Payday 2 is a smash-hit cooperative game by Overkill Studios that was released in 2013. The game lets the player take the role of a master criminal who works with their team to perform the perfect heist. The locales include banks, clubs, armored cars, and many more. The game has had consistent support since 2013, and there is a sequel in the works slated for release in 2023.
With a thriving multiplayer scene, there's never a bad time to get into Payday 2, and new players may be wondering what are the best skills to unlock to pull off the perfect heist. That's the question that will be answered today with the 15 best skills to unlock in Payday 2. Having access to all these skills as well as a plethora of weapons helps make this a game with great replayability.
Updated June 24, 2023, by Joe Grantham: With the upcoming release of Payday 3 and the fact that Payday 2 was available for free for a limited time on the Epic Games Store, interest in the game is at a relatively high level, and many new players are making their first steps into the world of virtual organized crime.
With players new and old gearing up for heists, it is important to head into action with the absolute best skills that Payday 2 has to offer. While many skills are more niche and naturally suited to certain heists or playstyles, there are some skills that are too overpowered in any situation to overlook.
15 Underdog Helps When Players Are Surrounded
The Underdog ability comes from the Shotgunner branch of the Enforcer deck. Underdog raises the player's damage when they are surrounded by enemies. More specifically, the player receives a damage boost when they are within 18 meters of an enemy.
The Ace upgrade adds a 10% upgrade to the initial 10% damage boost of the basic Underdog upgrade of 15% when there are three or more enemies surrounding the player. Underdog is a great ability for players who are frequently surrounded by enemies, and it gives these players an out that helps them cut through these enemies.
14 Stockholm Syndrome Gives Players Aid When Recruiting Cops
Stockholm Syndrome is made for players who are used to being captured by the cops in Payday 2. It's also for players who are used to capturing hostages. Bystanders remain scared longer by players with this ability, and they will also exchange themselves for the player's freedom once per game.
This provides an extra opportunity for players to escape the custody of police and get back into the fight and gain the money that they have worked so hard for. Stockholm Syndrome is under the Controller branch of the Mastermind deck.
13 Joker Is A Means Of Gaining Allies Among Cops
The Joker ability comes from the Controller branch of the Mastermind deck, and helps the player get more aid from the police officers by converting a non-special enemy to their side. The Ace version of this ability boosts the damage from the converted enemy.
When the police start attacking in Payday 2, it becomes apparent that any help is welcome. This makes Joker an incredibly useful ability, as it can give the players additional gunmen to protect them while they rob the location.
12 Feign Death Helps Players Avoid Being Killed
Feign Death comes from the Revenant branch of the Fugitive deck. This gives a chance, however small, to be instantly revived when the player would be downed. When the ability is given the Ace tier, adds another 30% chance to be revived.
This ability is something of a last resort, as being able to be instantly revived when one would be downed assumes that the player would be downed in the first place. That said, if players are used to being downed and being killed by the police, Feign Death is a useful ability to keep them in the fight.
11 Optical Illusions Helps Avoid Being Shot By Cops
The Optical Illusions ability comes from the Silent Killer branch of the Ghost deck, and reduces the chance that the player will be targeted by the police during a heist. In fact, it grants a 35% lower chance that the player will be targeted by enemies.
In the Ace version of this ability, Optical Illusions boosts the concealment given by each silenced weapon that the player holds. This may not hide the player completely, but it gives an additional chance for the player to be ignored by law enforcement.
10 Bullseye Is Great For Players Who Can Score Headshots
The Bullseye skill can be found under the Enforcer deck and Tank branch. It is ideal for any player who can score headshots on the cops and SWAT with ease. Keeping a cool head in tough situations is a necessity in this game, especially when attempting to remain undetected by the authorities.
The Bullseye skill allows the player to regain armor on every headshot. It starts at 5 armor for the Basic version of this skill, but it increases to a whopping 20 armor for each headshot on the Ace version of Bullseye.
9 Resilience Keeps Players In The Fight
This is another skill that falls under the Tank branch of the Enforcer deck. It helps players rebuild armor over the course of the Heist, provided they don't get shown so repeatedly by the SWAT response that they fall over dead within a few seconds.
To get more specific, the Resilience perk increases armor recovery by 15% at the Basic level and an impressive 75% at the Ace version. Seeing as Payday 2 is ranked among the hardest online multiplayer games, playing as a tank gives more room for error to less experienced players.
8 Parkour Helps Players Survive As Long As They Keep Moving
The Parkour skill veers into the Ghost deck of skills and the Artful Dodger branch. This skill tree favors players who keep on the move and try not to get in the position where they are getting heavily fired upon in the first place.
The Parkour skill gives players 10% greater movement speed and allows them to climb ladders 20% faster in its Basic version. The Ace version is especially powerful, as it allows players to sprint in any direction and reload while sprinting. If players find they enjoy parkour, they can check out the best parkour games.
7 Inner Pockets Keeps Players Alive Even If They Are Alone
This is another skill that is granted to players who go down the Ghost deck and Artful Dodger branch. It is ideal for players who can survive independently for a long period of time, even after the police have unleashed their full response for the heist-makers.
The Basic version of Inner Pockets skill increases the concealment of melee weapons by two stealth units, and the Ace version increases the concealment of ballistic vests by two stealth units by four. This helps players stay hidden for longer and with more gear, which can ensure that a heist can be enacted for longer without the heist victim and police response being aware of them.
6 Scavenger Keeps Giving Players Ammunition
This skill can be found under the Ammo Specialist branch of the Enforcer deck. This skill tree is made for players who can maintain an offensive strategy against the responding police for a long time and provide support for their comrades
The Scavenger skill, in particular, increases the player's ammo box pickup range by one half at Basic, and every sixth enemy they kill is guaranteed to drop an ammunition box at Ace. This skill is particularly helpful on the longer heists in Payday 2.
5 Fully Loaded Ensures That Players Are Never Without Ammunition
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This skill is also under the Ammo Specialist branch of the Enforcer deck. The Fully Loaded skill increases the player's ammo capacity by 25% in the Basic version. Naturally this is a skill that players will want to utilize alongside the best weapons in Payday 2.
The Ace version provides a far more potent advantage, as it increases the amount of ammunition that can be gained from ammo boxes by 75%, a 5% higher chance to gain a throwable item from the ammo box, and an additional 1% to the advantage of the base version of this skill.
4 Bulletstorm Gives Infinite Ammo For A Brief Period
We once again return to the Ammo Specialist branch of the Enforcer deck. This skill is different than other skills of this branch, as it allows players to fire infinitely for a certain amount of time after placing an ammunition bag.
The Basic iteration of this skill grants indispensable ammo for five seconds after placing the ammunition bag. The Ace version of this skill grants a 15-second duration of the effect. This is a skill that players will want to take when going loud, rather than opting for stealth on their heists.
3 More Firepower Ensures The Player Can Keep Making Explosions
This skill is found under the Breacher branch of the Technician deck. This specialization is made for players who want to be in charge of breaking deeper into the heist target regardless of whatever opposition they may face at the moment.
The More Firepower skill makes allows players to gain one more shaped charge and four more trip mines in the Basic form, and two more shaped charges and seven more trip mines in the Ace form.
2 Body Expertise Gives The Player Additional Headshot Damage
This skill is also under the Technician deck, but moves the player over to the Oppressor branch. This takes the player into a more aggressive direction than the Breacher branch, as it's meant to keep the police response off whoever is trying to get to the loot.
The Body Expertise Basic version increases the damage done by the automatic fire modes of SMGs, LMGs, Assault Rifles, and Special Weapons by 30% when scoring a headshot. This increases to 90% damage in the Ace version.
1 Steady Grip Makes Sure Players Keep Hitting The Enemy
Another skill that can be found under the Oppressor branch of the Technician deck is Steady Grip, and this skill focuses more on accuracy itself instead of ensuring that players do additional damage when the player is accurate.
The Steady Grip skill grants an additional eight weapon accuracy in its Base mode, and the Ace mode gives the player an additional 16 weapon stability. This is a great skill in most situations and easily slots into the most overpowered builds in Payday 2.
Payday 2 is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC.