIE" MCREARY

HANGOUT
Unknown

WANTED FOR
Armed Robbery

Prominent Appearances in Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto IV

First Date (Cameo)
Luck of the Irish
Have a Heart or Call and Collect (Post-mission phone call)
Harboring a Grudge (Boss)
Waste Not Want Knots (Boss)
Three Leaf Clover (Boss)
Tunnel of Death
Undertaker (Boss)
I'll Take Her (Voice)
Ransom (Voice/Boss)
She's a Keeper
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
Out of Commission (Post-mission phone call/Revenge)

The Lost and Damned

Credits