Payday 2 Gage Weapon Pack

Here's to the heist, the hoard and the heat that follows. This year has certainly seen its fair share of audacious raids and botched break-ins, owing largely to the efforts of two of America's most wanted crim sims - GTA 5 and Payday 2.  Between them they’ve knocked off more banks and lost more men than the opening sequence of The Dark Knight on infinite repeat, and yet both crews just keep on coming.

The next stop for Overkill Software and its mask-clad Payday party is the underground black market, or more specifically - the black market according to grizzled war vet Gage. Dealing in the kinds of illegal firearms the game's regular supplier Bain can only dream of, Gage's premium stock of explosives, achievements and aesthetic upgrades arrives online today.

Mixing paid incentives alongside free updates (also debuting today) the Payday 2: Gage Weapon Pack #1 features the following items:

  • The Frag Grenade— A special gift from Gage the arms dealer, Frag Grenades are now added to the player's inventory. For those who always wondered how it feels to rob banks with hand grenades, this is your chance. In most heists, the Grenade Case mission asset allows the player to replenish grenades, as well as share them with the crew.
  • Three new weapons, personal favorites of Gage the arms dealer — If you always wondered what a proper law enforcer pistol feels like, the Signature .40 pistol is for you. Those who enjoy full-on assaults will love the Eagle Heavy rifle that dishes out big amounts of damage. Finally, you have the SpecOps submachine gun, a great hybrid between a primary and secondary weapon. All three guns have their own unique weapon modifications which offer plenty of customization.
  • Single fire and Auto fire modifications — All players are now able to to toggle Single- and Auto-fire with their weapons. Buying the DLC also unlocks new mods that lets the player permanently change a weapon's fire from Single to Auto-fire with added stat bonuses. We're looking at you, head-shot enthusiasts.
  • Weapon slots increased from 18 to 72 — All players are now able to not only switch fire modes — but also stack a private army's worth of weapons, right in their own personal inventory.
  • Ten new achievements to unlock — Players will have ten new weapon oriented achievements to unlock.
  • Four new animal masks, patterns and materials — Not only does Gage the arms dealer have a strange taste for masks, he has it for the accessories as well. Four new masks are added to the game, themed around popular animals and named after action heroes. The materials and patterns that players receive are themed around everything from digital camouflage and action movie patterns to oily metal, galvanized steel and fur.
Payday 2 Gage Pack Masks

These animal masks should be instantly familiar to anyone who played last year's gorey brawler Hotline: Miami, with the quartet even receiving suitably oddball nametags to match. As for the remaining paid incentives — 3 weapons, access to starting grenades and 10 new achievements, players will have to decide for themselves whether the pack merits its $5 fee.

Hardcore bank robbers may find that the most important additions being made by Gage are those already appearing for free, i.e. loosening up inventory space — always a pain to micromanage — and introducing greater weapon control. Sadly, there appears to be no love for the seldom-recognized burst shot setting, a halfway house between the two firing modes that releases a pre-determined number of rounds with every trigger squeeze.

Can Payday 2 sustain its strong fanbase with downloadable offerings like this one? Which piece of the Gage Weapon Pack #1 has you the most excited? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check in with all of the latest Payday news, right here on Game Rant.

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The Payday 2: Gage Weapon Pack #1 for PC arrives online today. The DLC is priced at $4.99/ £3.99 and is available to download via Steam. Console version release dates have yet to be announced.

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