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Unlocking the Rampage
Grand Theft Auto 5‘s Rampages can be unlocked early on with Trevor. Rampage One is one of the first Stranger and Freaks missions. You’ll see a “?” marked on your map at Great Chaparral’s liquor store. Talk to the men here for a cut scene where Trevor loses his marbles. From there, it’s a matter of scoring a gold rank to unlock additional rampages. Rampages will be pinned on the map with yellow skull icons.
General Strategies
I’m Invincible
Trevor can endure tremendous amounts of bullets in rampage missions, but that doesn’t mean he’s invincible. Grab some body armor at Ammu-Nation beforehand and be prepared. It will take a lot to put you down, but enemies appear and surround you from all corners. Even worse, many times you won’t know where you’re getting shot from. To stay on the lookout, check your mini-map. Rivals appear as red dots.
Are You Feeling Lucky, Punk?
The auto-aim feature in Grand Theft Auto 5 allows you to quickly draw your gun and lock-on targets with ease. Use LT/L2 to target foes and use Right Stick to toggle between them. This gets rid of the hassle of putting your gun down and raising it back up. A kill is verified by an X on the crosshair. The only time it’s necessary to free-aim is for headshots (covered below).
Show Me Your Rage
Trevor’s special ability is known as Rage Mode. Just like Franklin’s slow-motion ability, you need to press both the Left and Right Stick to activate it. With it, you can regenerate health for each kill, cause more damage and even slow down time. To refill your rage meter, you need to achieve additional kills – standard foes and vehicles apply.
Get Ahead
Each Rampage challenge requires you to claim a certain amount of headshots. The absolute best way to execute a headshot is triggering Rage Mode because it decreases time rate (as well as enemy movement). Make sure your rage meter is semi-full and approach nearby targets in your proximity. You don’t want to attempt headshots on distant adversaries. Lightly press LT/L2, use the Right Stick to free-aim and use the tiny cursor to mark their skulls. To verify a headshot, listen for a guitar tone or better yet, count out loud.
Target Practice
The three main characters in Grand Theft Auto 5 can upgrade each of their skills by performing everyday habits, such as running, biking, driving and yes – shooting. Some Ammu-Nation stores have shooting ranges that allow you to target practice a variety of weapons. Not only will you get your hands dirty firing a gun, but you can also increase your firearm talents to make you better. Additionally, your gunfire level will also increase in rampages.
Yield for Pedestrians
You will find out rather quickly that gang members and such aren’t the best drivers. Every group will seemingly call for backup, both on foot and in vehicles. In this case, most drivers will attempt to splatter you. You need to put them down quickly by shooting through the windows, or simply move out of the way. Dodging cars is always the safest because even though you kill the driver, it doesn’t mean the wheels will stop spinning. If you do happen to get struck, two things can happen: you die or get pulverized off your feet. Neither are good and result in loss of time or failure for the mission.
Boom, Boom Boom
What’s the easiest way to blow up cars and cause chaos? Grenades, and lots of them. You receive grenades for every rampage mission, so you might as well use them. With the exception of Rampage Four, this is the quickest way to blow stuff up. Be sure not to be close when these go off, or you’re dead meat. Forget about using them against humans unless they’re close to cars.
Gimme’ Some Gold
The grading system for rampages is simple. The game will give you a standard goal that can easily be met on your first attempt. You won’t be able to view the higher-rank requirements until the standard is completed (unless you amazingly get the set number of headshots, cars, etc. the first try). These always consist of three steps. Here’s how the scoring works:
-Gold: Obtain all three requirements.
-Silver: Obtain two of the three requirements.
-Bronze: Obtain only one of the three requirements.
Rampage Strategies
Rampage One
Location: Great Chaparral
Time Limit: 2 Minutes
Enemies: Rednecks
Weapons: AK-47, Grenades
Gold: Get 45 Kills, 3 Head Shots and Destroy 2 Vehicles
Difficulty: Moderate
Biggest Threat: Hard-hitting Wave
Tip: The first Rampage stage is where you need to rely on Trevor’s ability to survive. Enemies are aggressive and come in hard. On top of that, you’re in the open. The left side of the liquor store is a sweet spot because most foes will appear from the pond behind you, while others will have to track you from the distance. You can access the liquor store’s rooftop (from the ladder), but it’s hard to hit all targets. The kills are easy to amass – get the headshots and vehicles taken care of first, then go nuts.
Rampage Two
Location: Rancho/Jamestown St.
Time Limit: 2 Minutes
Enemies: Gang Members
Weapons: Uzi, Grenades
Gold: Get 45 Kills, 6 Head Shots and Destroy 2 Vehicles
Difficulty: Moderate
Biggest Threat: Rooftop Gunmen
Tip: Stay on the sidewalk (where you start) to avoid getting pummeled by cars. This is a good zone because many gang members will spawn ahead of you and to your left in the streets. Even better, they’ll park their cars near you – let them have it with your grenades. Just be aware of gunmen on the liquor store’s rooftop.
Rampage Three
Location: Chamberlain Hills
Time Limit: 2 Minutes
Enemies: Gang Members
Weapons: AK-47, Grenades
Gold: Get 50 Kills, 6 Headshots and Destroy 2 Vehicles
Difficulty: Hard
Biggest Threat: Cars
Tip: Certain members are armed with rocket launchers, so be careful. Stay in the alley and don’t wander off. Most foes spawn from the north end, as in ahead of you and on rooftops, while others lurk behind the fences as well. They also drive like crazy; stick to the side when they tumble in.
Rampage Four
Location: Lago Zancudo
Time Limit: 3 Minutes
Enemies: Attack Soldiers and Tanks
Weapons: Grenade Launcher, AK-47, Grenades
Gold: Get 45 Kills, 6 Headshots and Destroy 2 Tanks
Difficulty: Moderate
Biggest Threat: Tanks
Tip: Luckily, you can get 45 kills quickly by blasting armed-vehicles and jeeps with the grenade launcher. Tanks are a different story. It takes roughly seven grenade hits to take them down. The problem is, if the tanks’ cannons hit you, it’s game over. Blast them bit, then side-step for each shot to evade their rounds. Six headshots should be cake – approach the larger trucks as the solders exit from them.
Rampage Five
Location: Mirror Park
Time Limit: 2 Minutes
Enemies: Hipsters
Weapons: Shotgun, Grenades
Gold: Get 30 Kills, 10 Headshots and Destroy 2 Vehicles
Difficulty: Hard
Biggest Threat: Shotgun Headshots
Tip: The biggest challenge you have in the last Rampage mission is executing a headshot with your shotgun. To do so, aim just above hipsters’ heads; otherwise, the shotgun’s blast may impact the upper body if you target straight on. Additionally, your shotgun can hit multiple targets at once, which should give you an edge for time. Accumulate your standard kills first and get that out of the way (it won’t take long). Toss a few grenades at cars while you attempt this, but don’t bother with the hipsters’ scooters. With those steps dealt with early on, you should have at least a minute left to gradually accumulate headshots.
