With Payday 3 providing a new heisting experience to those who seek it, there’s an inevitability that mistakes can be made by players. The maps are new and unpredictable, with each entry into a heist providing unknown challenges, such as obstacles and guard spawns. Therefore, it’s very likely that players are going to make more than a few mistakes in Payday 3, but hopefully, they can avoid them by taking on board some useful tips for solo players or heister groups.

RELATED: Payday 3: How Many Heists Are There?

Payday 3 can be a challenging game, and with the release featuring 8 new heists, players of both new and old might struggle at the start, and fall into some traps that will cost them their stealth run, or even result in them being in custody and in desperate need of a heist restart. So, it’s best to learn the mistakes to avoid in Payday 3.

7 Resisting Guard Instructions

When players are in stealth and in casing mode, they can enter private areas. In these private areas, civilians won’t mind players walking around, but guards and cameras will. If players are caught by a guard, they will be escorted back to a public area. However, it’s vitally important that players do not run from the guard, and they follow their instructions.

If players run from the guard, then they will be arrested, or even worse, they will sound the alarm which will make the heist go loud. If players are following the guard, they might even be able to pickpocket them for a useful keycard. Just try and stay clear of the guard’s line of sight next time, and maybe keep a pistol on hand.

6 Not Grouping Loot Bags

When players have scored in their heist of choice, it’s always a good idea to gather the loot bags and pile them in one spot. This keeps the stash of loot well guarded and protected in one central spot, rather than scattered around. The enemy AI in Payday 3 likes to steal these loot bags, so try and keep them secure and close together.

RELATED: Payday 3: Best PC Settings

Players should aim to keep the loot bags grouped up near the escape van or helicopter so that they can run short distances with a loot bag ready to throw into safety. It’s never a good idea to leave loot bags unattended and separated.

5 Lacking Crowd Control

When civilians catch a clown who has masked up, they are going to freak out. This means that they will call for police, run away, or trigger an alarm. Players should do what they can to ensure this civilian is intimidated, which can be done by shouting at them, shooting near them, or aiming a weapon at them. Once intimidated, civilians will not do anything stupid, but it’s best to tie them up with infinite cable ties just to make sure.

Throw a great sense of crowd control, players can keep their hostages safe, meaning that if they do want, or have to, go loud, then they can negotiate their hostages for supplies or better time between assault waves. It’s never a good idea to kill civilians, as players will lose money, and police assaults are more punishing.

4 Expecting Randomized Features

When players first enter a heist, those who are familiar with the games prior to Payday 3 might expect randomized features to occur upon a restart. However, that’s not the case here. Whilst every heist has randomized features upon the start of the game, if players restart rather than return to the main menu, then the heist will remain the same in every aspect.

RELATED: Payday 3 Review

This means that players do not need to be deterred about finding a password again, or wondering if guard spawns have changed. Everything remains the same upon a restart, so players should keep aware of this when they want to restart the heist or feel it necessary to quit.

3 Not Taking Care Of Cameras

Cameras are vital to the stealth aspects of Payday 3. If players are committed to Very Hard or Overkill, then these cameras are protected through security measures, and they cannot be destroyed. In Normal and Hard difficulties, these cameras can be destroyed, but guards will investigate their demise and become cautious.

Therefore, it’s best to take care of cameras so that everyone in the crew can walk around in casing mode or with their masks up without the threat of triggering a camera. Every heist that can be done in stealth will have a security room with a guard watching cameras, so it’s a good idea to take care of this.

2 Exploration Is Key

Not every piece of loot is going to be locked away in a vault. Players should be encouraged to explore the map that they have selected, as there is more often than not a hidden piece of loot or reward awaiting players with a secret optional objective.

Although for the most part players can just run through to the loot objective to try and complete a heist in the fastest time, it’s a good idea to make sure there is no loot missed out on so that players can get the largest payday possible. Many heists have secrets worth uncovering and loot worth taking.

1 Failing To Work As A Team

One of the largest pitfalls of Payday 3 is the player base, which sometimes doesn’t gel as well as the developers intended. Players should try and work together so that everyone has a smooth heisting experience, and they can all guarantee that the loot they obtain is of top quality, to the standards that would make Bain proud, no matter which weapon they use.

Whether it’s tagging guards and cameras, locating points of interest, or even bringing a medic bag or two, there are many ways where players can effectively work as a team. Payday 3 has online-only servers, so players can head into public lobbies or private ones with friends to ensure that the clowns of New York are remembered as iconic heist experts, and not unprofessional gun-blazing fools.

Payday 3 is out now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

MORE: Payday 3: Crossplay and Crossprogression Explained