You’re cruising through Los Santos, maybe trying to figure out why your Sultan RS feels sluggish, when your phone pings. It’s an email from vanderlinde@eyefind.com. No subject line. Just a grainy, black-and-white photo of a random rock or a bridge.
If you’ve spent any time in GTA Online, you know this is the start of the vanderlinde treasure hunt location chase. It’s Rockstar’s clever way of bridging the gap between the concrete jungle of GTA 5 and the dusty trails of Red Dead Redemption 2. But here’s the thing: most players get frustrated because they think there is one single "vanderlinde" spot.
There isn't. It's a scavenger hunt with 20 possible starting points, and if you don't know what to listen for, you'll be circling the desert until your character dies of old age.
The First Clue: It's Random, Kinda
When that email hits your inbox, the game places a massive yellow circle on your map. This is your search zone. Inside this circle is a small piece of paper—the first clue.
The trick isn't just looking; it's listening. As you get closer to the note, you’ll hear the faint, metallic chime of wind bells. It’s distinct. If you’ve got your game music cranked up, turn it down. You need to hear that "ting-ting-ting" to pinpoint the exact rock or tree where the note is pinned.
Where the Notes Usually Hide
While the game picks one of 20 spots, a few locations tend to trip people up more than others.
- Del Perro Pier: People usually look on top of the pier. Big mistake. The note is actually pinned to one of the wooden support pillars underneath the structure. You’ll be walking in the sand, getting your boots wet.
- Mount Josiah: This one is a pain. It’s tucked away on a cliffside ledge. If you don't have an Oppressor or a Buzzard, be prepared for some clumsy mountain climbing.
- The Vinewood Hills Billboard: Look for a yellow "Baytree Canyon View" sign near the observatory. The note is stuck right on the board.
- Great Chaparral Church: It’s in the graveyard. Check the back of one of the tombstones. Honestly, it’s one of the easier ones if you can find the church itself.
Once you find this first note, the "random" part of the hunt is over. The game then gives you three specific, fixed locations to visit.
The Three Fixed Clues (The Macabre Stuff)
After the first note, you’re looking for three things: a corpse, a shovel, and an empty gun case. These are always in the same spots for everyone, so you can stop guessing.
1. The Corpse in Tongva Hills
You’re looking for a small cave. It’s near a creek, tucked into the side of the hills. Inside, you’ll find a body in its underwear with a massive head wound. It’s pretty grim. Investigating the body triggers the next step.
2. The Bloody Shovel in Sandy Shores
Head over to the northern shore of the Alamo Sea. There’s a derelict, broken-down shack near the water. Inside, leaning against a chair, is a shovel covered in blood. Clearly, whoever was in that cave didn't have a great time.
3. The Empty Case in Grapeseed
This one is at the base of a large tree on Joad Lane. It’s a literal empty box that once held a weapon. Once you’ve interacted with all three of these "secondary" clues, the final treasure location appears on your map as a gold chest icon.
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Finding the Final Vanderlinde Treasure
The final location varies slightly but is usually a chest located under a tree or near a cliff. Inside, you’ll find the Double-Action Revolver.
It’s a beautiful gun—gold-plated and high-performance. But the gun itself isn't why people do this. The real prize is the $250,000 challenge attached to it.
Making the Money: The 50 Headshot Rule
Once you have the revolver, the game tells you to get 50 headshots. Most people think they have to hunt down other players in Freemode, which is a great way to get yourself killed.
Pro tip: Don't do that.
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Load up a contact mission like "Pier Pressure" or "Deal Breaker." These missions disable the police response. Go to the Del Perro Pier and just start popping NPCs in the head. It takes about 10 minutes. Once you hit 50, $250,000 is instantly deposited into your Maze Bank account. Plus, if your Social Club account is linked, you unlock this same revolver in Red Dead Redemption 2.
What to Do Now
If you’re stuck looking for that first note, stop driving in circles. Fly a helicopter. The verticality of Los Santos means clues are often higher or lower than they appear on the 2D map.
If you’ve already finished the hunt and spent the cash, check your weapon wheel for the Stone Hatchet quest next. It’s triggered by Maude Eccles and pays out another quarter-million.
The vanderlinde treasure hunt location is basically a free stimulus check from Rockstar. Don't leave the money on the table just because you can't find a piece of paper on a rock. Check your email, listen for the chimes, and go get that gold.
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Next Steps for Players:
- Check your iFruit email for the "vanderlinde" sender to see which of the 20 photos you received.
- Toggle your SFX volume up and Music volume down to hear the wind chimes more clearly when searching the yellow circle.
- Use a Buzzard or Sparrow to quickly navigate the mountainous search areas like Mount Josiah or the San Chianski range.
- Launch a low-level Contact Mission once you have the revolver to grind out the 50 headshots without getting a 5-star wanted level.