Information about the Choplifting Side Hustle in Saints Row, including the locations of each Choplifting event, how to complete Choplifting events and what rewards you get for completing them.

What is the Choplifting Side Hustle?¶

Choplifting is a Side Hustle in Saints Row, a sort of side mission/minigame that is otherwise not connected to any particular Venture. Choplifting is one of the initial Side Hustles that’ll unlock after you complete the Mission Observe and Report, along with Riding Shotgun. There’s no incentive to complete these Side Hustles in terms of progression, but you’ll earn various rewards for completing them, including XP, cash, and potentially new weapon skins and patterns.

Once unlocked, you’ll only have access to a single instance of this Side Hustle. This can be located in Old Town East, and will largely serve as a tutorial for the rest of the Choplifting Side Hustles, which will increase in difficulty as you complete and unlock more. After you complete the first Choplifting Side Hustle in Old Town East you’ll unlock two more, one in Smelterville West and a second in West Flats. Complete these two Side Hustles and you’ll unlock the final three Choplifting Side Hustles in Badlands North, El Dorado and Rojas Desert North. These last three are arguably the most interesting of the Choplifting Side Hustles due to their rewards, which includes the [MDI-77 Auto Rifle], [MDI-85 Carbine] and the [El Lanzador] weapons.

In addition to the rewards mentioned above, you can expect to earn several thousand dollars per Choplifting Side Hustle as well as XP. Like other Side Hustles you’ll earn 450 XP for completing Bonus Objectives during the Side Hustle. These Bonus Objectives include “Maintaining Max Airspeed” (self explanatory), “Keep the Payload Low”, for flying with payload low to the ground (or on the ground, if you prefer), “Smash Objects with Payload”, for destroying objects with the payload (a benefit for keeping the payload low to the ground) and “Low Flying Time” (also self explanatory). As usual, these Bonus Objectives don’t otherwise influence your reward or completion of the Side Hustle, and frankly, the rewards aren’t really worth the trouble if you just want to complete the Side Hustle.

A list of all the Choplifting Side Hustles, their Bonus Objectives can be found below:

How to Complete Choplifting Side Hustles¶

Different Choplifting Side Hustles may have somewhat different objectives, but they generally involve flying to a payload, snatching it with a magnetic winch (this can be deployed by pressing / ) and dropping the payload off at some destination (you’ll need to descend to winch a payload, and to drop it off, as the winch has limited length - descend by holding the / ). Theft by helicopter, basically.

This task will be complicated in a variety of ways, including various time limits, hostile enemies shooting at your helicopter and/or the payload, moving payloads that you have to chase down and of course the sheer weight of the payload influencing your helicopter’s maneuverability. This last complication is perhaps the most persistent nuisance you’ll have to deal with across all the Choplifting Side Hustles, as your payload will weigh you down, forcing you to counter the drag by ascending (hold down the / button). If you turn while carrying a heavy payload you’ll also maintain momentum longer, and over-correcting will just lead to a pendulum effect, so your turns will need to be shallow, deliberate, and if possible, slow. Note that you can fix the camera behind you by holding the / button. This will also enable the helicopter to roll, causing your to stop moving the camera and instead turn the helicopter. This will allow you to perform more precise turns, and may prove useful during Choplifting Side Hustles.

Generally Choplifting Side Hustles aren’t too difficult (provided you have a basic grasp of how to pilot helicopters), especially if you ignore Bonus Objectives. Granted, many of the Bonus Objectives don’t add a whole lot of difficulty, but flying low usually forces your helicopter to slow down, and exposes the payload to more damage, so if you just want to complete these Side Hustles, fly high and you’ll remove most of the challenge from Choplifting. Fewer enemies and obstacles in the air, after all.

Speaking of hostiles, you will sometimes be subject to enemy fire, but this is usually not concentrated enough to be much of a threat, save for in perhaps two Choplifting locations. Your bird will be armed during one of these events, but speed and height are usually surer and safer than fighting are.

Short writeups for each Choplifting location can be found below.

How to Complete the Choplifting Side Hustle in Old Town East¶

The most basic Choplifting Side Hustle, you’ve got a three minutes and twenty seconds to fly to the stationary target, winch it, and fly back to the drop off. You’ll be fired at by some enemies when you approach the payload, but they’ve got little hope of bringing you down. Pretty simple, you can easily complete this event in half the time you’re given.

How to Complete the Choplifting Side Hustle in Smelterville West¶

Very similar to the Old Town East Choplifting Side Hustle, except you’ve got six minutes and twenty seconds to winch and deliver four payloads.The numerous tall buildings in El Dorado are an obstacle and you don’t really have time to ascend before heading towards the drop off area. You’ll just need to snag the payloads and head back quickly without wasting too much time seeking elevation, which still shouldn’t be too difficult. Things will be a bit closer, but you can still finish this Side Hustle off with over a minute left if you’re somewhat quick.

How to Complete the Choplifting Side Hustle in West Flats¶

This Choplifting Side Hustle is pretty standard, save for one complication - the payload is on the back of a moving truck, and you need to chase it down and snag it before time expires (represented by a “Delivery” bar on the top left of the screen, instead of a timer - you have about a minute, however). Once you’ve secured the payload, this Side Hustle is cake, as the timer will be replaced by a “Health” meter, and your only task is to keep the payload intact as you return it to the drop off area. Fly high if you want to be safe and you’ll snooze through the rest of this job.

How to Complete the Choplifting Side Hustle in Badlands North¶

Perhaps the most difficult Choplifting event, it’ll start with a “Radar Defense” tutorial detailing the newest complication - enemies who are far more numerous, persistent, and dangerous than on previous Choplifting jobs. You’re encouraged to stay low and use buildings to hide yourself from foes, but you’re not really given much of a chance, as, like in the West Flats Choplifting Side Hustle, you need to move quickly to intercept the payload as it’s en route to being delivered. You have comfortably under a minute to snatch the payload this time, and once again you’ve got a “Delivery” bar on the top left instead of a timer, which will be replaced by a “Health” bar once the payload is snagged.

As mentioned above, your enemies are much more dangerous this time, including squads armed with rifles and RPGs, the later of which can actually deal significant damage to your helicopter and the payload. Oh, and there’s also a tank, and enemy helicopters. Fun! You’re not armed and there’s no real way to be timely while avoiding enemies, so we just suggest barreling on in as fast as you can, fly past the truck bearing the payload, and winch it as it drives under you. Just be careful once you have the payload - it’s not as durable as the one in West Flats was, and even bashing it into a few buildings can end up destroying it.

Ignore the bad advice from the tutorial, fly high and book it out of the city. You’re better off just using speed and mobility to limit exposure and ensure a safe delivery.

Completing this job will earn you the [MDI-77 Auto Rifle], one of the weapons you’ll constantly be equipped with during the early Missions in the game. Aside from being a genuinely useful weapon, it’s also necessary to complete the [Arm Yourself] and [Fight Fire with Fire] Challenges.

How to Complete the Chopliting Side Hustle in Rojas Desert North¶

This Choplifting job is very similar to Smelterville West one: you’ve got multiple targets you need to secure (this time three), and you’ve under a time limit (four minutes and twenty seconds). These minor permutations fade into insignificance when you take into consideration the martial anomalies with this job, however. First, your helicopter is armed with a machinegun, and your enemies - which crowd around every payload - are likewise heavily armed, possessing both rifles and RPGs.

It may seem like a swell idea to gun it out with your foes, but they’re small targets and spread out. At best you’ll waste time, at worst you’ll damage the payload; the best strategy, then, is to simply use speed and audacity to snatch payloads and fly away with them before you’re exposed to too much fire. Aside from some extra lights, the enemies opposing you here don’t drastically ramp of the difficulty too much, and as long as you’re swift, can be ignored.

Completing this job will earn you the [MDI-85 Carbine], another weapon you found yourself using during early-game Missions. You’ll need it to complete the [Take Care of Business] Challenge.

How to Complete the Chopliting Side Hustle in El Dorado¶

For one of the last Choplifting Side Hustles in the game, the job in El Dorado is pretty simple. You’re warned of the numerous enemies you’ll be facing and will be given an armed helicopter to deal with them… which, as usual, you should ignore. Forgoing violence for speed, make your way to the payload, winch it despite enemy protestations, and deliver it to the drop off area. You have three minutes and twenty seconds to accomplish this, which is plenty, given the basic nature of this job.

Completing this job will earn you the [El Lanzador], a heavy slug-shooter that’s carried intro battle by Panteros Thumpers. You’ll need it to complete the [Arm Day] Challenge.