Many kids grew up playing Cops and Robbers, and there are plenty of video games that have tried to recreate that game in the digital realm. Whether stepping into the shoes of a crafty Robber as they break into a bank vault and dash away with the loot or the Cop tasked with bringing that criminal to justice, the competitive potential is obvious.
Perfect Heist 2 is a blend of heist simulator and social deduction game, dividing players between Robbers and Cops, letting the former try to complete a heist while the latter tries to stop them. The basic premise is simple, but the variety of classes and other mechanics mean there's a surprising amount to learn. Here are some great beginner tips to get new players started in Perfect Heist 2.
7 Know Your Role
Like many other competitive team games, Perfect Heist 2 allows players to choose from a variety of different classes and gameplay styles, which can drastically affect the way that matches play out. Classes in Perfect Heist 2 are divided into three categories for each side: Breach, Stealth, and Support for Robbers, and Combat, Intel, and Support for the Cops. Some roles are great for blending in, while others are great for sticking out.
Using the Rescue Signal and Flak Jacket of the Heavy to survive otherwise lethal situations before loading stolen money into the rescue heli plays very differently than using the stealthy Camouflage Screen and Skydiving of the Agent. While there are many nuances associated with each individual class within a category, just following the basic rules of one's category (for example, not making a racket when playing stealth) is extremely important for success. The different classes excel at their specialties for a reason.
6 Use Disguise Baskets
Scattered around the New York, Casino, and Big Bank maps are blue clothes baskets that the player can use to change outfits, disguising themselves as an NPC. While some classes benefit from this more than others, using these disguises can be incredibly helpful for Stealth characters who just need a little more time undercover in order to accomplish their objectives.
It takes very little time to interact with one of these blue baskets and change into an NPC disguise, so it's almost always worthwhile to do so, as long as the player isn't in the middle of a gunfight or other rushed situation.
5 Know How To Earn
Heist simulators are most often associated with drilling into bank vaults and escaping with duffle bags loaded with gold or millions of dollars, and it's easy to see why. With their imposing security, bank vaults are difficult to crack, and being able to do so well is a point of pride among fictional criminals. That isn't the only criminal enterprise from which one can make money in Perfect Heist 2, however.
The win condition for Perfect Heist 2 isn't breaking into the bank vault, it's escaping with a requisite amount of money. This money can be earned in a variety of ways, including mining coins as the Crypto, picking up gold scattered around the level, hacking ATM machines, collecting Secret Documents, and smashing jewelry cases to snatch the valuables within. Smart players will always be on the lookout for alternative ways to make money, because with enough cash, the Robbers can win without ever having to enter the vault, potentially making things much easier for their side.
4 Choose The Right Mask
In the top-left corner of the screen when playing as Robber, the player has the option of altering their Spawn Point as well as their mask. Masks are important for much more than just looking cool while shooting at Cops and breaking into bank vaults, however, as each comes with its own unique buffs, such as the +50% money pickup rate of the Welder Mask or the +10% sprint speed while carrying money of the Tiger Mask.
The player can choose when to put their mask on during the heist, and while one might think it's ideal to don one's mask immediately and thereby benefit from the mask's buffs for the entire game, in many cases it's better to wait until the Robbers have broken into the vault, since donning a mask will immediately mark that player as a Robber rather than an NPC, making it far easier for the Cops to track and kill the player.
3 Study NPCs
The Cops and Robbers aren't the only ones populating the levels, as there are also a number of civilian NPCs going about their daily lives as the robbery breaks out. Studying NPC behavior is extremely important for both sides because the more the Robbers can act like NPCs, the harder it will be for the Cops to identify and stop them. Just like playing the Imposter in Among Us, it pays to feign innocence.
The Cops instantly lose if they kill friendly NPCs, so they can't just shoot anyone they want. This creates an important social deduction element. By watching for the more erratic and suspicious movements of human players, the Cops can readily identify the Robbers. Robbers, conversely, must do their best not to give themselves away by doing anything that an NPC wouldn't.
2 Robbers Can Kill Freely
As the good guys in this scenario, the Cops understandably have a limit on the violence they're permitted. Whereas killing civilian NPCs will cost them the game, Robbers have no such restriction. Because of this, they can kill whoever they want, whenever they want, if it helps them further their goal.
Though Robbers don't need to track NPCs and their behavior as much as the Cops do, it's still important for them to do so, since there is a class of Cop (the Spy) who is capable of disguising themselves as customers or employees, hiding amongst the NPCs until they're ready to strike. Whereas the Cops must be certain of their target's identity before they pull the trigger, Robbers can shoot at the first hint of suspicious activity.
1 Bring Some Friends
Perfect Heist 2 is a lot of fun, but it has stiff competition from other games in its genre, so finding a fully populated lobby can be tricky sometimes. That's one major reason to play the game with friends: it's simply easier to find games that way.
The biggest reason to play with friends, however, is that like other social deduction games, Perfect Heist 2 is at its most fun when played with people who aren't going to take it that seriously.It's ultimately a party game, with a bit of jankiness in hitboxes and mechanics thrown in to spice things up, so bringing some friends along to have a laugh with goes a long way towards getting the most from the game.
Perfect Heist 2 is available now for PC.