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Best Stealth Skills
Best Stealth Equipment
Getting through a heist completely unnoticed is one of the biggest challenges in Payday 3. Every mission except Road Rage can be finished without raising the alarm, but only if you know the map like the back of your hand. It's even more important to set up your character with the right Skills for the job.
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Whether you're a lone-wolf cat burglar or part of a coordinated team, the right build is essential for escaping with the loot before the police arrive. Once you've earned enough Skill Points and unlocked the necessary trees, this build will keep you hidden on Very Hard or Overkill difficulty.
This build is designed for players at Infamy Level 40 or above. That means you've likely completed each heist several times, unlocked new gear and skills, and are ready to try more challenging heists.
Best Stealth Skills
If you're going for a stealthy play style, start by unlocking the Infiltrator, Grifter, and Escapist trees if you haven't already done so. You'll need to play a few heists to unlock everything; use this time to level up your chosen weapons and earn money to buy upgrades.
As they become available, take the following Skills:
Skill | Prerequisite | Effects |
|---|---|---|
Infiltrator | N/A |
|
Ace Infiltrator | Infiltrator |
|
Quick Fingers | Infiltrator |
|
Escapist | N/A |
|
Grifter | N/A |
|
Walk The Walk | Grifter |
|
Social Engineering | Grifter |
|
This set of skills makes it easy to get into places where you don't belong, and makes the essential task of lockpicking a snap. If things go wrong, Escapist allows you to continue gaining Rush so that you can continue opening locked doors and boxes.
If you have any skill points left over, consider the following choices:
- If you want to keep focusing on stealth, take Hacker and Secure Loop to disable cameras.
- If you want to have some combat ability in case stealth doesn't work out, ace the Mower or Enforcer Skills. Alternately, you could take Strategist and Misdirect to make use of Rush and protect your from Cloakers.
- Stealth characters are also great at moving loot while the rest of the team covers them; for this, take Swift and Bagger.
Of course, as you level up more, you'll be able to take even more Skills - why choose when you can have everything?
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Best Stealth Equipment
Your primary consideration for weapons should be taking out guards quietly and efficiently. Luckily, the starting pistol, the Signature 40, is perfect for that! Rack up some kills with it to bring it up to Level 5, then equip it with an Obelisk Silencer.
The Signature 40 has incredible accuracy, meaning you'll be able to take out cameras and pull off headshots from a decent distance with little trouble.
Your primary weapon will only come out if your stealth route fails and the police arrive. Your choice is largely up to personal preference, but be sure to equip a silencer once the gun reaches Level 7; this prevents you from accidentally alerting the entire map if you fire with the wrong weapon equipped.
The Light Ballistic Lining is great for stealth; its movement penalty is minimal, and it provides at least some protection if you end up in a firefight. If you want extra movement speed, the Standard Lining is a risky but worthwhile choice.
You probably won't need an Overkill Weapon, but since you have to pick one, take the one you like best.
Equip Throwing Knives in your throwable slot. Don't try to be fancy with them; they're there as a way to get Rush in an emergency by killing an enemy.
Your tool slot should be suited to the heist you're attempting; by default this should be the ECM Jammer, but if you have a good reason the Micro Cam or Motion Sensor can smooth things along.
Next: Payday 3: Under The Surphaze Heist Guide
