Schedule 1‘s one of the biggest update just dropped, introducing the new rival cartel gang, the Benzies Family. The arrival of a rival gang adds some spice and a huge challenge for your empire. This new storyline adds major challenges and decisions that can completely change how you play.
If you’re on your old save, you might be confused about how to actually start the cartel event and what happens once you meet Thomas Benzies.
So, in this Schedule 1 guide, I will tell you how to locate the cartel and trigger the questline.
Unlocking the Cartel in Schedule I
The cartel event becomes available once you’ve unlocked the Westville area. If you’re still in the earlier neighborhoods, focus on pushing your business until Westville opens up.
The Cartel won’t appear until you reach Hoodlum I Rank or higher to make sure you are expanding territory and your rank.
This all begins when you receive a message from someone named “Thomas Benzies” after meeting the requirements. It will be about a business proposition. That mysterious man will ask you to meet him at the parking lot of Taco Ticklers. You will find him inside a black SUV.
Thomas will now give you two choices: either become an enemy or join the cartel. Both options are bad for you, as if you join the cartel, they will take half of your profits. They will also require you to sell a specific quantity of products per week, so good luck with that as well.
On the other hand, if you refuse the offer and become their enemy, they will make your life a living hell. Dealers will get attacked by the Benzies. If they manage to defend themselves, then that’s good. But if they fail, the Benzies will take everything.
This is it for this Schedule 1 guide on how to unlock Cartel. I hope that this guide helped you.
Join vs. Refuse the Cartel
Once you start the Cartel questline there are two choices. You can either join the Cartel or work against them. If you join the Cartel, half of your profits go straight to the Benzies, limiting how much money you actually keep. You’ll be forced to sell a set amount of product each week. Failing to meet the quota can lead to serious trouble.
It is a “safe” choice but has a lot of downsides.
On the other hand, if you go to war with the Cartel, then Benzies target you and your dealers everywhere. If your dealers can’t defend themselves you will lose product and cash.
However, working against the Cartel triggers the “Finishing the Job” Quest which leads to you unlocking the Hyland Manor for purchase.
You may see some temporary losses while working against the Cartel, but this is the best choice in the long run. You get to keep 100% of the profits you make, and a huge manor becomes available if you want to expand your operations.
