by A new GTA Online update addresses the ever-present problem of grief in a number of potentially powerful ways.
The patch, which will be released alongside the Criminal Enterprises big update on Tuesday, July 26th, contains a long list of general gameplay changes that have been requested by players via the GTA Online feedback site (opens in new tab). Crucially, some of these changes are aimed squarely at minimizing the impact griefers have on other players, and they sound like really worthwhile improvements.
When the update goes live, players will no longer have to shell out cash for destroying another player’s armed personal vehicle, meaning you can finally defend yourself against griefers in these cases with no penalty.
Another big issue is that your K/D (kill/death) ratio no longer reflects freemode kills “to reduce instances of grief”. Instead, this stat only changes based on what happens during competitive gameplay. That should go a long way in deterring griefers looking to improve their K/D ratio in Freemode.
That’s not all – the update also lets you complete sell missions in private sessions by invitation only, again meaning you never have to worry about griefers getting in the way. “You can register as a VIP, CEO, or MC President in Invite Only, Crew, and Friend Sessions, allowing business owners to shop and sell at their own pace or with their friends,” the patch notes (opens in new tab).
Another change seemingly giving the middle finger to griefers is a major nerf to the obnoxious Pegassi Oppressor Mk II hoverbike. This is because the effectiveness of his homing missiles has been reduced, and his countermeasures will have longer cooldowns and fewer uses.
For the griefers who prefer to terrorize on the track, the new GTA Online update has a few welcome surprises in store on that front as well. The creator of the special vehicle race will have the options “Ghost to First Checkpoint” and “Anti Grief Ghosting” to give ghosts to players driving in the wrong direction.
The full update makes changes from vehicle customization to corporate protections and upgrades, but it’s good to see that such a large part of it is devoted to combating grief.
Now if only Rockstar would stop saddening its Red Dead Online players and roll out some damn updates.
Here is everything we know about GTA 6.
