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Cloaker (Payday 3)
Pd3 cloaker
Description
Enemy Type Reconnaisance & Infiltration Officer
Statistics
Health 150
Armor N/A
Hardness N/A
Extra Statistics
Visor Armor N/A
Visor Hardness N/A
Other
Internal name Cloaker
Voice actor Dar Dash
"Why don't you go complain online?!"
—Cloaker upon attacking a heister and severely bruising the ego of the average PAYDAY 3 player

The Cloaker is a special enemy in PAYDAY 3.

Behavior[]

Just like its PAYDAY 2 counterpart, Cloakers tend to sprint around much faster than other enemies. They are incredibly mobile; they can wall-kick to turn faster, execute unrealistic maneuvers and flips to dodge gunfire, and have even been reported to use a grappling hook to access elevated areas. Upon spotting a player, they will rush the most optimal possible path to their target, even traversing obstacles.

Nearby Cloakers emit a low, humming sound, indicating they are nearby. Once locked on, their night-vision goggles will glow from underneath their veil, and they will emit a constant, high-pitched screech that continues until they reach their target or their rush is interrupted by taking damage.

If they reach a player while charging, the Cloaker will knock the player prone, before extending two batons from their gauntlets and mercilessly beating and kicking the downed heister, rapidly draining their health. The damage dealt by a Cloaker's beating increases with difficulty. If their subdued heister's health is fully drained, the Cloaker will cuff the player, which behaves similarly to a down and will impart a 15-second timer before they are taken into police custody.

Cloakers will also seek out deployables if there are no players in sight, and sprinkle acid onto them in order to destroy them.

Strategies[]

Do not attempt to approach Cloakers with a human shield. Unlike other specials, Cloakers do not care whether you have a human shield or not and will kick you down.

An attentive player can easily tell when a Cloaker is nearby if a low humming sound is heard. While they can easily be heard by their entry (where they often break through from vents), getting used to what sounds they make before and during their attack can be a potentially lifesaving moment.

Although incredibly threatening, knowing where Cloakers spawn on small heists (such as Cook Off, Houston Breakout or Dirty Ice) makes them laughably easy to deal with, as they only spawn in one area and are extremely quick to dispatch; their spawning animation plays long enough for players to realise a Cloaker has arrived, and thus these special units are completely helpless during this short brief of time.

If a player is subdued by a Cloaker, they can be returned to the fight immediately if a teammate deals damage to the Cloaker. They take immense amounts of damage from headshots as they have no helmet (unlike any other special units beside the Sniper), to the point where two or three weaker bullets will get rid of them, so aiming for the head is usually the best tactic to kill them quickly.

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

  • An email in the Boys In Blue heist found on the captain's computer and a voiceline from SINS in the Syntax Error heist reveals that Cloakers are officially called Reconnaisance & Infiltration Officers (RIOs), and the term 'Cloaker' is a street slang.
    • According to the same email, Cloakers are unpopular and disliked among the police force, as they often crawl in the vents and, to train attacking criminals (such as the Payday gang), they ambush fellow non-RIO officers, which has caused injuries.
      • The mention of Cloakers ambushing through vents is a direct reference to how Cloakers (both in PAYDAY 2 and 3) frequently spawn from ventilation systems across various heists to attack unsuspecting criminals.
  • Like the Sniper unit, the Cloaker has no armor, making him one of the most exposed special units.
    • He still has the same amount of health as most special units (150 health).
  • The night-vision goggles this version of the Cloaker uses are the PVS-21, compared to the other Cloakers who used the PVS-31. They also do not wear gas masks in PAYDAY 3, whereas the previous games' Cloakers heavily featured them.
  • The design might have been based off the Frogmen Corps, a danish maritime Spec-Ops force; They wear the iconic veil that might have inspired the Cloaker to be designed in such a way.
  • Although most enemies complain when they are subjected to a flashbang, Cloakers have an especially vitriolic reaction, likely due to their night-vision goggles.
    • They have an especially aggressive reaction if a Nader drops a flashbang.
  • Much like his counterpart in PAYDAY 2, the Cloaker has voicelines that break the fourth wall.
Gameplay • Heists • Skills • Weapons & Equipment • DLC

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