This latest bit of speculation about the specific nature of balance changes in GTA Online comes after Rockstar Games hinted at upcoming nerfs and buffs hitting the hugely popular title following the latest re-release. At the end of the official Newswire post announcing the release of the game on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, the publisher noted that balance changes are incoming, and specifically mentioned vehicles that often see use in PvP combat.
When thinking of vehicles that need rebalancing and are often used in PvP, it’s hard to think of anything other than the Oppressor Mk II. For years before its release, the go-to griefer vehicle was the Hydra, a realistic fighter jet that players used to hunt down others in the game’s public sessions. Hydras were also used to blow up cargo shipments, which players could only deliver in public sessions and caused massive GTA$ losses. This prevalent form of griefing led rise to many players deliberately lagging themselves out into solo public sessions with methods like disconnecting from the internet while still playing GTA Online. These methods worked for the most part, but were unreliable and eventually you’d see other players loading into your previously solo public session.
In 2018, a new content update added the Oppressor Mk II to the game, and the griefing just got worse. This vehicle is a flying, armored hoverbike which offers way more protection than it practically could, and it packs lock-on missiles too. A fast, small target with weapons that don’t need to be aimed sounds like a great vehicle to use - until it is used against you. The Oppressor Mk II’s capabilities made it a popular choice among regular players, as it let you get across the map quickly and conveniently while sporting some weapons of its own, but the vehicle saw most usage by griefers who used those homing missiles on others in the session. Very few vehicles can effectively counter the Oppressor Mk II, such as a fully upgraded Mobile Operations Center, and those vehicles see limited use in the most lucrative activities in GTA Online. Getting into a solo public session remains the only real way to avoid getting blown up again and again, so players are hopeful that Rockstar really is teasing an Oppressor nerf - they’ve even started sharing their own suggestions on how to make it less of a pain. A returning idea is to simply remove the missiles while retaining the other stats, which would make it a quick and tough form of transportation, but useless for griefing. We’ll have to wait and see whether an Oppressor nerf is included in the next GTA Online update, whenever that drops. Seeing as the game went standalone and temporarily free on PlayStation 5, the population must be booming right now - meaning many more potential targets for those who would misuse the Oppressor.
