What would your ideal launch heist for GTA Online 2 look like?
I'm thinking a Port Gellhorn container heist. Trailer 2 (0:45) shows the port's scale, cranes, stacked containers, and patrol boats. That's the perfect sandbox for a 4-player job. Leader picks approach: stealth (night infiltration, silent takedowns, hack the manifest) or loud (blow the container open, fight off port authority and Leonida Highway Patrol).
Setup structure: 5 missions. 1) Scope the port with a drone from a nearby rooftop (Trailer 1, 0:52 shows a drone). 2) Steal a crane operator uniform from a construction site. 3) Hijack a container ship manifest from a corrupt customs agent in Vice City. 4) Acquire getaway vehicles: speedboats or a seaplane (Trailer 2, 1:23). 5) Optional: disable port security cameras. Finale: infiltrate the port, locate the container (randomized among 3 possible stacks), crack it open, and escape via the Keys. Payout: $2.5M total, 55/15/15/15 split. Leader gets $1.375M, crew $375K each. No ridiculous setup fees. That's a 2.75x return for crew on a 2-hour investment, which feels right compared to the Casino Heist's ~$2M for 4 players. The port's already in the trailer, so Rockstar might as well use it.
blow the container open
Loud approach works, but I'd add a third option: bribe the crane operator for a silent daytime extraction. Five setups feels heavy. Cut it to three, keep the randomized container stack, and I'd run it at 100% completion. The 55/15 split is fair. Leader burden justifies the extra cut.
Port Gellhorn's got the right topography for a launch heist. In Los Santos you had the port cramped against the airport and downtown, but here the docks open west toward the Gulf and north into the Grassrivers (with that marshy maze leading toward Ambrosia). That gives you actual escape routes instead of just looping back up the interstate.
MissionRunner's daytime bribe angle is clever. I'd rather see the randomized container spawn in three distinct zones. Maybe one stack on the north pier, one near the central gantry, and one down by the fuel depot south of the loading yard. Forces the crew to learn the whole facility instead of speedrunning the same corner every time.
Payout math doesn't excite me. I'm just hoping the seaplane getaway (Trailer 2, 1:23) lets you skim low over the coastline instead of another tunnel chase.
Port Gellhorn works. I want to see how Leonida Highway Patrol coordinates with port authority on the loud approach.
fight off port authority and Leonida Highway Patrol
Give me inter-agency response. Port authority carries sidearms and shotguns. Highway Patrol brings patrol rifles and pursuit boats. Three-star wanted level should stick until you clear the Keys. No instant cooldown. Air support if you take the seaplane. Real heat. Real loadouts. That's what I want from a launch heist.
MapNerd's idea of
three distinct zonesgot me thinking about crane physics. If you blow the wrong container stack, could the falling units block your escape route or create weird impromptu cover? Would those boxes stay as persistent objects or despawn once you hit the water?
I'm also wondering about the seaplane getaway. If you clip the wave crests too hard during takeoff, does the hull physics let you hydroplane clean or does it just flip? Might be worth testing whether a speedboat tow could glitch the landing angle.
The 55/15 split seems fair for the leader burden, though two hours of setups feels heavy. I'd cut one mission and let the port itself do the heavy lifting. Don't need five fetch quests when the cranes are right there.