HeistsUpdated Sep 27, 2026Verified
Cayo Prep: What to Skip and What Never To
The prep board is mostly optional — this is the part that decides the run.
9 minAdvanced40 min saved
Time
9 min
Payout
40 min saved
Difficulty
Advanced
Required
Approach vehicle, equipment, weapons
Optional
Disruptions, backup items
Solo saver
Drainage tunnel + cutting torch
Step by step
- 1Only do the required preps plus the cutting torch.
- 2Skip optional disruptions if you play stealthily.
- 3Use the Kosatka approach.
Common mistakes
- Doing every optional prep on every run.
Section 01
The brief
Cayo prep punishes players who treat every board entry as mandatory; most of the list is comfort, not requirement.
- Only two preps are truly mandatory on a stealth solo run: the cutting torch and your chosen approach vehicle
- Guard clothing and grappling equipment are situational and can be skipped once your route is fixed
- Every skipped prep is roughly five minutes off your hourly rate
Section 02
Recommended route
Cut anything that does not change approach, loot capacity, or the exit — and never cut the checkpoint weapons or the cutting torch.
- Scope once, choose drainage tunnel entry, then take only the torch prep
- Use the Kosatka approach so you never need an air vehicle prep
- Keep the Sparrow stored and repaired so scoping never becomes a travel mission
Section 03
What good looks like
A disciplined skip list turns prep into a single evening and the main job into a thirty-minute payday.
- Prep time under ten minutes from Pavel's call to the finale launch
- The same prep list every run, so there is nothing to remember
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Last verified: Sep 27, 2026. Figures are editorial summaries; in-game menus remain the final authority.