GTA Online's newest big update, Smuggler's Run, is now available worldwide. Bringing a new kind of business, vehicles, properties, clothing items and a new game mode, this DLC also kicks off a new season in the game, and will be followed by weekly mini updates that further expand the new content.
The main attraction in Smuggler's Run, and your key to unlocking the DLC's contents, is the new hangar property. Joining the long line of update specific properties such as the executive offices, clubhouses and bunkers, hangars will unlock the new missions and vehicles of Smuggler's Run.
Without a hangar, you cannot purchase the new planes and helicopters of the update, nor can you engage in smuggling missions throughout Los Santos. These are the two main additions to the game this DLC brings to the table, so you'll be missing out on almost all of the goods if you don't dish out the cash for these properties.
There are five available hangars, two located as LSIA, while three are all within Fort Zancudo, with size being the only difference between the various hangars within the same location. An added bonus of having a hangar at Zancudo is that it gives you and any active associates low-level clearance, allowing you to enter the area without getting a wanted level. Stealing military vehicles no longer gives you a wanted level either, under these circumstances.
The two LSIA hangars are the cheaper options, costing GTA$ 1,200,000 and 1,525,000, respectively. The three Zancudo hangars are GTA$ 2,085,000; 2,650,000 and 3,250,000. All hangars can be upgraded and customized with various interior styles, furniture, lighting and floor patterns. Additionally, you can add 2 kinds of living quarters, and an airplane workshop for GTA$ 1,150,000.
This workshop is essential if you want to customize the various planes added via the update with upgrades, paint jobs, liveries and countermeasures. Each of the 7 new aircraft have extensive customization options allowing you to make your fleet unique and stand out from the crowd, whilst also being capable and well equipped.
One of the least expected but possibly most useful feature of the workshop upgrade, however, is the ability to bring Pegasus aircraft to your hangar, convert them into personal vehicles and change their color scheme. You can bring things like Luxors and Hydras, recolor them and make them a personal vehicle — in the case of the latter, this is quite troubling as it will make Hydra griefing all the more simple and thus common.
Rockstar teased the new vehicles throughout a series of social media posts, but now we know the full list of those added to the game. It may come as a disappointment, but the Hunter helicopter, based on the iconic Apache, is not in the update as a purchasable vehicle but will be added later on. It can, however, be piloted during a mission.
The new planes and helicopter cover a wide range of roles, from the heavy duty cargo delivery to the quick getaway. The best example for the latter role is the Buckingham Alpha-Z1, a fixed-wing four-cylinder high-speed single seater. Costing GTA$ 2,121,350 (1,595,000 discount price), this is one of the mid-range aircraft. We tell you how to get the discounts further below, by the way.
If you want to soar the skies on a budget and think you can spare the armor, weapons, chassis, and just about everything except the wing and engines, the Nagasaki Ultralight is right up your alley. With a GTA$ 665,000 (500,000 at discount) price tag, this new aerial vehicle won't break the bank, and comes with a particularly handy upgrade which hides it's minimap pip when flying at lower speeds.
The Mammoth Tula just may be the most utilitarian of all the vehicles and is priced accordingly. This gargantuan quad-jet tilt-wing amphibious monster will set you back GTA$ 5,173,700 (3,890,000 at discount price), but the manned turrets, VTOL capability, and massive cargo bay all make it worth the investment.
If you want to keep your plane compact while still packing firepower, the LF-22 Starling is the way to go. This tiny single seater has both speed and plenty of guns, making it a hard hitting and hard-to-hit combo. It costs GTA$ 3,657,500 (2,750,000 when discounted). It's armaments include two wing-mounted machine guns by default, but you can upgrade it with missiles and bombs.
The V-65 Molotok, based primarily on the MiG-15, takes Soviet utilitarian design and mixes it modern engineering. It may look and fly like a late 40's fighter, but you can upgrade it will all sorts of goods with which it can match any newer plane. Since the Union collapsed, these are available in capitalist markets for GTA$ 4,788,000 (3,600,00 at discount).
The Nagasaki Havok sets out to be the smallest weaponized helicopter in the game, and succeeds. You wouldn't be able to fit were it any smaller, and if you add the machine gun upgrade, this little flea will have a bite, too. It costs GTA$ 2,300,900 (1,730,000 with discount).
If you want to fly retro but the Molotok isn't doing it for you, the Western Rogue is here to help. Reaching further back in time to the Second World War, with an even older design similar to the Rustler of GTS fame. One of these will set you back GTA$ 1,596,000 (1,200,000 at discount).
So how do you get that discounted price? Instead of doing special missions where the vehicle you use gets a slashed price for successfully completing the mission, you unlock the discount price of the planes as you progress with your smuggling business. Stealing and sourcing missions will count towards this stat, with the first discount being the Ultralight at 3 missions and the last being the Molotok at 18 missions.
If you're on the fence about dropping even the discounted amounts of cash for these vehicles without knowing how much you'll actually like them, don't fret — they're all available in Creator Mode, which is usually used to make videos with the Rockstar Editor. Try out the planes in Creator before you buy them, this way you'll know you'll get something you like.
Once you own these new vehicles, it's time to upgrade and customize them. One of the newest features is various countermeasures. One includes deploying smoke — which comes in various colors — behind your plane or firing off flares.
There is plenty to be done when outside the hangar, too. Two new ground vehicles have also been added to let those afraid of heights also enjoy the new content. The two cars, which are the Grotti Visione (GTA$ 2,250,000) and the Vapid Retinue (GTA$ 615,000). Planes may be all the craze, but Rockstar hasn't forgotten what the 'A' in GTA stands for.
Another nice addition is a new Adversary Mode, which finally fulfils the idea we've spoken about in past articles multiple times, is bringing battle royale style gameplay to GTA Online. While the easiest comparison can be drawn with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds — the community sure has — it fits any generic battle royale setup.
In Motor Wars, players are dropped into large areas they aren't allowed to leave with just a basic pistol. Other weapons and vehicles are littered through the game area, which shrinks every minute. The goal, obviously, is to kill everyone else and remain the last player standing.
Fans have suggested similar modes in the past, but I guess it took another battle royal game to topple DOTA 2 on Steam in order to have Rockstar actually make the darn thing. We're certain this will become a community favorite.
The update also brought the standard haul of new tattoos and clothing options to let you redesign your virtual look. Jumpsuits, flight helmets and similar gear that might interest pilots are the main additions this time, but more generic clothing has also been added to the in-game line-up.
The smuggling business is the next major enterprise your GTA Online character will dive into, so keep an eye out for our detailed guide coming soon.
