Highlights

  • Grenades in Payday 3 can instantly ruin stealth runs, as throwing one will cause players to get detected even if no NPCs are near the explosion.
  • The grenade key used to be the mask removal key, meaning players trying to take off their masks might accidentally ruin a mission.
  • While players may want the option to remove their masks, it would potentially call for a major rework to the game's stealth mechanics and invalidate the rewards of completing heists in stealth mode.

Overall, the Payday franchise has made great advancements with its stealth mechanics and features in the latest game. However, the franchise still repeats a silly tradition that can lead to players instantly ruining their stealth runs Payday 3.

Specifically, when it comes to using the default control scheme in Payday 3, players risk the chance of throwing a grenade that will immediately cause them to get detected. What makes this such a common mistake for players to make in Payday 3 is that the button to throw a grenade is also the same button used to perform a separate action.

payday 2 poster and payday 3 poster
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Grenades Are Stealth Players’ Worst Nightmare in Payday 3

Throwing a grenade will cause players to be detected in Payday 3, regardless of whether any NPCs are near the grenade’s explosion. Even NPCs that are across the map will detect the player. This mistake can happen when players accidentally or purposely press this button in an attempt to remove their mask, which can't be done. Since this isn’t something that the game explicitly communicates, many players are bound to try and remove their mask only to be met with a frustrating consequence that can potentially ruin their stealth runs and inflict friendly-fire damage on themselves.

Considering that players who are most likely to make this mistake are those attempting to remove their mask during a stealth run, this mistake is extremely unfortunate. While there is no option to unequip grenades from their loadouts in Payday 3, players who plan on going stealth can still avoid making this mistake by equipping the throwing knife. However, this workaround places an unnecessary restriction on the equipment that players would normally have access to throughout a heist. Instead, players may want to consider changing their control binds to ensure that they don’t accidentally throw grenades in Payday 3.

Stealth in Payday 3 is High Risk, High Reward

What makes this mistake so frustrating is that stealth in Payday 3 is extremely high stakes. Even with the expanded stealth mechanics in Payday 3, successfully pulling off a heist without ever being detected still requires a relatively high level of skill and planning. Not to mention, any proper stealth build in Payday 3 also requires a high investment cost to have the right skills and equipment for the job.

Players will earn increased experience for weapons and skill points in Payday 3 based on how much of each heist is completed while undetected, which generally balances out the steep difficulty increase for this playstyle. Additionally, stealth is required for certain one-time challenges that players can complete to level up their Infamy levels in Payday 3. Because of the increased rewards and exclusive challenges, making the mistake of accidentally throwing a grenade in a stealth run comes at an unfortunately high cost in Payday 3.

Should Payday 3 Allow Players to Remove Their Mask?

payday 3 playable criminals masks

Stealth in Payday 3 is a big improvement over the previous games in the franchise, thanks to several new QOL changes and features that come together. For example, more actions can now be done in Casing mode in Payday 3, which is the stage at the beginning of a heist before players have their masks and weapons equipped.

While many players are likely to try to take off their mask out of instinct, it’s arguably for the best that this isn’t a feature in Payday 3. Because of the way that stealth currently works, having the option for players to remove and re-equip their mask wouldn’t work without potentially calling for a major rework to the game’s stealth. Otherwise, being able to switch back to stealth mode after going rowdy in Payday 3 and engaging in combat would invalidate most of the rewards related to fully completing heists in stealth.