Bottom Dollar Bounties launch day review: an exciting Disappointment

Look, I understand that trailers are supposed to hype us up and that the final product rarely lives up to the quality of the trailer. But in this case, I was really excited for the Bottom Dollar Bounties update. The story potential was awesome! Imagine if we got to see Trevor waltz into the office from time to time, dragging some lowly bounty behind him. Or maybe even go after Trevor himself – that could be an interesting one!

But alas, what we got was one cut scene with Maude and her daughter, and a bunch of missions that don’t make good money, and get tedious really fast. I’m kind of upset. Instead of the epic chases and team-based fun the trailer promised, it’s all pretty lackluster.

I’ll break it down for you though. The good, the bad, and the plain useless, all in one go.

The main feature: the bail Office

I’ve said this before in our post about how the bail office works in GTA Online, but I’ll say it again. It’ll take you 30-35 hours to recoup your investment in the bail office. After playing for about 4-6 hours, I’m pretty bored of it already. And that’s after doing the new Cleo mission this morning. It was fun, gave me a chuckle, but I can’t face any more regular bounties.

The agents alone are going to take around about 100 hours to recoup their investment – and that’s if you activate them every within 12 minutes of their return every time. That’s a lot of time – the average player will spend months getting there. It would be really nice if you could just phone Jeanette and ask her to send out your agents (just saying, Rockstar).

So, okay, the money’s not really that worth it. You’re better off grinding the hangar, though that’s just as boring I guess. If you just want to experience the new content and aren’t too worried about making money, here’s how to buy a bail office in GTA Online.

But what saving grace may we find in the Bottom Dollar Bounties update for GTA Online?

The new Dispatch Missions

If you haven’t played them yet, here’s a guide to the Dispatch missions in GTA Online. The concept is pretty exciting – work with the police to confiscate drugs, secure evidence, defuse bombs, and take out gang leaders. And then you realize that’s all there is.

The earnings can be fairly nice, netting you up to a maximum of GTA$150k an hour. Not bad money, if you’re poor in-game. But even the completely free Cluckin’ Bell Farm Raid earns you more. So the dispatch missions are not worth the money, considering you’ll need to invest a minimum of GTA$4 million to unlock them.

That’s an absolute minimum of 27 hours. If you just want to repeat the same missions over and over to grind cash, do the farm raid instead. Or visit Rubio. Or grind your Hangar. All are better options. Though, none of those get you a sick-looking police car.

If money’s not an issue for you, here’s how to unlock all the trade prices on the police cruisers in GTA Online. I’ll be buying the Greenwood cruiser anyway, can’t help but get a massive hit of nostalgia I get every time I look at it!

The cars, what about the Cars?

There are about ten new cars in the Bottom Dollar Bounties DLC — us free players will get the Overflod Pipistrello next week. That’s a great haul for a DLC from Rockstar, and more are sure to be dripfed to us.

As a little bit of a car guy, I do like some of the new options. Definitely worth grinding for — but I won’t be using the bail office for my grind, that’s for sure. My favorite is probably the Invetero Coquette D1. I’m a real sucker for the classics. It handles well for a classic, sounds real nice, and has a decent amount of customization. I do not regret buying it. It’s not super fast though, I’ve only managed to push it to around 120-130 mph, downhill, on the highway.

Overall, the cars are the saving grace for this DLC. I’m really happy with the new car options, and if you’re a car guy, I bet you are too.

What’s exciting about It?

In the title I mention that it’s an exciting disappointment. I’m always wishing for a new heist that’s worth doing, and new stories. That part has bitterly disappointed me, obviously. But the bail office missions have potential, as do the Dispatch missions.

There isn’t much variation for now, but more could be added. Unlikely, maybe — hopefully Rockstar is keeping the focus on getting GTA 6 to us in good time. Hey! That’s where the excitement is. Imagine the potential of this in GTA 6!

I started playing GTA Online the day it launched. Yeah, server issues and all. Back then, all we could do was rob shops and sell cars to LS Customs. It was Rockstar’s first foray into the multiplayer-verse. Now we’ve got all of this. You can steal from a drug lord’s island, run guns, be an MC boss, shoot freaking laser beams from the sky!

GTA Online has come a long way. And we’re spoiled for choice – add the Chop Shop, Bail Office, Salvage Yard, and the options feel endless. And that’s what excites me. GTA 6 will likely have various paths and ways to make money.

You won’t be stuck doing store robberies and grand theft auto for small change. Imagine doing bounties on other players, having heists where you can play as the cops and try to stop the players from getting the score, etc.

Maybe not an efficient grind, but the fun factor would be off the charts! If the rewards were worth it…

What Rockstar keeps getting Right

Rockstar have made some questionable choices in the past, there’s no doubt about that. But it’s a developer I’ve always liked. If you think about all the DLC’s we’ve got for GTA Online without having to pay a cent of real money, it really puts things into perspective.

Compare that to something like the Sims, that has in-app purchases and the entire kit could cost you upwards of $1000 at one point.

Again, we have free new ways to spend our time in GTA Online. Hopefully this selflessness continues into GTA 6, but avoids the pay-to-win factor.

Well, that’s my two cents on both the Bottom Dollar Bounties dlc, and the exciting future that Rockstar’s teasing us with. Until next time, love the grind.