HOW TO MAKE BANK AND GET TO THE GRAND IN NEED FOR SPEED™ UNBOUND

Take care of the streets and the streets will have your back. Make Bank, hold on to your cash by ducking the cops, and strike a balance between upgrading your custom and keeping enough green to pay the Qualifier entry fee.

Weekly Qualifiers take place at the end of every week, and you’ll need to dust the opposition on three occasions across four performance tiers to be considered to feature in The Grand. Having a ride that fits the tier for each race is key to earning a spot, but you’ll also need the capital to pay the entry fee. Here’s some things to keep in mind as you race your way to Lakeshore’s ultimate street race.

Tune your ride:

To enter the Weekly Qualifier, your performance index within each tier will need to be high enough to stand up to the opposition. If you need a boost, upgrade your ride for better performance, or check your garage to see if you already have something more up to spec. In need of better parts? Give your garage a facelift for access to more upgrades. For some of the highest rewards though, you’ll have to push the limits and take part in events that require high Heat to land yourself a custom to rival the very best.

Side hustles are where it’s at:

Short on cash with a qualifier looming? Hit up a Delivery mission, roam the city for activities and collectables, or take advantage of the high-risk night events that are more likely to attract attention from the cops. For bonus cash, challenge rivals to a Side Bet, wagering your own Bank to back your skill behind the wheel and make money whilst doing it. Better yet, target the racers directly above or below you in the rankings to really maximize the return.

Stash your cash and make it last:

We get it, everyone wants to show up to the Qualifier with the baddest custom and blow everyone away. But a dope car is no good if you're broke and can’t afford the entry fee. More racing means more Heat, and the cops are more than happy to see your Bank balance take a tumble. Are you prepared to push it to the limit for a bigger payday? If so, you’ll need to be as smart as you are fast to avoid getting busted and keep your cash. Oh… and if you’re in a pinch and the Weekly Qualifier is closing in, buckle up for an intense couple of days of racing to make that wallet bulge.

Rock the cops:

You’re not supposed to be here, but you are, and the cops don’t like it. Fail to get them off your tail and you’ll lose your cash. Lakeshore’s best street racers know the city well enough to give the blue lights the slip. Hit J-turns, drive into oncoming traffic, and dive into underground areas to shake pursuing choppers.

Word on the street: “Find a spot to lay low, kill your engine and switch off the lights while in cooldown to lose your Heat faster.”

Know your nitrous:

If you want to be the first across the line, upgrade your nitrous for an injection of speed when you need it most. Holding the nitrous button uses regular nitrous whilst tapping the button triggers Burst Nitrous. Mastering when to use Burst Nitrous is key to leaving the competition in smoke as your meter will drain to zero over time. Perform boost-earning actions like getting airtime or drifting and decide when to unleash your nitrous to gain the biggest advantage. Time it right and fly past the competition, get it wrong and you’ll be picking your custom out of the nearest ditch.

Word on the street: “Draft cars in front to fill your Burst Nitrous meter faster.”

Don’t get caught sleeping:

Be decisive and make your move early to get ahead. The Qualifier is an Eliminator event, so if you don’t finish high enough up the rankings, you’ll miss out and have to use a retry or repeat the Friday to re-enter.

Struggling to win the Qualifier?

Lakeshore is a city of second chances. You can always adjust the difficulty level in the game menu. Lower difficulty settings grant you more retries, and make it less likely for the cops to spot you.

For an in-depth look at how The Grand works and why increasing your Heat levels can lead to greater rewards, take a look Under The Hood here.