Payday 3 is here, and after a brief rough launch, it seems to be working as intended*. Everything is chugging along nicely and players around the world are robbing banks, looting armoured cars, and generally wracking up thousands of dollars in intensely satisfying heists.
For new players to the series, Payday 3 can come across as rather daunting. There aren’t many games that do what it is trying to do, with most of them being, well, more Payday. If you want to get good at the game, you are going to have to put in a bit of elbow grease. Going in with a bit of extra knowledge can help too, and that’s where this guide comes in.
*Payday 3 continued to break after launch. It is likely still broken. We will update once it is working and stable.
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Is Payday 3 Cross-Platform? | When Will Payday 3 Be Set? | Will Payday 3 Be On Gamepass? | Is Payday 3 Always Online?
Negotiation Phase
One of the most interesting aspects of Payday 3 is its hostages. When everything goes wrong, you can always fall back on your fellow humans to get you out of a bind. Hostages in Payday 3 have a few uses, and all of them are useful – you just need to know what they are.
Firstly, Hostages can be exchanged during the Negotiation Phase to get a few extra seconds before a police raid. This might not sound like much, but this can be the difference between cracking a safe and being shot in the back of the head. Not only that, if a fellow heister gets taken down, you can throw out a hostage for a quick revive, very handy indeed.
Shouting at Hostages is the best way to get them to cooperate, so once your mask is on, make sure to bark orders to keep everyone in line. If you don’t they are prone to fleeing, and this can hamper your bargaining power later on.
Don’t Kill Hostages
Following on from that, under no circumstance should you kill a Hostage. This is a big no-no for a few reasons. The most important being it’s kinda crappy behaviour. Nobody likes the dude who killed Joe. Don’t be like that. You’re robbers, not cold-blooded murderers.
Secondly, you take a substantial hit to your earnings when you kill a Hostage – accident or not. The more you kill, the more money you lose out on. The whole point of Payday 3 is to make bank, so losing part of your cut is beyond counter-productive.
If you want to make sure your Hostages stay alive, escort them to out-of-the-way rooms. You don’t want them getting caught in the inevitable crossfire.
Rejig Your Loadout
Payday 3 has revamped its progression system. Instead of gaining EXP from doing hard heists, you instead rank up by completing Challenges. This encourages you to swap your weapons and loadout often.
Besides that, you should really consider tweaking your loadout for the mission in question. Some heists require a bit of brute force to get done, so plonking on some thicker armour and bringing bigger guns makes sense. Other heists can be done silently, so bring equipment that fits that job.
Stick With A Mate
Regardless of your newbie status one of the most effective tips we can offer is to stick with a mate. It doesn’t have to be ‘real life’ mate – just some random dude in the lobby will do. Two minds, two guns, and two sets of eyes are better than one.
The last thing you want is to be trundling around a bank minding your own business when a police raid pops up and fills you full of bullets. Stick together. Buddy up. You will be far better off, trust us.
Stealth Is Viable
It’s easy to get tied up in all the commotion when getting into Payday 3. You have cool masks, a bunch of guns and explosives, why not use them? Well, the main reason is that a bunch of missions can be completed stealthily. Why burn a hole through the ceiling with thermite when you can break into the vault undetected?
Of course, stealth is pretty darn difficult when you have 3 random buddies running around being idiots, but it is possible. More so if you have 3 known idiots running around causing trouble.
Move Your Loot
Once you have your hands on the loot, the best thing you can do is to move it, dump it, and get more loot. You want to dump it near the location of the getaway vehicle so you can quickly load it and skedaddle.
Just remember the AI isn’t stupid, and it will try and reclaim your stolen goods. Because of this, you want at least one person guarding your stash. The last thing you want is all your hard work to be undone by a cop looking for a raise.
Communicate
Payday 3 is a cooperative game through and through. You all win or lose together, so working as a team is essential. The best way to do this is with voice communication. Talking to strangers is kind of weird though, and you never know what response you’ll get (if any). This is another instance where having a few mates from the real world helps a lot.
Even if you can’t gather your pals, you can always communicate in other ways. You can ping locations and emote/shout out key information. If you spot a guard or a camera, let everyone know so they don’t bump into it later on. There’s no excuse not to relay important information.
Everything Goes Wrong – Roll With It
Payday 3 is a very versatile experience. Sure, the intention is to go through each heist perfectly, but that’s not always going to happen. Heck, early on, it’s so unlikely it might seem impossible. But failing the primary method of completion doesn’t mean the job’s a bust.
No, no, no, it just means you have to work a bit harder. Just because Barry capped a security guard with a pump-action doesn’t mean you have to restart. Instead, you just have to find another way to the loot – often a more explosive and bloody way. Don’t fret about the finer points, just keep playing and see where the heist takes you.
Escape Or Or Get Rich Trying
Most heists will present you with a dilemma – escape early with the bare minimum, or stick around and risk losing everything for more loot. Each player will respond to this dilemma differently, but ultimately, it isn’t one person’s decision. To leave a heist, everyone has to choose to leave.
This means if one guy is legging it back to the vault, you are all legging it back to the vault. Read to the room, follow the herd. It’s better for everyone if everyone is on the same wavelength. If you can’t communicate, just do what everyone else is doing.
That’s all we have on Payday 3 for now. Be sure to check out our other lists and guides for more Payday content.
