Best Stealth Build in Payday 3: Skills and Loadout Guide

Stealth is an incredibly rewarding approach to heists in Payday 3. With the right skills and loadout, you can infiltrate and escape undetected, completing missions smoothly without ever needing to put on your mask. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the best stealth build in Payday 3, including the essential skills and recommended loadout that will make you a master of stealth.

Best Stealth Skills in Payday 3

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Infiltrator (Aced) [Infiltrator]
Quick Fingers [Infiltrator]
Grifter [Grifter]
Walk The Walk [Grifter]
Social Engineering [Grifter]
Hacker [Hacker]
Secure Loop [Hacker]
Glitch Protocol [Hacker]
Strategist [Strategist]
Open Mic [Grifter]
Signal Catch [Hacker]

This stealth build revolves around maintaining the Rush buff and using skills that synergize with it. With Rush active, you’ll be able to move swiftly and go unnoticed by cameras and guards. Additionally, you can distract guards from capturing or escorting you.

The Infiltrator skill provides or refreshes Rush whenever you successfully pick a lock or eliminate an enemy with a throwing knife. When aced, it also grants Rush when a guard starts detecting you, allowing for a quick escape.

To ensure Rush remains active for as long as possible, the Grifter skill applies Rush when you’re within 1 meter of a civilian or employee. This skill is crucial and should be researched early on.

Quick Fingers allows you to unlock locks instantly with a single jiggle, reducing the time spent picking locks and minimizing the risk of getting caught.

Walk The Walk makes cameras ignore you while trespassing as long as Rush is active. Social Engineering causes employees to overlook any non-lethal illegal actions.

The Hacker skill grants you access to CCTV, which can be used for scouting, but its main purpose is unlocking Secure Loop. This skill allows you to disable a camera, helping you escape difficult situations.

Glitch Protocol is another vital skill in this build. It allows you to hack a guard’s radio, completely distracting them from their current task. This includes situations where they were about to capture or escort you. The skill can be used every 60 seconds.

Strategist enables you to mark an additional target and extend the duration of marks. While not a game-changer, it’s useful for tracking guard movements. Open Mic is worth investing in, as it allows you to respond to radios 50% faster when you need to eliminate an enemy. Lastly, Signal Catch allows you to interact with radios remotely, ensuring you cover your tracks without going out of your way.

Best Stealth Loadout in Payday 3

The following loadout is recommended for optimal stealth performance:

Primary Weapon: Any scoped weapon
Secondary Weapon: Signature 40 with Obelisk or Snub Silencer
Deployable: Any
Overkill Weapon: Any
Armor Lining: Standard Lining
Throwable: Throwing Knife
Tool: Motion Sensor

A scoped primary weapon can be helpful for zooming in on details, such as employee numbers, although you won’t usually need to use either weapon during quiet heists. It’s still recommended to carry the Signature 40 with a silencer as a backup.

When it comes to throwables, the Throwing Knife is the best choice as it doesn’t make noise.

For armor, the Standard Lining offers the fastest movement speed, making it the ideal choice for a stealth build. The Motion Sensor is useful for marking guards and tracking their movement, even though it may not be needed frequently.

Ready to put your new stealth build to the test? Check out our guide on completing a stealth run of No Rest For the Wicked. And remember, you can always practice solo stealth before tackling missions with a team.