Gray Zone Warfare: First Hit – How to find the criminal leader in GZW

Not every quest in Gray Zone Warfare will be the same, so you can expect to tackle some complex challenges from each vendor. Finding the criminal leader is a difficult endeavor for those who receive the First Hit task from Handshake.

Thankfully for players, Handshake has narrowed down a decent search area for you to hunt the criminal leader behind many of the attacks in the nearby city. Although you know where to find the criminal leader in Gray Zone Warfare, locating the exact person you need to defeat can be tricky. There are a few telltale signs of how you can find him, but it does all boil down to luck.

Where to find the criminal leader for First Hit in Gray Zone Warfare

Handshake shares the First Hit quest with you, and he’s wandering around the Marketplace. The exact location of the Marketplace does vary based on your faction in GZW, which means where you can find your Marketplace might be different than mine. I’m playing for the Crimson Shield International faction, and the Marketplace is in the southwest part of town, similar to finding the body for the Last Farewell quest.

When you arrive, the area is heavily protected by multiple NPCs. Many of them are standard enemies and guards you’ve likely seen around town, but there are a lot more of them than you generally encounter. You want to be careful moving through here, and I recommend bringing at least two primary weapons with you to fight them.

The criminal leader you need to find for First Hit in GZW has a red beret on the top of his head and he wears sunglasses. This is the only way to identify him among other NPCs you can encounter in this area. If you see one with a red beret, focus on him with all your firepower and bring him down to complete the First Hit quest.

The problem with tracking down the criminal leader is he has a slow respawn timer. Multiple other players are also attempting to take him down, and if they’re not in your group, it won’t count for you. Plus, the Marketplace in GZW is popular because of the number of items you can find throughout the area. It makes it a great location to loot when you’re starting in GZW, which means some players might be taking out the criminal leader without realizing he’s required for a quest. This quest is not one you can avoid picking, like the Reclamation or Covert Research choices.

After you defeat the criminal leader, return to Handshake and submit the quest. You’ll then earn a small amount of reputation with Handshake and unlock additional tasks you can complete in GZW.