GTA Online’s Kortz Center Heist Has 1 Optional Prep Worth Prioritizing
Guard Routes supports stealth, while Drills only open safety-deposit boxes that take up loot-bag space.
GTA Online’s Kortz Center Heist gives crews five optional prep missions, but Guard Routes is the one prep that should consistently make the cut. Skipping it makes a stealth run much harder unless you already know the guards’ routes by heart.
The robbery takes crews into the Bell Building at the Kortz Center, and the optional work can change how much control players have during the finale. A community guide on Reddit sorts the five choices into must-do, situational, helpful-but-optional, and low-value options. Here is the practical breakdown.
Guard Routes should be the default prep
Guard Routes reveals the guards’ FOV cones, giving the crew a much clearer idea of where it can move without being spotted. That makes the stealth sections far less punishing, especially for players who have not memorized every guard path inside the Kortz Center.
The prep is also described as an easy job, so there is little reason to skip it unless the crew already knows the entire route by heart. For most attempts, complete or purchase Guard Routes before spending resources on the other optional preps.
Glass Cutters depends on the target
Glass Cutters is situational rather than an automatic choice. It is worth taking when you have multiple players with you, when a buyer-request item is locked inside a tall glass case, or when the crew plans to collect art from the vertical glass cases.
Those cases offer a good amount of loot for the bag space they use. If the crew is not going after art in them and does not need a glass-protected request item, Glass Cutters is not required. Solo players in particular can skip it when neither situation applies.
Guard Shipments gives loud runs a safety net
Guard Shipments is more useful for crews planning to fight, or for players who do not want to hard restart the heist the moment stealth fails. The prep removes the guards’ bulletproof helmets, making them easier to dispatch once the situation turns loud and giving players more opportunities to pick them off.
Crews using the Security or Military loadout may have another answer. Those loadouts include a stun gun with a three-second cooldown, and it can take down guards in a single hit even when they are wearing full armor. In that case, Guard Shipments becomes more of a backup plan than a required pick.
EMP is best for a fast exit
The EMP prep is built around movement and cameras. It can help the crew reach the exit faster while avoiding surveillance, and it can also help clear guards while keeping the run quiet. Stealth is already manageable without it, so EMP is a convenience for players who want extra room for error rather than a mandatory part of the plan.
Cameras can be disabled from the basement, but only for a limited time. EMP offers another advantage by unlocking a basement door that leads straight to the first-floor exit doors near the Manches Bikes. If that is the route your crew wants to use, the prep can cut down the trip out of the building.
Power Drills are a poor use of loot-bag space
Power Drills are the easiest optional prep to leave behind. They are used only for the eight safety-deposit boxes in the vault. Unlike the boxes in the Casino Heist, these deposits do not provide enough money to justify the amount of room they consume in the loot bag.
Filling that space with other secondary targets gives the crew a better return, so Power Drills should stay off the list unless the team has a very specific reason to empty those boxes.
A simple prep plan for new crews
For a standard first attempt, start with Guard Routes. Add Glass Cutters when vertical-case art or a glass-protected request item is part of the loot plan, choose Guard Shipments if the crew wants more protection after stealth breaks, and bring EMP when the basement escape route is part of the plan. Power Drills can safely be skipped in most runs.
Which prep combination do you use for the Kortz Center Heist? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, Telegram.
Grand Theft Auto Online
Developed by Rockstar North
Grand Theft Auto Online is an online multiplayer action-adventure game, and is a standalone version of Grand Theft Auto V. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas (based on Southern California), Grand Theft Auto Online allows up to 30 players to explore its open world environment and engage in cooperative or competitive game matches. The game features a range of technical and graphical improvements across the entire experience including performance enhancements for select vehicles in GTA Online, and so much more.
- Genre Shooter, Adventure
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release November 18, 2014
- Publisher Rockstar Games
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Age Rating
