The City Pier Linkup is a Linkup location in Need for Speed: Unbound introduced with the release of Volume 3. It was removed with the release of Volume 4 but was reintroduced with the release of Volume 5.
It can be found in northeast Lakeshore within the northeastern area of the Underwood Gardens district. Its green highlighted zone encompasses the entirety of the pier and most of the construction site to the west.
When available, it is shown with a green circle and arrow icon on the map, with an accompanying callout in the top-left of the player's HUD giving the option to view its location. A countdown timer is also shown indicating how much time is left until the available Linkup begins.
Once enough players are within its the Linkup's highlighted zone and the timer has concluded, the first round will begin. Up to 16 players can participate in a Linkup event and can join by driving into the green highlighted zone.
A Linkup event concludes if players complete all four rounds or if they fail to complete a set of objectives within a set time frame. As participating players complete more rounds, they increase their possible rewards for completing a Linkup, but will also force a greater response from the Lakeshore Police Department.
Complete Linkup events rewards players with bank and experience points (XP) towards their Speed Pass level.
Rounds[]
Round 1[]
In round 1, participants have 5 minutes to complete 3 objectives across 2 phases, and the Lakeshore Police Department will engage at Heat Level 1:
- Units: Patrol
Phase 1[]
Objectives:
- Smash the Linkup cones, barriers, and barrels
Phase 2[]
Objectives:
- Smash the Linkup cones, barriers, and barrels
- Do some drifts
Round 2[]
In round 2, participants have 5 minutes to complete 4 objectives across 2 phases, and the Lakeshore Police Department will engage at Heat Level 2:
- Units: Patrol and AWD
Phase 1[]
Objectives:
- Use nitrous
- Drive through the speed trap as fast as possible
Phase 2[]
Objectives:
- Do some drifts
- Near miss other vehicles by closely passing them at speed
Round 3[]
In round 3, participants have 5 minutes to complete 6 objectives across 3 phases, and the Lakeshore Police Department will engage at Heat Level 3:
- Units: Patrol, AWD, and Interceptor
- Equipment: Patrol unit roadblocks with barriers or spike strips.
Phase 1[]
Objectives:
- Find and jump through the air gates
- Stay above 100 mph (161 km/h)
Phase 2[]
Objectives:
- Get all four wheels off the ground to get airtime
- Draft players by driving closely behind them
Phase 3[]
Objectives:
- Take down cops by crashing into them
- Use nitrous!
Round 4[]
In round 4, participants have 5 minutes to complete 9 objectives across 3 phases, and the Lakeshore Police Department will engage at Heat Level 4:
- Units: AWD, Interceptor, and Undercover
- Roadblocks: Patrol or Heavy unit roadblocks with either barriers or spike strips
- Support: Helicopter
Phase 1[]
Objectives:
- Get all four wheels off the ground to get airtime
- Near miss other vehicles by closely passing them at speed
- Use nitrous!
Phase 2[]
Objectives:
- Take down cops by crashing into them
- Stay above 100 mph (161 km/h)
- Do some drifts
Phase 3[]
Upon reaching phase 3 of round 4, the Lakeshore Police Department will engage at Heat Level 5:
- Units: Interceptor, Undercover, and Heavy
- Roadblocks: Heavy units with or without spike strips
- Support: Helicopter
Objectives:
- Draft players by driving closely behind them
- Whilst drifting, hit the Linkup smashable objects
- Find and jump through the air gates
Rewards[]
As players complete rounds, they earn bank and XP towards their total reward at the end of the event. The total amount rewarded depends on the rounds players complete, as players can miss completing rounds should they not contribute to a Linkup from the beginning or leave an event early.
Completing earlier rounds yield smaller bank and XP rewards than completing later rounds. Completing all 4 rounds will reward players with the maximum amount possible of bank and XP accumulated by completing all rounds of a Linkup. Entering a Linkup but not completing a round will reward players with $1,000 as a participation prize.
Although XP is rewarded upon the completion of a Linkup, bank is withheld as 'At Risk' and is not rewarded unless the player is able to successfully evade pursuing LPD units.
| Completion | Round Reward | Total (Regular) | Total (Boosted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 round | $15,000 1,800 XP | $15,000 1,800 XP | $22,500 2,700 XP |
| 2 rounds | $25,000 2,700 XP | $40,000 4,500 XP | $60,000 6,750 XP |
| 3 rounds | $35,000 3,600 XP | $75,000 8,100 XP | $112,500 12,150 XP |
| All 4 rounds | $50,000 4,500 XP | $125,000 12,600 XP | $187,500 18,900 XP |