It's officially Christmas in Los Santos — Rockstar has released another bit DLC for GTA Online to commemorate the festivities. Not four days ago the game was updated with the first wave of holiday DLC, and now we are being treated to even more presents and merriment.
Back on the 20th, Rockstar released the 2016 edition of the Festive Surprise, bringing back all the content from all previous holiday updates, as well as a few new light-up bodysuits, which most resemble the festive version of the Deadline outfit. The update also packed a whole lot of discounts and a double RP & $GTA event for Turf Wars.
The all new Nero and Nero Custom were also added to the game, further bolstering the ranks of supercars present in the game. While the new ride is definitely a looker, it isn't going to break any speed records. That said, in the hands of a skilled driver, races can be won with this new car. The stock version of the vehicle costs $1,440,000.
While it is rare for GTA Online to get updates this close to one another — usually at least a week must pass — with Christmas Eve upon us, Rockstar was kind of hard pressed to flip the switch on one of the most anticipated features in Online each year, and decided to top it off with some additional content too.
The most important change that came to GTA Online today is snow. Yes, folks, the snow has officially fallen over Los Santos and will remain through Monday. Over the years, players have become very attached to this appearance of snow in the game.
Not only does it give the GTA Online map we've become so familiar with over the past three years a new and fresh look, the countryside looks particularly beautiful when blanketed with snow. What's more, the snow has reportedly affected player behavior in the past. When it's around, most players become less aggressive and more trusting, making them more likely to band together and do random fun activities. Griefer levels also generally drop when the snow is present.
It's quite unfortunate that the snow is only present for three days, and another one or two during New Year's Eve. While it might be overkill to have it around all December, and it would lose the novelty, maybe having the snow "turned on" in the period between Christmas and New Years would be neat.
Snow isn't the only present Rockstar gave to the players, however. Further expanding the game's nigh infinite list of vehicles, the all-new Comet Retro Custom has been added to GTA Online. This version of the Pfister Comet can be customized at Benny's Original Motorworks, turning it into a retro widebody with some killer mods.
The upgrade to Retro Custom from a stock Comet will set you back $GTA 645,000. The stock Comet itself costs 100k, so if you're starting from zero, grabbing this neat new ride will take 745k out of your pockets, plus the individual customizations at Benny's. Since the Import/Export update, you can also customize cars at the auto-shop in your executive garage, so long as you bought the add-on.
The Retro Custom's upgrades are more about looks than performance since the customized version won't be winning many races. However, this new ride is one hell of a looker with its unique widebody, so it will shape up to be a perfect Freemode cruiser.
An all-new Adversary Mode has also been added to GTA Online as well. The new Juggernaut mode pits two teams against one another, both of which have a single heavily armored juggernaut on their side. The goal is to kill the enemy juggernaut, however this is a difficult proposition.
Not only is the juggernaut clad in futuristic bomb-disposal armor toting a minigun, essentially making it a walking tank, but the other players on the opposing team will be trying to dissuade you with bullets. All the while, you'll need to make sure your own juggernaut isn't overwhelmed. If neither team is successful before the time runs out everyone becomes a juggernaut, and the first kill ends the match.
To celebrate the holidays with even more bonuses, Rockstar slapped a double RP and cash promo on Juggernaut through the 1st of January. When the Festive Surprise launched some days ago, the Juggernaut mask was added to the game separately. A number of players suspected the strange, sci-fi helmet would have further significance, and this DLC proves that suspicion right.
It's likely that someone shot down Santa's sleigh with a homing launcher, since other gifts are showering GTA Online as well these next few days. Logging into the game anytime between the 23rd and 26th of December will automatically reward players with a fireworks launcher, 10 firework rockets and a random selection of the many special event t-shirts that were log-in rewards over the course of the past year.
On Christmas Eve, players can expect another large haul of presents. The massive gift pack includes the Unicorn mask, a new set of pajamas that is either white or blue checkered, a refill of snacks and armor, a carbine and marksman rifle with 200 rounds of ammo each, basic knuckle dusters and a whole lot of explosives such as sticky bombs, molotovs, grenades and proximity mines. I'm not sure if it's too much to read into it, but something tells me Santa expects you to be naughty, not nice.
However, amid all this new content, all these presents and even the snowfall, we've yet to arrive at the biggest bonus of them all. While it may not seem like a big deal at first glance, players will be joyed to hear that the most lucrative methods for gaining cash in GTA Online just got even more lucrative.
With GTA Online's prices being what they are, it comes as a massive relief that crate missions (special cargo only), biker businesses and vehicle exports will all be paying out a bonus 50% on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Since crate missions are one of the best ways to make cash, players can make a killing with this bonus, while the passive income from businesses is a great boost as well.
Add to this a recently discovered method to maximize profits from Import/Export, and you have a trinity of activities that even under normal circumstances pay out a ton of cash getting upped. Play smart and you can amass a massive fortune while this bonus is in effect — and don't forget about that double cash promo on Juggernaut.
Surprisingly enough, Rockstar hasn't announced any kind of rebate on Shark Cards, even though you'd expect them to capitalize on the holiday sale craze that grips the internet around this time. In any case, GTA 5 is discounted on Steam, Green Man Gaming and a number of other sites, with hefty deals on Shark Card bundles. If you're looking to upgrade, or grab a Shark Card for yourself while gifting the game to a friend, these deals are a great way to get in on the fun without breaking the bank.
Which of these second-wave holiday GTA Online bonuses is your favorite?
