Payday 2is 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.
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With a thriving multiplayer scene, there’s never a bad time to get intoPayday 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 15best skills to unlock inPayday 2.Having access to all these skills as well as a plethora of weapons helps make this agame with great replayability.
Updated July 05, 2025, 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.
15Underdog 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 playerreceives 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.
14Stockholm Syndrome Gives Players Aid When Recruiting Cops
Stockholm Syndrome is made for players who are used to being captured by the cops inPayday 2. It’s also for players who are used to capturing hostages.Bystanders remain scared longerby 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.
13Joker 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 byconverting a non-special enemy to their side.The Ace version of this ability boosts the damage from the converted enemy.
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When the police start attacking inPayday 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.
12Feign 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.
11Optical Illusions Helps Avoid Being Shot By Cops
The Optical Illusions ability comes from theSilent 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 a35% 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.
10Bullseye 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 skillallows 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.
9Resilience 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.
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To get more specific, the Resilience perkincreases armor recovery by 15% at the Basic level and an impressive 75% at the Ace version.Seeing asPayday 2is ranked amongthe hardest online multiplayer games, playing as a tank gives more room for error to less experienced players.
8Parkour 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 players10% greater movement speed and allows them to climb ladders 20% fasterin 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 outthe best parkour games.
7Inner 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 skillincreases theconcealment of melee weaponsby 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.
6Scavenger 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 halfat 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 inPayday 2.
