Guide

Los Santos Drug Wars: Acid Lab Business Guide

Learn how to set up, upgrade, and run the Acid Lab business in GTA Online for maximum profit.

After completing all six First Dose missions in the Los Santos Drug Wars update, you unlock the ability to start and operate the Acid Lab business. In this article we explain everything you need to know, from the initial setup and crucial equipment upgrade to production mechanics and potential payouts.

Once you've completed the first dose missions, go inside The Freakshop, and talk to Mutt to install the lab equipment and get access to the Acid Lab business.

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You need to spend GTA$750,000 to install the equipment. And this is without the lab equipment upgrade, which is necessary to make this business an effective online money earner.

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You can now customize your Brickade 6x6 and the delivery bike to make them stronger.

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After installing, you can use either talk to Mutt to buy the supplies for GTA$60,000.

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You can also call Mutt when you're out in Los Santos to get a sourcing mission or just ask him to re-supply for GTA$60,000.

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If you're just starting out the Acid Lab business, it is best to source the supplies yourself as it won't be profitable otherwise. We recommend sourcing via purchase once you've got the lab equipment upgrade. To source yourself, enter the Brickade 6x6 and interact with the wooden shelf in the left corner. The Brickade must be parked outside The Freakshop to start the sourcing mission.

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Once you have enough stock, you can interact with the shelf to the right (it is empty at the moment, but will have boxes filled with acid once Mutt produces stock).

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We will get to the lab equipment upgrade in a bit. Let's first talk about the general working of the business. The general idea is exactly the same as any other business. You source the supplies, wait for the business to manufacture the product, and sell it for money.

However, in this business, there are some bonuses that can help you be more efficient. One of which is the daily production boost. There is a designated table with some testing equipment. You can interact with it once per day to gain a production boost. It will double the production speed for half an hour and can only be done once daily.

You can do the sell missions in both public and invite sessions. As always, you get a high-demand bonus if you successfully sell your acid in a public lobby.

Lab Equipment Upgrade

Before we get into the payouts, it is essential you focus on getting the lab equipment upgrade first. This upgrade will skyrocket your profit as opposed to earning without the upgrade.

Unfortunately, getting the upgrade is a long and tedious process, but it must be done if you wish to enter the Acid Lab business. The upgrade is locked by default, and you must complete 10 Fooligan jobs to unlock it.

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You can complete the Fooligan jobs by calling Dax. Once you complete a Fooligan job, you must wait for a 48-minute cooldown to end before requesting another one. This means that you can unlock the lab equipment upgrade after roughly 8-9 hours.

Once you've completed 10 Fooligan jobs, you can return to your Freakshop and purchase the equipment upgrade for GTA$250,000, but it is worth every penny. And you will see why in the payout section below.

Payout & Production

Let's understand the payout and production time of the new Acid Lab business and how much you can expect to earn both with and without the lab equipment upgrade. As mentioned earlier, if you do not have a lab equipment upgrade, you won't be able to make a lot of profit.

So make sure you've completed 10 Fooligan jobs before shifting your complete focus to this business.

Full Stock Value

Without Equipment UpgradeWith Equipment Upgrade

$237,600

$335,200

Full Stock Production Time

Without Equipment UpgradeWith Equipment Upgrade

6 Hours

4 hours

Full Stock Production Time (+Boost)

Without Equipment UpgradeWith Equipment Upgrade

4 Hours and 30 Mins

3 Hours

Supply Cost

  • Total Acid Lab capacity is 160.
  • Purchasing a $60,000 full supply fills up 50 units only. The 50 units are valued at $74,250.
  • This means you need to spend $180,000 to fill up 150 units and $12,000 for the remaining 10 units.

You can improve the above with the equipment upgrade. Here's the rundown.

Buy Supply' Option Cost for Full Stock

Without Equipment UpgradeWith Equipment Upgrade

$192,000

$96,000

Value of $60,000 supplies

Without Equipment UpgradeWith Equipment Upgrade

$74,250

$209,500

As you can see, the equipment upgrade gives a huge profit margin.

With the Acid Lab fully operational and upgraded, it becomes a very profitable venture in GTA Online. Check out our Los Santos Drug Wars FAQ page if you have any questions.

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