Skills (Payday 3)

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Skills are a means of unlocking new equipment, abilities, or basic statistic improvements in PAYDAY 3. Players are able to distribute skill points within these skill lines once unlocked through Research.

Overview[]

Skill points[]

Skill points are the currency used to buy skills in PAYDAY 3. 1 skill point is earned every five levels, up to a current maximum of 28. Each skill costs 1 skill point to unlock.

Skill line structure[]

Unlike PAYDAY 2's skill tree structure, PAYDAY 3's system is structured as individual skill lines serving a specific role without any subtrees or tiers. The first skill of each skill line can be Aced that either drastically changes or buffs the skill's functionality, and must be selected should a player wish to use a specific skill line. No other skill in the line can be aced. Otherwise, other skills can be freely chosen in the skill line.

Unlocking a skill line requires a player to Research the first skill, which is earned through playing the game or beating a heist. Any successive skill in the line must be 'researched' to be unlocked. The final skill of any skill line, when unlocked, can be used (costing 1 skill point as usual).

Skill buffs[]

The most important aspect to understanding the mechanics of PAYDAY 3's skill system is the three core stat boosts: EDGE, GRIT and RUSH. These three buffs are only temporary and, by itself, provides the following boosts:

EDGE: deal 10% extra damage
GRIT: take 10% less damage
RUSH: move 10% faster (not explicitly mentioned in the game)

Under certain skills, their respective buffs only activate if one of the EDGE, GRIT and RUSH buffs are active at a time. These buffs may be gained, refreshed, or removed by certain skills. Occasionally, some skills may even require certain buffs to be active in order for another portion of the skill to be activated, such as RUSH being consumed (removed) and, in exchange for that buff, GRIT becomes active or refreshed. Do note that not all skills are reliant on these three buffs, and may work on their own.

Skill interactions[]

Unless stated otherwise in the skill's respective descriptions, certain party-beneficial skills will have its effects buffed should more than one player during a match share the same skill. Skills such as Steady Hands has its effects slightly increase if more than one player has the skill.

Skills[]

As of the latest version of PAYDAY 3, 21 skill lines are currently available in the game.

Medic

Basic: You revive teammates 20% faster.

Aced: When you start reviving a teammate, you gain GRIT. As long as you have GRIT, you take 40% less damage when reviving a teammate.

Steady Hands

All placed Medic bags heal you and your teammates for an additional 20 health upon interaction. Every additional crew member equipped with this skill increases the bonus by another 5 health.

Extra Charge

Medic Bags you deploy have 2 additional charges.

Combat Medic

If you have GRIT, successfully reviving your teammate will give both you and that teammate damage immunity for 5 seconds.

Code Blue

Whenever a teammate is downed or disabled, you gain or refresh RUSH. As long as you have RUSH, you pick teammates up 30% faster.

Triage

If you have EDGE, GRIT, and RUSH, you will heal an additional 15 health for each buff that is active when you interact with a Medic Bag. You interact 50% faster with Medic Bags and First Aid Kits.

Walking Pharmacy

Your consumable capacity is increased by 2.

Ammo Specialist

Basic: Your reserve ammo capacity is increased by 20%. Ammo bags you deploy have 2 additional charges.

Aced: Whenever you pick up ammo, if your current weapon's magazine is full, you gain EDGE if you don't have it.

Scrounger

As long as you have EDGE, ammo drops have a 10% chance of replenishing one of your throwables.

Fully Loaded

Ammo bags you deploy have 2 additional charges.

Plate Up

As long as you have GRIT, ammo drops will instantly regenerate your current armor chunk. This effect cannot occur more than once every 2 seconds.

High Grain

All placed Ammo Bags increase armor penetration for 30 seconds after interaction for you and all your teammates. Each additional crew member equipped with this skill increases weapon damage by 5% on top of that.

Mag Throw

As long as you have RUSH, any ammo drops you pick up are also given to crew members within 10 meters. This won't trigger the Mag Throw skill of other players.

Top Up

Interacting with any ammo bag will restore an additional 20% ammo and fully restock your throwables.

Mower

Basic: Every 35 bullets you shoot, gain EDGE. Aced: Whenever you reload a weapon with an empty magazine, refresh EDGE.

Recoil Handling

As long as you have EDGE, your weapon recoil is reduced.

Suppressive Fire

As long as you have EDGE, every shot from your weapon has a chance to inflict a heavy stagger.

Ammo Funnel

As long as you have EDGE, ammo you pick up is directly added to your equipped weapon's magazine. If your magazine is full, it's added to your reserves instead.

Replenish

As long as you have EDGE, you automatically pick up ammo dropped by enemies you have killed.

Sprint Loaded

You can reload while sprinting.

Infiltrator

Basic: Whenever you successfully pick a lock, kill an enemy with a throwing knife, or pick up loose cash, gain or refresh RUSH.

Aced: Whenever a guard begins to detect you, gain RUSH.

Quick Fingers

As long as you have RUSH, a successful lockpick jiggle will immediately pick the lock.

Retriever

Your throwing knives won't break on impact with the environment.

Bagger

As long as you have RUSH, you bag loot 50% faster.

Blade Bouncer

Your throwing knives will ricochet off the environment up to two times.
The throwing knife will do extra damage for each bounce.

Frugal Thrower

Throwables you use have a 20% chance to be replenished after they are destroyed.

Tank

Basic: Increase the regeneration speed of your armor chunks by 20%.
Your armor bag has 2 additional charges.

Aced: Whenever one of your armor chunks breaks, gain or refresh GRIT.

Hardy

When one of your armor chunks breaks, you gain damage immunity for 2 seconds.

Extra Plates

Your armor bag has 2 additional charges.

Armor Up

Interacting with any armor bag will also repair your current armor chunk.

Last Man Standing

If damage would normally down you, you can instead consume available GRIT to stay on your feet and become immune to damage for 4 seconds, plus an additional 2 seconds for each crewmate that's downed or in custody.
After this effect has been applied, you can't gain GRIT until you heal using a Medic Bag or First Aid Kit, or until you're downed.

Clean Slate

If you have no armor, you can interact with an Armor Repair Kit to restore 1 armor chunk.

Sharpshooter

Basic: Stand still for 1.5 seconds while aiming down sights or scopes and gain EDGE.

Aced: Performing a headshot while aiming down sight will refresh your EDGE.

Collateral Control

If you destroy an environmental hazard or a Special enemy's weak point, like the Zapper's battery or the Nader's belt, the explosion will only affect enemies.

Long Shot

As long as you have EDGE and are aiming down sights, distance penalties do not apply to headshot multipliers.

Precision Shot

Whenever you perform 2 headshots without missing or swapping your weapon, your next body shot will do extra damage based on your scope magnification. You must have a x4 scope or greater equipped for this skill to work.

Cutting Shot

As long as you have EDGE and are aiming down a scope, your shots will penetrate through one additional target.

Headhunter

As long as you have EDGE and are aiming down sights, headshot kills with primary or secondary weapons will restore 1 ammo to your weapon's magazine. This ability has a cooldown of 1.5 seconds

Speed Aim

Increase your ADS and scope speed.

Escapist

Basic: Whenever you are masked-up and sprint for at least 3 seconds gain RUSH.

Aced: If you have RUSH available and slide, it's consumed, and you gain or refresh EDGE.

Balanced

As long as you have RUSH and an enemy or effect would stagger you, instead consume RUSH and ignore the stagger.

Move & Cover

If you have EDGE available and vault or mantle, it's consumed, and you gain or refresh GRIT.

Slide Tackle

If you have GRIT and slide into one or more non-Special enemies, you consume GRIT and stagger those enemies.

Battering Ram

As long as you have EDGE, GRIT, or RUSH, you can sprint or slide through locked doors to breach them.
Only effective on doors with locks that can be picked or shot

Swift

Your base sprinting speed when masked on is increased by 10%.

Disengage

Nader gas grenades no longer prevent you from sprinting.
Once per heist, you can free yourself from a Cloaker or Zapper, after which you can't be disabled by them again for 5 seconds.

Demolitionist

Basic: Explosions caused by your shot or throwables have their area of effect increased by 20%.

Aced: Whenever you cause an explosion, gain or refresh RUSH.

Cooker

Whenever you hold a throwable for at least 1 second before throwing it, gain GRIT.

Shell Shock

Any enemies damaged by your explosions get a permanent penalty of 20% to their accuracy. This effect does not stack.

Blowback

As long as you have RUSH, non-special enemies damaged by your explosions lose all armor.

Blast Shield

Available GRIT is consumed to negate any damage you would normally recieve for explosions caused by you.

Overcooked

Any throwable or weapon you use that has an explosive component will no longer run on a timer but will immediately explode on impact with the environment or an NPC.

Extra Munitions

Your throwable capacity is increased by 2.

Enforcer

Basic: Whenever you kill 2 enemies within 4 seconds that are within 5 meters of you, you gain GRIT.

Aced: Whenever you kill 1 enemy within 5 meters range, if you have GRIT, gain EDGE.

Quick Reload

As long as you have both GRIT and EDGE, you have increased reload speed.

Face to Face

As long as you have both EDGE and GRIT, you deal 10% extra damage to targets within 5 meters of you.

Solid

As long as you have both EDGE and GRIT, you're immune to stagger effects.

Combat Reload

Whenever you reload a weapon while the magazine still has ammo, refresh EDGE and GRIT.

Shock & Awe

Killing an enemy within 8 meters of you has a chance to stagger all non-Special enemies within 5 meters of you.

Manipulator

Basic: You tie up and trade hostages 50% faster.

Aced: Whenever you trade a hostage, they count as one additional hostage.

Overbearing

Your shout range for intimidating civilians is increased by 20%.
Civilians stay down 50% longer after being shouted down.
You can now order up to three tied hostages to follow you.

Silver Tongue

Trading Employees, Guards or Law Enforcement counts as trading an additional hostage.

Negotiator

Trading hostages for resources now yields 2 additional resources of the type you're due to recieve.

Menacing

You can shout at guards, SWAT or Heavy SWAT within 5 meters of you to force them to surrender. As long as you're aiming at them, they will go down on their knees and drop their weapon. Anydamage dealt to them or taking your aim off of them interrupts this process.
Once fully surrendered, the SWAT obeys all the rules of a civilian, including any penalties of killing them. You can't have more than one SWAT as a hostage at any time.

Stockholm Syndrome

When you're downed, you can shout at a tied down or cowering hostage within range to try and reach you and revive you.

Master Trader

Every hostage you trade between assault waves reduces the next player's time in custory by 10 seconds; the minimum time spent in custody is capped at 10 seconds. This time reduction resets after any player has been taken into custody

Engineer

Basic: Unlocking this skill gives you access to the Sentry Turret equipment. This turret can be equipped in the equipment slot of your loadout.
The turret will shoot any non-mechanical enemies it sees until the enemies are dead or no longer within sight. As it shoots, it will build up heat until it reaches max heat. Once the sentry is at max heat, it will stop functioning. The owner of the turret can pick up the turret at any point to reset the heat to 0 and redeploy it.
Equipping this skill increases the max heat build-up of your turret by 20%.

Aced: Increase the max heat build-up of your sentry turret by another 20%.

AP Turret

Increase armor penetration of sentry turrets you deploy by 1.

Cooling System

Reduce heat build-up from damage, electrical explosions or hack attempts by 30% for all turrets.

Detonation

Whenever your turret overheats, it will cause an explosion that damages NPCs in an area.

Spin Cycle

Your sentry turret can now rotate 360 degrees to acquire its targets.

Dual Sentries

You can now deploy a second sentry turret, but all your turrets build heat 50% faster while shooting.

Targeted Fire

Your turrets will switch targets to whichever enemy you mark manually, if it's within line of sight. If you mark multiple enemies, it will prioritize the last one you marked.

Gunslinger

Basic: Whenever you switch your weapon, you gain EDGE.
ADSing will end any EDGE you have active

Aced: Performing headshots with your weapon in hipfire will refresh any EDGE you have.

From the Hip

As long as you have EDGE, your hipfire spread is decreased.

Heavy Hipfire

As long as you have EDGE, hipfire shots will cause heavy stagger.

Finisher

If you have EDGE, the last shot of your magazine will consume it to deal 200% more damage.

Locked and Loaded

As long as you have EDGE, ammo pick-ups for your unequipped weapons are added directly to those weapons' magazines. If your magazine is full, it's added to your reserves instead.

Quickdraw

Increase your weapon swap speed.

Grifter

Basic: As long as you are masked off, if you are within 1 meter of a civilian or employee, gain RUSH.

Aced: When you mask on, any civilians and employees within 10 meters that can see you will become intimidated.

Walk the Walk

As long as you're unmasked and have RUSH, cameras can't detect you trespassing in private areas. (They will still detect you performing an illegal action.)

Social Engineering

As long as you're unmasked and have RUSH, employees will ignore you performing illegal actions.

Open Mic

You answer radios 50% faster.

Slippery

After getting cuffed by a guard, you can break free by lockpicking the cuffs.

Hacker

Basic: You can hack cameras to gain access to the area's CCTV system. This functions as though you had accessed the heist's security room.
You gain one Runtime.

Aced: You can overload a device that already has an active Runtime. This will cause an electrical explosion that will stun anyone within range and destroy the device.
You gain one additional Runtime.

Secure Loop

You can use one Runtime to make the security camera you're controlling loop its footage. Cameras looping their footage acnnot detect you or anything out of the ordinary.
If the camera is destroyed, you regain your Runtime use. If you apply a new Runtime when you're at max Runtimes, your oldest active one is removed.

Appliance Breach

You can activate lures from a distance, as long as you have a clear line of sight.

Routed Ping

You can spend a Runtime to make the hacked camera automatically mark any guards or law enforcement within its range.
Targets stay marked for 5 seconds after leaving the camera's view and do not count towards your maximum number of marked targets

Glitch Protocol

You can hack a guard's radio to cause a disturbance, stopping and disctracting them, pausing any action they are doing. You must have a line of sight to the guard to hack them.
'The guard is distracted for 5 seconds, after which they will go back to their previous action. If the guard was escorting a player, the guard will go back to patrolling. If the guard was about to detain a player, the guard will go into Search mode instead.
Using this ability has a cooldown of 60 seconds.

Signal Catch

You can answer radios remotely if you have a line of sight to the guard's body.

Tactician

Basic: Whenever you stun or stagger an enemy, gain EDGE.

Aced: Your flashbang, smoke grenade and shock grenade area of effect is increased by 20%

Crowd Control

Civilians affected by your flashbang will cower for a duration that is twice as long as if you had shouted them down.
Civilians affected by your smoke grenade will stop moving unless you order them to follow you.

Coup de Grâce

If you have EDGE, you will deal 10% more damage when you shoot a staggered or stunned enemy.

Discombobulate

Enemies affected by your flashbangs suffer a 40% debuff for the duration of the stun and for 5 seconds after it wears off.
Enemies affected by your smoke grenade suffer a 40% damage debuff while in the smoke, and it has a duration of 5 seconds after they have escaped the smoke.

Expose

Shots fired at enemies affected by your flashbang or shock grenade will ignore armor for as long as they are stunned.

Scramble

Any stun effects you apply last 20% longer.

Strategist

Basic: You can mark 1 additional target. Your marks last 20% longer.

Aced: You can mark 1 additional target. Your marks last 20% longer.

Combat Marking

As long as you have EDGE, you deal an extra 20% damage against any marked target.

Threat Assessment

As long as you have GRIT, you take 20% less damage from any marked target.

Misdirect

As long as you have RUSH, you have a 20% chance of avoiding taking damage from shots fired by marked enemies.

Marked for Death

Whenever you are downed or disabled by an emey, that enemy and up to 5 enemies within 5 meters of you are marked.

CQC Specialist

Basic: Whenever you grab a human shield, gain or refresh RUSH.

Aced:Whenever you perform a takedown, gain or refresh GRIT.

Soft Assets

If you have RUSH and shove away a SWAT you held as a human shield, RUSH is consumed, and you repair your current armor chunk if it's damaged. This ability only triggers once per enemy.
You move 5% faster while holding a human shield.

Groundskeeper

You perform takedowns 60% faster.

Pin Puller

If you have GRIT and shove away a SWAT you held as a human shield, GRIT is comsumed, and the SWAT's smoke grenade is triggered when they land. Only one grenade per SWAT can be triggered.
You move 5% faster while holding a human shield.

Savage Takedown

Whenever you grab a human shield, any civilian within 5 meters will immediately become intimidated.

Pressure Points

Corpses you've left after performing a takedown need to be examined in detail before civilians and guards realize they are dead.

Cover-Up

Taking down a guard will automatically answer their radio if it wasn't already answered.

Transporter

Basic: Whenever you pick up a bag or body, gain or refresh RUSH.
Whenever you throw a bag or body, you lose RUSH.

ACED: Whenever you pick up a bag or body, gain or refresh GRIT.
Whenever you throw a bag or body, you lose GRIT.

Beast of Burden

As long as you have RUSH, carrying objects or bodies doesn't incur any movement speed penalties to you.

Brutal Carry

As long as you have GRIT, any civilian or employee who sees you carrying a body will immediately become intimidated.

Deep Pockets

If you have a deployable bag in your loadout, you start the heist with one extra deployable of that type, but all your deployable bags have 2 less charges (minimum 1).

Power Lifter

You can carry up to two bags. This incurs a movement penalty.

Catapult

You throw bags 30% farther.

Scrambler

Basic: You can hack drones by spending one runtime. Stealth drones stop moving and are unable to detect you or your crewmates for 7 seconds, after which the stealth drone will continue working as normal and your runtime will be refunded to you. Combat drones will become indestructable for 6 seconds and fight on your side, after which they will self-destruct and your runtime will be refunded to you.
You gain one runtime.

Aced: Whenever you place a tool, gain RUSH.

Speed Hack

As long as you have RUSH and an ECM Jammer is active, your hacking attempts, phone searches and QR code interactions are 50% faster and radios of guards you kill are answered instantly.

Signal Scan

As long as your ECM Jammer is active, all cameras, Snipers, Techies, and the FBI vehicle within the heist are marked for your crew.

Extra Pockets

If you have a tool in your loadout, you start the heist with 50% more tools of that type, rounded up (minimum one additional tool).

Kinetic Short-Circuit

As long as you have RUSH and an ECM Jammer is active, Guards, FIrst Responders, and SWAT will become stunned for 5 seconds whenever you shoot them.
Whenever you destroy a Zapper's battery, you replenish one ECM Jammer (this effect does not require RUSH).

Cam Distortion

Cameras within 0.5 meters of ECM Jammers you own are disabled. This effect starts when the ECM Jammer is placed and lasts until the ECM Jammer is removed or used up. Disabled cameras can't be hacked and all active runtimes on them are refunded.

Full Recall

You can interact with placed gadgets you own to put them back in your inventory. Consumable gadgets can only be picked back up if they haven't been used.

Fortitude

Basic: Increase your base maximum health by 50.
If you have no Adrenaline and you heal to or above maximum health, you gain or refresh GRIT.

Aced: The maximum number of "downs" ou can have is increased by 1, and your bleedout time is extended by 50%.

Health Siphon

When a crewmate heals using one of your Medic Bags, you heal for 40% of the amount they healed. Any amount of healing gained this way that exceeds your total health is gained as Adrenaline instead.

Unyielding

Your maximum health is increased by 15 for each "down" you currently have.

Supraphysiological

Whenever you gain Adrenaline, you gain 10% additional Adrenaline for each "down" you currently have.

Walking Tall

Your Adrenaline degrades 25% slower for each "down" you currently have.
If you have any amount of Adrenaline, you can use First Aid Kits to pause its degradation for 15 seconds.

Pain Asymbolia

As long as you have Adrenaline and either EDGE, GRIT, RUSH, the effects of these buffs are doubled, and you take 10% less damage to your Adrenaline.

Stockpile

If you have a deployable bag in your loadout, it has 2 additional charges.

Assassin

Basic: Whenever you kill an enemy with a suppressed weapon, gain RUSH.

Aced: Whenever you manually mark a guard or law enforcement, refresh RUSH.

Skimming the Ground

As long as you are wielding a suppressed weapon, your crouching movement speed is increased by 20%.
This can't let you move faster than your current armor speed penalty allows.

Drop Cloth

Whenever you kill a guard with a suppressed weapon, their body can't be detected during the first 10 seconds. Any radios from guards you kill this way won't activate until the 10 seconds have passed

Duck and Weave

As long as you have RUSH, you deal 25% more damage to enemies from behind. This bonus is reduced by 5% for each armor chunk you currently have beyond the first.

Killer Kinesthetics

Whenever you kill a marked enemy with a suppressed weapon, the nearest unmarked enemy within 10 meters of the target will become marked.

Assassin's Mettle

If you have one armor chunk or less, killing a marked enemy with a suppressed weapon will heal you for 5 health, or 10 health if you are also below 50% of your max health. If you are already at max health, you will recieve adrenaline.

Death Knell

Any enemy affected by your throwables becomes marked.