In this part of our guide to Gangstar: New Orleans, we're going to look at some of the different missions, challenges, and ideas that the game throws at you. Basically we want you to know what you're getting into before you're getting into it.

Come back tomorrow and we'll be having a gander at how you can get the most out of the game without spending a single shiny penny. Because let's be honest now, that's exactly the sort of thing we all want to avoid.

For now though, let's get a bit deeper into the comings and goings at the heart of Gangstar: New Orleans, and find out what they're all about.

Missions

There are two types of missions on your map, story missions and influence missions. Story missions are presented in purple, and as you might be able to tell from the name they push the narrative of the game on.

Influence missions appear in blue, and they get you influence in the various zones around the city. Both of them are very important in their own way, and here's how.

Influence

Influence missions are usually easier than the story missions. Essentially they're a bit of a grind to get your levels up so you're more powerful when it comes time to tackle the story missions.

But they also give you more standing in various areas, which means you can raid the bosses that own those areas and take over the turf.

Story

These are usually longer than the influence missions, and they'll cost you more energy as well. However, the rewards you'll get at the end of them make them worthwhile.

A good rule of thumb is to make sure you're ten or so points higher than the recommended power level for a story mission. That'll ensure you're going to breeze through without too much of a challenge, and without having to spend gems on health packs.

Thugs

Once you've three-starred any of the missions in the game, you can send your thugs out to perform it again. This will cost you energy, but it means you can be earning while you're off doing something else.

You can upgrade your thugs just like you upgrade your weapons and cars. But how do you do that I hear you cry. Well...

Upgrades

You'll get upgrade materials in a variety of different ways. There are spirit jars that give you them on a regular basis, and you'll just pick up materials through play as well.

There are more powerful materials, as you might expect. To upgrade a weapon, a vehicle, or a thug, go the inventory menu. Pick the item you want to upgrade, then select fuse. You can now add up to four different fusion items, and some in-game cash, to toughen up whatever you selected.

You can also evolve items. This gives them a better star rating. To do this you'll need to find Universal Juju. You'll find ways to get these in the Events section of the menu, although you'll need to be a certain level to compete.