Update 3.6 is here! Featuring Crimebonds, a brand-new tutorial mission, the new Heat meter, new contracts, new armor frames, and a complete rework of Touch the Sky.
Crimebonds
Stealth or Loud, shotgun or assault rifle, silencer or loudener(?). PAYDAY is full of choices, and we want those choices to feel informed and meaningful. Crimebonds is one step towards that goal, introducing a way to unlock the items you want anchored in heisting fantasies.
We’ve repackaged existing base-game content into two introductory Crimebonds. These themed bundles give us a new avenue to bring free and paid content to the game in the future, in a way that players will understand and that reinforces the fantasies around heisting.
Touch the Sky rework
Touch the Sky has a brand new coat of paint, and it’s glistening! One of the major changes was the addition of a whole new area on the building's roof where the player can start, fight, and escape. The rework also focused on tweaking objectives to ensure a smooth flow throughout the heist.
Give it a try, let us know what you think, and happy heisting!
New Player Onboarding
A new story-driven tutorial has been added, establishing the relationship between Shade and the tutorial protagonist, Houston. It’s a more compact and engaging beginning to the game that teaches players the basics while introducing them to the overall Heisting experience.
The HEAT meter
The introduction of the HEAT meter aims to give you more control over the flow of combat by rewarding you for efficiency while facing off against the cops. They’ll now retreat after they’ve racked up enough losses, so take advantage of this calmer period by completing objectives! Act quickly though; they'll soon be back to stop you!
A meter will be visible under the game state indicator (Negotiation/Assault/Retreat, etc.). As you defeat cops, the bar will increase until it reaches full, at which point they will retreat to reorganize.
Four new contracts
This month, the rewards are themed around a more home-made, robbery-style than the gang is used to, but still look menacing. Make grandma proud!
Vanguard and Survivalist Armor
An armor that rewards aggression or one that keeps you wrapped up like a walking fortress? Why not both? Two new armor frames are now available via the Crimebonds: the Vanguard and Survivalist frames.
The Vanguard frame rewards an aggressive playstyle; no speed penalty, two plates or Resistant Armor, and the ability to recover trauma damage by defeating enemies. This armor keeps you in the fight as long as there is a fight.
The Survivalist frame stands counter to the aggression of the Vanguard. It encourages defense and empowers healing through First Aid Kits, providing 5 downs and 3 flexible armor plate slots.
Feature
A brand new Inventory UI has been implemented
Added vision cone effect to security cameras
Fixed the issue with hit indicators not showing in the settings menu
Revamped the "stay as a party" function. It's set to "Yes" by default, the bar time is shorter, and changes from green to orange
Now possible to hack cameras without skill. Added info button to the HUD
Added Crimebonds
Reworked Touch the Sky
Added a new tutorial
Added the HEAT mechanic
Added the Vanguard and Survivalist armor frames
Added four new contracts
Gameplay
Removed the possibility to play Houston on Houston Breakout Heist
Prevented the gas grenade from dealing damage after the visual effects ended
Dozers are less likely to be stun locked by regular weaponry unless hit by Overkill Weapons or weapons with specialized skills
Interceptor can now be used after reaching 25% charge
Fixed an issue where the throwing knives dealt extremely high damage, when shown on the result screen
Fixed an issue where hurt animations from explosions wouldn't play correctly for all players in co-op
Fixed an issue where the glass viewport on Shields wouldn't break before killing the unit if shot with high-penetration weapons
Players will now take normal fall damage if traversing (mantle/vault) from a height that should deal damage
Added the ability to traverse (mantle/vault) by holding down the input
Fixed damage numbers not displaying multipliers, such as headshots
Improved visibility of the Overkill Weapon waypoint markers
Adjusted the escort circle colors to better indicate whether the player is in the correct position
Fixed missing and updated VO lines when answering pages
Fixed an issue that would occur when the client in custody leaves during negotiation
Skills
The 'Playback' and 'Security Expert' skills in the Hacker Skill Tree have swapped places, and have been redesigned:
Playback
Base: Gain 1 Runtime to spend on Black Hat operations. Spend 1 to make a hacked security camera loop its footage for 10 seconds, stopping it from detecting your crew. Once a hack wears off, the Runtime you spent will be refunded. For every two skills equipped in this branch beyong the first, receive 1 additional Runtime, to a maximum of 4.
Aced: Looping camera footage is now permanent. If a looped camera is destroyed, the Runtime you spent will be refunded.
Security Expert
Base: Spend 1 Runtime to make a hacked camera automatically mark all guards or law enforcement within range. Targets stay marked for 12 seconds after leaving the Camera's field of view.
Aced: Hack drones by spending 1 Runtime. Once a hack wears off, the Runtime you spent will be refunded. Stealth drones stop moving and go blind for 15 seconds. Combat drones fight on your side for 15 seconds, then self-destruct.
⚠️ Players who had previously equipped the Playback or Security Expert skills prior to this update may find that the new skills are not automatically equipped, and you may need to manually re-equip them the Skill Tree editor.
Art
Most enemies have received a color tweak to make them easier to read.
Dozer returns with brighter green instead of blue.
Zapper now has more yellow color spots and brighter values.
Nader has a brighter orange color.
Heavy/Light Swat now have a brighter blue colors on their uniforms.
Fixed a lighting issue that occurred on low and medium quality settings
Improvements made on the enemy rimlight to improve visuals at a distance
Added a new inspect animation for the A114
Polish adjustments on the first responder pack
UI
Changed the crossplay setting phrasing, making it less confusing
Fixed the issue where the down icon stays after the player goes into custody
Fixed an issue where players can't join the server again after the host restarts the level following a heist failure
Chat function is now working for lobbies created through quickplay
Audio
Added bullet SFX when shooting on vents
SFX polish on bullet impacts
Improved sound feedback when adjacent to explosions
Heists
Multiple Heists
The hidden interactable buttons in Touch the Sky, No Rest for the Wicked, and Smash and Grab Bank Withdrawal now have outlines
Gold & Sharke
Fixed a misleading objective description
Turbid Station
Updated and polished on hackable door panels
Updated to correct waypoints for sabotage points
Prevented a visual issue when picking up drones
Shopping Spree
Added an outro video when escaping with the vehicle
Replaced the old iris scanner with the new one
⚠️ Known Issues
Purchasing c-stacks locks the vendor in a loading loop until the game restarts or a game is completed. The purchase will go through, but the vendor can be used only once per game or restart.
(XBOX) When a heist is finished, and the player is prompted to “return to the main menu?” The accept button will be invisible; it still functions by pressing (A).
The game will crash for a client (a player joining a host) if they use the host's Overkill Weapon. The crash will only happen if the host and client have different Overkill Weapons equipped, not if they’re the same.
Some weapons marked as “owned” via the Crimebond or vendor will not be equippable (A hotfix is in the works).