PAYDAY 3 – Stealth Guide and Tips

This guide will show you some of the best tips and tricks that you need to know to be a stealthy player in Payday 3.

General Tips

• Utilize Zipties: You have unlimited zipties. Use them to restrain civilians instead of killing them to avoid losing a percentage of your money.
• Avoid Sprinting While Masked: Guards can hear you even on different floors when you sprint while masked up, so move quietly to avoid detection.
• Stay Hidden While Performing Actions: If you’re observed while performing an action, try to find a spot out of the civilian’s view to continue your mission.
• Exercise Patience: Stealth requires patience. Use the tools and environment to your advantage.
• Experiment with Risks: Take calculated risks to learn what you can and can’t get away with. This experimentation will make you a better stealth player.
• Use Lures: Lures can divert guards from their regular paths, making it easier to snatch keycards or access guarded areas.
• Silent Takedowns: You can silently take down guards without using any weapons, reducing the risk of alerting others.
• Avoid Killing the Lead Guard: On Overkill difficulty, the lead guard wears a baseball cap and has indefinite pagers. Killing him will trigger alarms, so it’s best to avoid it.
• Dealing with Cuffs: If caught doing something illegal or in a secure area, either mask up and eliminate the guard or rely on a skill or teammate to get you out of cuffs.
• Guard Observation: If the same guard catches you more than twice, they will sound the alarm.
• Unmasked Heister: In multiplayer, if one heister remains unmasked, they can leave with the bags without detection.

Difficulty Levels

There are four difficulty levels:

• Normal: Standard difficulty.
• Hard: A bit more challenging.
• Very Hard: Increased challenge with indestructible cameras.
• Overkill: Highest difficulty with indestructible cameras, lead guard with indefinite pagers (avoid killing him), and a limited number of pagers before alarms trigger.

Being Observed

If you are being observed while performing an action, you’ll be detected upon completing it. Look for the “observed” warning on your screen. To avoid observation, crouch and find blind spots among nearby civilians.

Lures

Lures can distract guards and open guarded areas. Interact with speakers to create noise that attracts guards. You can also use lures to save your teammates from being caught.

Keycards

To obtain a keycard, grab it from the back of a security guard while you’re not being observed. You can do this by:

• Stealing it while the guard’s back is turned.
• Using a lure to make the guard approach you.
• Getting caught in a non-secure area and grabbing the keycard while the guard escorts you (not ideal).
• Note that different keycard colors open different rooms.

Takedowns & Bodies

Unlike Payday 2, Payday 3 allows for silent takedowns without weapons. You can also grab civilians and move them as needed, but remember to zip tie their hands to prevent alarms. Dispose of dead bodies by placing them in secure, hidden spots to maintain control of the situation.

These tips should help you become a master of stealth in Payday 3.