How To Change Heist Difficulty Cayo Perico
Carlos Beirise
What are the differences between the Normal and Hard Modes? How is the difficulty increased and what are the differences in terms of payout and other rewards? Are there also changes in the 'intel' and 'prep' parts (aside from the heist finale)?
If you wait for more than 48 minutes, the heist difficulty will switch to normal. The value of the primary target is increased by 10% in Hard Mode. If you complete the elite challenge, the reward is GTA$100,000 instead of the standard GTA$50,000. The primary targets change every time you do the heist after your first ever heist, where you are tasked to retrieve the Madrazo Files.
While the Cayo Perico heist is a go-to method for solo players to make millions, it was nerfed as a money making method after the GTA Online: Criminal Enterprise update in July 2022. Rockstar adjusted the cooldown time and primary target probabilities when you are doing a solo playthrough of the heist.
With the aforementioned nerf, solo players must wait for 3 in-game days before they can do another heist. In addition, if a solo player gets a high-value primary target in one heist, they will have a lower chance of getting a high-value primary target again for the next 72 hours (real-world time).
During our Hard Mode playthrough of the Cayo Perico heist, the primary target turned out to be the Sinsimito Tequila worth GTA$693,000. Below, we have a complete guide on how you can complete the heist on Hard Mode while completing the Elite Challenge.
The AP Pistol is a mini-SMG in the form of a pistol. It is a reliable weapon not just in this heist but in GTA Online in general. Plus, you also get a Sniper Rifle that will allow you to take down enemies at range, especially the ones patrolling in Sniper towers (if needed).
The most important thing you need to buy in the weapons loadout is the suppressors for your weapons. This will suppress your shots when eliminating guards. You must get these. The suppressors cost GTA$5,000.
Now we get to our actual Cayo Perico Heist guide. When you start the heist, you will be underwater with a diving suit. You need to swim to the drainage tunnel and cut open the grate using your cutting torch to enter the main compound. Be careful of the underwater mines.
When you go through to the end of the drainage tunnel, a short cutscene of you entering the compound will play. Once the cutscene ends, go right and keep going straight and up the stairs until you reach the two guards standing at the end of the walkway.
Take out both the guards silently and remember to aim for the head. The guards always take a second to react, so you will have plenty of time to take both of them out without alerting either one of them. Continue moving forward, and once you pass through the archway, go through the grass patio and jump over the small wall.
You will see a guard right in front of you. Make sure you take him out and remember NOT to kill him when he is in the cone of vision of one of the cameras in this area. This guard will be patrolling this area back and forth so he can be anywhere in this area. Keep an eye out for him.
When you enter the office, get the elevator keycard off the table and approach the wall with the pictures to the left of the fireplace. You will get a prompt to open up the secret safe here. It contains some extra cash (added to the total take), a medkit, and a pistol. If you get paintings as secondary targets inside the office during your scope out, then make sure you loot them as well.
When you reach the underground vault, cut open the lock using your cutting torch and use the plasma cutter to cut the glass exhibit holding the primary target. In our case, it was the Sinsimito Tequila.
At the end of the walkway, if you have the gate keys, turn left towards the archway and take out the guard standing by the locked gate. This guard is always patrolling this general area and might not always be in this specific spot, but, he eventually comes here. You will also find another guard just outside the locked gate. Take him out as well.
After eliminating both these guards, unlock the door and go through it. You will find one more guard in front of the main compound gate. Take him out and exit via the main gate. When you reach the main gate, a short cutscene of you opening the gate and escaping the compound will play.
Take out the other two guards, that were ahead of the previous one, and continue to ride towards the exit. You will find a security camera at the main exit point. Shoot it using your pistol and ride away.
Continue to ride on the main dirt road until you see a metal barrier to your right. As soon as you see it, get off the dirt road and turn right off-road, into the grassy mountain. Continue to ride off-road until you reach the main docks.
Now make your way to the boat at the main docks for your escape. There will be two guards standing on the right side of the boat. Line up your aim and take them both out by aiming at their heads. After taking them out, get into your boat.
When you spawn inside the compound, go up the stairs to your left and eliminate the guard ahead of you. The goal is to eliminate only a few guards on this route to get the keys. Do not mistake keycards for keys. The key distinction is that keycards have a key icon inside a rectangular shape, while the keys do not.
Continue moving up, but eliminate the last guard walking down the stairs. You can usually melee him, but it sometimes triggers the alarm. It is best to wait for him by the stairs and eliminate him with a headshot.
Now, you are in a glitched state. You can control your camera with A and D on the PC and the left analog stick on consoles, while in the glitched state. Do not sprint, or you will revert to your normal state.
Now, jump on the railing while facing the corner (diagonally) and hold forward and right to glitch into the building. On PC, the buttons are W and D pressed simultaneously. On consoles, you jump up and look right with your left analog stick to enter.
Has anyone here been able to do this solo? I tried and struggled badly. I mean I was having trouble with partners. I feel like this has to be the hardest heist to do solo in the game. Sucks you can't make as much money doing it now though.
For everyone struggling to complete these heists solo. Keep at it ahah. After a few tries, you just learn the patterns and guard movements that can really help you. Remember, do not hesitate to "get in there" and pistol whip those guards if you need to when being stealthy. The AI isn't the smartest and doesn't detect your character super quickly. Most people end up failing due to hesitation and overthinking (which I did a lot in the beginning, ngl).
I am failing to find the patterns. Like I thought I had it all mapped out and I don't. I think there are a number of patterns and it plays out at random so you never know which part you are getting or where, much less how to plan for it. And yeah, I overthink things and hesitate big time which don't help!
From what I know so far, the number of enemies and how they act are based on the level of difficulty you choose. And whatever difficulty you choose has the exact same pattern, from what I've experienced so far!
The mission focuses on players visiting Cayo Perico after completing all mandatory preparation missions that unlocks the finale, in order to steal their primary target from within El Rubio's Compound. Although the plan for the heist must be designated when beginning it, only the approach method and weapon loadout are locked in. Once the players arrive on the island they have freedom to tackle the heist in a variety of manners, similar to the Aggressive, Stealth, or Big Con approaches of The Diamond Casino Heist. Once the mission begins, the protagonist's main objectives are to enter the compound, reach the basement beneath the office, steal the primary target, escape the compound, and then escape from the island.
When players initiate the heist, they can choose to complete the mission solo, or be joined by up to three other players - the latter option increases the maximum potential payout when seeking out secondary targets. All equipment found during the Gather Intel mission will be marked on the players maps, and any undiscovered items can still be found, allowing every member of the crew to pick up an individual item if required. Players can also secure additional items in the compound that provide access to new opportunities or some of the secondary targets available in the mission. Once the primary target is found, players will face increased difficulty in securing additional loot items, as they will face additional guards and will be sought out by Strickler manning the minigun in his Valkyrie MOD.0 upon leaving the compound, until the crew makes for their opted escape route.
Weapon Wheel access is limited to the chosen loadout, with the additional heavy weapon Supply Drop adding to it. While undiscovered, killed guards may drop ammunition and snacks, but their weapons will not be able to be looted. If the alarm is raised and the guards are using their weapons, their weapons can be looted and will be added to the player's weapon wheel for selection. Up to three additional weapons can also be collected within the compound.
The final payout of the heist is determined by the Primary Target (which increases by 10% on Hard Mode), but on the value of the secondary targets that the crew secured. Secondary loot is dropped if players are shot by guards or have to respawn after being killed (with the exception of the safe cash), and the primary target will be dropped if the player carrying it is killed.
Players access the heist from the planning screen in the Kosatka. The finale is available once the mandatory preparations are completed, but players can opt to continue performing optional set-ups or another intel gathering before initiating the finale.
Support crew provides additional assistance to players during the heist. These can only be chosen for the heist when the player completes all the mandatory prep missions to activate the Finale, and require an upfront fee be paid for their services; some also require the player owns certain businesses before they can be used (i.e. Hangars for Airstrikes, Nightclubs and a Terrorbyte for Recon Drones). All but the Weapon Stash are available for use on the island via the Interaction Menu, but require the player to first disable the island's air defenses for them to be available. The Weapon Stash is only available if the player chooses the Velum approach vehicle, and will have already completed their job when the player lands.
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