Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain has a currency system which is tied to every aspect of the game. From sending Snake on missions, upgrading Mother Base and developing weapons and equipment in Big Boss’s arsenal, it’s going to cost some cash.
In order to keep you in the black, we have put together some tips and tricks to help earn GMP quickly and make sure you always have enough cash to buy the weapons you want, and to upgrade them when needed to complete the mission.
How to save money on missions
Before you even jump in the chopper, you get the chance to kit out Snake in an array of weapons, equipment and items. However, it’s worth noting that the more gear you pile onto Snake, the more expensive the mission becomes.
In the bottom left of the screen, you’ll notice a display which shows the cost of dispatch, which takes into account all the gear currently selected, as well as the buddy. This will be in the form of GMP and resources. The main expense will be cash, but fuel, minor metals and other resources will also be accounted for.
If you’re only doing a quick side op try taking as little equipment as possible , making the mission an actual worthwhile investment. It’s no good making the cost of equipment more than the reward of the rescue itself.
Every piece of equipment you select in the menu will display a cost next to it. Obviously, the more advanced the gear, the more expensive it’ll be.
To save money, stop getting in the helicopter
If you have five side missions to complete in Afghanistan, rather than jump into the chopper at the end of each mission, consider riding D-Horse or D-Walker to the next mission area.
Calling the chopper in costs GMP and resources, as does dispatching Snake back to Afghanistan to the next mission zone.
Before you jump to a location, see what missions are in the nearby area, and try to land equipped to complete a couple of ops in a single run. This will help keep Outer Heaven in the black and free of debt. Being able to do a few missions on a single trip will help save money in the long run.
Upgrade the Fulton as often as possible
Upgrading the Fulton will allow you to extract weapons, vehicles and importantly, supply crates. While larger extractions become more expensive, they’re worth it. Even if you have no use for, say, a truck, the 10,000 GMP extraction is offset by the 20,000 GMP sell-on price.
Whenever you see a sole truck wandering the barren lands, it may be worth trying to pull off a sneaky heist to make a quick buck.
Keep deploying your combat units
As soon as your combat units return from a mission, redeploy them. Even if you’re on a mission, open up the iDroid as quickly as possible and send them straight back into the field.
Combat units are an excellent way to make money, but the downside is missions progress in real-time, and only while you’re playing the game. So if a mission is listed as taking 90 minutes to complete, you’ll have to play the game for that long before that unit returns.
Check the potential rewards for each mission, the likelihood of said rewards being earned, and the likelihood of success, as well as the potential losses. Choose whichever ones offer the biggest payout and resources you need most.
How to improve your combat units
A quick way to upgrade your combat units is to develop weapons with green text. These weapons are equippable by your security units, so the more tooled-up they are, the better protected your FOB base will be.
When it comes to your troops that get sent on missions, simply continuing to send them on low-level missions will see them gradually improve and become ready for tougher tasks. Also continue to Fulton extract any soldiers you find on the field with high grades, as this will immediately improve your unit.
Upgrade the helicopter
It’s expensive, but having a top-of-the-line helicopter can mean the difference between mission success and failure. Depending on how you choose to approach the game, you can be as stealthy as Solid Snake in Metal Gear or as loud as Raiden in Metal Gear Rising. Sometimes you’ll find yourself in a sticky situation, and being able to call in a souped-up chopper with either the flare grenade or using your iDroid is a huge help. (Make sure you take out the anti-air emplacements, including the radar and any rocket launcher troops that may be on the ground.)
Surprisingly, if the chopper blows up, it’s not that expensive, so as harsh as it sounds, sometimes it’s worth the loss if the chopper mows down a large number of enemies.
When in need of cash, sell precious metals
Precious metals are a resource in the game which can be sold for a lot of cash. You’ll slowly but surely accumulate a stockpile, and at least in the early hours of the game, won’t be needing them to build anything.
If you need an extra bit of cash to develop a weapon or further expand Mother Base, sell some of the relevant resources.
We hope you found that helpful! For more news and reviews, keep checking back Gaming Central.
