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Several months of waiting are over – online heists are now live with Grand Theft Auto V’s multi-player system.
Available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation 3 and 4, the new update will now enable players to put together heists with their friends before carrying them out.
Heists were a central element to the game’s single player story mode, and had been promised since before the game’s release in late 2013. Now for just over 4.5GB of space on both Xbox and Playstaion, the game mode moves online for the first time.
Teasing fans in recent days, developer Rockstar has created a checklist for those players who are keen to take part in heists. (All of us).
First things first: every heist needs a leader and the heist Leader is going to need to be at least rank 12 and own a high-end apartment with a planning board in order to co-ordinate the crime. Not only do heist Leaders cough up all of the setup costs up-front, they have complete control over team roles and the cut of the final take each Crew Member gets.
Additionally, heist progress is only saved for the heist leader – so when choosing a leader it makes sense to link up with someone you can trust.
It should go without saying that good teamwork starts with communication – and headsets are important to successfully pulling off heists. Whether it’s telling a lookout where they need to be, a passenger locating vehicles using the Trackify app and giving directions to the driver, or two infiltrators operating a pair of security panels in perfect sync.
At different stages of each heist, Crew members will be assigned different roles. These could be slightly different responsibilities within a single scenario – for example, two lookouts and a bodyguard while a buyer completes a less-then-legal exchange of information – or larger deviations, like two players patrolling in an attack chopper above while the other two infiltrate a facility below. It’s important for all players to know their strengths and, in turn, for the heist Leader to assign accordingly. If you see yourself as an ace pilot, then put in some time at the Flight School and increase that flying stat to prove it.
Professionals don’t expect the customer to provide the tools for the job. While there might be some more specialised equipment that may be provided (or that you’ll need to acquire) along the way, for the most part you’ll be using your own custom vehicles and firearms to get by. So it’s a good time to take stock and make sure your garage and your arsenal are prepared for all possibilities. Silencers on guns and RPGs in general are especially useful for certain heists while four-door vehicles with added armour can come in handy if you like to keep your friends close. With GTA Online Heists you’ll be able to unlock a range of new vehicles and gear including an extensive selection of new outfits perfect for whatever each heist throws at you.
For the financially-ambitious there are a few ways to increase the income from heists in a major way. First off, each heist has its own Elite Challenge which, upon completion, will yield a substantial cash bonus. These can be completed multiple times, but be warned: they’re no cakewalk.
On top of that, there are Special Heist Completion bonuses that can only be achieved once per person, but will add some serious zeros to your bank balance. They are as follows:
First Time – Completing each Heist Finale for the first time, will net you a bonus cash reward.
All In Order Challenge – Complete all Heists in order, including Setups, to receive a $1,000,000 cash bonus.
Loyalty Challenge – Complete all Heists, including Setups, with the same team of players to receive an additional $1,000,000 bonus.
Criminal Mastermind Challenge – Complete all Heists, in order, with the same group of players, without losing any lives, to receive a massive $10,000,000 bonus.
The one-off bonus challenges are linked to in-game awards. You can monitor your award progress via the Stats & Awards tab in the Pause Menu.
The scope of the various roles and the politics that comes with them is perhaps the most exciting thing about heists; for example, a heist leader could betray other the other team members and keep more of the score for themselves.
Clearly Rockstar has spent a lot of time piecing this new section of the game together, with the number of possibilities and potential outcomes being huge.
The biggest question that remains is why are you still reading this? You and your friends should be around the drawing board already…
