After the overwhelming success of Baldur’s Gate 3 last year and the recent announcement that there will be no more DLC or sequels, we couldn’t help but think that the fantasy epic is missing just one thing: a party-crashing mission.
They’re bold. They’re glamorous. And they’re usually some of the most memorable missions in games. The routine is simple: someone or somewhere has something we need, luckily there’s a soiree of sorts taking place where we’ll get that thing – either by physically breaking into the party, or attending via invitation with an ulterior motive. Our characters will get dressed up, despite Geralt’s protests about the itchy party clothes, and will usually have to suck up to the rich to get what they need.
Here are the top ten party-crashing missions in gaming.
Because, when researching for this list we quickly realised that the Hitman franchise has at least three party-crashing missions per game, we have limited this list to one mission per series. We have also extended the definition of party to also refer to a banquet or wedding, but it must still be an event that we’ve either had to break into or receive an invitation for (but we attend with our own mission in mind).
10. Final Fantasy X (2001) – Yuna’s Wedding
When Yuna is kidnapped and forced to marry Seymour Guado, one of Final Fantasy X’s antagonists, her guardians of course decide to crash the wedding in one of the most dramatic moments in the game.
The team fights through waves of enemies and even a tough boss fight before, quite literally, crashing the wedding in an airship to get to the ceremony, and while they’re unsuccessful in preventing the union, it certainly makes for a memorable scene. And the best thing is, you then have to uncrash the wedding after you’ve crashed it, making your escape while Yuna dramatically flies away on a giant bird.
9. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) – The Gilded Cage
The Van Der Linde Gang are among the last remnants of outlaw living, refusing to be tied down by society as it moves towards the modern age. So, it’s unusual to see Arthur, Dutch, Hosea and Bill dressed in tuxedos on their way in a carriage to Angelo Bronte’s ball – like Cinderella, as Dutch says.
Of course there’s a motive for this, Dutch is looking for that “one last score” and is buttering up Bronte to find this. While he does this, Arthur will mingle with the party guests, looking somewhat out of place as he pours champagne, saves a man from choking and befriends the Mayor – you wouldn’t believe these were the same people shooting up Valentine just days ago.
8. Mass Effect 3: Citadel (2013) – Silver Coast Casino: Infiltration
“Citadel” wasn’t just any DLC for Mass Effect fans; with the trilogy all wrapped up, this acted as the final farewell to the characters and world that players had grown to love. After a heavy, hard-hitting storyline, players relinquished the opportunity to have one last outing with the Normandy crew. One of the best parts of “Citadel” is that it’s more relaxed and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
After CAT6 attempts to assassinate Commander Shepard, they find out an arms dealer, Elijah Khan, is holding information on them and is now tucked away in his panic room. What? I said Citadel was more relaxed, not entirely relaxed, this is still a step down from saving Earth and other civilizations from Reaper invasions.
In the mission, Silver Coast Casino: Infiltration, Shepard and their party must crash a charity gala held by Khan at the Silver Coast Casino and work with Brooks to take out security and confront Khan. Shepard can only take one other person who will blend in and distract the guards as they hack security locks and Brooks crawls through the vents. Because of this, there’s a multitude of different conversations in this quest depending on your choice of companion, whether you’re in an active relationship with them and whether or not Shepard has healed their face scars during Mass Effect 2. It’s full of plenty of silly moments as Shepard attempts to blend in with guests, and some interesting conversations.
7. Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) – Wicked Eyes And Wicked Hearts
Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts is known to be one of the most difficult quests in Dragon Age: Inquisition. When the Inquisition gets word of a forthcoming assassination attempt on Empress Celene, ruler of Orlais, while other political figures look to take her place, they must intervene and plan to do so by attending a ball and getting the court on their side.
The main goal of this quest is to get as high a court approval rating as possible by completing as many tasks as you can before the quest ends. Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts not only requires thoroughly investigating the Winter Palace for objectives to pick up, but also choosing the correct dialogue options to gain the upper class’ approval. The mission has multiple endings depending on your decisions and how many objectives you complete.
6. The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone (2015) – Dead Man’s Party
Oh Geralt, what have you gotten yourself into this time?
Well, in The Witcher 3’s DLC, “Hearts of Stone,” he’s made a pact with the devil, otherwise known as Gaunter O’Dimm. To release himself from this pact, he must close one of Dimm’s other agreements by granting Olgierd von Everec three wishes in exchange for his soul. Of course, since Olgierd must hand over his soul once the pact is fulfilled, he has no interest in making this easy for Geralt at all.
One of Olgierd’s wishes is that Geralt give his brother, Vlodimir, “the time of his life”. This seems completely reasonable sans one problem: Vlodimir is dead.
Of course, with the help of Shani, Geralt finds his way around this tricky little obstacle by summoning the ghost of Vlodimir and allowing him to possess his body while he attends a wedding as Shani’s plus one.
What makes Dead Man’s Party so great is that it, briefly, takes the player away from the usual monster hunting antics of The Witcher series to give a dead man one last night of fun. As Vlodimir, you will play party games and Gwent, search for the missing fire swallower and dance with Shani – plus it’s hilarious to hear Vlodimir’s flirtatious and melodramatic dialogue coming from Geralt’s monotone voice.
5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) – Whodunit?
Oblivion actually has two party-crashing quests: one has you set out to cause mischief to serve the Daedric Prince, Sanguine, by crashing a dinner party at Castle Leyawiin and casting a special spell to liven it up a bit… one that makes everyone naked.
We chose the other mission for this list: Whodunit, named after a sub-genre of murder mystery stories and based on Agatha’s Christie’s book And Then There Were None. But this mystery comes with a twist: we know exactly whodunit because we ourselves are the killer.
When working for the Dark Brotherhood, we receive a contract from a client who has arranged a dinner party treasure hunt where the guests are locked inside a house until they have located the treasure. Whodunit is a unique Dark Brotherhood quest in that we’re not assassinating just one person; every guest at the dinner party is a target and we must kill them all one by one without the others knowing until we are the last one standing. Here, we experience And Then There Were None from the perspective of the killer, befriending each guest and turning them against each other until there are none left but ourselves.
4. Dishonored (2012) – Lady Boyle’s Last Party
Similar to the Hitman franchise, the Dishonored series has plenty of missions where Corvo, Emily or Billie crash a party or an event. Maybe that’s just the assassin’s life? However, one in particular stood out to us.
In our journey to hunt down those closest to the Lord Regent, we find out that his strongest supporter is Lady Boyle… however, there are three women who go by that name: the wife of the late Lord Boyle, and her sisters.
Luckily for Corvo, the sisters are hosting a masquerade ball at the Boyle Mansion, which Corvo must infiltrate, identify which Boyle sister is the correct target, and either kill her or subject her to a fate worse than death depending on how Corvo is feeling that evening.
As usual for a Dishonored mission, there are multiple ways to gain access to the Boyle Mansion. Once inside, the other guests will hilariously assume Corvo is dressed up as the infamous Masked Felon, the nickname authorities have given Corvo, and won’t be hostile towards him.
The best thing about Lady Boyle’s Last Party is that the target is randomized each time the mission is played, so you must work out which sister is the correct one without the help of a guide… or you can just kill all three.
3. Fallout: New Vegas (2010) – Beyond the Beef
Not only is Beyond the Beef one of our favorite party-crashing quests, but it’s one of our favorite quests in Fallout: New Vegas.
A brahmin rancher asks us to find his missing son, who was last known to be at the Ultra-Luxe Casino Hotel, run by The White Glove Society. Upon investigating the casino, we discover that these high society snobs were once a cannibal tribe… but they’re totally not anymore, don’t worry.
What makes Beyond the Beef stand out on this list is that you’re not a guest of the banquet The White Glove Society plans to hold, nor are you infiltrating the party itself, instead you’re working behind the scenes to either expose The White Glove Society of their questionable diet or help them find the next item on the menu.
2. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (2023) – You Know My Name
Being a spy-thriller, it’s a no-brainer that Cyberpunk 2077’s DLC, “Phantom Liberty,” has a party-crashing quest – and named after a James Bond theme song too no less.
Songbird, a talented netrunner who was onboard Space Force One with President Myers when it crashed in Dogtown, has been kidnapped by the leader of the BARGHEST faction, Kurt Hansen. In You Know My Name, V has been tasked with locating Songbird by infiltrating Hansen’s gala held at his fortress, The Black Sapphire, formerly a luxury hotel.
You Know My Name has everything you can think of when you imagine a party-crashing quest. V is doing some hard-core infiltration in this one, which involves scuba diving to the location, taking out the guards, and changing into our party clothes before sneaking in, from there on you mingle with the high society, play roulette and locate your target. All in a day’s work for 007- er, I mean V.
1. Hitman 2 (2018) – The Ark Society
When tracking down the Constant, second-in-command of Hitman 2’s major antagonist organization, Providence, Agent 47 discovers he will be attending an annual Ark Society gathering at the Isle of Sgà il, where the wealthiest in the world plan to survive the end of the world… so cool. We love a good ultra rich society gathering at GameLuster (and infiltrating them), and the Ark Society has the added dramatic flair of taking place in a medieval castle.
47 has several tasks in this mission. For one, the Constant has annoyingly injected himself with a poison chip which can be remotely activated in the event that he’s compromised, or kidnapped by a certain bald assassin with a barcode on the back of his head. Holding the two existing kill-switches are twin sisters, Zoe and Sophia Washington, who are also overseeing the Ark Society gathering. 47 must assassinate the twins, safely acquire the kill switches and, after activating them a few times and reloading saves, kidnap the Constant… alive. Which is easier said than done in a castle full of armed security.
You can also dress up in a suit of armour and assassinate people with a lovely selection of antique medieval weapons, or a Didgeridoo.
And that’s it for our Top 10 Party-Crashing Quests in video games, what are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
