What is the Best Secondary Loot in Cayo Perico? A Guide to Maximizing Your Score

The Cayo Perico heist added in GTA Online’s The Cayo Perico Heist update took the GTA community by storm. Regarded by many players as the best solo money making method in GTA Online, running the Cayo Perico heist efficiently is the path to riches in Los Santos.

While the primary target loot like the rare Panther Statue or valuable Pink Diamond get most of the attention, savvy heisters know choosing the right secondary loot target can make a big difference in your final take. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the top secondary loot targets in Cayo Perico and how to maximize your score.

An Overview of Cayo Perico Payouts

Let’s start with some context on Cayo Perico payouts. The total take from the heist is determined by:

• The primary target loot value
• Secondary loot value
• Difficulty level (normal or hard)
• Number of players

Here’s how a hypothetical maximum take breaks down on hard difficulty:

As you can see, secondary loot contributes a significant chunk to the total payout. While the Panther statue is rare and extremely lucrative, secondary loot is more consistent and controllable.

This is why learning the most valuable secondary targets, spawn locations, and optimization strategies is critical to maximizing your Cayo Perico scores. Let’s analyze the pros and cons of each secondary loot type.

Gold – The Most Valuable Cayo Perico Secondary Loot

Without question, gold is the most valuable secondary loot in Cayo Perico. Here’s a breakdown:

• Value: $328,584 – $333,192 per stack
• Bag Space: 1.5 stacks fills a bag
• Full Bag Value: ~$500,000

Gold provides the highest value density per stack, netting $330,000+ from just 1.5 stacks. This makes it efficient to collect and extremely lucrative.

The only downside is that gold spawns randomly in certain locations like the compound and main dock. You’ll have to get lucky finding enough stacks during your intel gathering.

But when you do find gold, it should be prioritized first before any other loot. The key gold spawn locations are:

• Main Compound: Vault, El Rubio’s office, basement
• Main Dock: Underwater cache near rear dock
• North Dock: Underwater cache near cliff

During intel gathering, always check these locations first. If you find gold, grab all you can fit in your bag before anything else.

Pros

• Highest value per stack
• Efficiently fills bags
• $500K+ per bag

Cons

• Random spawn locations
• Requires luck finding stacks

Cocaine – Second Best Cayo Perico Secondary Loot

With gold’s random spawn, cocaine emerges as the next most valuable and reliable Cayo Perico secondary loot. Here are the vital stats:

• Value: $220,500 – $225,000 per stack
• Bag Space: 2 stacks fills a bag
• Full Bag Value: ~$440,000

Cocaine provides the second best value per stack at $220,000+, trailing only gold. You’ll need around 2 stacks to fill a bag.

The major advantage of cocaine is fixed spawn points around the north and main docks. This makes cocaine more reliable than hoping for gold.

After checking the key gold spots, head to the cocaine locations if you still have room in your bag:

• North Dock
• Main Dock
• West Coast

Grab cocaine after gold to optimize your take.

Pros

• Fixed spawn locations
• Second best value per stack
• $440K+ per bag

Cons

• Less valuable than gold

Artwork – Third Best Cayo Perico Secondary Loot

Though not as efficient as gold or cocaine, artwork still provides a solid payout as a secondary loot in Cayo Perico:

• Value: $176,200 – $199,700 per stack
• Bag Space: 2 stacks fills a bag
• Full Bag Value: ~$220,000

At around $200,000 per piece, artwork is a clear step down from gold and cocaine. You’ll also need 2 artwork pieces to fill a bag.

However, artwork has a major advantage in its fixed spawn point – it always spawns in El Rubio’s office desk. This makes it easy to locate quickly when searching the compound.

The strategy is straightforward – check the gold and cocaine locations first, then grab artwork if you still have room in your bag. Think of it as a reliable 3rd option.

Pros

• Fixed spawn in office
• Decent 3rd option

Cons

• Lower value than gold or cocaine
• Multiple pieces needed to fill bag

Weed – Middle of the Pack Cayo Perico Secondary Loot

Weed emerges as a medium value option:

• Value: $145,980 – $149,265 per stack
• Bag Space: 2.67 stacks fills a bag
• Full Bag Value: ~$150,000

At around $150,000 per stack, weed lags behind artwork in value per piece. You’ll also need nearly 3 stacks to fill a loot bag compared to 2 stacks of art.

However, weed does spawn in various locations around the island. So you may luck into finding enough stacks to make it worth grabbing.

Weed should only be prioritized if you have no better options and need to top off your take. Stick to gold, coke, or art first if you can.

Pros

• Can spawn in multiple locations

Cons

• Low value per stack
• Requires multiple stacks per bag

Cash – Worst Cayo Perico Secondary Loot

Without question, cash is the least efficient secondary loot in Cayo Perico:

• Value: $78,480 – $89,420 per stack
• Bag Space: 4 stacks fills a bag
• Full Bag Value: ~$80,000

At under $90,000 per stack, cash is terribly inefficient compared to other loot. You’ll need a full 4 stacks to fill a bag, wasting time and bag space.

Cash also spawns randomly in small amounts at various locations. This makes it unreliable and difficult to collect enough stacks worth grabbing.

In short, cash should be avoided unless you absolutely must top off an empty bag. There are far better options available.

Pros

• Can help fill empty bags

Cons

• Worst value per stack
• Spawns randomly in small amounts
• 4 stacks needed to fill bag

Solo vs Team Play – Which is Better for Secondary Loot?

An important consideration is solo vs team play. When playing solo, you only get one loot bag to fill. This limits the amount of secondary loot you can grab.

Adding additional players adds more bags and earning potential. For example, a 4-player team can fill 4 bags with gold, greatly multiplying the secondary loot value.

Here‘s a summary of the pros and cons:

Solo Play

Pros

• Faster prep time
• 100% cut for yourself

Cons

• Only one loot bag

Team Play

Pros

• More loot bags and bigger takes
• Social experience

Cons

• Slower matchmaking and prep
• Splitting the cut

Generally, solo play is better for quicker scope out and preps. But team play maximizes secondary loot earning potential. Choose based on your priorities.

Tips for Optimizing Secondary Loot

Based on the above analysis, here are some tips for maximizing your secondary loot take in Cayo Perico:

• Prioritize gold first – Check all possible gold spawn points and grab as much as your bag(s) can hold.

• Fill remaining space with cocaine – Hit the fixed cocaine spawns after gathering gold.

• Use artwork as a reliable 3rd option – Grab from the office if you still need a bit more.

• Avoid cash – Only take cash as an absolute last resort.

• Team up to maximize bags – Grab way more secondary loot with 2-4 players.

• Plan your entry route – Enter near the most valuable secondary loot to fill bags faster.

• Study spawn maps – Learn all possible spawn locations for each loot type.

With this knowledge, you can consistently rack up $500K+ in secondary loot per Cayo Perico run. Over time, optimizing secondary targets will add up to millions in extra GTA cash.

Have your own tips for maximizing secondary loot in Cayo Perico? Share your insights in the comments!