Run This Town

Key takeaways

Keep these points in mind before starting the operation.

• This mission follows Firestarter Run This Town is part of the later Phantom Liberty mission sequence and is not an early Dogtown activity. Prerequisite
• Aguilar's identity is central The mission's distinctive mechanic is the use of Aguilar's identity to pressure people who would not respond to V's normal approach. Aguilar's identity
• The ending is choice-sensitive The concluding conversation affects the immediate political outcome involving Bennett and Jago, so save before entering the final negotiation. Choices and consequences

Run This Town

Run This Town is a Phantom Liberty side mission centred on the political succession crisis in Dogtown.

Run This Town becomes available after the events of Firestarter and continues Mr. Hands' efforts to shape the future of Dogtown. Rather than sending V into a conventional assault, Mr. Hands asks V to use Aguilar's identity and reputation as leverage in a dangerous leadership dispute. The mission takes V from the Heavy Hearts club into a meeting where intimidation, timing, and dialogue matter as much as gunplay.

The central task is to make Aguilar's presence believable while dealing with Jago and Bennett, two figures whose competing interests threaten to destabilise Dogtown. V receives the means to assume Aguilar's identity, then follows Mr. Hands' instructions through a sequence of confrontations and negotiations. The mission's structure rewards careful attention to who is speaking, who is being protected, and which candidate appears most useful to Mr. Hands' plans.

The final exchange allows V to influence the outcome of Dogtown's succession. Dialogue choices can change who receives support and how the principal figures leave the meeting, so this is not a mission where every route produces the same immediate result. The safest way to approach it is to create a manual save before the concluding conversation and to treat the final choices as consequential rather than cosmetic.

Where this sits

Requirements

Advance the Phantom Liberty story far enough for Mr. Hands to contact V after Firestarter.

• RequiredComplete FirestarterThe mission is connected to the post-Firestarter sequence in Phantom Liberty.
• RequiredReach the mission callWait for Mr. Hands to contact V and provide the assignment at Heavy Hearts.
• RecommendedPrepare for a mixed encounterA combat-ready build is useful, but dialogue and impersonation are the mission's defining tools.
• RecommendedCreate a manual saveSave before the final meeting if you want to compare the consequences of the leadership choice.

Objectives

1. Meet Mr. Hands at Heavy HeartsTravel to the club and receive the details of the operation.
2. Use Aguilar's identityActivate the provided identity effect when instructed so the relevant characters react to Aguilar rather than V.
3. Confront JagoFollow the operation's route through Dogtown and apply pressure to Jago.
4. Attend the meeting with BennettReach the succession meeting and listen for the point at which V must intervene.
5. Decide who should lead DogtownUse the available dialogue choices to influence the immediate outcome between Bennett and Jago.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Receive the assignment

   Answer Mr. Hands' call

   After Firestarter, wait for Mr. Hands to contact V and accept the new assignment. The mission directs you toward Heavy Hearts, where the fixer explains that Dogtown's leadership dispute needs a carefully staged intervention rather than an ordinary hit.

   Location: Dogtown

   TipDo not treat this as a standard assault objective; the identity operation is essential to the intended route.

   Checkpoint
2. 02

   Meet Mr. Hands

   Meet Mr. Hands at Heavy Hearts

   Enter Heavy Hearts and find Mr. Hands at the arranged meeting point. Speak with him to learn why Jago and Bennett are important to the succession question and to receive the means of presenting V as Aguilar.

   Location: Heavy Hearts

   Watch outLeave the conversation only after taking in the instructions about Aguilar's identity and the people involved.

   Checkpoint
3. 03

   Assume Aguilar's identity

   Activate Aguilar's imprint

   Use the Aguilar imprint when the mission prompts V to adopt the identity. The operation depends on approaching the relevant Dogtown figures as Aguilar, so follow the objective marker and do not assume that V's normal introduction will produce the same reactions.

   Location: Dogtown

   TipKeep the mission objective visible while moving through Dogtown; the correct activation point is tied to the operation rather than being a general free-roam ability.

4. 04

   Confront Jago

   Find and pressure Jago

   Travel to Jago's position and begin the confrontation under Aguilar's identity. Let the conversation establish the threat before escalating, because this section is designed to make Jago understand that Aguilar's involvement changes the balance of power.

   Location: Dogtown

   TipRead the dialogue carefully before selecting an aggressive response; the tone of this encounter sets up the later meeting.

5. 05

   Reach the meeting

   Follow the operation to the succession meeting

   Continue through the marked route after dealing with Jago and make your way to the meeting involving Bennett. Stay with the objective instead of wandering away, since the mission's next phase is triggered by reaching the arranged gathering.

   Location: Dogtown

   Checkpoint
6. 06

   Resolve the dispute

   Let the confrontation develop

   At the meeting, allow Bennett and Jago to state their positions before intervening. The important choices appear during this exchange, and rushing into combat can remove the opportunity to direct the political result through dialogue.

   Location: Succession meeting

   Watch outCombat or an early hostile response can change the scene before all dialogue options are available.

7. 07

   Decide Dogtown's leadership

   Choose the outcome for Dogtown

   Use the final dialogue choices to support the result that best matches your intended alliance between Bennett and Jago. The mission then records the immediate leadership outcome and concludes after the confrontation is settled.

   Location: Succession meeting

   TipMake a manual save before this step if you want to see the alternative result without replaying the full mission.

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanics

The mission's signature mechanic is Aguilar's imprint. It temporarily changes how V is presented during the operation, allowing the player to exploit Aguilar's reputation in conversations connected to Dogtown's power struggle. This is more than a cosmetic disguise: the operation's intended dialogue flow assumes that V is using Aguilar's identity at the designated moments.

Run This Town also tests the player's ability to distinguish an objective from a combat encounter. Although a weapon can solve some immediate problems, the mission is structured around reaching the right people, allowing the meeting to unfold, and selecting an intervention that shapes the result. A stealth, hacking, or gun-focused build can all contribute, but none replaces the final choice.

What works and what does not

PhasesSpoilers

1. 1

   Briefing at Heavy Hearts

   Starts: Speak with Mr. Hands at the club.

   Not applicable

   Mr. Hands explains the succession problem and gives V the operational role of Aguilar.

   • Treat the briefing as a setup for the identity mechanic and the later negotiation.
2. 2

   Aguilar operation

   Starts: Activate Aguilar's imprint and follow the mission route.

   Varies by approach

   V moves through Dogtown while using Aguilar's reputation to reach and pressure the people connected to the succession.

   • Keep the imprint active when the objective calls for Aguilar's identity.
   • Avoid unnecessary escalation until the mission has presented its dialogue choices.
3. 3

   Succession meeting

   Starts: Arrive at the meeting involving Bennett and Jago.

   Varies by approach

   The political dispute reaches its decision point, and V can intervene in the outcome.

   • Hostile escalationTell The conversation turns openly threatening or combat begins.Answer Use cover and deal with immediate threats only after considering whether dialogue can still resolve the scene.
   • Create a save before entering the meeting.
   • Listen to both sides before committing to a final response.

Boss encounter

• Location
  The succession meeting in Dogtown
• Health
  No dedicated boss health bar is required by the mission's intended route.

Run This Town is primarily a negotiation and identity-driven encounter rather than a boss fight. Keep Aguilar's imprint active when required, let the conversation develop, and use the final dialogue options to direct the leadership outcome. If the scene becomes hostile, use the surrounding space for cover and focus on the immediate combat objective.

Choices and consequencesEnding spoilers

• Support Bennett during the final succession decision

  The immediate political outcome favours Bennett's position, changing how the confrontation with Jago is resolved.

  Spoiler
• Support Jago during the final succession decision

  The immediate political outcome favours Jago's position and produces a different resolution for Bennett.

  Spoiler
• Escalate instead of completing the negotiation

  The scene can turn into a hostile encounter, reducing the opportunity to resolve the succession through the intended dialogue route.

  Spoiler

Checklist

• Complete Firestarter before looking for Run This TownThe mission belongs to the later Phantom Liberty progression.
• Meet Mr. Hands at Heavy HeartsThis is where the operation and identity instructions are provided.
• Activate Aguilar's imprint when promptedThe mission's intended conversations depend on using Aguilar's identity.
• Reach Jago and complete the confrontationFollow the objective route through Dogtown.
• Attend the meeting with BennettDo not leave the operation before the succession scene begins.
• Save before the final decisionThis makes it possible to compare the leadership outcomes.Optional

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• V dies during an escalated encounterA conventional combat failure reloads from the latest checkpoint or save.
• The operation becomes hostile before the intended dialogue is completedStarting a fight too early can alter the meeting and prevent the cleanest negotiation route.
• A leadership outcome is selected without a prior saveThe decision involving Bennett and Jago is not something to make casually if you intend to compare both immediate results.

Rewards

• Payment from Mr. Hands
  Completing the operation earns the mission's fixer payment.
• Mission completion
  The result is recorded as part of Mr. Hands' Dogtown activities.
• Leadership outcome
  The final choice determines the immediate result of the Bennett and Jago dispute.

Characters in this mission

• VThe player character carrying out the operation.
• Mr. HandsThe fixer who arranges the intervention.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• The title reflects the mission's focus on controlling Dogtown's political future rather than simply completing a conventional combat contract.
• Aguilar's identity gives the mission a different tone from the other Mr. Hands assignments, because reputation and impersonation are central to the operation.
• Heavy Hearts serves as the briefing location for the mission.

Relationships