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Payday: The Heist

Payday: The Heist

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Welcome to the crew, rookie! Payday: The Heist throws you and up to three friends into the boots of a hardened criminal crew, pulling off daring heists across the US. Think intense firefights against overwhelming police forces, silent infiltrations, and the thrill of grabbing as much loot as possible before the cavalry arrives. It’s a co-op shooter that demands coordination and quick thinking, whether you’re cracking safes at the First World Bank or executing a tricky escape.

This guide is your ticket to mastering every job. We’ll break down essential controls, weapon loadouts, and strategies for both loud and quiet approaches. Get ready to learn specialized bypass techniques and how to coordinate your crew to overcome challenging scenarios and earn those coveted Gold Medals.

Part 1

Your comprehensive guide to Payday: The Heist Part 1, covering essential loadouts, including sidearms like the B9-s, Bronco .44, Crosskill .45, and STRYK, plus an overview of enemy types.

Welcome to the first part of our Payday: The Heist guide. This section will help you get started by detailing the initial loadout options and introducing the various enemy types you'll face. Understanding your weapons and the threats is crucial for survival.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Introduction: A brief overview to get you started.
  2. 2
    Loadouts: Details on weapon choices and their effectiveness.
    • 2A: Sidearms: Covers the B9-s, Bronco .44, Crosskill .45, and STRYK, detailing their power, range, best uses, and recommended heists.
  3. 3
    2B: Primary: (Details to follow in subsequent sections).
  4. 4
    2C: Secondary: (Details to follow in subsequent sections).
  5. 5
    2D: Equipment: (Details to follow in subsequent sections).
  6. 6
    2E: Deployables: (Details to follow in subsequent sections).
  7. 7
    2F: Crew Bonus: (Details to follow in subsequent sections).
  8. 8
    Heists: An overview of available heists.
    • First World Bank [FWB]
  9. 9
    Heat Street [HS]
  10. 10
    Panic Room [PR]
  11. 11
    Green Bridge [GB]
  12. 12
    Diamond Heist [Easy money]
  13. 13
    Slaughterhouse [sh]
  14. 14
    Counterfit [DLC.1]
  15. 15
    Undercover [DLC.2]
  16. 16
    No Mercey [Free Pc DLC]
  17. 17
    Over Drill [First World Bank Bonus]
  18. 18
    Enemies: Introduces the different enemy factions.
    • Guards, Cops & Gangsters
  19. 19
    Swat
  20. 20
    Heavy Swat
  21. 21
    FBI
  22. 22
    Sniper
  23. 23
    Murky Water
  24. 24
    Heavy Hitters: Details on special enemy units.
    • Shields
  25. 25
    Bulldozer
  26. 26
    Taser
  27. 27
    Cloaker
  28. 28
    Credits, Changelog and Copyrights: Legal and update information [legal].
Tips
  • When choosing a skill build, consider a mix of Support and Technician, especially if you have DLC. A suggested solo build involves 4 in Assault, 12 in Sharpshooter, 42 in Support, and 77 in Technician for a total level of 104, unlocking most necessary skills.
  • For sidearms:
    • The B9-s is good for cameras and low-level enemies on heists like First World Bank, Diamond Heist, and No Mercy.
  • The Bronco .44 has high damage, ideal for Overkill difficulty Swats, and useful on Heat Street, Panic Room, Green Bridge, Slaughterhouse, and Undercover.
  • The Crosskill .45 is a mid-tier option, less impressive than the others.
  • The STRYK, a fully automatic sidearm from the Technician tree, offers the highest damage per second and is effective in close to medium range on Panic Room, Slaughterhouse, and Undercover.

Part 2

Explore Part 2 of our Payday: The Heist guide, detailing primary and secondary weapons, essential equipment like cable ties and body armor, and deployables such as ammo bags, health bags, trip mines, and sentry guns.

Primary Weapons:

  1. AMCAR-4: Starting weapon. Power: Medium, Range: High. Best for easy heists. Recommended to replace ASAP.
  2. Reinbeck Shotgun: Unlocked at Support tree level 13. Power: High, Range: Medium to Low. Excellent for close-quarters combat (CQC). Not ideal for Heat Street due to lack of CQC.
  3. Brenner 21: Machine gun with very high rate of fire. Power: High, Range: High. Major drawback: poor accuracy. Best for clearing assault waves, especially on Heat Street.
  4. M308: Sniper rifle. Power: High, Range: Highest in game. Performs well everywhere.
  5. AK (Wolfpack DLC): Fuses AMCAR's balance with Brenner 21's firepower. Power: High, Range: Medium, Rate of Fire: High. Suitable for all heists.

Secondary Weapons:

  1. Locomotive 12 G: Power: High, Range: Low. Major drawback: only four shots (or six with upgrades), long reload. Best heist: N/A.
  2. GL40 (Wolfpack DLC): Grenade launcher unlocked in Technician tree. Power: Highest in the game. One-shots all enemies except Bulldozers with a direct hit. Effective against Shields. Major drawbacks: High Recoil and long reload. Best Heist: All.
  3. Compact-5: Power: Low, Range: High, Rate of Fire: High. Best Heist: Heat Street. A good pairing for the Reinbeck.
  4. Mark 11: Weakest secondary. Power: Low, Range: Low. Silenced. Best Heist: Stealth-based missions. Recommended if using the Bronco and needing to avoid issues on Hardcore difficulty.

Equipment:

  • Cable Ties: Used to take hostages. Start with two, upgradeable to a maximum of six (maxed at Assault 33). At least one upgrade suggested for No Mercy and Diamond Heist.
  • Body Armor: Increases body armor. Upgraded passively through all trees (Support 4, Technician 6, Assault 7, Sharpshooter 25).
  • Extra Start Out Ammo: Provides a larger ammo pool, not just starting ammo. Each level adds 10% to a gun's total ammo capacity. Unlocked in Support tree, maxed at level 38. Required for the GL40.
  • Tool Kit (Wolfpack DLC): Reduces drill and hackable repair time by up to 20%. Unlocked at Technician 1, maxed at level 38.
  • Thick Skin: Increases health by up to 33%. Unlocked through Sharpshooter tree (level 2), maxed at level 39.

Deployables:

  • Ammo & Health Bags: Bags thrown on the ground for crew interaction. Ammo bags can be used ten times (unlocked by Assault, maxed at 30). Doctor bags (health) can be used four times (unlocked by Support, maxed at 33). Health bags are best used in Overkill difficulty.
  • Trip Mines: Laser trip mines with very high power. One-shot all enemies except Bulldozers and potentially Shields. Unlocked in Sharpshooter tree, maxes at level 47 with 10 mines. Very useful for solo play.
  • Sentry Gun (Wolfpack DLC): Unlocked at Technician 5, maxed at level 45. Useful for assault waves and cover fire. Maxed out, it has enough armor and health to provide cover for clearing an assault on lower difficulties. Hates Shields.

Part 3

Detailed walkthrough for Part 3 of Payday: The Heist, covering First World Bank, Heat Street, and Panic Room heists with strategies and tips for each.

Walkthrough:

  1. First World Bank: Locate the bank manager (lobby, cubicle, office, conference room, or vault hallway). Secure the manager and head to the second floor. Destroy security cameras if playing with a friend. Get the drill and thermite from the server room and start the drill. Camp in the stairwell or server room depending on difficulty. Avoid fixing the drill during assault waves on Overkill difficulty. Erase security footage near the server room. Enter the vault, destroy cameras to prevent elevator spawns. Ignite the floor to create an exit. Camp near walls and low to the ground in the burning room. If playing with a team, leave one or two members above to prevent being overrun. Return to the server room to escape, potentially through the lobby by blowing a hole in the wall. Beware of Bulldozers.
  2. Heat Street: This heist is difficult due to a lack of cover. It's recommended to play on Easy, bring a sentry gun and ammo bag (or health bag if solo). Chase the van and deal with initial cops. Continue running, using small cover during assaults. Locate the new wheelman, who will be dead. Find the van and burn it out using up to four gas cans, one at a time, without putting them down until the fire dies. Escort the driver to a helicopter while fighting cops. Climb to the overpass, clear the area. Clear cops quickly on the final stretch to avoid moving the driver back down.
  3. Panic Room: This heist is challenging. Follow the waypoint and put on your mask as soon as possible. Locate a specific individual (described as

Part 4

Complete walkthrough for Part 4 of Payday: The Heist, covering Green Bridge, Diamond Heist, Slaughterhouse, and Counterfeit missions with strategies and tips.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Green Bridge: Start by sawing open four prison vans. Locate the correct one and escort the prisoner to a tower. Once at the top, place him in a seat and blow up the balloon. Wait for the plane pickup, then make your way to the escape point, staying in cover.
  2. 2
    Diamond Heist: For stealth, do not kill guards. Hack alarm boxes to reduce mission time. If detected, retrieve tablets from the boxes and head to the roof holdout room to fix them. Enter codes in the middle of the map; if they fail, find and escort the CFO to the roof for the codes. After emptying the vault, escape. For the red diamond challenge, obtain the glass cutter, be unseen, and take the diamond, which spawns enemies. Collect all diamond cases to escape.
  3. 3
    Slaughterhouse: Wait for the ambush, then proceed to the ladder and follow waypoints. Inside the slaughterhouse, shoot the wires or use C4 on the truck to get the safe. Drill the safe, using the office as a holdout room. Carry gold bags to the other side of the map (four trips solo). Light tires on fire using a gas can, then interact with a control in the middle of the area. Wait for the gold to be safe, then set the trap using the same control. Escape using containers for cover.
  4. 4
    Counterfeit: Case the area and find a crowbar. This heist is challenging and requires careful execution.
Tips
  • For Green Bridge, sawing two vans at a time can preserve health.
  • In Diamond Heist, hacking alarm boxes undetected significantly speeds up the mission.
  • The office in Slaughterhouse is a good holdout room while drilling the safe.
  • Counterfeit is a difficult DLC heist; be prepared for a tough challenge.

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