GTA Online's latest DLC, Bikers, has gained near universal approval and praise. It has a lot going for it, such as the content being modestly priced, adding new ways to earn cash, adding the new fastest bike to the game and, obviously, fulfilling the long-standing dream of adding biker themed content to the game.
Bikers brings a lot of new content to the table, and we're not only speaking of the new bikes. Between the motherload of club missions and challenges, the new businesses and the new Adversary Mode, players have a lot of new gameplay to sink their teeth into, and it helps to know some of the ins and outs of it all which are not necessarily apparent.
Take the MC ranks, for example. Each rank attainable through being promoted by the President yields some neat abilities. However, there really isn't an easy way of finding out exactly what each ability is unless you're either the President, or have been promoted to each ranks at least once. We also know that with the realities of life bearing down on some of our players that not all GTA Online fans have had a chance to play since the release of Bikers. So, here's a rundown of the different ranks.
The four ranks that are available beyond Prospect and President all have the ability to launch a Member Challenge and to either drop resources or call in vehicles, plus some special abilities. The Enforcer can call in a hitsquad whenever the MC is in a tight fight to render assistance, drop body armor and to launch the "Rippin' it Up" challenge.
Vice Presidents can drop bullshark testosterone, target any player in the session by marking them on the map, and can launch the Hit and Ride challenge. The Road Captain can set a riding formation, launch the Race to Point challenge and call in a Slamvan, Moonbeam, BF Injection, Dubsta, or unarmed Buzzard. Finally, the Sergeant at arms can drop molotovs (seems like a bad idea), ammo and start the On the Run challenge.
A well functioning and optimized MC will have one of each special role represented among its ranks. With apt communication, the use of the special abilities can make the club a fearsome force in any session. While the griefers of GTA Online have immediately taken to targeting MCs, organised groups will have no trouble warding off troublemakers.
An important gameplay aspect of Bikers is that MCs exist on a session-to-session basis, while the purchasing of clubhouses is permanent. This means that once you've bought a clubhouse, you own it permanently, however you'll need to re-create or re-join an MC each time you launch GTA Online or switch sessions.
Luckily, this isn't much of a hassle, as the process of getting recruited or setting up the MC is pretty quick and straightforward. An added bonus is that as long as you don't leave the session, you can 'drop-out' of the MC without leaving it. This is useful as you can switch between being a CEO and being a biker within seconds, leading to one of the newest and best money making tactics in the game.
One of the best aspects of Bikers, however, is that unlike CEO missions, Club contracts can be done in a private lobby. If you want to try out the new content without having to worry about griefers, go right ahead. Most new missions added to GTA Online in Bikers can be completed solo, and they pay pretty well. Solo grinding these missions in a private lobby is a guaranteed method of racking up cash without having to worry about a Hydra raining on your parade.
Businesses are also a great way of making cash, however they require some investment. If they're not tended to, running a business will actually lead to a net loss. If you think about it, this is pretty realistic, as running a business in real life amounts to a loss early on and only becomes profitable after establishment and expansion.
Without some of the security upgrades, you can bet on your business being raided by NPCs all the time, and the investment for the goods will be higher than the payout if you don't upgrade equipment and staff. However, after a bit of tweaking, your business will be practically making money passively.
To run a business, you need to supply it with Stock, wait for the workers to produce the product, and then sell the product. Stock can be either bought or stolen, and selling the product takes place in a mission. For maximum efficiency, we suggest stealing stock instead of buying it, even though it takes more time. While the production timer is ticking, you're free to go off and complete other missions.
Bikers added a whole wealth of content to GTA Online, and all that info hardly fits into such a short article. The DLC is still pretty new, and you can expect further coverage on how to get the most out of it in the days to come.
Which aspect of Bikers is most appealing to you?
