The most recent major content update for GTA Online was the Executives and Other Criminals DLC. This update brought with it possibly the most new content in a single update to GTA Online yet. The gargantuan yachts gave high level players some sweet end-game content to strive for, as well as a far off goal for lower level players to motivate them. The update also added the standard fare of a few new vehicles and weapons, though these paled in comparison of the massive luxury liners.
While the yachts may have been getting all the press, they weren't the most important part of the update. Back when the Freemode Events update launched, many of the changes were made backstage, in the basic functions of GTA Online. That update, and even Lowriders afterwards, didn't make use of this new framework.
Executives and Other Criminals is the first of the "new wave" of GTA Online updates. This DLC added a whole new layer to gameplay with the VIP/Bodyguard system, shaking things up a bit.
VIPs are the top dogs of white collar crime in Los Santos. No surprise, as players need some serious starting capitol to be considered one of the elite. While becoming a VIP does not "cost" money in the traditional sense, the option only becomes available if you have at least $GTA one million in your bank account. If this requirement is met, you can register as a VIP and get earning.
As a VIP, a wide selection of new and highly lucrative mission types become available to you, but you'll need some backup to get these done. You can hire a maximum of three bodyguards, who will form a part of your organisation, and assist you in special VIP missions.
These bodyguards will follow you around, and make sure that anyone who would encroach upon your physical well-being is punished. If one of your bodyguards falters in their loyalty, you can order them terminated, giving your other two guards 5 minutes to take out the traitor for a reward.
Working as a bodyguard has a few restrictions, but it can be a great way of earning some solid cash. As a bodyguard, you are paid to keep your employer alive and healthy. Naturally, if you fail to accomplish this, your pay will be adjusted accordingly. Each time the VIP dies, your salary and payouts will take a 5% cut, up to a maximum of a 50% reduction.
The reputation of bodyguards grows with their successes. If you are near your employer, you'll be earning a bonus of 100 RP every minute. If you don't think that to be enough, riding in the same car as your VIP increases that to 400 RP, and to 600 if you're driving. Bodyguards also have access to their employer's garage, allowing them to quickly call in the best ride for the given situation.
Your RP isn't the only thing that gets a boost if your employer is near by though. Being close to the VIP will significantly increase the rate at which your health regenerates, maxing out at 75%.
As a bodyguard, you'll be making GTA$ 5,000 every quarter hour. However, this decent paycheck has a price. If a bodyguard completes any job or event which isn't a special VIP activity, meaning any job that is available to non-VIP/Bodyguard players, all of their rewards go to the VIP.
The dynamic between bodyguards and their VIPs adds a whole new level of depth to GTA Online, and serves as a first taste of what Rockstar has in mind for the game's future.
The Extraction Adversary Mode this DLC added to the game runs in the same vein as the rest of the content. A VIP's plane was shot down and a hit squad is moving in to take them out. Bodyguards need to ensure the safety of the VIP. This is an asymmetrical PvP scenario with one player acting as the VIP, and two teams — the bodyguards and the hit squad.
If you are playing as the hit squad, your main goal should be taking out the target before the bodyguards arrive to protect them. This is when you'll have the least obstacles in completing your objective. If the bodyguard arrive, you still have a chance at victory, but it will be harder to focus on the target.
Logically, this means that as a bodyguard, you need to find the VIP as quickly as possible to reduce the amount of time they are alone and vulnerable, and as a VIP you have to find your protectors with haste before the hit squad takes you out.
This particular challenge places a 5 star wanted level on all participants that cannot be reduced during the running time, nor can you harm other players. Basically, it's a last man standing setup, with a 10-minute timer. Whoever survives the longest, wins. A great tactic here, despite how counter-intuitive it may seem, is to team up with another player. The two of you have a way better chance at surviving against the cops. How you sort things out when only the two of you remain is up to you though!
Do you prefer playing as a VIP, or as a Bodyguard in the newest GTA Online DLC?
