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Watch Dogs – 3 Tips to Help You Win Online Races

Not sure about that shortcut? Read our advice before you risk it.
This article is over 10 years old and may contain outdated information

Watch Dogs might be considered a single player title more than multi player title. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have loads of fun things to do online. In fact, it’s just the opposite. A few days ago we brought a few of our best Online Invasion Tips to the table, so today we thought it might be beneficial to cover the Online Races that players can participate in. Have you been crashing into blockers and spinning out of control with Nitro? Well, if that’s the case you might want to keep reading.

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Use Nitro Responsibly

We’ve all seen it by now. You’re neck and neck with what you deem to be a worthy opponent, only to see them use their Nitro too close to a corner, spinning out of control and costing themselves the race. Hey, it happens to the best of us, but that doesn’t mean it has to keep happening.

First of all, if you’re starting the race at the front of the pack and there’s a good stretch of straight road in front of you, use it right off the start. That might seem like a waste, but so many players forget to do this, leaving themselves in the pile of twisted metal that is the rest of the pack. By using your Nitro and getting the early lead, you’ll be the one to dictate the pace.

If you weren’t lucky enough to start at the front, save your Nitro for areas that are going to provide high rewards for just a little risk. In other words, don’t use it near corners or you’ll over-shoot the turn and end up even further behind. Save it for long stretches of straight road, preferably where you don’t have to mess with other drivers.

Know Your Shortcuts

Did you notice how the title of this section didn’t say to take the shortcuts? That’s because doing so is not always the best course of action. This is especially true if you are in first place because you followed our amazing first tip. No, shortcuts fall into the high risk, high reward category… sometimes. Some of the shortcuts don’t actually get you to the next checkpoint faster. What they could very well do, is make you crash and fall even further behind, or give up the lead you owe credit to Prima Games for (we joke).

No, if you’re in the lead, our advice would be to stick to the main course and make the drivers at the back of the pack play catch up. You don’t have to take risks to get a bigger lead, they have to take risks to haul you in. Don’t make their job easier by ending up at the bottom of a river after a failed jump. The only exception to this rule might be if you have complete confidence in your skills and track knowledge. If you know a shortcut is going to increase your lead at minimal risk, by all means, Dale Jr., have at it.

Blockers and Steam Pipes

While we’re fully aware that there are many other hacks that you can perform to trip up your rivals, we have decided to focus on the two that we feel are the most effective. Street lights can be a pain, but in general they’re manageable if you know what you’re doing. Bridges are even less effective, often just making for some really cool mid-race jumps.

Blockers and steam pipes, on the other hand, are car killers. Steam pipes are actually difficult to time, but if you’re right behind someone, this is a fairly effective way to mess up their ride and provide them with a cheap dry cleaning service. Blockers, however… that’s where the good stuff is at. Those things will stop and entire pack of cars dead in their tracks. By the time everyone gets sorted out and back on the road, you’ll be busy playing Far Cry 4. Just make sure not to hack the blocker too soon or you’ll pull the vehicle equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot.

Our final tip isn’t really strategy driven, so we decided not to give it a fancy bold heading. The last thing you need to know in order be successful on the roadways in and around Chicago… Practice makes perfect. You can do everything right, but if the person you’re up against knows the ins and outs better than you, all the hacks and Nitro boosts in the world won’t win you that race. Focus on what we’ve given you here, but more than anything just go out there and get experience. 


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