Update Dec. 16th 2021: Added Leech in the Perk Decks section.

Update Jan. 22nd 2021: Updated the paragraph about The Butcher.

Update Nov. 22nd 2020: A friend pointed out to me they have that I misspelled Kento's name with an "a" instead of an "e" so fixed that I have lol

Update Nov. 11th 2020: Made one small tiny change for Infamy 3.0 lol

Salutations and greetings to you. Yoda, my name is. A very special Payday 2 guide I have today. Spent quite some time making it I have.

Noticed I have that a majority of Payday 2 "Beginners Guides" are... Ah **** it, screw the sugarcoating and manners. All of them are either outdated or are so ******* long and so ******* boring to the point a university scientific thesis a more entertaining read it is. Also one thing they tend to do is explain each and every single game mechanic like they think Payday 2 is the first video game the reader has ever played. So decided I have to take matters in my own little Force Choking hands and make my own Beginners Guide. Or as I call it...



So 2020 it is, and for some reason you or your friends (haha what am i talking about friends you don't have lol) never played Payday 2 you have. Found the base game for like 2 dollars or so and gave your Credit Card info you have to a highly questionable Steam keys website and found yourself overwhelmed by the game and all the content it has to offer. So many heists, so many characters, so many complex skills, so many ******* heists, etc. No idea what to do you have. This guide, hopefully help you it will. If not feel free to insult me in the comments below.


Not here to explain what each and every single button do or to hold your hand like a mentally handicaped noob I am (your overwhelmingly disappointed and borderline suicidal parents already do that full time).

Oh and story spoilers are kept as minimal as possible.

Yes, yes, YES, perfectly aware I am of the cluster**** amount of DLCs this game has. Very ******* hungry for money the former CEO of Starbreeze was. But luckily he's not here anymore.

A very large number of DLCs Payday 2 has. All varying in quality. In luck you are because...


Here is a list of DLCs that I consider "MUST HAVE" regardless of your playstyle. Also one important thing to note: Heist DLCs required they are not play their attached heist! Just have your friend (if you had any lmao) who owns the DLC be the host of your lobby and play it you can. But still list I will Heist DLCs that I consider great.


Arguably the most important DLC of them all. Makes getting weapon mods much less of a chore, and said weapon mods in this DLC very good they are. JUST BUY THIS ALREADY.

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/259381/PAYDAY_2_Gage_Mod_Courier/

One of the best heists in the game. Also the one that introduced the Preplanning gimmick. The weapon it comes with it is meh tho.

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/306690/PAYDAY_2_The_Big_Bank_Heist/

Really you need this one only for the shotgun ammo types. Those dumbass monkey masks are meme material if you're into that sort of thing.

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/311050/PAYDAY_2_Gage_Shotgun_Pack/

Great heist with great payout. No need to play the overrated game based on it you do. Also comes with some good SMGs.

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/323500/PAYDAY_2_Hotline_Miami/

Never particularly enjoyed this heist I have. But still important it is for Payday 2's dumb and convoluted story. Can be good for practicing stealth.

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/337660/PAYDAY_2_The_Diamond_Heist/

Needed for the Perk Deck known as Burglar, the one and only Perk Deck that is beneficial for stealth players. Clover as a character is meh and not really interesting. You're here only for her Perk Deck.

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/337661/PAYDAY_2_Clover_Character_Pack/

Another fun heist (and very important in the storyline). The weapon that comes with it got nerfed but it's still good. Some heisters cry they do about having poor performance while playing this heist on their toaster of a computer. Not that Yoda's Ryzen 7 2700 8 cores, Radeon RX 580 and 24GB DDR4 would know. Mehahahahahaha!!!!!

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/374300/PAYDAY_2_The_Golden_Grin_Casino_Heist/

Yes, based on a sh*tty reboot movie this DLC is. But don't let that scare you. These two heists great they are. Also introduced this DLC has the Baby Deagle, one of Yoda's favorite weapons. Also introduced this DLC did Locke, Bain's boyfriend. Meant to get married they were but to keep spoilers minimal... Things didn't go to plan.

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/422400/PAYDAY_2_The_Point_Break_Heists/


https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/548420/PAYDAY_2_Gage_Spec_Ops_Pack/

Are you a Dodge heister willing to do anything to get 1 or 2 extra concealment points? This DLC for you it is.

https://psteamproxy.yuanyoumao.com/app/1184412/PAYDAY_2_Cartel_Optics_Mod_Pack/

As of creating this guide, a complete total number of 81 primary and 53 secondary weapons there are in this game.
To make things worse, some have very very similar (and sometimes identical) stats! Here to help you sort the trash from the good ones Yoda will. Go through each category we will, tell you which weapons are the best and why.


Great high power assault rifle. Excellent for beginners playing on Overkill difficulty. Use this weapon a lot you will when grinding for Infamy levels as this weapon is always unlocked by default.

If too poor you are to afford the DLC to get the Eagle Heavy, a great alternative the Union 5.56 is. Very versatile and like the Eagle Heavy, always unlocked by default it is.

An autistic obsession a lot of people have with this weapon. Sh*t damage and sh*t rate of fire. Its only redeeming features are having great ammo economy and being one of the most highly customizable weapons in the whole game. Seriously, modding this weapon exactly like browsing all categories on adult websites it is. Serve you well it will on lower difficulties but for **** sake when ready you are to attack Death Wish and Death Sentence just throw that piece of sh*t in the trash where it belongs.

If into one click DMRs you are then the Cavity 9mm interest you it might. Great damage and high concealment. Its downsides are being locked in semi-auto fire only, low ammo economy and having sh*t ironsights.

A straight Pay2Win upgrade to all AKs.

Yoda's favorite DMR. Mostly because of its high concealment capabilities and fast reload when it is empty.


Thanks to the Gage Spec Ops Pack DLC, turn this weapon in a Pay2Win overpowered **** machine we can. That's the keypoint though, you need that ******* DLC to make this weapon remotely usable. Without it don't bother using this gun.

The great thing about this shotgun is it doesn't require shotgun skills to be viable. Its mods also allows it to accompany Dodge builds very well.

More or less a reskin of the Mosconi.



Never liked LMGs very much Yoda has. But one worth mentioning is the Buzzsaw 42 for having both the best ammo economy and fastest rate of fire of its category.



The only free Sniper Rifle of the whole game, but still a viable option it is provided you pick the correct skills.

The one Sniper Rifle that cater to Dodge players such as myself. But really: WHY THE **** USE YOU WOULD A SNIPER RIFLE FOR DODGE THAT CAN ONLY SHOOT ONE BULLET AT A TIME WHEN YOU COULD BE USING THE GLORIOUS AKIMBO BABY DEAGLES????

Once upon a time, this weapon literally the only way it was to beat heists on Death Wish difficulty. Better options there are today but decided to still include it here for memories sake.



****ton of ammo and faster-than-light rate of fire. Will completely shred through all types of cops on Overkill and below.

This weapon has everything. Decent ammo economy, great concealment with high damage. These babies paved Yoda's way to the ugly piece of sh*t One Down mask that I never wear because of how ugly it is.

Good alternative to the Akimbo Baby Deagles. More hard hitting at the cost of having less ammo.

Alternative to the Akimbo Bernetti. Despite being statistically a straight upgrade it has different mods.



The hardest hitting Akimbo SMG at the cost of having the sh*ttiest ammo economy. Have one of your useless teammate carry an ammo bag for you.

Alternative to the Akimbo Krinkov.

With the Speed Pull Magazine from the Gage Spec Ops Pack DLC, turn this weapon into a mid-powered bullet hose we can.



Don't let anyone tell you the Brothers Grimm are better. Brain damage they have.




Once upon a time, the only way to tackle Death Sentence this weapon was. **** huge damage, high concealment, big ammo pool, being able to pick arrows back up AND NOT NEEDING TO SPEND ANY SKILL POINT AT ALL TO BE GREAT!

Not gonna repeat what I said about its akimbo counterpart.

The free version of the Baby Deagle. Exactly as good!

Copypaste of everything I've said about its akimbo counterpart.

Yoda's second favorite weapon in the whole game. Its armor piercing ammo let you it will put those ******* shields back in their ******* place. Watch the sh*t accuracy and sh*ttier ammo economy tho.

Similarly to double barreled shotguns, revolvers need they don't pistol skills to be viable. Just please don't touch the akimbo variant of this weapon. It sucks.



Again not gonna ******* repeat what I said for its akimbo variant.




An easy way to take out shields you want but don't wish to spend points on pistol skills to improve the 5/7 AP? This grenade launcher the answer it is.

Once upon a time the best grenade launcher this was. But got nerfed it did. Still great for Death Wish and lower tho.



The one and only reason anyone would buy the Goat Simulator DLC. Hard hitting this shotgun is.

Keep an eye on the ammo and this weapon accomplish anything it will.

A literal copypaste of the Mosconi but as a secondary weapon. Allowing you to free your primary slot and be more creative with your builds.

deep breath...


While it is possible to make a build centered around melee weapons to make them viable. But that's the point: Your entire build will be focused on melee weapons and nothing else, very few gun skills and almost no skills that benefit the team. So yeah, your teammates most likely won't tolerate your autism and decide to kick you out to make room for another player who takes the game a tiny bit more seriously than you do.

Low on Continental Coins? Still not getting the weapon mods you want from the Gage Packages? Want a specific mask or material but don't want to waste your offshore money on the scam that is Offshore Payday? Fear not, Younglings. Show you I will an old and ancient trick to grind Card Drops at the cost of only your time! Used this trick waaaaaaaaaaaaay back when playing this game on PlayStation 3 I did.

On Contact Broker, pick Jewelry Store on Normal difficulty. Worry about the cost in Offshore Money you must not, literally pays itself back in the end of the heist! COSTS LITERALLY NOTHING TO DO THIS!

Make sure to bring ECMs with you.

After the heist starts, immediatly mask up and rush into the store.

Drop an ECM and START RUNNING FASTER THAN THAT STUPID BLUE HEDGEHOG TO BRING THREE BAGS TO THE VAN YOU MUST.




HERE YOU GO YOUNGLING HERE'S YOUR CARD DROP. DO THIS IN LESS THAN 40 SECONDS YOU CAN IF FAST YOU ARE. REPEAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. ONCE SPENT HALF AN EVENING GRINDING CARDS WHEN PLAYING ON PS3 WHILE DRINKING BOOZE AND WATCHING ANIME AT ONCE I DID.

Get yourself some Mountain Dew, Doritos and your friends (if you had any lmao) and become richer than Bezos with COOK OFF! Stay comfortably inside the house and cook meth for hours and hours! However be prepared you must for endless waves of cops! But worry you must not, a build I made in the past specifically for this heist. No DLC required!

https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2191720327



Play this one a ******* lot you will when grinding Infamy levels. Trust me.



Same as Aftershock. Rewards so much money and XP. Git gud with the Light Crossbow and complete this heist you can on Overkill difficulty at super low levels!



If somehow your useless braindead teammates are actually somewhat competent in stealth and you have like one hour in your hands, stealth all of this sh*tty heist and grab every single piece of loot!



The Overdrill secret is worth a lot, provided you don't **** up the puzzle after the drilling is done.



Forget about the extra loot and focus only on the bomb parts. One of the easiest stealth heist of the game and can be completed in 10-15 minutes or even faster than that if RNG is on your side.



The trouble starter I am, punkin' instigator
The fear addicted I am, an illustrated danger
A firestarter I am, twisted firestarter
A firestarter you are, twisted firestarter
A firestarter I am, twisted firestarter



Grab all the loot and cook maximum meth in Day One. Get to the top of the building faster than Sanic in Day Two to get all the extra coke and a very great payday you will get!

Go over each and every Perk Deck in the game I will. Some are great, some are so sh*t better results you will get by uninstalling the game.

Also extremely biased I am. If love you do a Perk Deck that I call sh*t, then good for you. Care I ******* don't.




Gives more sh*t to your team like stamina health bla bla bla... But why sacrifice your own Perk Deck for the benefit of your team while you can have another busted Perk Deck that makes you almost immortal it does?

PROS:

• The sweating tryhards on Reddit wait in line they will to give you the succ for picking a team-focused Perk Deck in a coop game! :D
  
• Grant your teammates extra health stamina bla bla bla

CONS:

• Said extra health stamina bla bla bla not enough to be viable for higher difficulties.

PROS:

• SO MUCH EXTRA HEALTH WOAH
  
• Small passive health regen.

CONS:

• Not viable for higher difficulties.
  
• Snipers will still one-shot you.

PROS:

• Can use pretty much every single weapon in the game without penalty.
  
• Your big heavy guns will make sure no cop will ever invade your Safe Space to oppress you and steal your stash of Soylent.
  
• Get /r/paydaytheheist's eternal respect you will.

CONS:

• Run slower than a morbidly obese American after eating 6 Big Macs and drinking a large Diet Coke.
  
• No. Dodge. At. All. Meaning you will eat every single bullet the cops fire at you.
  
• Yoda make sure in every possible and imaginable way that you will be denied the rank of Jedi Master for your cowardice.
  
• Snipers will still one-shot you.

PROS:

• Run fast, easy to navigate through environments.
  
• If RNG is on your side, can run through squads of cops and reach safety without even taking a shot.
  
• Can brute force your way through every heist in the game on Death Sentence/One Down.
  
• Feels very rewarding to play. Seriously dude just running through the streets of Heat Street without taking a single hit feels so orgasmic.
  
• Piss off Armor redditors to no end just by existing at all.

CONS:

• Weapon selection limited to pistols (and their akimbo counterparts) and very high concealment weapons only, unless mind you do not in spending even more skill points for acing Sneaky Bastard and Low Blow and thus limiting your build even more.
  
• You may get kicked out of a lobby if it's hosted by an Armor coward.

Nothing to do with the Hitman video game series this Perk Deck has. Surprising considering once upon a time went gung ho with stupid crossovers Starbreeze/Overkill did.

PROS:

• Supa fast armor regen.
  
• Combine it with the Akimbo Aced skill and never ******* run out of ammo with akimbo weapons you will.

CONS:

• While the fast armor regen nice it is, extra armor or dodge or ANYTHING ELSE this Perk Deck doesn't give you. Thus making it not viable for higher difficulties.

Tries to be some sort of middle ground between Dodge and Armor... WHICH RESULTS IN EPIC FAILURE. SERIOUSLY BRO DON'T USE IT. SERIOUSLY EVEN THOSE TWO STUPID MELEE PERK DECKS AND EVEN ******* H3H3's DUMB MEME PERK DECK A BETTER CHOICE THEY ARE THAN CROOK.




The premier stealth Perk Deck.

PROS:

• Can bag dead bodies slightly faster.
  
• Can answer pagers slightly faster. Can literally save your heist from failure when you accidently kill two guards and their pagers go off at the same time.
  
• Did I also mention slightly faster lockpicking?

CONS:

• Almost useless in loud.

PROS:

• Makes almost all melee weapons viable... At killing one enemy at a time! WOOOAAAAAH!!! :OOOOOOOOOOOO

CONS:

• Why would anyone bring a knife to a gunfight?

PROS:

• Makes almost all melee weapons viable... At killing one enemy at a time! WOOOAAAAAH!!! :OOOOOOOOOOOO

CONS:

• Why would anyone bring a knife to a gunfight?
  
• Australian heisters can't use this Perk Deck (nor can they play as Jacket and use his weapons) due to their government being cücked.

PROS:

• Picking up ammo drops restores a bit of health to you and your teammates.

CONS:

• NOT ******* ENOUGH HEALTH TO BE REMOTELY VIABLE!

PROS:

• Shoot cops, get a crapton of health restored! YAAAAHOOOOOO!
  
• Achieve near complete immortality in Mayhem difficulty and lower.
  
• Still good in Death Wish if play well you do.

CONS:

• Completely ******* useless in Death Sentence.

PROS:

• With it you can run faster than that stupid blue hedgehog. Can be used in speedrunning stealth heists if you're into that sort of thing.

CONS:

• Like Crook, this Perk Deck many things at once it tries to be. Jack of all trades... BUT INCOMPETENT IDIOT AT EVERYTHING!

PROS:

• Free version of Grinder. Nuff said.

CONS:

• Health regen stacks up only with kills, while Grinder does it only by injuring enemies.
  
• Grinder restores your health right away. With Ex-President your gained health is instead "stored" and given to you only when your armor is completely broken. Can either be a good or bad thing depending on your playstyle.

PROS:

• Confusing and ******* complicated the in-game description of this Perk Deck is, so explain it in a simple way so your simple mind can understand I will: DAMAGE ABSORPTION.
  
• Your teammates also benefit from you using this Perk Deck.

CONS:

• Completely ******* stupidly useless on anything above Overkill difficulty.

PROS:

• Converts large amounts of your health into armor.
  
• Provide more than adequate protection for higher difficulties. Even in Death Sentence if you play like an absolute coward.

CONS:

• To get the most out of this Perk Deck, forced you are at wearing heavy armor, THUS RESULTING IN YOU RUNNING SLOWER THAN A TURTLE!
  
• To get even more out of this Perk Deck, forced you are in investing a lot of Skill Points in skills such as Berserker Aced and Frenzy Aced. Skill Points that could be better invested elsewhere.
  
• Snipers will still one-shot you.
  
• Deny you the rank of Jedi Master I will. Just like Windu rightfully did with Anakin.

PROS:

• Restore some health and armor back with enemy kills.
  
• The kills your braindead useless teammates (AI teammates don't count haha) score also count. Maybe not so useless they are anymore!

CONS:

• Completely ******* stupidly useless on anything above Overkill difficulty.

PROS:

• Gives you the KETAMINE INJECTOR.
  
• KETAMINE effects last 6 seconds and will restore back 75% of the health you lose during it.
  
• Extra health.

CONS:

• The Injector has a 30 seconds cooldown. Make those 6 seconds count.
  
• The KETAMINE INJECTOR takes your throwable slot. No grenades or throwables for you!
  
• While under the effects of KETAMINE you will be the only thing enemies will shoot at. However probably use this to your advantage you can to give cover to your useless braindead teammates as they carry bags to the van.
  
• The greddy sh*ts at Hollywood forced Overkill to delist the Scarface Character Pack DLC, meaning new heisters reading this guide can't use this Perk Deck! Thank you very much Hollywood!

PROS:

• Gives you the Smoke Bomb.
  
• Smoke produced lasts for 10 seconds. Heisters in the smoke gain 50% bullet evasion, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DODGE.
  
• Four heisters coordinating and correctly timing their Smoke Bomb throws can lead to crazy shenanigans.
  
• Gives you a bit of Dodge. Not very much tho.

CONS:

• The Smoke Bomb takes your throwable slot.
  
• Smoke Bomb cooldown lasts for 60 seconds. A bit too long for Yoda's taste.

PROS:

• Gives you the Hip Flask. Drinking it will give you the combined powers of God, Satan and Allah.
  
• Damage you take is applied over time. Drink to negate that pending damage.
  
• 10 seconds cooldown. Seriously, die of liver poisoning you will by the end of the heist. And said cooldown is reduced by one second per kill!
  
• All your armor is converted into health. So it may be advisable to invest Skill Points in skills that increase armor, and even wear heavy armor if you're willing to move slower.

CONS:

• The Hip Flask takes your throwable slot.
  
• No Dodge.
  
• So over-the-*******-top OP powerful it can become boring to use lmao.

PROS:

• More or less a coop version of Grinder.
  
• Gives you the Gas Dispenser. Use it to cough on a teammate to activate the Perk Deck effects (and potentially give them the 'rona in the process).
  
• Every kill you and the teammate you coughed on score restore some of the health of both of you.
  
• Extra health.

CONS:

• Completely absolutely ******* pointless to use if you're playing with AI teammates as they don't benefit from health regen. In that case use Grinder or Ex-President instead lmao.
  
• The Gas Dispenser takes your throwable slot.
  
• Health regen not good enough for high difficulties.
  
• 100% of the money you spent on getting this Perk Deck goes into h3h3's pockets.
  
• Deserverdly get kicked out of every game you join you will for giving your money to trash Youtubers.

PROS:

• Gives you the Pocket ECM Device (or Mini ECM). Can be fun to work with.
  
• Surprisingly some use in loud the Mini ECMs have.
  
• Gives you 30% extra Dodge, AND THE GAME DOESN'T EVEN TELL YOU THAT FOR **** SAKE OVERKILL FIX THIS!

CONS:

• Not enough Dodge for Yoda's taste lol

Too lazy I am to write again what it does. Check out you should this build I made for this new Perk Deck where I talk about it in full detail.

https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2683439470

Many boring and TL;DR guides there are explaining what Infamy is, what it does, what it rewards you, etc. Keep it simple for your simple mind Yoda will for this guide.

A rich and colorful cast of playable characters this game has. Go over all of them we will with their backstory and sh*t.


The leader of the gang. Has a borderline autistic obsession with medical supplies. If he dares getting anywhere close near my Ketamine stash find himself lying on his back he will!


Ulf Andersson's self-insert, a former game designer of the game and one of the co-founders of Overkill/Starbreeze. Left the company years ago after a slapfight with his brother Bo, the other co-founder and the guy who almost sank the company with questionable business choices. A very long and complicated story it is. Bore you with it I won't, just google it if you're curious.

Anyway, why a self-insert you ask? Because Wolf's backstory, the exact same as Ulf's (and Bo's I guess). Both ran a successful vidya game company, 2009 economy crash happened, both only had one major client for a while and said major client let them starve to death.

Oh and because of said slapfight with his brother, Ulf never got to record new voice lines for Wolf since... since... GAME RELEASE IN 2013! MEHAHAHAHA!


Former US Muhreen who quit because he apparently hated being told what to do. So he decided to join a gang of bank robbers... To get told what to do again lmao

Anyway his voice actor, Damion Poitier, a very cool guy he is. Interacts with Payday fans a lot he does. He showed up a few times at Payday conventions during a time when Overkill/Starbreeze had more money to burn.

Also pickles are Chains' favorite food.


Back when Payday 2 in full development it was in 2013, Overkill couldn't for some reason get Hoxton's voice actor from the first game back. So come up with a new character to take his name and mask they had.

Introducing Houston, Dallas' useless brother. Actually no, not useless at all he is. Very good he is in fact. Takes heisting more seriously than anyone else in the gang he does. Clean and maintain his weapons more often than he showers himself, can keep track of time on the second up to three minutes without looking at a watch, never drinks alcohol or trash to stay 100% focused. Despite that very uncomfortable he gets when stuck in crowds of civilians and has trouble speaking to strangers (listen to his pager lines). Considering all of this assume we can that Houston has mild autism, which makes him one of the best and most dedicated heister there can be. Whenever Dallas inevitably overdoses on medical supplies and die he should be the one to take over as leader.


The very same John Wick from Fortnite and that upcoming Cyberpunk whatever game came to Payday 2 after an extremely money hungry Bo Andersson signed a movie deal, the first of several hundreds.

Apparently friend he was with Chains when both in the Muhreens they were. But in reality just a lazy excuse to shoehorn him in. In fact he never got a serious role in the game until many years later with the release of the John Wick Heists DLC, a paid DLC no less! Mehahahahaha!


The gang's britbong gentleman. Still assmad he is about Houston stealing his name and mask even years after the gang liberated him from jail in 2014.

"Wanker" is the only existing word in his vocabulary.


Excellent business decision it was from Overkill back then to have Payday's very first female heister a paid DLC. Mehahaha!

Ahem, Hoxton's protégée or something back when both were in Europe. Heisted together they have, sh*t happened or something and both left eachother or something idk.

The game seems to imply they have a very complicated relationship. But in reality it is as deep and complicated as a Teacher/Student relationship from generic porn videos.


The Butcher's sex slave. And what if Dallas more or less had a croatian accent.

Perhaps the only interesting thing about Dragan is the fact his voice actor, Dragomir Mršić[en.wikipedia.org], arrested he got in 1990 for participating in a real bank robbery. Served a three years and a half prison sentence he did.


Remember when I said how ******* money hungry Bo was when he was in charge of Overkill/Starbreeze? Keep that in mind for the remainder of the CHARACTERS section.

The very same masked mass murderer from both extremely overrated Hotline Miami games somehow survived the ending of the second game and joined the Payday gang. For some reason his face without wearing a mask looks exactly the same as that Wojak guy from those overwhelmingly unfunny memes lmao

Due to the Australian government being cücked, Australian Payday 2 players unfortunately can't play as Jacket (nor can they use his weapons and Perk Deck).


Shrek's drunk cousin and Hoxton's old friend with benefits from prison.

She is severely alcoholic and a unhealthy gambling addiction she has. That's it. That's all there is to say about her.


A full time professional hockey player who somehow has the spare time to rob casinos in Russia and duct tape and weld together a giant ******* plasma cutter that can cut through metal thiccer than your mother's posterior.

If farfetched all of this sounds, it's because it is.


The only character they put genuine effort into his backstory.

A member of the Yakuza in Japan he was. He and the boss' daughter fell in love and a son, Kento, was born. Jiro got betrayed and was left for dead, spent the next 20 years in prison he did. Moved to America after getting out of jail and joined the Payday gang to search for his son. He eventually does reunite with Kento. Just... Not exactly the way he would have wanted! Mehahahaha!

Also to appeal to all those degenerate subhuman Weeaboos, Overkill decided to have all of Jiro's dialogue to be entirely in japanese. Have fun trying to understand anything he says you stupid baka.


Another forced shoehorned movie deal. His only redeeming point is the fact he brought Payday 2's only free Sniper Rifle with him.


Another forced shoehorned movie deal. A crackhead sex addicted britbong who joins the gang because, because... idfk. Even after watching Hardcore Henry his live action trailer for Payday 2 still makes no ******* sense.

Akimbo SMGs brought to the game he did. Other than that all he does is screaming and screeching all the time. Unquestionably the second most annoying character of the entire game he is. But who is the number one you ask?

One look at Sydney is enough to tell she was designed to appeal to a very, very, very specific audience. Unfortunately for Overkill, this very, very, very specific audience doesn't play Payday 2, or video games at all for that matter.

The most hated character of the game, Sydney is. So disliked that many popular mods exist that mute all her dialogue, because of how annoyingly screechy it is.

A degenerate troublemaker Sydney is. Ya know, the kind who unironically wears a tshirt with a circled A on it, put a Hammer and Sickle sticker on their brand new Macbook and unironically listens to anti-police rap. The kind of degenerate who never will contribute to anything positive to society. Ironically her voice actress, Georgia Van Cuylenburg[www.girlfromdownunder.com], spends a majority (if not all) of her time traveling the world to do humanitarian and charity work. Someone Sydney should look up to! Mehahahaha!


More or less a copypaste of Clay Morrow, Ron Perlman's character in the Sons of Anarchy TV series.

Nothing much interesting to talk about Rust there is. He makes sweet love to his bike every night and he swears all the time because he thinks it makes him look cool. Many voice work Ron Perlman did for video games, but this is undoubtly his worst. In fact later he said in a Reddit AMA that he did it for the money and only for the money.

Oh and since he's a famous movie star, Overkill/Starbreeze can't afford him to record new voice lines. Not that we actually want more phoned-in quality dialogue for Rust lmao


Yet another movie deal. Still starving for money, Bo asked Hollywood if dig up Tony Montana from his grave he could. Naturally yes they said.

"But Master Yoda! Tony Montana died at the end of the movie! How can he join the Payday crew with this shoehorned movie deal if he's dead?" asking you are. Well the only explanation we were given by the very creative team at Overkill is that this Tony Montana the one from the movie he is not. This Tony Montana the 2006 Scarface: The World Is Yours video game he comes from. In that game, Tony survives Sosa's attack, buries his dead BFF he killed and dead sister he dreamed every night of banging like all Weeaboos in our world do, rebuild his empire and gets his revenge on Sosa. But that game takes place in the 80's it does, and Payday 2 in our time... So shouldn't Tony be an old man or something? thonk emoji

Matter it does not. GIVE OVERKILL/STARBREEZE YOUR MONEY! Or used to you could. Recently his Character Pack DLC delisted it got from sale because it turns out Hollywood is hungrier for money than Overkill/Starbreeze ever was! Mehahahahaha!


One would think a sicario working for a Mexican drug cartel deciding to climb over Trump's wall to join the Payday Gang a cool storyline it would make. But unfortunately no. A very uninteresting character Sangres is. But at least he brought Akimbo Revolvers with him, and sucks they unfortunately do.


In 2017, a contest Overkill held to have players design a character to join the gang. Duke, the result was.

Essentially the stereotype of your average middle-aged charismatic britbong... Minus the english accent. His Perk Deck imply he is severely alcoholic, so perhaps giving him guns and letting him join heists a good idea it is not. But still, with the power of his life-regenerating hard liquor he essentially solved The Secret™ singlehandledly so let's give credit where due.


Of all Youtubers who Overkill could have chosen to shill their game, they had to pick these two complete degenerates.

Which really surprising it is considering back when Payday 2 was in its prime, Overkill already had a few Youtubers in their payroll to shill the new DLC releases (hello there James and Connor ). Waste a single ounce of energy in talking about these two I won't because they add ******* nothing to the game. If someone joins your lobby playing as either of them, do the world a favor and kick them out. Seriously, every Ethan and Hila kick boosts the vaccine development for the 'rona by a day. Literally save lives you will!


An epic gamer gurl who happens to be a l33t hacker as well. Wow Overkill! A completely new and original character concept this is! Never seen anywhere before!

Not exactly sure why she needs to join a gang of bank robbers. Considering all a gamer gurl these days has to do to effortlessly earn a living is opening a Twitch channel and setting up an OnlyFans. Mehahahahahahaha!!!!

Now talk we will about the idiots who pay the Safehouse bills.


The "founder" of the gang and the mastermind behind all heists. Despite all the work he has done, the gang never met him in real life (despite him directly participating in Diamond Heist in the first game). He never shuts the ******* hell up about the thermal drill and how bad it is to shoot civilians despite having no consequences whatsoever in doing so.

He is in a love relationship with Locke and the two meant to get married they are.


Payday 2's funni memelord. His jobs can go from stealing a tiara, to trashing a shopping mall in a way that would make a certain anti-police brutality group from real-life blush, to recovering goats with illicit merchandise in their bowels, to punching his drunk brother-in-law in the face to stealing live nuclear warheads. Among other things.


Columbian drug lord hiring the gang as his personal army on his war against another drug cartel. All his three jobs for the gang end up with police ambushes, like the pigs already knew the gang were coming. All three heists. Really strange the more you think about it... thonk emoji


A corrupt Senator using the gang for personal gain. Be it stealing a fusion engine prototype to ensure my 2001 Honda Civic keeps running on gasoline or punching democracy in the face by rigging elections. Has supernatural powers. Could be another clone of Sheev Palpatine for all we know.


Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad who became a dentist. He and his Illuminati-esque contacts gave the gang arguably the best heists of the whole game. A true reliable contractor who never stab the gang in the back he will! After all, helped us free Old Hoxton he did! No reason to think a secret agenda he has!


Another contractor we barely got to see because it seems Overkill can't afford movie stars for more than one or two shots.

She was portrayed by Mira Furlan. Know her you probably do from Jar Jar Abrams' Lost TV show. Yes heard me correctly you have, was. She passed away at the age of 65.[variety.com] The Force will be with her, always.


The leader of Murkywater's Cyberwarfare Division. One day decided he has to work on both sides and force the Payday Gang to work for him by stealing from his employers. During all of this he and Bain both fell in love and meant to get married they are. Little did both know how far their adventures together would go, fo sho'!


Not gonna repeat what I said about him earlier.

Anyway, his jobs are sending the gang on his war against Tommy Wiseau who is building a clone army to conquer the world. Wiseau clearly never watched Star Wars movies, because if he did knew he would that clones are not fully reliable! Mehahahahaha!!!


A mysterious New York hotel run by Illuminati-esque elites who hire people to do contract killings or something. idfk even after watching all three John Wick movies still understand I don't how all this works.

Now go through we will EACH AND EVERY SINGLE INDIVIDUAL SKILL IN THE ENTIRE GAME ALONG WITH THEIR ACED VERSIONS! :D

Give me thoughts on them I will and maybe give you a tip on how to get the most out of them.

• COMBAT MEDIC - Literally a waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree. Don't even bother to Ace.
  
• QUICK FIX - See COMBAT MEDIC.
  
• PAINKILLERS - Useless.
  
• UPPERS - Gives you more First Aid Kits (also called "Mini Meds"). Needless to say a must have if you heavily use Mini Meds. Its Aced gimmick of automatically reviving you if a Mini Med is nearby can be a life-saver.
  
• COMBAT DOCTOR - The UPPERS equivalent of Medic Bags. You don't necessarily need to Ace it but you should if playing you are painfully hard heists (such as Goat Simulator for example) or if your teammates are particularly sh*t at the game, which is the case 90% of the time. So yeah, Ace it.
  
• INSPIRE - The Meta™ teamwork skill. Revive your teammates with the power of your voice, works even through walls! Ace it or don't use it at all. If playing you are only with AI teammates don't use this skill and invest the points elsewhere.

• FORCED FRIENDSHIP - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree.
  
• CONFIDENT - Convert one extra piggy or Murky to fight on your side! You need JOKER to use this skill. Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• JOKER - This skill allows you it does to convert a piggy or Murky to be a bullet sponge to take hits for you. A MUST HAVE IF YOU'RE PLAYING DEATH SENTENCE. DO NOT ACE THIS SKILL. The extra damage makes no difference at all. Remember, the point of Jokers is to make cops focus their attention on them rather then you. DON'T ACE IT YOU IDIOT.
  
• STOCKHOLM SYNDROME - Useless.
  
• PARTNERS IN CRIME - Jokers giving you stat boosts! Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• HOSTAGE TAKER - Jokers and civilian hostages giving you passive health regen! Excellent for camping during sweating Death Sentence heists. Ace it or don't use it at all.

• STABLE SHOT - Gives extra Stability to all weapons and unlocks the rest of the tree. Don't Ace it.
  
• RIFLEMAN - Useless.
  
• MARKSMAN - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the skills. Don't Ace it.
  
• AMMO EFFICIENCY - Useless.
  
• AGGRESSIVE RELOAD - Decent skill that improve weapon reload times. Only worth Acing if using you are Sniper Rifle or a weapon that doesn't have the Speed Pull Magazine mod from the Pay2Win Gage Spec Ops Pack DLC.
  
• GRAZE - The one skill that makes Sniper Rifles viable on Death Sentence. Costs way too much skill points imo. Use it only if you have a weird obsession with Sniper Rifles. Ace it or don't use it at all.

• UNDERDOG - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree.
  
• SHOTGUN CQB - Improve shotgun reload times. Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• SHOTGUN IMPACT - Increase shotgun damage a bit. Don't bother using it at all if you're rocking a hard hitting shotgun such as The Judge or Mosconi for example, a waste of points it would be.
  
• FAR AWAY - Useless.
  
• CLOSE BY - A necessity if you're using either the IZHMA or Goliath 12G Akimbo. Otherwise feel free to use the points elsewhere.
  
• OVERKILL - The one skill that makes shotguns literal death machines on Death Sentence. Acing this skill will allow you to turn any weapon into a murdering monster, great for making meme builds. However Acing this skill costs a lot of points that may or may not be better invested elsewhere, but whatever man do what you want lmao

• RESILIENCE - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree. Acing it might be advisable if you lack the intelligence quotient to look away when a police flashbang is about to go off. Apparently a great majority of Payday 2 Youtubers do since they almost always Ace this skill in their build videos lmao
  
• DIE HARD - Only worth using if you're rocking Armorer. Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• TRANSPORTER - Allows you to move your fat booty faster when carrying bags. Nice to have but not a necessity if you need to use the points elsewhere. Acing it however IS a waste of points.
  
• SHOCK AND AWE - Faster armor regen, simple. If you lack the intelligence to flank Shields and attack them from the side or behind then you may throw your skill points in the trash by Acing it.
  
• BULLSEYE - Instantly regenerate armor by scoring headshots. Can save you from Snipers. Acing it or not for even more armor regenerated is personal preference.
  
• IRON MAN - Even more armor lol. Acing it unlocks the Improved Combined Tactical Vest ARMORER'S BDSM GIMP SUIT.

• SCAVENGER - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree. If you Ace this one then please delete your Steam account and throw your computer out your window.
  
• BULLETSTORM - Drop an ammo bag, pull out Akimbo Judges and mash your mouse button to UNLEASH ARMAGEDDON! Acing it or not is personal preference.
  
• PORTABLE SAW - Useless considering not many heists other than banks and Armored Transports can benefit from having a saw.
  
• EXTRA LEAD - As Giancarlo Esposito says in the Preplanning screen, "Ammunition, can you ever have too much of it?". Acing it or not is personal preference.
  
• SAW MASSACRE - Utterly ******* useless lmao
  
• FULLY LOADED - Worth using only if you're exceptionally sh*t at aiming. Which most likely is your case lmao

• THIRD LAW - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree. Ace it to get access to JACK OF ALL TRADES and don't ******* touch anything else in this piece of sh*t tree.
  
• SENTRY TARGETING PACKAGE - Sentry Guns are utterly ******* trash in Payday 2. Seriously don't ******* use them for **** sake.
  
• ECO SENTRY - See above.
  
• ENGINEERING - See above.
  
• JACK OF ALL TRADES - WOW THE ONE AND ONLY GOOD SKILL IN THE WHOLE ENGINEER TREE! Personally use this skill only I do in my Stealth build for carrying both ECMs and body bags.
  
• TOWER DEFENCE - See ENGINEERING.

• HARDWARE EXPERT - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree. Don't Ace this.
  
• COMBAT ENGINEERING - No one ****** uses Trip Mines. Know the reason you do? BECAUSE THEY SUCK! AND SO DOES THIS SKILL!
  
• DRILL SAWGEANT - A drilling skill that makes your drill drill faster. A must have. Ace it or don't use it at all. But seriously name me one reason why anyone wouldn't want faster drills.
  
• MORE FIREPOWER - If you like using Shaped Charges a lot for speedrunning, then a must have this skill is. If not use your points elsewhere. Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• KICKSTARTER - Punch your broke d*ck piece of sh*t drill to give it a chance to restart by itself. Not fully reliable tho. Use it only if you have leftover skill points and have no idea what to do with them. Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• FIRE TRAP - Useless.

• STEADY GRIP - Improve both weapon accuracy and stability. One of the best low cost skill. Ace it only if you're using a big heavy weapon with sh*t stability or any akimbo weapon.
  
• HEAVY IMPACT - Useless.
  
• FIRE CONTROL - Waste of points to get access to other skills in the tree.
  
• LOCK N' LOAD - Use this only with LMGs. Ace it or don't use it at all. But really just use anything else than LMGs lmao they suck.
  
• SUREFIRE - Sh*t at aiming are you? Can't score headshots even to save your life? Then for you this skill is! Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• BODY EXPERTISE - Utterly useless without SUREFIRE Aced. Can make even the sh*ttiest SMGs and Assault Rifles turn into death machines. Great for meme builds. Ace it or don't use it at all.

• CHAMELEON - Really lol if rocking any kind of stealth build you are then Ace everything in this tree lol. Seriously.
  
• CLEANER - See above.
  
• SIXTH SENSE - See above.
  
• NIMBLE - See above.
  
• ECM OVERDRIVE - See above.
  
• ECM SPECIALIST - See above.

• DUCK AND COVER - No ******* reason at all to not have this skill regardless of your playstyle. Ace it only if you're rocking Dodge.
  
• PARKOUR - Run faster. Nuff said. Ace it only to get access to SNEAKY BASTARD.
  
• INNER POCKETS - Extra concealment for a low skill points investment. Needless to say use it only if concealment is important for your build. Ace it to get access to SNEAKY BASTARD.
  
• DIRE NEED - Useless.
  
• SHOCKPROOF - Useless.
  
• SNEAKY BASTARD - YODA'S FAVORITE SKILL IN THE WHOLE GAME! The premier Dodge skill. Gives you extra Dodge based on your detection risk level. With the basic skill, under level 5 your detection risk level must be in order to get the full effects of this skill. For Aced it is under level 25. If you are not using the Rogue Perk Deck then don't even bother using this skill at all.

• SECOND WIND - Extra speed when your armor breaks. Don't Ace this at all or else get kicked out of every game you join you will be.
  
• OPTICAL ILLUSIONS - Worth using only if you are desperate in using big heavy guns in a Dodge build. Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• THE PROFESSIONAL - Useless.
  
• LOW BLOW - YODA'S SECOND FAVORITE SKILL IN THE WHOLE GAME! Works exactly like SNEAKY BASTARD but instead gives you critical hits chance. Crits like in RPG video games. With the basic skill, under level 5 your detection risk level must be in order to get the full effects of this skill. For Aced it is under level 25.
  
• HIGH VALUE TARGET - Useless.
  
• UNSEEN STRIKE - Armor coward players love this skill. Costs way too much skill points imo. Completely useless for a Dodge elite heister like myself.

Note: All skills in this tree also apply to Akimbo Pistols!

• EQUILIBRIUM - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree. Don't Ace this.
  
• GUN NUT - Extra bullets in pistol mags. Self-explanatory. Ace it only if you're using Akimbo Pistols or pistols with low rate of fire such as the Baby Deagle for example, Yoda's favorite pistol!
  
• AKIMBO - Severe brain damage someone must have if they are rocking Akimbo weapons (regardless if they are pistols, SMGs or shotguns) without having this skill Aced.
  
• ONE HANDED TALENT - Completely useless. If running a pistol build you are then very high chances there are that you are using Dodge and Crits skills as well. And Crits make the extra damage this skill gives completely worthless.
  
• DESPERADO - Personally use this skill Aced I do only for the faster weapon reload.
  
• TRIGGER HAPPY - More or less the pistol equivalent of OVERKILL. A must have for any pistol build. Don't Ace this skill, not worth it.

• NINE LIVES - Don't even ******* think about jumping in Death Sentence without having this Aced.
  
• RUNNING FROM DEATH - Useless.
  
• UP YOU GO - Useless.
  
• SWAN SONG - Harambe coming down from Heaven giving you seconds of God Mode. If you have this Aced, pull out Akimbo Judges and unleash complete Mass Destruction for 6 seconds.
  
• FEIGN DEATH - The only and only use this skill has if if you're solo stealthing a heist and your idiot arse fell down a ledge. So yeah, if you are a remotely functional human being then don't waste your points on this.
  
• MESSIAH - Waste of points that can be better spent elsewhere.

• MARTIAL ARTS - Waste of points to unlock the rest of the tree.
  
• BLOODTHIRST - The one skill that turn melee weapons from "complete sh*t" to "slightly less sh*t but still useless". Ace this if you're using a Sniper Rifle or meme weapons such as the Minigun lmao
  
• PUMPING IRON - A worse version of BLOODTHIRST.
  
• COUNTERSTRIKE - Useless.
  
• BERSERKER - Anarchist cowards love this skill. Ace it or don't use it at all.
  
• FRENZY - See above.

I WAS GETTING TOO LAZY TO TAKE SCREENSHOTS AND WRITE LONG PARAGRAPHS SO DUMPED EVERYTHING ELSE I HAVE HERE LOL

• JOIN THE PAYDAY 2 STEAM COMMUNITY TO EARN A BUNCH OF FREE SH*T IN-GAME!
• For **** sake listen to what veterans have to say. Played this game longer than you they have. Know many things you don't. Listen to their advice and do what they say. However if arrogant they get more than welcome you are to insult them back, or kick them out of your game if you happen to be the host lmao. Seriously lol if some idiot is talking sh*t to you for being a new player just put 'em back in their place.
  
• Do not even think, consider or be seduced by the idea of using cheats/hacks. Many tools exist that allow hosts to check if players in their lobby are legit or not. Same goes for using DLC content you haven't purchased. You will get insulted for not being legit, and you will rightfully get kicked out of every single game you join.
  
• Each and every weapon and Perk Deck in the game 100% viable they are on Overkill difficulty and lower. Higher than that you might want to read build guides to attack those higher difficulties. Build guides such as mine!
  
• Contrary to what some sweaty Youtubers tell you, a very fun relaxed and casual game Payday 2 is. Only sweat you will when playing Death Sentence.
  
• Speaking of Death Sentence, don't even think about touching it without many many hours of experience.
  
• Killing enemies is always good, but that is time you are not spending in doing objectives.

• Revive downed teammates you always should. But remember your own survival always comes first! If attempting to rescue a teammate would result in you getting downed as well, DON'T GO FOR IT! If said teammate now in custody is talking sh*t in chat just politely explain them that any rescue attempt would have resulted in failure. If their jimmies are still rustled then feel free to sh*ttalk them back lmao
  
• Always mark any Special Unit you see, even if you think it's not always worth the life-threatening effort of pressing the F key on your keyboard. Thankfull, your teammates will be.
  
• The higher your civilian killcount, more frequently Special Units (Shields, Tasers, Medics, Cloakers, Snipers and Bulldozers) will spawn.
  
• Don't even ******* bother taking out SWAT Van Turrets lol just avoid their fire. A huge waste of ammo it would be.
  
• Speaking of ammo, only take ammo from Ammo Bags as a last resort.
  
• And speaking of Ammo Bags, IF THEY WERE DROPPED BY A TEAMMATE WHO IS USING A SAW DON'T YOU ******* DARE TAKE AMMO FROM THEM! THEY NEED IT FOR SAW BLADES!

• If planning you are to complete a heist in stealth from start to finish, always play in Death Sentence for more money and XP. Anything lower is a waste.
  
• Take it slow, take your time and be patient. Especially when you're stealthing a heist you're not fully familiar with.
  
• It is heavily discouraged to play stealth in public lobbies. Nobody knows what the **** they are doing, nobody. Either get your imaginary friends to play with you or solo stealth like I do.
  
• However if by some divine intervention you get three human teammates with at least a semi-functional brain, have one guy sneak in to actually do the objectives while the other three lay back to mark enemy guards and help moving bags. The more you are sneaking in, the higher the chances of getting spotted.
  
• When failing a stealth heist just restart the whole thing. Not equiped for loud you are.
  
• Generally you want to kill only one guard: The camera operator. Save those three other pagers when your idiot and impatient arse screws up.
  
• While guards will notice broken cameras, civilians won't care for them.
  
• Speaking of cameras, they are NOT to be broken under any circumstances at all. Some heists have additional guards that can spawn in, and even if they don't that broken camera will get spotted by a guard.

Now give various tips I will on heists! Not gonna do each and every single one of them I will because there are some that I simply have nothing to say about them.

• YOUNGLINGS THE THERMAL DRILL, GET IT YOU MUST!
• Stealth: Dispose of the camera operator, patiently take out the three guards roaming around one at a time, shoot down all the civilians and the bank is all yours! Easy stealth! :D
  
• Advisable it might be to bring a saw for deposit boxes if desperate you are for cash. Buy an Ammo Bag in Preplanning so you can still bring in your body bags and ECMs.

• Just do this one for the achievements and never touch this piece of sh*t heist ever again.
  
• Ideally you want everyone in your lobby to carry Body Bag Cases, because all the civilians on the second floor must die if you want any chance at all to succeed.
  
• If playing you are on Death Sentence... Your Tokyo Drift skills must be perfect if you want make it to the exit in time. Don't expect any of your teammates to know how to drive so basically do this heist in solo stealth lmao

• Leave the house only to pick up additional ingredients.
  
• Watch those ******* snipers.
  
• If the van is here and you don't feel comfortable to risk going out securing bags, then stay in house! If you die that's hours of meth cooking down the drain and you throwing your keyboard on the wall in anger!

• Let the civilian bodies hit the floor.
  
• Let the civilian bodies hit the floor.
  
• Let the civilian bodies hit the floor.
  
• Let the civilian bodies hit the...
  
• FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• See DIAMOND STORE if attempting you are at stealthing this.
  
• Having someone carrying a saw is basically a requirement.

• Just ECM rush the thing lol

• The camera operator and civilians dressed in all orange with a yellow helmet always have a keycard on them. Some Murkywater guards may also have one.
  
• Don't bother going after the money in the containers outside the warehouse. Worth the risk of getting spotted by guards they are not. But get them if your greddy bastard arse must.
  
• Your Preplanning favors should be spent on the following: One thermal paste, bag zip-line to river tug and Spycams wherever you want.
  
• In the sewers you can toss bags under a gate, leave the sewers and get back down on the other side of the gate and grab your bags. Thus saving you a thermal paste. Welcome you are :)
  
• If there's a guard standing in front of the zip-line to the river don't waste a pager on him you idiot. Be patient a sneak around him, not a sweating mouthbreathing speedrunner you are.
  
• Going after the Samurai Armor in the vault should always be the very last thing you do in the heist. Because guards seeing the vault open sound the alarm they will.
  
• Here is how I do it for getting the Samurai Armor in solo stealth: Take the camera operator's keycard and keep it, after I'm done securing all the loot I want head back I do in front of the vault, cross my fingers an orange civilian or Murkywater guard with a keycard walk nearby, leave the second keycard needed near on the ground (not that you can pick it lol), use my remaining pagers to clear out the area to make sure guards don't see the open vault, crack open the vault under 10 seconds and GO FAST! If a guard do see the open vault I hope for your sake you have an ECM with you lmao
  
• Between five and six minutes into the heist an helicopter will appear. It will either drop a container outside with an Artifact in it or drop additional Murkywater guards to make your stealthing life even more miserable. But knew did you that you can force the helicopter to always drop a container instead of guards? This heist added it was in the game over six years ago and Overkill still haven't fixed this ridiculous bug lmao. Here is how you do it:
  Simply make sure your cheating arse is standing in this exact spot between five and six minutes into the heist before the intercom guy and Bain start talking. When you see the helicopter flying in with a container you are free to continue with your business. Yes, technically this is cheating but countless Youtubers and streamers did it for everyone to see and in over six years there is simply no ******* way in hell Overkill should not be aware of this bug so do whatever you want no one cares.
  
  Tried to look into the level editor I have to see what could cause this bug Overkill are too lazy to fix. Couldn't figure out anything lol

• Stealth: Use a pager on the camera operator and your remaining three on the guards roaming in the bottom floor. Sawing off the vaults takes ******* forever, you'll be glad the coast is clear when sawing and moving bags around.
  
• Stealth: When you're playing Simon Says in the top floor the order you push the buttons matter it does not. If Bain tells you to press left and middle just press left and middle.
  
• Stealth: If your idiot arse fails Simon Says three times in a row guards will appear, they will see the computer you previously hacked and they will sound the alarm.
  
• Loud: If playing you are alone with AI teammates don't bother using the zipline to get bags up near the helicopter. Cops will have stolen all of them by the time you get there. Just carry all of them one by one and having your teammates keep them safe. Have fun spending an hour carrying bags up while under fire! :D
  
• Once you completed the achievements never touch this piece of sh*t heist ever again.

• Just play these pieces of trash for the achievements and never touch them again.

• See above.

• Toss a grenade at that Lamborghini knock-off, toss another one in the Apple Store next door, shoot the windows on the ceiling and go smash purses and shoes with melee hits and here you go here's your 50K damage in one minute.
  
• Windows and trash that cops and AI teammates destroy with their gunfire also count for the 50K.
  
• Really should find better use of your time if you unironically want to stealth this heist.

• Stealth: ALWAYS pay for the Loot Drop Truck.

• Play Cook Off instead.

• Unless you are sweating for speedrun world record times, jamming in two crowbars is enough. Or just one if you want to take time to secure loot on forklifts.
  
• Speaking of forklifts... RAM THOSE ******* BULLDOZERS WITH YOUR FORKS!!!! :DDDDDDDDD
  
• Shoot those ******* snipers already. Nobody in my lobbies do.
  
• Furious and fast, Gaddafi's Dodge Charger knock-off is. But furiouser and faster, my 2001 Honda Civic is.

• Serious I was when I said you'll play this one a lot if you grind for Infamy levels.
  
• When driving a car/truck in real life you want to avoid running over animals. But Payday 2 enemies? IT'S OPEN SEASON! :DDDDDDD
  
• When you're waiting for the helicopter and its slow as **** pilot to pick up the truck... Don't just stand here! Run around to stay away from cops! Come back to the truck only when the helicopter has arrived.

• See WHITE XMAS.

• Before attempting this one on DSOD, dispose of every single object in your household that could be used as a weapon. Because this nightmare of a task make you it will want to use said objects on yourself.
  
• Near lethal doses of Ketamine I had to take to help with the anger and frustrations this heist gave me.
  
• Unfortunately the best advice I can give for this one for both days is... Stick to whatever cover you can find and take it slow.

• DON'T STAY IN THE TRUCK YOU ******* IDIOTS! IT WILL EVENTUALLY BLOW UP UNDER POLICE GUNFIRE!
  
• Toss all the coke bags behind some cover behind the truck. Protect them until Bain tells you where the pickup truck will appear (which 99.9939324942375199% of the time will be at the worst possible place).
  
• Don't bother paying for Armored Escape. If playing you are on higher difficulties then very high chances there are you will be pinned down by cops when the escape driver arrives. If that's the case, let him die the death his incompetent arse deserves and hold the fort until the helicopter arrives.

• Get all the bags inside the building and hold the fort in it.
  
• If playing you are with three human teammates and there are four bags remaining... Carry them on your backs and head for the escape. They will still count.

• Only heisters with severe brain damage will attempt to stealth this one. I managed to pull it off half a decade ago when playing this game I was on PlayStation 3. NOT WORTH IT.
  
• You may want to bring Shaped Charges because those broke d*ck piece of sh*t drills on the trucks will jam every 3 seconds.

• Kill guards only if you have no other choice, as additional guards will spawn out of elevators to replace them.
  
• You can't disable cameras as there is no camera operator here. Have fun!
  
• Ignore the goat spazzing out in the evidence room. It's a leftover from a discontinued achievement from like four years ago Overkill are too lazy to remove.

• Don't forget about the power box on the roof lol

• See COOK OFF.

• RNG may decide that the gangsters will ambush you instead of going through the deal like normal. If that happens just restart.
  
• Steal the meth back. Seriously. You want all the hell you went through cooking it to go to waste?

• Human teammates who are mentally challenged should not be allowed to toss money bags in the helicopter. Bags falling down in the river will be lost!

• The three pieces of intel you want are: Codes for shutters, airplane keys and keycard. Argue I would that the keycard is the most important of the three. If you don't get it, restart.
  
• If you get spotted by a biker you can still kill him. The police are alerted only after a unsupressed shot is fired.

• No matter what happens, this day will always end in loud. Make sure you are using a build that is good for both stealth and loud. Use mine!
  https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2183658905
  
• Figuring out the correct fusion engine can be complicated for new players. Too lazy I am to write everything down so just follow the instructions here.[payday.fandom.com].

• Kill guards only when absolutely necessary. Goldfart, the former director of this game, ruined this heist by adding in an update guards that can respawn!

• Nothing interesting at all to say about this one. Here's a fun fact: According to a Youtube Q&A Overkill did way back in 2014 this particular level was the hardest and most challenging one to make programming and scripting-wise. Meanwhile Rockstar managed to get Grand Theft Auto V to run on 2006 video game consoles.

• Same as Day One, RESPAWNING GUARDS! THANK YOU SO MUCH DAVID FOR RUINING ONE OF YODA'S FAVORITE HEIST!
  
• New players may want to have a light modded on their weapon, as finding the five items in the dark can be hard if you don't know where they usually spawn.
  
• It's possible to loot the gold from the vault in solo stealth if the vault is close enough and you run fast. But if you don't feel confident enough in yourself then don't risk it.

• As with finding the correct fusion engine, finding the correct truck can be confusing for new players. Lazy degenerate I am so just follow this[payday.fandom.com] lol
  
• After you figure out which truck to tag just ECM rush lol

• RESPAWNING GUARDS RRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
  
• Bain tells you to close down the crates after the hacking is done, but you don't actually need to. Guards won't care. This is an oversight Overkill never bothered to fix in over six years.
  
• Don't bother with the money bags lol

• Don't waste your time opening deposit boxes in the vault. All they contain is trash.

• Earlier I said to ignore SWAT Van Turrets, but since you will be spending considerable amounts of time outside... Yes you should destroy the turret lol. Wait for its aiming laser to go yellow and empty your whole magazine on its dead center. Repeat until the turret explodes.
  
• THOSE ******* SNIPERS SHOOT THEM
  
• While escaping with Ron Perlman's bike it's possible to get stuck and be unable to move in the tight tunnel if you slide a bit too much. Enjoy your softlock and being forced to restart the whole heist. :DDDDDDDDDDD

• Don't waste any energy or time on the extra loot. Just get the VR headset thingy thing and get the hell out as fast as possible.
  
• Seriously overwhelmed by cops you will get in like a minute. Just get the thing and end the heist.

• Stealth: If playing this heist you are during a Lunar Eclipse and all planets in the Solar System are perfectly alligned try hacking the computer in the server room directly instead of going after the staff computers on the east side. It may work!
  
• Stealth: Ideally you want to make it through the first half of the heist without using a single pager. Using them all on the camera operator and some guards beyond the security gate. Believe me stealthing this heist will test your ******* patience.
  
• Stealth: Speaking of the security gate... Guards won't care and continue with their business if they see the bank vault wide open. But the security gate? HOLY ******* SH*T SOMEONE CALL THE COPS AND THE ARMY NOW!!!!11!!!1!!!! To this day still understand this logic I don't.
  
• Stealth: Foolish it would be to stealth this heist without having picked the Elevator escape in Preplanning.
  
• Stealth: If you're planning on going after the deposit boxes in the vault you'll have to lockpick them. Guards will still hear a saw even with a "silent" motor. Have your braindead teammates help you pick the locks.
  
• Loud: Use thermite over the drill you must. Yes, dead serious I am. Thermite may be slower than the Beast, but it won't jam, it doesn't need drill bits guarded by an army of snipers, you won't have to climb up the crane and spend the rest of the century waiting for the pig to drop and you won't have to rush out of the crane to get back in the bank because your useless teammates all got themselves downed.
  
• Loud: Using thermite means you won't get to use the Bus Stop escape. Meaning you'll either have to deal with the normal escape that is dragging hundreds of bags all the way back to the roof of the bank with an army of cops and snipers waiting for you. Or pick the C4 Tunneling escape and get gang****** by an army of snipers. Pick your poison :)

• FOR **** SAKE THOSE ******* SNIPERS SHOOT THEM
• Don't wait like a fool for Bain to give you the recipe for the meth lab lol. It's on the wall near the lab. For the record the recipe is: Muriatic Acid, Caustic Soda and Hydrogen Chloride
  
• Cook all the meth possible and secure all loot for a very generous payday.
  
• Speaking of extra loot, some bags of cash can be found inside motel rooms and cars. Keep your eyes open.

• Contrary to what sweating speedrunners tell you, it is possible to get to the Commissar in time to get all the extra coke without sawing off the gate. Just run and don't **** around.
  
• Considering combat here is extremely close-range, it might be advisable to run a build that uses shotguns and grenade launchers. My Solo Holdout build works great here.
  https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2199799250
  
  
• Secure all the money and coke, and provided you secured maximum meth and loot in the previous day... GET ONE OF THE HIGHEST PAYING PAYDAY IN THE GAME YOU WILL! :D

• Nothing much to say here. A pretty straightforward level. Maybe one thing there is to say: Don't bother opening ATMs lol

• Play this one however you want. But no matter what ALWAYS HAVE ONE KEYCARD RESERVED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ESCAPE DOOR AT THE END!

• Playing this one loud is boring. So no tips for loud I will give!
  
• Don't bother getting thermal paste to enter the museum through a basement window. Use that Preplanning favor point elsewhere.
  
• Use that Preplanning point on the Glass Cutter instead.
  
• Open those doors even if you know they don't lead to circuit box. You can use those rooms to toss dead bodies in it and hide from roaming guards.
  
• Go after extra loot (Artifacts) only after The Diamond has been secured or if you're waiting for those stupid timelocks to be done.
  
• Don't be a coward at the puzzle. Use the first layout you are given and be a man for once in your life. :)

• Just like THE DIAMOND, this heist boring it is in loud.
  
• Use your pagers only on guards inside the house.
  
• The timelock on the vault will pause if an ECM is active.
  
• Evidence can be secured to the van anytime during the heist. Have your useless teammates do something good for once and have them secure evidence while you do the objectives.

• Stealth and Loud: Don't do this heist without having the CHAMELEON Aced skill. Make much less money without it you will!
  
• Stealth: Have the dumbest, most useless and idiotic player in your lobby remain in Civilian Mode during the entirety of the heist so they can spot guards for you while remaining 100% invisible to security! Masking up is not required to escape the heist at the van at the end.
  
• Stealth: Don't waste any Preplanning favors on anything in Insider Help. Use the favors on Heartbreaker Annie and Spycams (tho if you have a teammate in Civilian Mode you don't need Spycams at all lol).
  
• Stealth: That 60 seconds of waiting time after hacking the computer in the security center exists only and only to prevent ECM rushing. :)
  
• Loud: The only BFD Upgrades worth anything are Engine Optimization and Additional Engine Power. All BFD Attachments useless they are. Use your remaining Preplanning favors on things such as Medic Bags (AAAAAAAAAAA) and Ammo Bags.
  
• Loud: There is no reason at all to pick Loud Entry in Preplanning. No. Reason. At. All.

• Loud: If you and your teammates remotely competent you are (which I highly doubt lol), possible it is to enter the vault without having the BFD jam not even once!

• Arguably one of the easiest heist to stealth in the whole game for one main reason: Guards have fixed paths! So for that reason alone and yet again, give only I will stealth tips for this one! Mehahahaha!
  
• Don't bother securing additional loot, worth the effort it is not considering the bomb parts are worth so much.
  
• The only thing you need to get from Preplanning are Body Bags so you can toss those stupid ******* civilians in the water.
  
• The recipe for the hidden meth lab is the same as in Hotline Miami (Day One). If you forgot it is: Muriatic Acid, Caustic Soda and Hydrogen Chloride.

• Play this piece of trash only for the achievements and never touch this again.
  
• As with the Dockyard version of this heist, don't bother getting additional loot at all.
  
• Do not jump while going downhill.

• Stealth: It might sound like a chore (it is) but do try to dispose of every guard outside the mansion. You'll be glad the coast is clear when you're moving hundreds of bags after killing Sosa.
  
• Stealth: Sosa is the camera operator of this heist. Cameras are disabled only after he's dead... At the near end of the heist. Have fun!
  
• That Rope Ladder thing? Buy it. Regardless if you're going Stealth or Loud BUY IT.

• Don't waste ammo and dodge those turrets you noob.
  
• Drop Medic/Ammo bags only when absolutely necessary, as they will become inaccessible as you progress through the heist.
  
• The end of the heist at the helipad turns into a cluster**** real quick. Secure additional loot only if you feel confident in yourself greedy. Otherwise just toss the trash you stole from the vaults earlier into the helicopter, fill it with gas and leave.

• If someone is dumb enough to drop a Medic/Ammo bag on the plane, kick them out for their stupidity.
  
• At the end when you all get in the sewers JUST GO GO GO RUSH DON'T STAND THERE GO OR ELSE ****** YOU WILL GET BY AN ARMY OF 'DOZERS AND TASERS!
  
• A long time ago me and my friends drunk as sh*t we were and reenacted we did the Plane Scene from the 2012 motion picture The Dark Knight Rises.

• The community loves to call this one ''Henry's C*ck''. Because this heist will annihilate your arsehole. And it will do the same on DSOD, but this time without using lube. Stick to whatever piece of cover you can find and have fun! :D
  
• During all this high impact sexual violence, Jiro finally has the wholesome Father/Son reunion he has been waiting for years! Unfortunately they don't actually meet in person but very soon they will! :D

• This heist the same exact thing it is on both Stealth and Loud. So yeah, do it in stealth.
  
• Going for extra loot is obnoxiously long and tedious thanks to the slow as **** zipline. If truly desperate for those 36 Artifacts you are feel free to go loud after securing the Black Tablet with the zipline and get those Artifacts in the chopper. Hopefully you are using my Stealth build I linked earlier so you can actually fight back against cops!

• As with BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN, only drop Medic/Ammo bags only when absolutely necessary.
  
• If playing you are on Mayhem difficulty or higher, don't waste a single second during the escape part.
  
• Jiro is finally reunited with his son in person! :DDDDDDDD

• As there is no loot of any kind to be secured here, it is utterly pointless to do this heist on Loud.
  
• As Youtube thumbnails most likely have spoiled you by now, this heist is where The Secret™ takes place. If attempting it you are do it on Overkill difficulty and have the whole team carry Ammo bags and use ammo economic weapons. But as for activating The Secret™ itself and completing it?
  
  
  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA SCREW YOU YOUNGLINGS YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN FOR THIS ONE MEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

• If you still haven't figured it out here is how the drone lights work:
  No light: The drone is moving around and its camera is off.
  Red light: Drone will turn on its camera soon.
  White light: Drone camera is on.
  Blue light: Drone is jammed because of an ECM.
  
• Drones can be destroyed on Overkill difficulty and lower. But do note they work exactly like normal cameras: Guards will sound the alarm if they see them broken.
  
• Don't bother going after the weapon cases. Just grab the bomb parts and escape.

• If you leave without scanning all four bodies, a coward you are.
  
• Speaking of leaving, watch for those bloody snipers.

• Just so you know the heist won't progress at all until you shoot the highlighted gangsters and cops. Many Younglings I've seen forgetting about that. :)
  
• Leave those weapon cases be. Not worth the trouble they are.

• TAKE THE MONEY LOCATIONS AND COLOR IN NOTE FOR **** SAKE IT'S SO ******* SIMPLE IT TAKES ONE ****** SECOND TO DO. INSTEAD OF WASTING HALF AN HOUR RUNNING LIKE A SPASTIC IDIOT AROUND THE SHIP LOOKING FOR THE MONEY, TAKE YOU LIKE FIVE MINUTES INSTEAD IT WILL. FOR **** SAKE JUST OPEN NOTEPAD ON YOUR SECOND COMPUTER MONITOR OR WRITE IT DOWN ON A POST-IT ON YOUR DESK **** IT'S SO SIMPLE JUST DO IT

• Stealth: Use your pagers only after you got through the gate.
  
• Stealth: No, you can't do the Overdrill secret in stealth and you can't do it alone with AI teammates. Time to expand your social circle beyond your direct family and make some friends! :D

• Armorer and Anarchist cowards never experience they will the orgasmic pleasures of starting this heist and meeting up with Matt without getting hit once.
  
• Check the car trunk of Locke's incompetent driver. It may have some money in it.

• There are bags of coke scattered around, secure them before killing Chavez as the cops will arrive only after he's dead.
  
• Yes, that's a giant toothbrush. And yes you can take it.
  
• Even if you use one of the nukes you stole for Vlad to clear the roof, the ******* helicopter will come only when he feels like it.

• Ideally you want to assign one player to guard a saw each, as the cops will always try to disable them.
  
• If a Gensec truck shows up don't bother with it.

• Don't bother with the sapphires in the display cases unless you're doing the achievement.
  
• Bain really got lazy since the Golden Grin job, tell you he won't the vault code when it's time to punch it. Take the numbers and their color in note somewhere.

• See those conveyor belts? They actually work! Toss the gold bags on them.

• One would be mentally challenged to open fire before Mitchell leads you to his basement.
  
• Print money only for the achievement. Other than that the effort it is not worth. Play Cook Off instead.

• One of my least favorite heist because of how lame it is. Do the 'cheevos and move on.

• A giant cluster**** this heist was in the first game, and still is here. Remember my Solo Holdout build I linked earlier? It works great here!
  
• What if the virus here is the 'rona? That virus in the hands of Murkywater it is now. That would explain everything. thonk emoji

deep breath

Thank you for reading this guide. Barely scratches the surface of this fantastic game it does. Planning I am to keep making guides for this game (builds, heist walkthroughs, etc.) until Payday 3 comes out, AKA many years. And then make guides for Payday 3 I will! :DDDDDD

So my dear Younglings, still hungry you are for more? Made I have nearly 30 build guides (with more to come), help you they will in your adventures to get your payday. Check them out.

Now excuse me you will.