The 5 Best Vehicles in Just Cause 2
There aren’t a lot of reasons to use vehicles in Just Cause 2, and I’m the first to admit it. Slingshotting yourself with the parachute is faster, more maneuverable, and more efficient in 95% of situations. But this article is about the other 5%! There are some niche situations where Rico is better served buying or stealing a vehicle than going it on foot. Today, we’re discussing what those times are, and why!
1. The Chevalier Icebreaker
This jingle-playing ice cream truck was released as free DLC, and buyable in-game for $25,000. This is the cheapest price on the black market, and it brings two fun mechanics to the table. First, the front grill is reinforced and spiked, letting you ram other vehicles and take very little damage in return. But its lesser-known specialty is handling on snowy terrain. For whatever reason, this truck does not slip n’ slide around like almost every other car, making it my go-to choice for any land races in the snowy mountains.
2. The Makoto MZ 260X
For any races not in the snow, I highly recommend using a motorcycle. They handle better than cars while also letting you weave through all the traffic rudely keeping the speed limit. And the Black Market motorcycle is the most reliable all-rounder in that category. It’s durable, good at off-roading, cheap at $25,000, and the 2nd-fastest bike in the game behind the explosion-prone Cougar. Even before you fully upgrade it, it’ll serve you well in any land race across Panau.
3. GV-104 Razorback
The closest thing the game has to a personal tank, the Razorback (whether purchased from the Black Market or found in the base you’re obliterating) is the only vehicle I always steal. It packs a hell of a punch, has great armor, and can easily decimate everything else in sight without breaking a sweat. (When fully upgraded it even outdamages the Stonewall, the much-rarer world spawn). This is the most optional vehicle on the list, but if you’re feeling like clearing a whole settlement without wasting ammo, nothing gets the job done better.
4. G9 Eclipse
I have a time-honored tradition every time I start a new save in Just Cause 2. As soon as I’m done with the tutorial missions and unlock free roam, I head for the nearest military airport and steal a G9 Eclipse to tour the map and unlock as many undiscovered settlements as I can across Panau. This fighter jet is the 2nd fastest vehicle in the whole game, there’s no better way to flesh out your fast travel routes across the entire country in just a few minutes. (The fastest vehicle, the Black Market F-33 DragonFly, is $100,000 and I usually don’t have that sort of money until fast travel makes cross-country flying obsolete.)
5. Rowlinson K22
This humble helicopter is far and away the best vehicle in the entire game. It should be the first one you fully upgrade to get those dual turrets and also turn it into the fastest chopper in the game. I beat every single air race with this little guy, and there’s additionally no better way to go grab all the blue rebel pickups littering your minimap. (I also like colonel-hunting with this thing. Check their dossier descriptions for clues as to where in Panau they’re stationed!) If you don’t want to spend $35k on the Black Market, it’s also a decently-common world spawn, especially on Panau City rooftop helipads. The main downside is how fragile it is, but that doesn’t really matter when you have the maneuverability to dodge rockets and the speed to leave enemy helicopters in the dust.
Bonus #6. MTA Powerrun 77
So this one isn’t on my personal list, but its the best boat in the game so it felt weird to not include it. It’s blisteringly fast, comes with dual turrets (and a rocket launcher once fully upgraded), only costs $30,000, and has commendable armor for survivability. If you ever want to assault a base from the water, or tour the oceans grabbing all the black boxes scattered on the seafloor, this is the speedboat for you.
You’re probably thinking these all sound like very niche cases, and you’d be right! But you have to remember that these are pretty much the last time there was ever a reason to use vehicles in the Just Cause series. After this, all subsequent games would include wingsuits (and eventually DLC power wingsuits) that essentially rendered vehicles completely inferior at all times. So I appreciate the half-dozen entries on this list for being the last bastions of a bygone game mechanic that never again reared its head where Rico’s skies took him.