Changing Second Best Buddy?

[Reaper11186]

Is there a way to change who your second best buddy is? I've done all the quests for most of my other buddies and I want to do the quests for my second best buddy but they never show up in Mike's so is there a way to replace them so they show up there? Would killing my best buddy kind of promote them to best buddy since they usually have the highest history?

[Dweller_Benthos]

I haven't tried it yet, but other people have said to get your main buddy killed either by leaving them to the mercs or killing him/her yourself, and one of the other buddies will step up to the main buddy position, leaving a free spot at the bar for another buddy to arrive and give you missions.

[spaceboy]

My experience is your second best buddy will be "promoted" to your rescue buddy if he/she should perish.  Just be sure that you keep your rescue buddy alive until completing your second best's missions.  It also appeared as though the game would pick buddies to be promoted up first if they're missions are done.  I'm going through buddies like water in this run through...

[PZ]

I've only one buddy left in Leboa, and I just went south - getting ready to do the barge mission.  I wonder how many buddies I'll meet at the Landing Zone...

[DKM2]

I just went through this today. I had no best buddy (Josip got killed), but Flora was my rescue buddy.
After fooling around for awhile I started a main mission it was Paul Ferenc that suddenly became my best buddy.
So no promotion, at least not in my game.

Dealing with buddies is still confusing to me too. Every game is a little different somehow?

[Roaven]

Just inc the rep of whoever you want to move up. Or eliminate the competition.

[RedRaven]

Roaven pretty much sums it up, if you do missions for the buddy you want to promote they tend to take place of rescue buddy, or as he says kill the others off. best way to do that is get shot up and when they come to your rescue take them down. not sure how it affects your own rep tho. but its worth a go, also pretty sure to get 6th buddy in north map you need to loose / eliminate one buddy. think that has been mentioned else where in this forum but cant remember where or by who.

[Cyran]

Hi

In my experience, the game switches buddies positions when you start a mission from the main storyline.

For exemple, I started a game with Flora as best buddy et Josip as rescue buddy. I did Michele missions (both) while avoiding being rescued by Josip, so that Michele got to rank 5 and Josip remains at 3. Then I go to Pala and take the first mission from APR, after exiting the house and receiving Flora's call, Michele was my rescue buddy and I could then do Josip missions.

If you want to go for 42/40 side missions:
1. Do the missions for the buddy you are going to kill (and from no one else) to get him to rank 5. (You may have to avoid being rescued)
2. Do a mission from the main storyline, it will make him your rescue buddy
3. Do the missions for the buddy you want as your rescue buddy (both missions)
4. Find a dangerous spot, like a guard post with a patrol truck, and commit suciude to make your buddy appears. Arrange his death (being on the path of a patrol truck is nice, otherwise I like Molotovs in high grass for that job. Hey I can always say it wasn't me afterwards, I didn't hit him after all ;) )
5. Take a new mission from the main story and you have have a new rescue buddy, and still 4 others with missions to be done.

Of course, you can also fail to rescue your best buddy (after doing his missions of course) and it may be easier than my method, but I like Flora. :)

[Art Blade]

hey Cyran,

thank you very much for those details... I never realised how it worked. Now I have something to consider  :-X