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Are gearing up for a firefight in Payday 3 and want to use the best build for going loud in a heist? Our guide will help you pick the right skills for the job and how to tailor your loadout.
It’s easy to see why going into Payday 3 heists in full- or half-stealth is the most appealing way to play. But sometimes things don’t go according to plan, or you simply want to go mask-on from the start. Going loud in Payday 3 can have severe repercussions on potential profits, if not downright tanking your mission if your build is not up to par. That’s why it’s important to have the right skills at your disposal. Therefore, let’s dig into the topic and look at the best skills for a loud build in Payday 3.
Best Skills for a Loud Build Loadout in Payday 3
For a loud approach in Payday 3, we recommend going for skills that accentuate your preferred way of shooting. Determine if you prefer long-range or close-range engagements; Do you like shooting from the hip, aiming down sights, or even relying on throwables. That will determine which skills best enhance your strategy. Next, we will list some of the best skills for going loud. Note that some of them are mutually exclusive, as we will discuss later.
| Skill name | Skill effect |
|---|---|
| Ammo Specialist (Major Skill) | Basic: Your reserve ammo capacity is increased by 20%. Ammo bags you deploy have 2 additional charges. Aced: Whenever you pick up ammo, if your current weapon’s magazine is full, you gain EDGE if you don’t have it. |
| Scrounger | As long as you have EDGE, ammo drops have 10% chance of replenishing one of your throwables. |
| High Grain | After interacting with an ammo bag, you get 20% more damage for 10 seconds. This bonus does not stack with itself. |
| Mower (Major Skill) | Basic: Every 35 bullets you shoot, gain EDGE. Aced: Whenever you reload a weapon with an empty magazine, refresh EDGE. |
| Recoil Handling | As long as you have EDGE, your weapon recoil is reduced. |
| Suppressive Fire | As long as you have EDGE, every shot from your weapon has a chance to inflict heavy stagger. |
| Ammo Funnel | As long as you have EDGE, ammo you pick up is directly added to your equipped weapon’s magazine. If your magazine is full, it’s added to your reserves instead. |
| Replenish | As long as you have EDGE, you automatically pick up ammo dropped by enemies you have killed. |
| Sprint Loaded | You can reload while sprinting. |
| Sharpshooter (Major Skill) | Basic: Stand still for 1.5 seconds while aiming down sights or scopes and gain EDGE. Aced: Performing a headshot while aiming down sight will refresh your EDGE. |
| Collateral Control | If you destroy a Special Enemy’s weak point, like the Zapper’s battery or the Nader’s belt, the explosion will only affect enemies. |
| Long Shot | As long as you have EDGE and are aiming down sights, distance penalties do not apply to headshot multipliers. |
| Precision Shot | When aiming down a scope, your shot will consume any EDGE you have. When this happens, your shot will do extra damage based on your scope magnification. |
| Cutting Shot | As long as you have EDGE, your armor penetration is increased. |
| Speed Aim | Increase your ADS and scope speed. |
| Demolitionist (Major Skill) | Basic: Explosions caused by your shots or throwables have their area of effect increased by 20%. Aced: Whenever you cause an explosion, gain or refresh RUSH. |
| Overcooked | Any throwable or weapon you use that has an explosive component will no longer run on a timer but will immediately explode on impact with the environment or an NPC. |
| Extra Munitions | Your throwable capacity is increased by 2. |
| Enforcer (Major Skill) | Basic: Whenever you kill 2 enemies within 4 seconds that are within 5 meters of you, you gain GRIT. Aced: Whenever you kill 1 enemy within 5 meters range, if you have GRIT, gain EDGE. |
| Quick Reload | As long as you have both GRIT and EDGE, you have increased reload speed. |
| Face to Face | As long as you have both EDGE and GRIT, you deal 10% extra damage to targets within 5 meters of you. |
| Solid | As long as you have both EDGE and GRIT, you’re immune to stagger effects. |
| Combat Reload | Whenever you reload a weapon while the magazine still has ammo, refresh EDGE and GRIT. |
| Shock & Awe | Killing an enemy within 8 meters of you has a chance to stagger all non-Special enemies within 5 meters of you. |
| Gunslinger (Major Skill) | Basic: Whenever you switch your weapon, you gain EDGE. ADSing will end any EDGE you have active. Aced: Performing headshots with your weapon in hipfire will refresh any EDGE you have. |
| From the Hip | As long as you have EDGE, your hipfire spread is decreased. |
| Heavy Hipfire | As long as you have EDGE, hipfire shots will cause heavy stagger. |
| Finisher | If you have EDGE, the last shot of your magazine will consume it to deal 200% more damage. |
| Quickdraw | Increase your weapon swap speed. |
Prepare to invest around 25 skill points into a loud loadout. This number can vary depending on which route you take. For example, going for the Sharpshooter tree precludes the Gunslinger tree, and vice versa. Similarly, if you’re not keen on using throwables, there’s no need to go for Demolitionist skills – though we’d argue they’re very useful to increase your damage output.
The main idea to keep in mind when going for a loud build is to leverage all three special buffs as much as possible. This goes doubly for EDGE, but RUSH and GRIT are just as important.
Skills for Sidegrade Considerations
Notably, a few trees have been omitted from our list of suggestions. That’s because they alter your gameplay and role within the game, so it’s something to take in agreement with your crew. This includes:
- Tank: add this to your list if your role is to draw in enemy fire.
- Medic: add this to your list if your role is to stay behind and then rush in to save your teammates.
- Manipulator: add this to your list if your crew plans to use hostages.
- Engineer: add this to your list if you plan on using a couple of nifty turrets for extra firepower.
- Tactician: add this to your list if your throwable of choice is the flashbang or smoke grenade.
Equipment Choices
In terms of gearing up for a loud loadout of skills, the first and most important choice comes down to your weapons. This is highly subjective and also depends on which weapons or mods you have unlocked. Pick the best one that complements your skills. For instance, if you’re going Aced Sharpshooter, pick one of the sniper rifles. If you’re going for Aced Mower, pick the best assault rifle you can. For the rest, consider:
- Armor Lining: Pick between Medium or Heavy ballistic lining, depending on role and preference.
- Throwables: Your choice between Frag, Flashbang, or Smoke grenade.
- Tools: Motion Sensor. Although the Infrasonic Mine can synergize with Tactician skills if you go down that route.
Ultimately, if you and your crew plan to go loud, make sure to look into each others’ builds and fill any gaps. Look for ways to build up roles between you and make sure everyone knows what their goal is to have a smooth heisting time.
Also check out our other Payday 3 guides, like What is the best heist to get money in Payday 3, How to Fix Challenges Not Working in Payday 3, and Does Payday 3 Have a Campaign.