Need for Speed puts you behind the wheel of the fastest, most tricked out cars in Ventura Bay. However, you also need to know a few other details to help you stay informed about available events and opportunities, as well as checking on your rankings and those of your friends. So hold back those horses—we’ll get to the driving soon enough. Let’s go over the game interface first.
Navigating the Menus
Need for Speed Network
When you first start up the game, you’re taken to the Network screen. There’s a lot going on here. You can also pull this up while in a game by pressing the Network button. Here’s what you can do at this screen:
Play/Return to Garage
Select this to start playing the game. You can choose a multiplayer game or join a group of your friends. Once you’re in the game and access the Network screen, this window allows you to quickly return to the garage and get your ride ready for the next event.
Daily Challenges
Each day you get three daily challenges. Check here to see what you must do for the current day. Each challenge you complete rewards you with cash and an increase in your rank. If you complete all three challenges for the day, you also get an additional reward—often a part for your car.
There’s also a monthly Rank screen you can select. Each month your rank is reset to zero. As you complete daily challenges and earn rank, you move up in the monthly rank. Every five ranks, you get some cash and rep. Reach the monthly goal and get even more cash, as well as a reward to use on your cars.
Stats and Progression
This is where you can see how you’re progressing through the game. The information is divided into four categories.
Journey shows the percentage completion for each of the five storylines, as well as the overall percentage completion of the game.
Driver Details provides all the stats on your driving. Find out which car you drive the most, your top speed, how much money you’ve earned, the biggest fines you’ve paid or escaped, and much more.
Collectibles tracks how you’re doing with your quest for Donuts, Vistas, Free Parts, and Cars Beaten. Not only do you get the percentage collected in each category, but can also select each category to see the individual snapshots of each.
There are several different types of Events in Ventura Bay. This section keeps track of the ones you’ve completed. Again, you can see a percentage, as well as look at each individual event. The categories here are Circuit Race, Drift Contest, Drift Trial, Sprint Race, Time Attack, Time Trial, Touge, Gymkhana, Drift Train, and Special Stage Race.
Players You May Know
This is where you add friends. It shows players with whom you have a mutual friend. At this screen, you can quickly add these players as friends so you can play Need for Speed with them.
Group Play
Need for Speed is a lot more fun when playing with your friends. Here you can create a group with up to seven of your pals. You can also check out players who are online, as well as available groups you can join.
Snapshots
Peruse the snapshots you’ve taken around Ventura Bay, as well as those of your friends and other players. You can like other players’ snapshots and see how many likes your own shots have collected.
News Feed
Want to find out what’s going on in the community, gameplay tips, or other information about the game and upcoming events? Then check out the News Feed. This opens a window with the latest and greatest on Need for Speed.
Your Phone
Once you’re in the game, your phone is almost as important as your car. Press the Phone button to bring up a screen with several options and vital information. The Map is one of the most useful tools on the Phone screen. Select it to see where you are in the world, the location of all available events, and the coordinates of the garage and other spots where your crew likes to hang out. On the Map screen, you can click on an event or location and then get a route that appears on your mini-map while driving. You can also choose to instantly teleport to that location and save yourself the time of driving.
Your crew calls you about new events. You can take the call while driving or access a log of recent calls on your phone. If they refer to an event or location, you can even go directly from the call entry right to that spot on the map.
Selecting the Rep icon lets you see your current Rep and which form of racing you’re exhibiting as you drive around Ventura Bay. This is also where you can see all rewards and unlocks you’ve earned.
There are also a few quick actions you can select from the Phone screen. One is to go directly to the garage. This instantly teleports you right into the garage so you can get to work on your car or switch to a different car you have purchased. If you’re currently in an event, then you can choose to quit the event or even restart it.
Finally, check along the right side of the screen to find some information about you, such as your current Rep level, how much cash you have, any active objectives, and the daily challenges. The active objectives are color-coded. If they correspond to an event or location, those will be the same color on the map.
Rewards
You can earn cash as you complete events. Coming in first gets you the most money while subsequent finishes reward you less money. Cash is what you need to upgrade your car, and purchase new cars to add to your garage. You can also earn cash by completing daily and monthly challenges.
Reputation is just as important as cash—maybe even more so. Rep is earned while you’re driving. You also earn it as a reward for completing events. Rep is street cred. As you earn Rep, your level increases. This can unlock events, as well as parts and customizations for your car. Rep comes in five different categories based on the way you drive and play the game—Speed, Style, Build, Crew, and Outlaw.
Meet the Crew
At the beginning of the game, you meet four people that help guide you through various types of racing. Each has their own specialty and will let you know about events in their area of expertise. Amy is the expert on building. She invites you to races that require power and upgrading your ride. Spike is a speed freak. He likes to race with you and find speed runs to beat. Robyn is a Crew driver. She likes to drive with other racers and do things as a team. Manu is the guru of Style. Join him in a number of drift contests where you compete for points based on style rather than how fast you can get to the finish line.
Types of Events
There are several different types of events available for you throughout Ventura Bay. They can be put into three main categories: Drift Events, Race Events, and Spontaneous Events.
Drift Events
Drift Events all involve scoring points by drifting around turns. The longer and more controlled the drift, the more points you earn. It doesn’t matter who finishes first. Instead, the winner is the one who looks the best while racing.
Drift Contest
These are all about drifting. As you and your opponents drive around the course, try to score as many points as possible by drifting at high speed and extreme angles. The closer you are to obstacles and walls, the higher your score. However, if you collide with something during a drift, you don’t score any points for it.
Drift Trial
Instead of competing against other drivers, a drift trial has a set score that you must beat. These courses usually have plenty of opportunities to score drift points, but you must be careful to make the most of each. There’s no going back to try a turn again.
Drift Train
Drift train combines style with crew driving. A group of cars races along a course. You have to hit all the checkpoints and stay close to other drivers. You score points only if you’re near other cars in the race when you drift. So don’t get too far ahead and keep pace with the pack or you won’t score any points no matter how smoothly you drift.
Gymkhana
The gymkhana is like an advanced drift trial. Not only do you need to beat a set score for the course, you must also finish the course under the set time. Gymkhanas take place in the city where you have to drift around obstacles. Most routes include driving through parking lots and other narrow areas. Be ready for some ramps for jumping.
Touge
Touge events take place in the canyons on the outskirts of Ventura Bay. These have some tight, hairpin turns. Once again, you’re competing for points earned by drifting. However, this event also has a race element. The better your position in the race, the higher the multiplier to your Drift Scores. So get out in the lead and stay there.
Race Events
Race events are all about speed and control. You need to get through the course as fast as you can and beat any other drivers. It’s a race.
Circuit Race
A circuit race follows a set route over several laps. Learn the course during the first lap, then stay ahead of your competition. You just have to hit the last checkpoint before anyone else.
Sprint Race
Sprint races usually don’t have as many turns as other challenges. They’re all about speed and getting to the end the fastest. While driving skill is important, sprint races focus on building a powerful car that can get off the line quickly and maintain a high top speed. Of course, you still need to control all those horses.
Time Attack
Time attack is an interesting type of race. It’s similar to a circuit race in that it involves several laps around a short course. However, you just need the fastest lap to win. It can be any of your laps. However, staying out in front is usually a good way to make sure you get it.
Time Trial
Time trials pit you against a clock. You must follow a course with a number of checkpoints and complete it within a set time. While you need good speed for this type of event, you must also maintain control of your car since these courses often include tight turns that try to bleed your speed.
Special Stage Races
These events are a cross between a gymkhana and circuit race. The courses are usually short with several laps. However, the routes are narrow and twisting with obstacles to dodge and specific checkpoints you must hit in the correct order.
Spontaneous Events
While you’re driving around Ventura Bay, you can challenge and be challenged by other drivers on the road. To challenge another driver, just get close to their car and press the Challenge button. You can then choose which type of challenge you wish to issue.
Sprint Race
This is a speed race where you have to get from one point to another before the other driver. The difficulty is usually based on the type of car your opponent is driving.
Drift Race
Want to show another driver how smoothly you can drift? When you challenge them to a drift race, the winner is the one with the most drift points at the end of the course.
Outrun
Outrun is a speed race. However, the course does not have a set end point. Instead, it is created as you race. In order to win, you must pull ahead of the other racer by 250 meters to win the match. Take three matches to win the event.