HOW TO PLAY LOCKDOWN

Lakeshore PD has been pushed to the brink by Racer X and the street racing community, they have had enough! Lockdown has been initiated, using an experimental EMP tech, that not only damages the cars of anyone bullish enough to stay on the streets but also plunges the city into darkness! Cops are out on high-alert, hunting for racers in the dying light and seizing valuable loot to store in Lockups rapidly deployed around the city.

The mayhem of Lockdown seems to all be part of Racer X’s plan, as he gets to play the puppet master… controlling which Lockups open and when, revealing where bikes are located, calling in Extraction Trucks, and running high-stakes races with Pursuit Tech active! But he’s not doing this out of sheer goodwill…

Racer X has reason to toy with the Cops and exploit the Lockdown. He’s offering contracts to crews of racers with the nerve to risk it all! Crew up, enter the Lockdown, tick off your crews’ contracts, capitalize on the chaos and grab what you can while leaving the Cops scrabbling to regain control! It’s the most high-stakes play NFS has ever seen.

Don’t assume that the Cops will just sit back and take it, though! As the Lockdown grows, the heat rises and the Cops get much, much tougher. But, the loot will get more and more valuable. With great rewards comes great risk. YOU need to decide when to call it quits, and get out on one of Racer X’s Extraction Trucks. If you fail to get out before the Lockdown ends, you’ll lose ALL that valuable loot. Oh, and your ride will be impounded for 24 hours! Told you the Cops weren’t messing around!

So, get in, work together, take back what's yours, and get the hell out!

Racer X has a grudge against the Cops, thanks to his previous life (if you know, you know), and has dedicated a huge amount of effort into exacting his revenge. His challenges to the community to wreck the Lakeshore PD and escape the high heat chases (even though failed!) were premeditated, bit by bit, pushing the boys in blue further and further, until something had to give. 

The city being locked down was… unexpected, but played perfectly into Racer X’s plan. Every Cop in Lakeshore is out in force, but they are spread thin, they don’t know where to LOOK. It’s the perfect moment to make them LOOK (even more) incompetent, and to… ‘take back what’s his’ while they are distracted… or get some chump to do it for him at least. 

You should consider Racer X to be the puppet master, pulling the strings behind the scenes while the Cops desperately try to regain control. Whether the Lockdown Zone is coming in, Lockups and Superbikes are being revealed, Racers are swapping rides – Racer X has his finger on the pulse of the scene, so be sure to listen to what he’s got to say. 

He will be organizing some of the craziest races that Lakeshore has seen, with no holds barred: Cops, Pursuit Tech, piles of Cash just waiting to be claimed… they’ve got it all! He will also be opening Lockups throughout the session, as well as calling in his trusty Extraction Truck, ready to be  claimed by those looking to make an exit. But be warned though, when Racer X makes his announcements, you won’t be the only person hearing about it!

And who knows? Maybe if you prove yourself and impress Racer X, he’ll have a spot for you on his new crew.

Lockdown Crews can be one to three players, you can either party up before joining a session (and it must be before the session, there is no mid-session joining in Lockdown!) or matchmake with two random players.

Playing as a Crew has its benefits, such as having backup if you find yourself Wrecked or Busted, helping to deal with Cops and Rivals, contributing towards each other's Contract and claiming the Extraction Truck! Racer X also sets an additional challenge to complete each Lockdown session, think of it as a ‘mini contract’ that can only be completed in that session, for an additional reward, which is made much easier by having Crew Members to help.

You can of course play entirely solo if you want, but just consider it hardcore mode!

There can be up to three players in a ‘Crew’. A Crew can be ‘Public’ (get matched with anyone) or ‘Private’ (invite your friends only).

You can create Crews by setting up a Party. To do this you can press ‘Create Party’ and invite your friends. If you want a Party with only one other friend or want to go in solo (aka “hardcore mode”) you can set your Crew to ‘Private’, which means no uninvited players can join your Crew. To do this, you need to select Triangle (PS5) / Y(Xbox) / CTRL (PC) to change whether the Crew is ‘Private’ or ‘Public’. If you leave your Crew set to ‘Public’, then any empty spaces will be filled with other players during matchmaking.

The Cops are tracking EVERYTHING you do in Lockdown, and it shows on your personal Rap Sheet. Actions performed in Lockdown have a Rap value, and the more illicit the action, the higher its value! 

Your Rap sheet is split into two sections – Your ‘LIFETIME RAP’ tracks your total Rap earnings to date, across all of your Lockdown sessions. The ‘Weekly Rap’ is a challenge set by Racer X to reward the most audacious, daring street racers! Rap earned each week is shown on a tracker, against four rewards being offered by Racer X. Your finishing position on the Weekly Rap tracker determines your rewards, before it resets ready for the next week.

Be sure to check what rewards are on offer each week, they’ll range from XP drops all the way up to custom rides!

Contracts are collections of objectives set by Racer X to be completed in Lockdown. Crew Members can contribute progress towards each others’ selected Contract by performing the required actions, so take a look at your Crew’s Contracts and see how you can help!

The Contracts are split into four chapters. The first three (set by Racer X) see you escalate the fight against Lakeshore PD and exploit Lockdown to grab as much loot as you can. The final chapter, ‘Rockport Legends’, is a sticker book-like tracker to show which cars (inspired by the  NFS™: Most Wanted Blacklist) you have found and extracted!

Complete a Contract to unlock the next in the chain for that chapter. To unlock chapters two and three, earn Rap by playing Lockdown. 

Contracts award Bank and XP, but along the way rides will be unlocked for completing Milestone Contracts.

When in a Lockdown session, open the pause menu to see the Contracts equipped by your Crew Members.

When in a Lockdown session, you can check on the progress of your selected Contract by pressing D-Pad Left (Xbox)/(PS), Page Down (PC). You can also open the pause menu to view the progress on your Crew Members’ respective selected Contracts.

Crew Members can contribute towards each others’ selected Contract. You’ll be notified when a Crew Member helps out.And you know, we hear it's all about family, so make sure to repay the favor, won’t you!

These rides have been wrapped to pay homage to the iconic Blacklist (with the exception of one, which is more… ‘authentic’ than the rest). Problem is, Lakeshore PD have seized and secured them in Lockups across the city. To keep racers guessing, they keep moving them between Lockups. Heading into a session, you won’t know which rides are in the Lockups until you check them out!

Successfully extract each Blacklist ride you find to unlock it to keep, and track progress in the ‘Rockport Legends’ chapter of your Contracts. Collect the entire Blacklist and get the pristine BMW M3 GTR as a reward! Contracts will be ticked off as you extract the cars, no need to do them in order. Get to it, Ding Dong!

EVENTS 

Be prepared for some of the craziest events seen in Lakeshore. Racer X controls the races in Lockdown so watch out for his invites, but in typical Racer X style he has upped the ante. Huge payouts can be had through winning and loot drops. But, Pursuit Tech is also active for all and spread out at checkpoints across the events – it's almost like he enjoys the carnage or something?! 

The longer you stick around in the session, the bigger the risk vs. reward factor becomes. Events will give higher payouts but as the Zone keeps growing, more Cops will descend on the route too. This coupled with a bunch of Rival Crews hell-bent on taking you down through any means… makes for some pretty intense play! 

It's not just races though, Racer X has been setting some of his own scores on Lakeshore activities so be sure to smash them and show him what you are about!

The Cops are locking down Lakeshore bit by bit, and when you find yourself in the Zone, watch out! Your vehicle health will be depleting and your Heat will rocket up as tougher Cop units start hunting you down. It pays to keep an eye on the minimap, since your old pal Racer X has the jump on where the Cops are activating the Zone next.

Areas about to lock down will appear with a hatched pattern. You are safe to drive in these areas, but not for long! City lights will begin to flash as power is drawn from the grid and the Zone prepares to expand into that area, giving you a valuable warning.

When you're in the Zone, the Heat rises to level 5, so watch out for the Heavies – the Zone is no joke! So why risk going inside the Zone at all? That’s where the most valuable loot appears! It’s up to you if you have the stones to survive in there and grab what you can. 

The Lockdown Zone will continually damage your car, but gas stations (even though unlit) still repair your ride back to full health. Unlike cars, the BMW S 1000 RR ‘19 superbike does not take any damage inside the Zone, thanks to a nifty upgrade from Racer X.

If you’re trying to get out of the Zone? check your mini map. It has an arrow telling the direction to get out.

KEY OF MAP

1. Friendly Crew Member – Minimap & World Map
2. Downed Friendly Crew Member – Minimap & World Map
3. Spike Strip Pickup (Pursuit Tech) – Minimap Only
4. Electrostatic Field Pickup (Pursuit Tech) – Minimap Only
5. EMP Pickup (Pursuit Tech) – Minimap Only
6. Gas Station – Minimap & World Map
7. Extraction Truck – Minimap & World Map
8. Cash – Minimap Only
9. Bike – Minimap & World Map
10. Jackable ride – Minimap & World Map
11. Lockup – Minimap & World Map
12. Most Wanted Player – Minimap & World Map
13. Hot Ride – Minimap & World Map
14. Lockdown Zone – Minimap & World Map
    
    

*this is for illustration purposes only, not all icons appear on the map in game and are subject to change.

Is your ride only a few hits away from being wrecked? Racer X will send you a text when you're at Critical Health with a prompt to route to a gas station, and a green beam of light will appear above your closest gas station. They will be a literal lifesaver when in the Zone or in a spicy situation with Cops and rivals trying to take you out.

LOOT

There are three types of loot found in a Lockdown session: Pursuit Tech, Cash and rides. At the start of the session, the lowest value loot will be available, but the longer you remain in the session (and especially within the Lockdown Zone) the higher the value of the loot that appears. The value of Cash crates will gradually increase, as will the performance tiers of loot vehicles.

When carrying Cash, watch out for rival squads. If you’re hit by a rival, you can drop a percentage of that cash (the amount depending on your current vehicle health and amount of damage received). Cash dropped can be picked up like other cash sources, by driving over the crate. 

Pursuit Tech and Cash can be found in crates, and will automatically be picked up when you drive through them. Driving through a Pursuit Tech crate will replace the currently equipped Pursuit Tech. 

When you are carrying more than $100K, you risk being ‘Most Wanted’ and shown on rivals’ maps! (Above that threshold, the racer with the most cash will be shown to all.)

Rides found around Lakeshore (and those of rivals who have been wrecked and are waiting for a crew member to help them!) can be Jacked, and (if successfully extracted) can be used temporarily. Hot Rides only appear in Lockups, and (if extracted successfully) are awarded permanently to the player who extracted them, to use across MP in Lockdown, PVP and Free Roam. 

The races offered by Racer X throughout the session will gradually accept higher vehicle performance tiers, so it pays to keep an eye out for more performant vehicles whilst exploring Lakeshore. 

Hot Rides are found in Lockups and (if successfully extracted) are awarded permanently to the player who extracted them. If you weren’t the first person to open a Lockup and claim a Hot Ride, don’t despair just yet! As long as it’s still in the session, you still have a chance to take out the player currently using it, Jacking it for yourself, and then extracting to keep it!

Hot Rides can be used across multiplayer (Lockdown, PVP and Free Roam) irrespective of whether they are impounded or not within the Lockdown mode. 

The Hot Rides available in Lockups will refresh weekly, so check back regularly to see which rides are available, to complete your collection (including the full list of Blacklist-inspired rides). Don’t forget to let your crew know the best lockup locations and which Hot ride is available that week. Don’t think it’ll be easy though, Hot Rides are called out on everyone’s map by Racer X.

If you extract a Hot Ride and either (a) you already own an instance of that Hot Ride, or (b) your multiplayer garage is full (200 vehicle slots occupied), the extracted Hot ride will instead be automatically converted to bank, with the amount depending on vehicle tier:

• Tier B = $2500
• Tier A = $5000
• Tier A+ = $10000
• Tier S = $12000
• Tier S+ = $15000

All that cash on the streets is tempting, but watch out! The racer carrying the most cash above a $100K threshold will become Most Wanted, making them visible to every Crew on their maps. Don’t forget that in Lockdown, when hit by rivals you will drop Cash which anyone can then pick up!

Previously a tactical tool used exclusively by Cops, now Pursuit Tech is available for racers to use in Lockdown sessions against both rival racers and the Lakeshore PD! No need to worry about friendly fire though, your crew members will be impervious to your Pursuit Tech. 

Within Lockdown, a single type of Pursuit Tech (Spike Strip, Electrostatic Field, EMP) can be equipped at any one time, and has limited rounds of ammunition, as shown on the HUD. Pursuit Tech is automatically picked-up and equipped by driving over the crate in world, and will automatically replace the currently equipped Pursuit Tech, regardless of current ammunition. The currently equipped Pursuit Tech can be used by pressing B (Xbox) / Circle (PS) / E (PC). 

There are three types of Pursuit Tech:

• Spike Strips are deployed behind your ride and will temporarily deflate the tires of any pursuers
• The EMP is a ranged weapon that targets vehicles in front of you. It requires a successful lock-on to be effective, temporarily disabling the engine of the target
• The Electrostatic Field is both a defensive and offensive tool, lessening the damage of impacts received, and damage dealt by the Lockdown Zone, but increasing damage dealt to rivals/Cops in collisions 

Remember that ammunition is limited, so try not to be too trigger-happy! It’s not like we’re playing soldiers here!

Lockups are temporary structures rapidly deployed by Lakeshore PD to store seized loot while the Lockdown is in place. It should be no surprise that they can be extremely lucrative, containing the most valuable rides, cash, and even upgraded Pursuit Tech. 

Lockups can appear in many possible locations, but in every session, only five will be present, their locations chosen randomly and initially masked on the map. Periodically throughout the session, Racer X will reveal their locations one by one.

There are two sets of gates on a Lockup, the main gates for cars to drive through, then much narrower pedestrian gates. When Racer X reveals a Lockup location, he will also open the pedestrian gates AND reveal the location of a BMW S 1000 RR bike. Any racer who finds a bike can easily fit through those pedestrian gates, and take what they want from the Lockup, or open up the main gates for your crew.

But what if you don’t have a bike? Well lucky for you, Racer X is more than happy to open up the main gates, but for a price! If you arrive at any Lockup with the main gates still locked, you can pay a fee to Racer X for him to open the gates up, there and then, even if that Lockup wasn’t yet shown on the map! 

It’s important to know that Racer X will inform all Crews if any Lockups are opened. Hey! He’s trying to find the best of the best, there still needs to be a challenge there! 

For the first time in NFS you can ride a superbike, the BMW S 1000 RR ‘19! Racer X has been modifying these two-wheeled beasts to be immune to the Lockdown Zone, making them perfect for looting its most dangerous depths. They can squeeze through the pedestrian gates on Lockups to easily get to that loot inside, and run rings around the Lakeshore PD! 

Like any other car Jacked outside of Lockups, the BMW S 1000 RR ‘19 can be extracted, and (if at a high enough Extraction Streak to start with Tier S+ vehicles) temporarily brought in to subsequent Lockdown sessions.

Remember, the bike is agile but fragile! It won’t take many hits (especially from tougher Cop units) to take you down. 

To wheelie (balance on the rear wheel) L3 down (Xbox and PS) / K (PC) or to stoppie (balance on the front wheel) L3 up (Xbox and PS) / I (PC). When at speed, pushing up on the left stick will tuck the rider in reducing drag and letting you hit a higher top speed.

When reaching 0 health in Lockdown, so long as a player still has Crew Members in the session, they will enter a Wrecked state, where any carried cash is dropped, and their vehicle disabled. The clock starts ticking – be recovered in time or it’s game over!

Crew Members are notified by Racer X with a text message that includes a prompt to route to the Wrecked player. When arriving, friendlyCrew Members have a button prompt to ‘Jump Start’, by pressing X(Xbox) / Square (PS) / Spacebar (PC) to begin recovery. A progress bar will appear, and (if successfully filled) the Wrecked player will be back in the action, with both players’ health fully replenished.  

What about Rival crews? Racer X won’t inform Rival crews of a player being Wrecked, but they will appear on Rivals’ maps. If a Rival reaches a Wrecked player, rather than have the option to ‘Jump Start’, they instead can Jack the Wrecked player, taking their ride and ending their session there and then! 

Rides Jacked from players follow the same rules as those Jacked around the open world – if successfully extracted, they’ll be available to use for 24 hours. 

It’s not just Rivals to be mindful of, jump starting makes saviors or Jackers vulnerable to Lakeshore’s finest, who will gladly pull up and begin busting anyone present! So get in, get your team mates’ engine revving and get the hell out!

When Busted by Cops in Lockdown, so long as a player has Crew Members still in the session, they will enter a Busted state, where any carried cash is dropped, and their vehicle disabled. The clock starts ticking – be recovered in time or it’s game over!

Crew Members are notified by Racer X with a text message that includes a prompt to route to the Busted player. Next to the Busted player will be a stationary Cop car that Busted them. This Cop will have a handcuff icon and a pulsing blue light beam above them. To free the Busted player, simply smash into that Cop car!

What about Rival crews? Racer X won’t inform Rival crews of a player being Busted, but they will appear on Rivals’ maps and a red beam of light will be above them. If a Rival reaches a Busted player, they may decide to help them out and wreck the Cop car themselves, or simply take the dropped cash and get out of there! Oh, can you Jack a Busted rival? Of course not! It’s right under the nose of the Cops, you have to wreck a player to Jack their ride!

When entering a Lockdown session, there is a key aspect to remember! If you Jack any vehicle you find, you will swap into it and leave your original ride in its place. If you then leave that Lockdown session (or you fail to extract altogether) that ride you initially entered with and left in the world will be seized by the Cops, and impounded for 24 hours. Impounded vehicles can not be used in subsequent Lockdown sessions until the Impounded timer depletes (they can however still be used in Free Roam & PVP).

Any vehicles you Jack and successfully extract with will appear in your garage as ‘Jacked’ and (inversely to Impounded rides) will be available for you to use for 24 hours, before they are returned. Jacked rides can not be used in Free Roam & PVP.

The performance tier of the ride you can enter Lockdown with depends on your Extraction Streak. Each successful Extraction increments the Streak and allows you to start with progressively higher performance tiers, but if you fail to extract in a session that Streak is lost and resets, forcing you to start in a Tier B vehicle. Any Jacked vehicles will respect the Extraction Streak.

What happens if ALL your rides get impounded? Racer X has planned for that eventuality and has provided loaner vehicles. He’s got to keep the cash flow going, right?

EXTRACTION

The ONLY way to successfully complete a Lockdown session is to extract. Do this by claiming one of the Extraction Trucks sent in by Racer X. They will arrive periodically through the session. Racer X will broadcast to all Crews when they arrive. 

By successfully extracting via an Extraction Truck, you will earn a 1.5x multiplier to your Rap earnings. Fail to extract, you earn a 1.0x multiplier to your Rap, or take the coward's way out and quit a Lockdown session, and you’ll earn a 0.5x multiplier to your Rap! Moral of the story here: Extract! 

To claim an Extraction Truck you will need to chase it down and stay within the visible ring, until the progress bar fills. When claimed, the truck will perform a devastating EMP blast to clear away any Rivals and Cops, allowing the successful Crew to safely extract. 

This sounds easy, right? Well, every crew is notified of a truck’s arrival, and anyone can attempt to claim the truck, even if a rival crew has started making progress on their own claim. The more crew members present in the ring, the quicker the progress for that crew – team work makes the dream work! Is a rival contesting your claim? Well don’t just sit there, push them out the ring! Use Pursuit Tech on them! Do something!

When entering Lockdown for the first time, you will be restricted to using a Tier B vehicle. Successfully extract and you’re now on an Extraction Streak of 1, and can enter with up to a Tier A vehicle. Successfully extract again, now you’re on an Extraction Streak of 2, and can enter with a Tier A+ vehicle, and so on! 

If you fail to extract, your current Extraction Streak will reset, and next session you’ll be back to using a Tier B vehicle again. You can of course Jack higher performance tier vehicles you find in world, regardless of what your Streak is, but building an Extraction Streak gives you an additional competitive edge when starting a Lockdown session.

Hey! You made it to the end! So… feeling equipped to become the Most Wanted and rock the Lockdown? Yeah? Then go get after it!

 - Team Kaizen

Disclaimer: Not all images appear in-game.