The easiest way to grind The Cayo Perico Heist and rob El Rubio silly.

[FazedWraith]

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of newer players in the game and I've been doing my part in helping them out as much as I can by running CPH's for them and giving them a max cut. But things would be much faster and easier for those newer players if they can host a CPH on their own and solo rob El Rubio's silly behind. I'm going to explain below, how I setup my CPH and how long it takes me to do a full run - from the Gather Intel prep mission to peacefully swimming out in the ocean with the island growing smaller behind me.

Preps:

1.  Approach Vehicle: Longfin. 
    

- You cannot go wrong with this prep. Very simple and easy to do once you get the hang of it. Now, there are 3 possible missions here (all are of the same kind). The credit for the locations of the Phantom Wedge truck cabs goes to the YouTube channel of GTAMEN (linked at the end of this post).
 

• La Mesa Police Station: 
  You will be required to go to the Yellow marker which is the location where the Longfin boat is stored. There will be a few SWAT team members and 2-3 cops, but they're easy to kill or put down long enough for you to get in and get out. Normally, once you get near the location of the Yellow marker, our most favorite russian, Pavel will call you and let you know that he has found 2-3 truck cabs around the city to hook the longfin cab onto. Since our main goal is to do the preps as fast as possible, I will be directing you to the Phantom Wedge truck car instead of directly going to the Yellow Marker first. The location of the truck cab required is linked below. Once you collect the longfin, you will have 2-3 wanted stars. To get clear of this, get out of your truck cab and kill yourself using any means available. Once you respawn you can collect the truck and deliver it easily.
  
  https://imgur.com/a/oXy7Evr
   
• Vinewood Police Station:
  Same procedure as above. Location linked below.
  
  https://imgur.com/a/tXaMess
  
   
• Vespucci Police Station: 
  This one might be a little tricky as it would be a lot easier to kill all of the cops near the boat first (which takes slightly more time) so you can easily collect it using the cab. Location linked below. 
  
  https://imgur.com/a/1GuujZE
   

2. Weapons Loadout: Conspirator.
 

- There are two possible types of missions you can get for this prep. 

• Merryweather HQ: By far THE most annoying mission you can get. Get yourself to the Merryweather HQ down by the docks, follow an insanely slow helicopter to where the weapons are located and take out all the mercenaries present to obtain the weapons. 
  One of the biggest mistakes you can make (if you're in a flying vehicle that has lock on missiles) is to be tempted to fire upon the Merryweather Helicopter or once you reach the destination after locking onto the Merryweather mercenaries on the ground.
  
  DO NOT do this, as it will fail the mission and all that painful flying alongside the slow heli would have been for nothing. Proceed to kill the mercenaries ONLY once the red target icons have appeared on the map. I have made this mistake countless times and it really is annoying. Everything after this is pretty much self explanatory.
  
   
• CEO Office Mission: This is much easier than the other one by a whole lot. Even better if you can get your hands on a helicopter and enter through the roof entrance of the building.
  Kill the guards inside, take the weapons and make your escape!
  
   

3. Equipment: 

- There will be 4 prep missions in this category but you only need to do 3 of these. You can leave the first prep mission.
 

• Safe Codes / Plasma Cutter:
  
  -Now, depending on what your primary loot is, this prep mission will change. If your primary loot is kept locked inside the Glass Case in the basement of El Rubio's compound, you will have the Plasma Cutter prep mission which can be done easily and is self explanatory.
  
  If you've got the bearer bonds as primary loot the, it will be locked inside the safe and will require "Safe Codes" to gain access to it. Very easy mission, self explanatory. 
  
   
• Fingerprint Cloner:
  
  -Used to hack the Fingerprint modules to gain access to the Primary Loot area. Once again, a pretty easy mission to do. When you arrive at the safe house first, look for the circuit box that control the CCTV power and press E to cut the power. If not, you will be spotted by the guards inside and those npc's are very quick to shoot you once you enter. Rest of the mission is self explanatory.
  
   
• Cutting Torch:
  
  -I'd say this is the easiest prep mission of all. This also eliminates the need for bolt cutters (if you plan on looting one of the locked sheds outside the compound which I would advise against). Go to the construction site, find a Yellow Hard hat and put it on. Unless you want to go in all guns blazing and sh*t, I'd strongly recommend the hat. Rest is self explanatory. 
  
   

There you go. Just 5 prep missions - you're good to go and rob the place to your heart's content (and till your duffel bag is full). This setup took me over an hour to do it the first time, but as I kept doing it I got better and now it takes around 50 minutes to an hour to complete the whole run (finale included).

This approach was designed after trying out every possible way of entry and exit. Others take way too much time and complicates the heist unnecessarily. 

I play on PC and if anybody wants me to tag along on a run with them to show how to navigate within the compound, I'd be happy to help out. My IGN is: FazedWraith and my discord is: Fazed#9193. Don't worry, I'm happy with 15%. 

Credits: 

1. GTAMEN YouTube Channel for the Phantom Wedge locations.
    
2. Imgur for letting me upload them screenshots.

 

- Fazed.
Social Club: FazedWraith
Discord: Fazed#9193

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by FazedWraith
added a point under weapons loadout

[cybapete]

4 hours ago, FazedWraith said:

• One of the biggest mistakes you can make (if you're in a flying vehicle that has lock on missiles) is to be tempted to fire upon the Merryweather Helicopter or once you reach the destination after locking onto the Merryweather mercenaries on the ground.
  
  DO NOT do this, as it will fail the mission and all that painful flying alongside the slow heli would have been for nothing. Proceed to kill the mercenaries ONLY once the red target icons have appeared on the map. I have made this mistake countless times and it really is annoying. Everything after this is pretty much self explanatory.
   

once you work out where it's going you can line up & fly ahead of the valkyrie and shoot the merryweather mercenaries but keep an eye on the minimap for the blue icon don't let it catch up to you while you're fighting the others

shoot them up for a bit then wait nearby (doesn't matter if there's some remaining) LET THE VALKYRIE LAND watch for the rotors to stop spinning then fly over it the blue icon should disappear, replaced by the last few targets

Edited June 5, 2021 by cybapete
clarification

[FazedWraith]

2 hours ago, cybapete said:

once you work out where it's going you can line up & fly ahead of the valkyrie and shoot the merryweather mercenaries but keep an eye on the minimap for the blue icon don't let it catch up to you while you're fighting the others

shoot them up for a bit then wait nearby (doesn't matter if there's some remaining) LET THE VALKYRIE LAND watch for the rotors to stop spinning then fly over it the blue icon should disappear, replaced by the last few targets

I've tried this but if you don't do it just right, there's a chance of failing the entire mission and having to repeat the whole thing again essentially costing more time. At least this has been my experience so far.

[Gaffa]

Good guide... some things to note:-

1) The non-personal Phantom Wedge doesn't seem to be worth it - It's a faster truck but the speed is often negated by the point of that particular truck being further away from the target, and usually in a "less accessible" part of the map. Owning a Vehicle Cargo Warehouse with a Phantom Wedge in it allows you to call your own one, of course, and "some say" *it could* be going on sale in a couple of weeks or so. 
The front wedge actually prevents this truck from taking the most direct route from La Mesa (makes it very hard to get over the wall near the train tracks), which is to enter the storm drain and come out at the south end on the right-hand-side.

 

Also, I was alluding to this in another post recently, but people need to have in mind "how they want to do the heist" before they choose their entry vehicle.
- Are you doing it solo or with others? 
- Do you want to go for the Elite Challenge and / or full loot bags? (You should be really, it's not a difficult heist to achieve). 
- Do you prefer to collect external Secondary Loot before going into the Compound? 
- Are there helpful locations of things such as uniforms or the Supply Truck that could be quicker once you get to the Compound but slower initially? 

 

This is why to me, a "single approach, single vehicle" way of doing it is not ideal and I must've done the heist 40 times in the last 10 days alone setting up a new account. As an example, the Longfin is my preferred approach at the Main Dock, but if Secondary Loot is piss poor and the only good option is the Weed Farm lockup, then perhaps I'd go for an Annihilator Stealth approach knowing that the heist can be done under 7 minutes from the Southern Drop Point, and changing up the vehicle choice from what I'm doing nearly every other time makes a nice change in scenery and dialogue, even if there is an extra mission to do. 
On the other hand, if you get two paintings in the office and just accept the small financial loss, you can get in and out via the Kosatka in 5 minutes or less - so the time saved for one thing often means the time spent doing another thing. 

 

2) I love the Military Rifle and whilst it is good, I think the Assault Rifle Mk.2 has more damage per second with the FMJ rounds and is a slightly more accurate rifle. The 20 round magazine is the only drawback really - if you need to use 200 rounds of ammo you're doing the heist wrong in my opinion. 

I too fly ahead on that Valkyrie mission because its flight speed of around 65mph is less than half the aircraft is capable of... nevertheless you'll do some waiting regardless.
There seems to be three locations for the Avenger - the closest to LS is at the Palmer-Taylor Power Station, the next one is in the Grand Senora Desert literally just North of the Counterfeit Cash Factory up there, and finally there's a location in the North-East area of Grapeseed. 

Using the lock-on missiles of a vehicle (but not engaging the Valkyrie) can help to find the Avenger if you're unsure of where it is, as it'll lock onto the Merryweather team over there. 

 

3) A tip for the Safe Codes mission is to send the Kosatka and Sparrow back to storage when you arrive at the Casino, and then let yourself be killed (or kill yourself) once you've successfully acquired the codes. What happens next is console dependent... On Xbox or PlayStation, you'll spawn at the NOOSE Facility after your death so you could just call your Sparrow and fly forward (towards the sea)...
Now on PC it works differently, as you'll spawn outside Penthouse Suite, on the level where all the Suites are located. There, you simply need to find one of the doorways that "takes you somewhere else" and you'll usually fall into an OOB (Out Of Bounds) area with your character model falling under the map. 

Not to worry though - after the fall / parachuting, you should be near the NOOSE Facility again. 

For the Plasma Cutter mission, taking a photograph when you walk into the Safe House or Warehouse or whatever it is, is usually enough for Pavel to know the location of the cutter, so you can shave off a few seconds there by simply not walking up to the planning board in that room. 

 

There's also a very handy interactive map to help with some of the locations:- https://www.gtaboom.com/cayo-perico-map/

Edited June 5, 2021 by Gaffa

[secrecy274]

Got to ask, why do you consider Longfin superior to Kosatka - Drainage Tunnel?

[Rotorhead359]

1 hour ago, secrecy274 said:

Got to ask, why do you consider Longfin superior to Kosatka - Drainage Tunnel?

During the heist finale, you can take the Longfin to the docks, pick up a guard uniform, take some secondary loot, then take the Longfin to the Drainage Tunnel if you like. It is more versatile than the Kosatka, which just drops you off swimming.

Edited June 5, 2021 by AirWolf359

[FazedWraith]

2 hours ago, Gaffa said:

Good guide... some things to note:-

1) The non-personal Phantom Wedge doesn't seem to be worth it - It's a faster truck but the speed is often negated by the point of that particular truck being further away from the target, and usually in a "less accessible" part of the map. Owning a Vehicle Cargo Warehouse with a Phantom Wedge in it allows you to call your own one, of course, and "some say" *it could* be going on sale in a couple of weeks or so. 
The front wedge actually prevents this truck from taking the most direct route from La Mesa (makes it very hard to get over the wall near the train tracks), which is to enter the storm drain and come out at the south end on the right-hand-side.

 

Also, I was alluding to this in another post recently, but people need to have in mind "how they want to do the heist" before they choose their entry vehicle.
- Are you doing it solo or with others? 
- Do you want to go for the Elite Challenge and / or full loot bags? (You should be really, it's not a difficult heist to achieve). 
- Do you prefer to collect external Secondary Loot before going into the Compound? 
- Are there helpful locations of things such as uniforms or the Supply Truck that could be quicker once you get to the Compound but slower initially? 

 

This is why to me, a "single approach, single vehicle" way of doing it is not ideal and I must've done the heist 40 times in the last 10 days alone setting up a new account. As an example, the Longfin is my preferred approach at the Main Dock, but if Secondary Loot is piss poor and the only good option is the Weed Farm lockup, then perhaps I'd go for an Annihilator Stealth approach knowing that the heist can be done under 7 minutes from the Southern Drop Point, and changing up the vehicle choice from what I'm doing nearly every other time makes a nice change in scenery and dialogue, even if there is an extra mission to do. 
On the other hand, if you get two paintings in the office and just accept the small financial loss, you can get in and out via the Kosatka in 5 minutes or less - so the time saved for one thing often means the time spent doing another thing. 

 

2) I love the Military Rifle and whilst it is good, I think the Assault Rifle Mk.2 has more damage per second with the FMJ rounds and is a slightly more accurate rifle. The 20 round magazine is the only drawback really - if you need to use 200 rounds of ammo you're doing the heist wrong in my opinion. 

I too fly ahead on that Valkyrie mission because its flight speed of around 65mph is less than half the aircraft is capable of... nevertheless you'll do some waiting regardless.
There seems to be three locations for the Avenger - the closest to LS is at the Palmer-Taylor Power Station, the next one is in the Grand Senora Desert literally just North of the Counterfeit Cash Factory up there, and finally there's a location in the North-East area of Grapeseed. 

Using the lock-on missiles of a vehicle (but not engaging the Valkyrie) can help to find the Avenger if you're unsure of where it is, as it'll lock onto the Merryweather team over there. 

 

3) A tip for the Safe Codes mission is to send the Kosatka and Sparrow back to storage when you arrive at the Casino, and then let yourself be killed (or kill yourself) once you've successfully acquired the codes. What happens next is console dependent... On Xbox or PlayStation, you'll spawn at the NOOSE Facility after your death so you could just call your Sparrow and fly forward (towards the sea)...
Now on PC it works differently, as you'll spawn outside Penthouse Suite, on the level where all the Suites are located. There, you simply need to find one of the doorways that "takes you somewhere else" and you'll usually fall into an OOB (Out Of Bounds) area with your character model falling under the map. 

Not to worry though - after the fall / parachuting, you should be near the NOOSE Facility again. 

For the Plasma Cutter mission, taking a photograph when you walk into the Safe House or Warehouse or whatever it is, is usually enough for Pavel to know the location of the cutter, so you can shave off a few seconds there by simply not walking up to the planning board in that room. 

 

There's also a very handy interactive map to help with some of the locations:- https://www.gtaboom.com/cayo-perico-map/

All the points you've mentioned are pretty accurate and dependent on the way you're doing the heist. I agree with the methods you have mentioned.
However, a few points of my own:

1) I agree the personal phantom wedge is the way to go for a bit more established players but some may not own the Vehicle Cargo Warehouse and simply cannot own a personal Wedge of their own. 

The setup I've described is suitable for all people looking to solo heist to those running with a complete crew. I've usually gotten pretty good secondary loot at the airstrip so I easily hit the Elite Challenge 9 times out of 10. 

2) The weapons honestly does not matter as long as you've got a silenced AR in the mix for the lesser experienced players and those who are more experienced can choose to take out the guards with a pistol to avoid "wall hitting" and accidentally alerting the other guards nearby. The point you make is legit, but I feel the type of AR doesn't really matter if you're planning to pull it off sneaky which I always try to.

3) The Safe Codes mission hack is solid indeed. I gotta try this out myself, although I've never really had trouble getting back to my kosatka after I obtain the codes.

About the Plasma Cutter mission - I have actually experimented with this. To see whether you need to take an actual picture of the planning board or simply clicking any random picture is enough and the results are inconsistent. The method you've mentioned does not work all the time and I've wasted a few seconds there trying to click a picture.

Very solid points nonetheless man. Appreciate the input.

- Fazed

1 hour ago, secrecy274 said:

Got to ask, why do you consider Longfin superior to Kosatka - Drainage Tunnel?

It's a lot more effective than the Kostaka. Whether you're looking to loot El Rubio's airstrip or a quick in-out of the compound, the Longfin is versatile enough to help accomplish either goal. 
Even though I've mentioned the Longfin, there are other vehicles and approaches available. I've played out all of them and decided to stick with the one that I felt most compatible with. Cheers.

- Fazed

[secrecy274]

3 hours ago, AirWolf359 said:

During the heist finale, you can take the Longfin to the docks, pick up a guard uniform, take some secondary loot, then take the Longfin to the Drainage Tunnel if you like. It is more versatile than the Kosatka, which just drops you off swimming.

I admit, I hadn't thought of that.

Still, the Kosatka prep is quick and easy, and my own strategy won't be improved by using the Longfin.

[Gaffa]

9 hours ago, FazedWraith said:

About the Plasma Cutter mission - I have actually experimented with this. To see whether you need to take an actual picture of the planning board or simply clicking any random picture is enough and the results are inconsistent. The method you've mentioned does not work all the time and I've wasted a few seconds there trying to click a picture.

 

Then all I can really say is you're not taking the picture correctly. If in doubt you can take a couple of steps forward to the table but yeah I must've used this technique over 100 times on PC and over 40 on PlayStation without any issues - but whatever, its only a few seconds of difference anyway. 

[DuduLima]

I use some of the above techniques, but i adapted some of those to my actual situation and playstyle. (Focus on the Prep Missions).

Also ...

 

My personal Heist approach/grinding is a walk in the park for now, the only variations to consider are the approaching vehicle, which depends if i find the guard clothes at the Airport, Fishing Pier or North Pier while scouting the island. (Approaching Vehicle will be the last topic to discuss).

 

Also i use a low LVL Budget version since i'm farming while in my niece acc.

 

Basic Requirements as per farm: Drainage Pipe discovered. (Cutting Torch).

 

Starting Position: Kosatka at Vespucci Beach:

Starting Position Budget Low LVL: Kosatka at Elysian Island. (I park close to the Merryweather HQ to get a heli).

 

Loadout + Vehicles: 

 

Spoiler

Vehicles: Sparrow (Missiles), Armored Kuruma, and Buzzard (Backup Heli).

Loadout: Assault Shotgun, Pistol AP, Up-N-Atomizer, Grenade Launcher, Bullpup Rifle or Special Carbine. (Sticky Bomb as thrownable and one of the guns with a Supressor, pref for the Shotgun or the Assault Rifle).

 

Budget Low LVL Vehicles: (Faster street cars such as the Dominator, Gauntlet Or Elegy RH8 + Any Heli at Heliports, Frogger if you bought the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack).

Budget Low LVL Loadout: Heavy Shotgun, Micro SMG/Mini SMG/Machine Pistol, Compact GL and Bullpup Rifle or Special Carbine. (Sticky Bomb as thrownable and one of the guns with a Supressor, pref for the Shotgun or the Assault Rifle).

 

=== To Low Budget or Low LVL's: ===

 

BE CAREFUL ... Using certain unarmored cars and even other bullet resistant cars (excluding the Armored Kuruma) can be risky because of the terminator pursuers NPC's in certain missions such as Plasma Cutter or Cutting Torch. (if you got discovered and Heli exploded or don't have a Heli), so up the skills behind the controler wheels™.

 

===== The Prep Missions: =====

 

1- Unmarked Weapons:

 

Spoiler

- I select the Agressor or Crack Shot (if i select the Longfin + North Dock to get the clothes and clear the guards with a Sniper Rifle).

 

If you get the HQ mission and have the sub missiles, destroy the Valkyrie, do any other prep and do this later).

 

Always go to roof entrance by Heli, Any Auto Shotgun to clear the building (clean the front table, go to the right, to the meeting room/table to have a better position clear the remaining enemies), select roof exit (left d-pad) and use any of the Assault Rifle to kill the side gunners of the Buzzards.

 

Suggested Route:

 

 

Point A : You can use the shotgun to clear the enemies in the left side of the receptionist table and if you are fast enough, you can clear the enemy close to the Point E. (Assault Rifles works well if you get used to this mission).

Point B : Stay Close to the receptionist table, the enemy on the right side of the receptionist table will likely go to Point C, so you can get him upfront while moving to C. (If you are fast enough you can clear the enemy on the living room close to the Point D).

Point C : Cover Time, the three enemies on front of you shouldn't be a problem, clear and quick sweep.

Point D : Cover Time 2, you can clear the enemies close to the telescope and the notebook, or if the enemy in front of you wasn't clear in the point B, you will have to kill him while moving to D, since he moves parallel to the cover, he usually engage before you. (Pre-fire can be useful).

Point E : This step is focused in the single enemy in the personal bedroom, pre-fire and kill him, because rarely this enemy can go to the doors close to B and shoot you. (While in Point B this can happen too, but it is very rare).

 

Q: Why go to this route using Point C and Point D since you can go straight to Point E via personal bedroom and kill all enemies in the living room and in the meeting table ?

A: Because rarely the enemies in the Point C can go to Point D and shoot you while you are hacking, so better be safe than sorry. (Time is essence and NPC's can always be a possible problem).

 

Q: Why not use GL to clear some of the path ?

A: Easy to say, money saving, fire is the problem and can drain your life and thanks to the NPC's movements, you can die, even with proper GL grenades while at Point B to clear Points C, D and E.

 

=== Advice for low LVL and low budget players: ===

 

NOTE 1: IF the Heli despawn after exiting the office. (If you used a street Heli from a Helipad aka not-Pegasus, not-Personal or not-CEO Heli is a quite likely scenario). Clear the gunners from the Buzzards and parachute to a nearby street, + spawns personal car and go to the Sub).

 

NOTE: IF you are using the budget LVL and gets the HQ mission, Gets out of the sub, go to the ground, change spawn to last location, change clothes, Creator + Invite-Only Session to quick spawn, i use this method because the Kosatka CAN spawn in other places outside Mainland LS. (even with a bought Buzzard).

 

2- Fingerprint Cloner:

 

Spoiler

- "Easiest" mission among all the preps alongside the Cutting Torch prep. (If you do this right)

 

Get a Heli and go to the warehouse:

 

1° Warehouse:

Disable the cameras (fuse box is close to a parked Novak the one which isn't in the front of the warehouse), enter the warehouse, go to the first right, inside of the rack/shelve, take cover and use the GL, one grenade in the wall in your left (middle of the column, above the bike close to the enemy) is usually enough to clear the warehouse, but rarely the enemy close to the notebook survives. (use anything to kill him).

 

 

NOTE: YOUR POSITION IS EVERYTHING ... Be careful to not go back to the entrance or to being close to the boxes, even if you clear everything in 1 grenade, you will lose time either by being killed or by exiting the building, so after shooting the GL, stays aimed with your gun and close to the shelve while passing to the large boxes.

 

2° Warehouse: Disable the Cameras with a Shotgun, enter the building, go to the last set of tables on the left, get the card and go to the sub.

 

NOTE: Aim properly your shotgun to take out the Cameras (1 per shot), because rarely if you miss the shots you can trigger the alarm and unlike the first Warehouse, this one spawns NPC's enemies that will chase you. (They have high accuracy).

 

3- Cutting Torch:

 

Spoiler

- "Easiest" mission among all the preps alongside the Fingerprint Cloner prep. (If you do this right)

 

Get the heli and go to the construction site, use a hard hat (it is usually close to the entrance, parallel to the position of a car, except in the Mile High Club, will be in left of the parachute, parallel to the crane), check the toolboxes, get the tool and go to the sub.

 

=== 3 Hard Hat Locations: ===

 

 

 

 

NOTE: Players can go loud in this prep, no problem, but you will be chased on the ground by those NPC's, so any heli close to the building is a must.

 

NOTE 2: The NPC's of this mission can be a problem and low levels should try to go with the hard hat approach, those NPC's can be really annoying in a chase because of their high accuracy.

 

4- Is either Safe Code or Plasma Cutter (Depending if the primary target is on the safe or in the glass case).

 

Safe Code Prep:

 

Spoiler

- Easy mission, but can be tricky because of the number of guards inside the penthouse.

 

Go inside of the Diamond Casino and ... get the elevator to the garage and search for a Yellow Pigalle, steal the card on the car's trunk, (If you have a penthouse the garage step will be skipped), get the elevator to the Penthouse level and search for a door with two guards, take cover in any of the side walls and take down the guards quickly with silenced weapons. (you can go loud but you will have resistance inside).

Enter the penthouse, (if you managed to stay in stealth, unselect your weapons) and search for the head of security (he is either inside of the Guest's Room at right; Meeting Table, which is close to the middle of the penthouse (Left and right) or at the Bar/Leisure Room at the end of penthouse at the left, kill him and search the body for the card. (IT IS no more stealth to this point, all guards will become alerted when you attack the head of security). Run to the door and after exiting the penthouse you can kill yourself with a sticky bomb/grenade to pass the mission. (Not intended, but still a way to avoid the guards and the cop chase).

 

=== Note to Low LVL's and low Budget players: ===

 

NOTE: Low LVL's should try to stay stealth as maximum as possible, so a suppressed auto Shotgun still the best weapon to takedown fast the two guards.

 

NOTE 2: The head of security have a Assault Shotgun and can even tank a HS, so be fast to kill him and as preference, deal with the other guards before searching him.

 

Plasma Cutter Prep:

 

Spoiler

- This one is tricky and the NPC's can be a proper Problem:

 

You need to go in a safe house and after that, fight against some NPC's to get the Cutter. (sounds simple, but)

Getting to the safe house isn't the problem, the NPC's at the final location are the real deal, the can do some damage to your heli and you, so some tips to go after them.

 

 

RED DOT: Possible Locations.

GREEN DOTS: Place to stop the Heli either to shoot in long range, better position to move close to the target or to get any other ground vehicle such as the Armored Kuruma to approach the location.

 

TIP 1: If the Safe House is the one close to the Car Wash in Strawberry, the final location will be in Del Perro Beach, this version is the trickiest of all, since the enemies and the bag will be in a small CQC place, so it is advised to use a heli to clear the front enemies, park in the alley before entering that space.

NOTE FOR THE TIP 1: If you are low Budget/LVL you can park behind the Alley or close to the wall of that building and clear the enemies of the front, use a sticky to help clear the enemies inside of the space.

 

TIP 2: If the Safe House ISN'T close to the Car Wash in Strawberry, the final location will be in the alleys in Rockford Hills (3 Locations), these places are more forgiving than the Del Perro Beach since they are a more open to approach. Some grenades of a GL can help clear the place.

 

TIP 3: The enemies in the pursuers cars will respawn again in cars after the last enemy in the first or previous wave of 4 enemies (in the cars) dies, so you can kill 3 enemies and let 1 alive while escaping the location to have a smoother escape.

 

GENERAL NOTE: You can check on the map where the safe house is and based on the TIP 1, you can do a early attack on the Final Destinations if you are using a Heli.

GENERAL NOTE 2: You can get the Cutter before going the safe house, but you will still need to pass close to the Last Location again to trigger the deliver to Kosatka message, good heli pilots can quickly fly low to the location to trigger without stopping.

 

5- The Approaching Vehicles:

 

Left those to the End because i'm seeing people putting some questionable points against other approaches because of x factors.

But let's consider 3 proper main approaches as possible: Kosatka, Velum, Longfin.

 

Kosatka:

 

Spoiler

- The good ol' diving simlulator.

 

The Kosatka approach mission is annoying, but can be generally a little bit faster to complete than the other two methods.

Basically kill the guarding heli and the boats, infiltrate a sub and steal a sonar deflector.

A GL, Atomizer + Guns or any Shotgun can do the work, 3 possible locations: (Main Control Room at base level; Torpedo Bay at lower level, Front part or the Engine Bay at the lower level, Rear Part).

 

MAIN TIP: IT IS easier to teleport to the closest location, drive the sub and use the periscope missiles to do the job of cleaning the guarding Merryweather vehicles, park the sub in the middle of the searching area, go and do the mission normally, after doing the infiltration and fleeing with the sonar, you will not be followed by Enemies because you are already close to the sub.

 

PERSONAL OPINION: Kosatka Approach for me is only when i have 2 paintings at the main office or when the guards clothing are out of question, nothing more, it is the fastest method (compound full loot) and can be easily made in ~7 to 8 mins (two paitings at the compound + swimming/boat) to 10~12 mins (full loot + boat escape at Main Docks).

 

Velum: 

 

Spoiler

- The usual good smuggler approach™.

 

Mission is simple: Get a Velum at a specific location (Sandy Shores Airport or MacKenzie Field) and deliver to the hangar at LSIA.

Similar in numbers to the Scouting mission, 1 Plane and some enemies close to a car and the plane.

 

MAIN TIP: Any player with a Sparrow can Teleport the sub to San Chianski and do the mission normally, saving time. (After getting the Velum ALWAYS remember to return both Kosatka and the Sparrow to the storage, because after the mission you can spawn them close to you in the Airport without being hold by timers).

 

TIP 2: Low Budget players doesn't need to teleport, it is easier and fastrt to use the heli from the Merryweather HQ to go to the plane than to teleport. (If said player doesn't have a Heli).

 

PERSONAL OPINION: Velum Approach have it's charm, i usually use this if the guard clothes are in the Airport or in the Fishing Pier, full loot is usually easy to obtain and thanks to the nearby Squaddie i can move faster to the secondary targets + compound. can be made in usually ~10 mins (full loot + swimming/boat) to 11~13 mins (full loot + boat escape at Main Docks).

 

Longfin: 

 

Spoiler

-Are ya ready kids?, Aye aye captain! (Police can be annoying).

 

Mission is simple: Trailer with the Speedboat is held inside of a police station (3 Possible Locations), grab a truck to haul the trailer and leave it in the docks.

 

After getting close to any of the marked police stations, Pavel will send the location of trucks in the map to haul the trailer, go to the location of the two trucks (the one truck marked alone means it will be heavily guarded by a heist crew with a Rebel with a .50) and steal the truck (you can steal and use a truck spawned on the traffic too), go back to the police station, try to get the trailer fast (back up and use the snacks to fill your health while doing this) evade the cops and go to Elysian Island (Location Below).

 

 

TIP 1: You can exit the truck and kill yourself to lose the cops, after getting out of the police station or when getting close to the destination.

 

TIP 2: Bought a Phantom Wedge ??? I have good news, spawn it via vehicle menu and just collect the trailer with it, you can use it to deliver the trailer instead of the marked trucks or instead of the street-spawned trucks.

 

NOTE: THE MOC CAB DOESN'T WORK to deliver the trailer on this mission, it should work as based on the conversations, BUT ...

 

PERSONAL OPINION: Longfin Approach is really nice, i usually use this if the guard clothes are in the North Pier or Main Pier, some sec. full loot is also usually easy to obtain and thanks to the nearby Manchez or Winky ... i can move faster to some of the secondary targets + compound. It can be made in usually ~10 mins (full loot + swimming/boat) to 11~12 mins (full loot + boat escape at Main Docks).

 

PERSONAL OPINION ON CANCEL HEIST METHOD FOR BETTER TARGETS:

 

Spoiler

- IT IS NOT "TIME" WORTH. 10-15 mins to get the Velum and scout the island can make a difference if you don't have spare time.

 

(Sorry for the fellas which lost almost half a hour to scout two Sinsimito Tequilas or to have bad secondaries spawns).   

 

1.2~1.3M is not the real deal, but still something.

 

Will not comment on the Heist escape since everyone usually goes for the swimming/boat method to save time if you have full loot after exiting the compound.

 

Less than a hour from island scouting to finish the Heist is what makes this Heist a must for lone wolves. (Still my fears of R* doing some nerfs on this heist still exist).

Edited June 7, 2021 by DuduLima

[FazedWraith]

1 hour ago, Gaffa said:

 

Then all I can really say is you're not taking the picture correctly. If in doubt you can take a couple of steps forward to the table but yeah I must've used this technique over 100 times on PC and over 40 on PlayStation without any issues - but whatever, its only a few seconds of difference anyway. 

Could be that I'm not taking the right picture. I'll definitely check out the few steps forward to the table thingy and get back to you.

[FazedWraith]

10 minutes ago, DuduLima said:

I use some of the above techniques, but i adapted some of those to my actual situation and playstyle. (Focus on the Prep Missions).

Also ...

 

My personal Heist approach/grinding is a walk in the park for now, the only variations to consider are the approaching vehicle, which depends if i find the guard clothes at the Airport, Fishing Pier or North Pier while scouting the island. (Approaching Vehicle will be the last topic to discuss).

 

Also i use a low LVL Budget version since i'm farming while in my niece acc.

 

Basic Requirements as per farm: Drainage Pipe discovered. (Cutting Torch).

 

Starting Position: Kosatka at Vespucci Beach:

Starting Position Budget Low LVL: Kosatka at Elysian Island. (I park close to the Merryweather HQ to get a heli).

 

Loadout + Vehicles: 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Vehicles: Sparrow (Missiles), Armored Kuruma, and Buzzard (Backup Heli).

Loadout: Assault Shotgun, Pistol AP, Up-N-Atomizer, Grenade Launcher, Bullpup Rifle or Special Carbine. (Sticky Bomb as thrownable and one of the guns with a Supressor, pref for the Shotgun or the Assault Rifle).

 

Budget Low LVL Vehicles: (Faster street cars such as the Dominator, Gauntlet Or Elegy RH8 + Any Heli at Heliports, Frogger if you bought the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack).

Budget Low LVL Loadout: Heavy Shotgun, Micro SMG/Mini SMG/Machine Pistol, Compact GL and Bullpup Rifle or Special Carbine. (Sticky Bomb as thrownable and one of the guns with a Supressor, pref for the Shotgun or the Assault Rifle).

 

=== To Low Budget or Low LVL's: ===

 

BE CAREFUL ... Using certain unarmored cars and even other bullet resistant cars (excluding the Armored Kuruma) can be risky because of the terminator pursuers NPC's in certain missions such as Plasma Cutter or Cutting Torch. (if you got discovered and Heli exploded or don't have a Heli), so up the skills behind the controler wheels™.

 

===== The Prep Missions: =====

 

1- Unmarked Weapons:

 

  Hide contents

- I select the Agressor or Crack Shot (if i select the Longfin + North Dock to get the clothes and clear the guards with a Sniper Rifle).

 

If you get the HQ mission and have the sub missiles, destroy the Valkyrie, do any other prep and do this later).

 

Always go to roof entrance by Heli, Any Auto Shotgun to clear the building (clean the front table, go to the right, to the meeting room/table to have a better position clear the remaining enemies), select roof exit (left d-pad) and use any of the Assault Rifle to kill the side gunners of the Buzzards.

 

Suggested Route:

 

 

Point A : You can use the shotgun to clear the enemies in the left side of the receptionist table and if you are fast enough, you can clear the enemy close to the Point E. (Assault Rifles works well if you get used to this mission).

Point B : Stay Close to the receptionist table, the enemy on the right side of the receptionist table will likely go to Point C, so you can get him upfront while moving to C. (If you are fast enough you can clear the enemy on the living room close to the Point D).

Point C : Cover Time, the three enemies on front of you shouldn't be a problem, clear and quick sweep.

Point D : Cover Time 2, you can clear the enemies close to the telescope and the notebook, or if the enemy in front of you wasn't clear in the point B, you will have to kill him while moving to D, since he moves parallel to the cover, he usually engage before you. (Pre-fire can be useful).

Point E : This step is focused in the single enemy in the personal bedroom, pre-fire and kill him, because rarely this enemy can go to the doors close to B and shoot you. (While in Point B this can happen too, but it is very rare).

 

Q: Why go to this route using Point C and Point D since you can go straight to Point E via personal bedroom and kill all enemies in the living room and in the meeting table ?

A: Because rarely the enemies in the Point C can go to Point D and shoot you while you are hacking, so better be safe than sorry. (Time is essence and NPC's can always be a possible problem).

 

Q: Why not use GL to clear some of the path ?

A: Easy to say, money saving, fire is the problem and can drain your life and thanks to the NPC's movements, you can die, even with proper GL grenades while at Point B to clear Points C, D and E.

 

=== Advice for low LVL and low budget players: ===

 

NOTE 1: IF the Heli despawn after exiting the office. (If you used a street Heli from a Helipad aka not-Pegasus, not-Personal or not-CEO Heli is a quite likely scenario). Clear the gunners from the Buzzards and parachute to a nearby street, + spawns personal car and go to the Sub).

 

NOTE: IF you are using the budget LVL and gets the HQ mission, Gets out of the sub, go to the ground, change spawn to last location, change clothes, Creator + Invite-Only Session to quick spawn, i use this method because the Kosatka CAN spawn in other places outside Mainland LS. (even with a bought Buzzard).

 

2- Fingerprint Cloner:

 

  Hide contents

- "Easiest" mission among all the preps alongside the Cutting Torch prep. (If you do this right)

 

Get a Heli and go to the warehouse:

 

1° Warehouse:

Disable the cameras (fuse box is close to a parked Novak the one which isn't in the front of the warehouse), enter the warehouse, go to the first right, inside of the rack/shelve, take cover and use the GL, one grenade in the wall in your left (middle of the column, above the bike close to the enemy) is usually enough to clear the warehouse, but rarely the enemy close to the notebook survives. (use anything to kill him).

 

 

NOTE: YOUR POSITION IS EVERYTHING ... Be careful to not go back to the entrance or to being close to the boxes, even if you clear everything in 1 grenade, you will lose time either by being killed or by exiting the building, so after shooting the GL, stays aimed with your gun and close to the shelve while passing to the large boxes.

 

2° Warehouse: Disable the Cameras with a Shotgun, enter the building, go to the last set of tables on the left, get the card and go to the sub.

 

NOTE: Aim properly your shotgun to take out the Cameras (1 per shot), because rarely if you miss the shots you can trigger the alarm and unlike the first Warehouse, this one spawns NPC's enemies that will chase you. (They have high accuracy).

 

3- Cutting Torch:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

- "Easiest" mission among all the preps alongside the Fingerprint Cloner prep. (If you do this right)

 

Get the heli and go to the construction site, use a hard hat (it is usually close to the entrance, parallel to the position of a car, except in the Mile High Club, will be in left of the parachute, parallel to the crane), check the toolboxes, get the tool and go to the sub.

 

=== 3 Hard Hat Locations: ===

 

 

 

 

NOTE: Players can go loud in this prep, no problem, but you will be chased on the ground by those NPC's, so any heli close to the building is a must.

 

NOTE 2: The NPC's of this mission can be a problem and low levels should try to go with the hard hat approach, those NPC's can be really annoying in a chase because of their high accuracy.

 

4- Is either Safe Code or Plasma Cutter (Depending if the primary target is on the safe or in the glass case).

 

Safe Code Prep:

 

  Hide contents

- Easy mission, but can be tricky because of the number of guards inside the penthouse.

 

Go inside of the Diamond Casino and ... get the elevator to the garage and search for a Yellow Pigalle, steal the card on the car's trunk, (If you have a penthouse the garage step will be skipped), get the elevator to the Penthouse level and search for a door with two guards, take cover in any of the side walls and take down the guards quickly with silenced weapons. (you can go loud but you will have resistance inside).

Enter the penthouse, (if you managed to stay in stealth, unselect your weapons) and search for the head of security (he is either inside of the Guest's Room at right; Meeting Table, which is close to the middle of the penthouse (Left and right) or at the Bar/Leisure Room at the end of penthouse at the left, kill him and search the body for the card. (IT IS no more stealth to this point, all guards will become alerted when you attack the head of security). Run to the door and after exiting the penthouse you can kill yourself with a sticky bomb/grenade to pass the mission. (Not intended, but still a way to avoid the guards and the cop chase).

 

=== Note to Low LVL's and low Budget players: ===

 

NOTE: Low LVL's should try to stay stealth as maximum as possible, so a suppressed auto Shotgun still the best weapon to takedown fast the two guards.

 

NOTE 2: The head of security have a Assault Shotgun and can even tank a HS, so be fast to kill him and as preference, deal with the other guards before searching him.

 

Plasma Cutter Prep:

 

  Hide contents

- This one is tricky and the NPC's can be a proper Problem:

 

You need to go in a safe house and after that, fight against some NPC's to get the Cutter. (sounds simple, but)

Getting to the safe house isn't the problem, the NPC's at the final location are the real deal, the can do some damage to your heli and you, so some tips to go after them.

 

 

RED DOT: Possible Locations.

GREEN DOTS: Place to stop the Heli either to shoot in long range, better position to move close to the target or to get any other ground vehicle such as the Armored Kuruma to approach the location.

 

TIP 1: If the Safe House is the one close to the Car Wash in Strawberry, the final location will be in Del Perro Beach, this version is the trickiest of all, since the enemies and the bag will be in a small CQC place, so it is advised to use a heli to clear the front enemies, park in the alley before entering that space.

NOTE FOR THE TIP 1: If you are low Budget/LVL you can park behind the Alley or close to the wall of that building and clear the enemies of the front, use a sticky to help clear the enemies inside of the space.

 

TIP 2: If the Safe House ISN'T close to the Car Wash in Strawberry, the final location will be in the alleys in Rockford Hills (3 Locations), these places are more forgiving than the Del Perro Beach since they are a more open to approach. Some grenades of a GL can help clear the place.

 

TIP 3: The enemies in the pursuers cars will respawn again in cars after the last enemy in the first or previous wave of 4 enemies (in the cars) dies, so you can kill 3 enemies and let 1 alive while escaping the location to have a smoother escape.

 

GENERAL NOTE: You can check on the map where the safe house is and based on the TIP 1, you can do a early attack on the Final Destinations if you are using a Heli.

GENERAL NOTE 2: You can get the Cutter before going the safe house, but you will still need to pass close to the Last Location again to trigger the deliver to Kosatka message, good heli pilots can quickly fly low to the location to trigger without stopping.

 

5- The Approaching Vehicles:

 

Left those to the End because i'm seeing people putting some questionable points against other approaches because of x factors.

But let's consider 3 proper main approaches as possible: Kosatka, Velum, Longfin.

 

Kosatka:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

- The good ol' diving simlulator.

 

The Kosatka approach mission is annoying, but can be generally a little bit faster to complete than the other two methods.

Basically kill the guarding heli and the boats, infiltrate a sub and steal a sonar deflector.

A GL, Atomizer + Guns or any Shotgun can do the work, 3 possible locations: (Main Control Room at base level; Torpedo Bay at lower level, Front part or the Engine Bay at the lower level, Rear Part).

 

MAIN TIP: IT IS easier to teleport to the closest location, drive the sub and use the periscope missiles to do the job of cleaning the guarding Merryweather vehicles, park the sub in the middle of the searching area, go and do the mission normally, after doing the infiltration and fleeing with the sonar, you will not be followed by Enemies because you are already close to the sub.

 

PERSONAL OPINION: Kosatka Approach for me is only when i have 2 paintings at the main office or when the guards clothing are out of question, nothing more, it is the fastest method (compound full loot) and can be easily made in ~7 to 8 mins (two paitings at the compound + swimming/boat) to 10~12 mins (full loot + boat escape at Main Docks).

 

Velum: 

 

  Hide contents

- The usual good smuggler approach™.

 

Mission is simple: Get a Velum at a specific location (Sandy Shores Airport or MacKenzie Field) and deliver to the hangar at LSIA.

Similar in numbers to the Scouting mission, 1 Plane and some enemies close to a car and the plane.

 

MAIN TIP: Any player with a Sparrow can Teleport the sub to Davis Quartz and do the mission normally, saving time. (After getting the Velum ALWAYS remember to return both Kosatka and the Sparrow to the storage, because after the mission you can spawn them close to you in the Airport without being hold by timers).

 

TIP 2: Low Budget players doesn't need to teleport, it is easier and fastrt to use the heli from the Merryweather HQ to go to the plane than to teleport. (If said player doesn't have a Heli).

 

PERSONAL OPINION: Velum Approach have it's charm, i usually use this if the guard clothes are in the Airport or in the Fishing Pier, full loot is usually easy to obtain and thanks to the nearby Squaddie i can move faster to the secondary targets + compound. can be made in usually ~10 mins (full loot + swimming/boat) to 11~13 mins (full loot + boat escape at Main Docks).

 

Longfin: 

 

  Hide contents

-Are ya ready kids?, Aye aye captain! (Police can be annoying).

 

Mission is simple: Trailer with the Speedboat is held inside of a police station (3 Possible Locations), grab a truck to haul the trailer and leave it in the docks.

 

After getting close to any of the marked police stations, Pavel will send the location of trucks in the map to haul the trailer, go to the location of the two trucks (the one truck marked alone means it will be heavily guarded by a heist crew with a Rebel with a .50) and steal the truck (you can steal and use a truck spawned on the traffic too), go back to the police station, try to get the trailer fast (back up and use the snacks to fill your health while doing this) evade the cops and go to Elysian Island (Location Below).

 

 

TIP 1: You can exit the truck and kill yourself to lose the cops, after getting out of the police station or when getting close to the destination.

 

TIP 2: Bought a Phantom Wedge ??? I have good news, spawn it via vehicle menu and just collect the trailer with it, you can use it to deliver the trailer instead of the marked trucks or instead of the street-spawned trucks.

 

NOTE: THE MOC CAB DOESN'T WORK to deliver the trailer on this mission, it should work as based on the conversations, BUT ...

 

PERSONAL OPINION: Longfin Approach is really nice, i usually use this if the guard clothes are in the North Pier or Main Pier, some sec. full loot is also usually easy to obtain and thanks to the nearby Manchez or Winky ... i can move faster to some of the secondary targets + compound. It can be made in usually ~10 mins (full loot + swimming/boat) to 11~12 mins (full loot + boat escape at Main Docks).

 

PERSONAL OPINION ON CANCEL HEIST METHOD FOR BETTER TARGETS:

 

  Hide contents

- IT IS NOT "TIME" WORTH. 10-15 mins to get the Velum and scout the island can make a difference if you don't have spare time.

 

(Sorry for the fellas which lost almost half a hour to scout two Sinsimito Tequilas or to have bad secondaries spawns).   

 

1.2~1.3M is not the real deal, but still something.

 

Will not comment on the Heist escape since everyone usually goes for the swimming/boat method to save time if you have full loot after exiting the compound.

 

A Hour or even less than a hour from island scouting to finish the Heist is what makes this Heist a must for lone wolves. (Still my fears of R* doing some nerfs on this heist still exist).

Real thorough sh*t man. I like this. The custom maps with the markers and routes will surely help newer players "see" the way they should approach said setups.

[Aquamaniac]

Some advice from me:

 

If you have no Deluxo or op-mk2 enter the office on ground and use a Bati to escape the choppers, let your Kosatka spawn at Vespucci beach, ride there and grab a Speedophile that spawn there.

 

You can despawn your Kosatka during a prep, if you get Merryweather prep at the powerplant you can parachute in the open sea, call a Dinghi and spawn your Kosatka there, I'd almost favour this over an office. 

 

If you do Longfin prep, you can also spawn your MOC, you won't be able to finish it with the MOC truck but there will regular trucks spawn in traffic if you are in it and so you just change the trucks. If you let yourself kill by the cops your own Phantom wedge will despawn, but the MOC truck remains, so get killed by the cops to loose your wanted level and exchange the MOC truck for a regular track in the industrial area.

 

For the plasma cutter I advise to get a Nightshark (works more or less with a Duke of Death or Arena Vehicles too however the Menacer lacks torque - might give it a try with the Phantom Wedge or MOC truck) and just rush through to collect it unless you can afford a Torreador and just spawn the place with missiles.

Edited June 7, 2021 by Aquamaniac

[cybapete]

On 6/6/2021 at 5:06 AM, FazedWraith said:

About the Plasma Cutter mission - I have actually experimented with this. To see whether you need to take an actual picture of the planning board or simply clicking any random picture is enough and the results are inconsistent. The method you've mentioned does not work all the time and I've wasted a few seconds there trying to click a picture.

some people have said you can just point the camera anywhere and it will work but i haven't tried that

i usually take a few steps forward and take a picture of the planning board and it works every time even if the board is side on or too far away to read as long as the camera is pointed at where the board is it works

[FazedWraith]

On 6/6/2021 at 10:25 AM, Gaffa said:

 

Then all I can really say is you're not taking the picture correctly. If in doubt you can take a couple of steps forward to the table but yeah I must've used this technique over 100 times on PC and over 40 on PlayStation without any issues - but whatever, its only a few seconds of difference anyway. 

I checked this out and just taking 1-2 steps in and clicking a picture seems to work better compared to how I was doing it before from just standing at the door. Thanks for the tip man. Sure skims a few seconds off having to walk slowly all the way to the planning board.

[Jimbatron]

The Longfin may often be the best approach but not always. The Velum is often a hugely overlooked option. If you have a disguise and enough Coke at the airport the Velum is hands down the easiest vehicle to source. Obviously if the spawns at the airport aren’t good then it’s no use. But the best way to do CP is to adapt your approach based on secondary loot and disguise availability. If you do it the same way every time you’re missing a trick. I would only however use the Alkonost, Annihilator or Patrol boat for fun occasionally or to get the travel plans award. They take longer to source and won’t give you a benefit over the other three options.

[Gridl0k]

I never move after entering the safe house, just pull up cam and take a pic, then send while I run forward a few steps and back to get the corona up. Has never failed.

[Super Grunt 281]

The Police Riot can deal with the Plasma Cutter prep.

 

Helicopters during the weapon prep can be taken care of by going back inside and waiting a bit.

[Gridl0k]

15 hours ago, Super Grunt 281 said:

The Police Riot can deal with the Plasma Cutter prep.

 

Helicopters during the weapon prep can be taken care of by going back inside and waiting a bit.

 

Are there really loads of people who have a Kosatka but not a Sparrow? You can collect 1 of the cutters without getting out of the chopper and the other 2 you just need to nip down the narrow bit.

 

Office choppers are only an issue at Schlongberg (otherwise just park closer to the door) but once you know which side the gunner sits on its easy to kill them.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Gridl0k

[Super Grunt 281]

2 hours ago, Gridl0k said:

 

Are there really loads of people who have a Kosatka but not a Sparrow? You can collect 1 of the cutters without getting out of the chopper and the other 2 you just need to nip down the narrow bit.

 

Office choppers are only an issue at Schlongberg (otherwise just park closer to the door) but once you know which side the gunner sits on its easy to kill them.

I don't own the Sparrow, I engage the guards with my Khanjali in general and get away with it.

 

If it's to suggest fighting helicopters, one can also park a getaway land vehicle near the ground entrance and escape.

 

Indeed, there no place to drop the AA trailer without risking self destruction on Schlongberg Sachs (Pegasus Cargobob will be destroyed for some reason, same magic as being spotted by cameras) .

 

Also a horrible place for helicopters but a Savage can land on the roof and take off so it's okay, even Penris is better.

[SummerFreeze]

20 hours ago, Super Grunt 281 said:

I don't own the Sparrow

IMO the first heist money should go towards the Sparrow because it speeds up the heist prep immensely.

[Aquamaniac]

On 6/9/2021 at 2:09 PM, Gridl0k said:

 

Are there really loads of people who have a Kosatka but not a Sparrow? You can collect 1 of the cutters without getting out of the chopper and the other 2 you just need to nip down the narrow bit.

 

Office choppers are only an issue at Schlongberg (otherwise just park closer to the door) but once you know which side the gunner sits on its easy to kill them.

 

I have no Sparrow for my main character, op mk.2 and Deluxo do the same (or even better) and the Deluxo (unlike the op mk.2) can be landed safe on the Kosatka.

[BeatsDown]

On 6/8/2021 at 10:42 AM, Jimbatron said:

The Longfin may often be the best approach but not always. The Velum is often a hugely overlooked option. If you have a disguise and enough Coke at the airport the Velum is hands down the easiest vehicle to source. Obviously if the spawns at the airport aren’t good then it’s no use. But the best way to do CP is to adapt your approach based on secondary loot and disguise availability. If you do it the same way every time you’re missing a trick. I would only however use the Alkonost, Annihilator or Patrol boat for fun occasionally or to get the travel plans award. They take longer to source and won’t give you a benefit over the other three options.

The time you'll take to locate disguises and then fly the Velum across the map in the prep will not be good for money/time ratio compared to the Longfin and getting whatever secondaries are at Main Dock or compound.

[Super Grunt 281]

9 hours ago, SummerFreeze said:

IMO the first heist money should go towards the Sparrow because it speeds up the heist prep immensely.

But it's not required.

[Jimbatron]

12 hours ago, BeatsDown said:

The time you'll take to locate disguises and then fly the Velum across the map in the prep will not be good for money/time ratio compared to the Longfin and getting whatever secondaries are at Main Dock or compound.

Often but not always. It doesn’t take long to check if either of the two airport disguises are there or if the loot is good because that’s where you start the Intel gathering. If you only have cash/weed at the main docks and no disguise there, but two coke and and a disguise at the airport the Velum will get you better $ per hour.

 

Assuming solo and not glitching obviously, otherwise you’re likely looting everything from the compound.

[Aquamaniac]

13 hours ago, BeatsDown said:

The time you'll take to locate disguises and then fly the Velum across the map in the prep will not be good for money/time ratio compared to the Longfin and getting whatever secondaries are at Main Dock or compound.

 

I'd say in about 60 or 70% you'll find disguises right at the airfield.

[SummerFreeze]

3 hours ago, Aquamaniac said:

I'd say in about 60 or 70% you'll find disguises right at the airfield.

It think it should be 45% because the airport is 2 out of 16 possible locations for disguises and you get 4 total.

[Gridl0k]

8 minutes ago, SummerFreeze said:

It think it should be 45% because the airport is 2 out of 16 possible locations for disguises and you get 4 total.

 

I think they're grouped, have you *ever* looked for a diguise at North Docks and not found one? I think there's 4 groups and each group gets 1. But who knows. 

[SummerFreeze]

27 minutes ago, Gridl0k said:

I think they're grouped, have you *ever* looked for a diguise at North Docks and not found one? I think there's 4 groups and each group gets 1. But who knows. 

Good point. I don't think I've ever had 2 disguises at the North Dock. Or 2 disguises at the airport. I think I've had 0 though at the North Dock. So maybe it is random but once a spot is determined, all the nearby ones get disabled.

Edited June 11, 2021 by SummerFreeze

[Aquamaniac]

17 hours ago, SummerFreeze said:

It think it should be 45% because the airport is 2 out of 16 possible locations for disguises and you get 4 total.

 

Maybe I'm lucky, once I got disguises at the tables 5 times in a row.