What's the trick to earning enough points in Mayhem activities?

Question

Among activities wherein you must achieve a particular score within a time limit, there exists a continuum of freneticity. On the hyperactive side are things like Tank Mayhem, where you are basically guaranteed to succeed as long as you're pushing buttons. Insurance Fraud is further toward the middle; it's pretty easy to succeed, but you have to actively pursue moving traffic to have any success.

Mayhem is on the opposite, slow side. I can barely scrape by, and then only on the easiest ones. I've been upgrading my weapons, but it still seems like I can't do enough damage consecutively in such a way as to actually build up a multiplier that's worth anything.

How can I improve my score at Mayhem?

Answer 1

In the Mayhem levels, the trick is to get a high multiplier and keep it there. You get credit for destroying almost EVERYTHING, so driving/running down the street and firing a RPG or the tank cannon repeatedly into the sidewalk is a good way to go. If you can find a roadside cafe, a street market, or a line of fences, you're golden. Alleyways are positively littered with things that explode for cash.

It's relatively easy to hit 30-50+ multiplier in non-Tank Mayhem, which means you'll be racking up the score in no time. If your multiplier is super high, target expensive cars to get a huge points bonus.

The most important thing though, is just keep shooting. You should be firing off rounds as fast as you possibly can, and blowing absolutely everything in sight to kingdom come.

It helps to move into a target-rich area, like a suburban street where fences and small items litter the scenery. You're almost better running (or stealing a car) and driving to a better part of town than staying where there's not much to shoot at. The time you lose is far outweighed by the extra multiplier you will gain. I haven't extensively scouted the map to find the best place yet, but you might want to take a minute to drive around and look at object placement before you start a level, so you can plan your route better.

Don't bother with guns in this mode - if you have a RPG, great, but watch for splash damage that can knock you down and end your streak. Alternatively, use thrown weapons (like grenades, for example) which can take a whole area out. You can generally throw these super fast, and your throwing distance is generally far enough that you won't be in the blast radius when they go off. Run down the street and just huck them in random directions towards sidewalks, cars, etc. If you're having trouble destroying things with grenades, don't forget that you can upgrade them at the weapon store to make them cause damage in a greater range, and allow you to throw them further.

Mayhem is my second favorite activity, after Insurance Fraud. Enjoy it! :)

Answer 2

Drive your tank to the Mayhem level, get out and start the level. Your tank should still be there, so get back in and let loose.

Answer 3

Agent86 touched on it, but it deserves highlighting: GRENADES.

In the Mayhem levels that don't give you an explosive weapon, you'll still have your grenades. Start throwing them at anything and everything, and you'll eventually annoy the gangs and/or police. Build up your wanted level enough, and you'll complete the Mayhem mission via destroyed cop cars and gang cars.

Answer 4

If you're asking this question, you've hit one of those unfortunate snag-points where SR3 can lose its magic. Rather than doing bad things because it's fun, you have to do bad things to hit a target value; especially on the Hard-rated activities, this can seriously decrease the fun.

Anyway, the problem with Mayhem is always finding enough things to destroy. They don't come fast enough. Civilians are not much use, as once the smoke starts to rise they avoid you or drive past you as fast as possible.

A few tricks I've found by accident:

1. Notoriety does get reset when you start Mayhem (or any activity). But if you make some trouble before jumping into Mayhem, leave a couple of vehicles intact, after massacring the passengers (of course). Ideally, a police vehicle and a gang vehicle. They'll still be there when you start Mayhem, as instant targets. And destroying them will annoy the police/other gang, raising your notoriety instantly, so that they send you more raw material for destruction.
2. The rocket-launcher (if you have it available - not all Mayhem activities give you it) is your best friend. You can use it against helicopters, vehicles, people. Only goes wrong if you let pedestrian enemies get too close to you.
3. Even with the rocket-launcher, don't neglect small targets like single enemies on foot. Destroying a single enemy (ker-chhhing) then perhaps another single enemy (ker-chhing), then the vehicle they came in (ker-chhing) gives you a better combo multiplier than destroying them all at once. The combo multiplier seems to work on how quickly you can chain scores together, however small each of them is.
4. SR3's notorious pop-in of vehicles at a certain distance means that you can often listen and hear the next vehicle coming, or see it on your minimap, long before you can see it. You can use this to face towards it and decide how to get the best score out of it.
5. If you're upgraded enough not to care too much about damage to yourself, getting your police notoriety up to max brings in armoured personnel carriers, SNG and STAG troops. The APCs are very fruitful in Mayhem, as they take two rocket hits to be fully destroyed. And they produce "well-trained" troopers behind riot shields, who are fun to pick off one by one with rockets.

Answer 5

If you beat the game or already completed the mission, use the Cruisader (Its a STAG tank that's ALWAYS found in your garage) and just go crazy with it.. I easily beat a difficulty hard mayhem mission with 2:45 minutes left.