GTA Online’s Freemode Events are now live, kicking off every 12 minutes and coughing up a stack of varied objectives and challenges for you to earn extra dollars and RP. You won’t get rich quick by completing these, but they are fun, and a new way to play everyone’s favourite psychopath simulator.
Some are easy, some are bastard hard, some are frustrating and others are just plain violent. Whatever your favourite events are, here’s 12 tips and changes to the game that should help you rise to the top of the leaderboard and fold bank.
Got more tips and advice? Leave it in the comments section and we’ll add to this guide and give credit.
Okay, first up, Rockstar wants you to take part. That’s why it will give you $50,000 bonus and an exclusive Vapid t-shirt if you take part between now and Sunday, September 20. Even if Freemode Events are not for you, you should at least give this a go. Awards will be gifted by September 25.
And although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, Rockstar *always* runs a double RP and cash event the weekend following an update, so look out for that from tomorrow.
With a bunch of varied objectives you’re going to need to have access to the right vehicles. You’ll need an Osiris, T20 or Zentorno for race events, an Armoured Kurumua for the Driveby Challenge, access to a Buzzard or Annihilator to get to Blaine County locations (for Dead Drop and other objectives), a handy Rhino or Insurgent for Criminal Damage missions, and more. Basically make sure you’ve got a stocked garage because when the event kicks off you want the sharpest tool in the box. You don’t want to be poncing about in your Windsor Enus.
By now you should know Los Santos like the back of your hand and be ready to sprint to the locations that suit specific challenges. You want to be on the Great Ocean Highway and Olympic Freeway that loop the entire map for the Near Miss Challenge (get as many near misses without crashing before the time is up). Head to the airport where there’s no traffic for the challenge that asks you to cover the most distance without crashing. Be in the center of Los Santos at a busy junction for Criminal Damage. Think ahead.
Also be aware that the spawn locations for aircraft have shifted a little at the airport and Sandy Shores airfield. All these little details will be the difference between coming first and third. No one wants to come third.
They’re not in it for the money, they’re in it to piss you off. Under The Bridge struggles because of this: you’re flying a chopper with no weapons and it’s slow. King of the Castle goes tits up if someone is in a jet. Vindictive bloodbaths can pretty much put a stop to the entire point of Hunt the Beast or Dead Drop. In short, it can feel unbalanced. Get in a private lobby with friends if you can and it’s much better (isn’t it always?).
Who’d have thought a few little changes to the minimap would make such a difference to GTA Online? You can now turn off job and other blips, so there’s less clutter. Have a poke around and you can tweak it to your needs. It becomes a lot clearer and there’s also an added direction mark to show which way other players are facing. It’s now a lot easier to keeping one eye on the map while driving at high speed, too. Super.
Some players hit the top of the live leaderboard and go into passive mode so griefers can’t kill them or fuck up their score. This doesn’t work. You’re score/objectives will be erased, leaving you cursing like a sailor. You’ll only make that mistake once.
Some events are pretty good at paying out regardless of whether you win. Checkpoint Challenge coughs up $750 and 150RP for every checkpoint you pass, and there’s 120 on the map so it can be pretty lucrative.
Another trick is that players doing challenges who have bounties on their heads are still fair game. If someone with a bounty on their head is concentrating on an event they become an easier target. Take scalps, reap the reward.
Supposedly these live events happen around every 12 minutes in freemode. There’s no countdown to them happening, but then some do give you a countdown once the challenge is announced. The event that asks you to drive the furthest without crashing gives you 2 minutes 40 seconds warning, which is plenty of time to find the right spot on the map.
Hunt The Beast charges one player with a buff and asks them to pass a number of checkpoints. The Beast is invisible, apart from when it passes a checkpoint, during which it will appear on the map for about 10 seconds. This is your biggest chance to hunt it down. When you get close you’ll also hear a growl, so keep your ears pricked. You earn $15,000 for nailing the beast.
I’m not a big racing fan, but the Checkpoint Challenge actually requires exploration as much as speed. It’s not like racing through a checkpoint during normal races – a lot of checkpoints are hidden in backyards, up driveways, around walls and other obstacles, and you might even need to get out and on foot to pass them (one spawns inside the observatory maze).
Pressing down on the d-pad will show you who’s in the lead during the event. Purple names are those participating, while blues are not. If you need to get violent and crush someone’s smug winning streak, this function is your friend.
For Criminal Damage you have to cause the most amount of damage financially to win. I’ve seen people spawn a gold Luxor jet from Pegasus and nuke it, adding $14 million to their score in an instant.
You’ll have to pay the insurance on your private vehicles though, so it’s probably not worth the payback if you turn on your own supercars. There’s also a 5 minute cool down on any Pegasus spawns so you can’t spam it. For this event make sure you’re in the center of Los Santos and you’re stocked up on sticky bombs, minigun ammo and every other piece of high-powered weaponry you can find. You’ll earn $35,000 for winning.
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