There’s no shortage of enemies attempting to stop your heist inPayday 3. The police force now features entirely new opponents and revamped classics from previous installations to ensure each heist is a gritty battle to the finish. Enemies will zap, gas, and flying kick you around every corner if you aren’t careful.
Knowing what a special enemy is capable of is half the battle in Payday. Each has their own strengths and strategies that they’ll play around to pain you, but they also have weaknesses. With the proper understanding, you’ll be able to survive the onslaught of police anytime a heist goes loud.
10Police Force
The police force consists of all the basic enemies you’ll face in an assault during a heist. When the heist first starts, the police will be cops in their daily uniforms that have little armor. They’ll progressively don more armor as the mission continues until they’re fully armored SWAT units that can withstand several bullet wounds and throw flashbangs.
Police will attack in waves that get larger and more difficult during a heist. Eventually, the police force will launch a final assault that won’t back down. The only way to end the final assault is to escape. The weak point for any regular enemy is their head. Focusing on headshots is the best way to quickly mow through the police force while conserving ammo, which is a necessity the longer a heist continues.
9Shields
The shield unit is one of the most common special enemies you’ll face in Payday 3. These enemies lead assault waves by offering protection for law enforcement units following behind their bulletproof shields. Shields are effective at taking and holding ground as they close in on the players. If they’re able to get within melee range, shields will perform a bash and briefly stun you.
While the metal of the shields is bulletproof, the glass strip they use to see through is not. Shooting the glass will eventually cause it to break and allow you to have a direct shot at their head and body. Alternatively, a well-placed grenade will force the shield to turn toward the explosive and expose their body.
8Snipers
Snipers will take positions on surrounding buildings of the heist location and fire at you. Their weapons have highly noticeable lasers guiding their shots. If their laser stays on you for a few seconds, they’ll shoot and deal devastating damage.
When dealing with a sniper in Payday 3, it’s important to break their line of sight before they can get a shot off. Snipers don’t have armor and can be taken out with any weapon that has the range. Eliminating snipers is important to do before making a break for the escape, as that is when they’ll have the best opportunity to take you down.
7Sabotage Squad
The sabotage squad will try to make your heist as difficult as possible by actively seeking out ways to slow your progress on objectives. Their sabotage comes in a variety of forms, such as turning on the sprinkler system when using thermite to burn through the bank vault’s ceiling or disabling thejewelry scannerby turning off the power. They can be identified by their black uniforms with gold helmets and accents.
Bullets are the best way to deal with the sabotage squad. They have basic armor and can be taken down like any regular SWAT member. Any sabotage measures taken can be easily reversed by following the marker created after the sabotage.
6Hostage Rescue Team
As their name suggests, the hostage rescue team’s purpose is toinfiltrate and release hostagesthat have been taken. Hostages have a variety of usages in Payday 3, such as extending time between assault waves or trading them in for supplies, so keeping as many as possible is helpful in pulling off a heist.
When a hostage rescue team member begins freeing a hostage, they’ll be highlighted and visible through walls. Any hostage freed by the hostage rescue team will start running to the exit and can’t be stopped, even if you yell at them to get on the ground. These units wear a distinctive light gray/white uniform.
Effective hostage management will make the hostage rescue team’s job nearly impossible. Keeping hostages close to objectives as you progress through the heist allows for plenty of time to take out the hostage rescue team before they can do any rescuing.
5FBI Van
The FBI van is a unit that triggers an infinite assault wave so long as the dish on top of the van remains active. Shade, the handler that gives instructions throughout a heist, will notify you whenever an FBI van spawns. They’re easy to identify thanks to the large dish above their van.
These vans are simple to deal with: just shoot the dish three or four times to destroy it and end the infinite assault. Finding the van is the hardest part, but even that is fairly easy as it will almost always spawn in front of whatever building is being robbed. Make sure to take the van out early to avoid getting swarmed by police.
4Zappers
Zappers, known as ‘tasers’ in previous Payday games, are electrified special units that attempt to shock you. They can be identified by the signature yellow on their armor and the high-pitched electrical whine they make while charging their shock attack. If their attack lands, you will be unable to move and will shoot involuntarily while being shocked.
The best way to deal with zappers is to put them down before they can do any zapping. The battery pack on their hips can be shot to stun zappers and nearby enemies, but be careful, as this will also affect other players who are too close. Zappers have weak armor, so any decent weapon will take them out quickly.
3Naders
A new addition in the Payday series, naders are special enemies that primarily throw gas grenades. The gas will cover an area for a significant amount of time before disappearing. If you get caught in the gas, you will be unable to sprint while taking damage directly to your health. Naders are designed for area denial and to force you out of cover. Their uniforms are dark blue with orange accents.
Naders can be instantly killed by shooting the grenades stored on their chest, similar to the zapper’s battery, but lethal. This will also do damage to any enemies or players nearby. Naders don’t have too much armor and can be taken down with a few shots if the grenades are difficult to hit. If there’s a hostage near you, naders won’t throw gas to avoid harming the civilian. Bringing a hostage with you is a great idea to combat naders if you intend to hunker down during an assault wave.
2Bulldozers
Commonly shortened to ‘Dozers,’ these special enemies are arguably the scariest opponent in Payday 3. Dozers get their name from the thick armor that allows them to relentlessly advance and push you around like a bulldozer. They are lethal at close range and will tear apart an uncoordinated team. Payday 3 has given dozers a new weapon in their arsenal: a shoulder charge that flattens anyone unlucky enough to be in their way.
Dozers have earned their fearsome reputation from being so difficult to take down, but they aren’t unkillable. The chink in their armor is the visor. The most consistent method of damaging dozers is to focus fire on the visor until it breaks and exposes the head. This will still take time and bullets, so make sure to ping the dozer and try to get your teammates to help while maintaining a safe distance.
1Cloakers
These wall-running yet stealthy enemies are vying against dozers for title of scariest enemy. Cloakers have dark armor, a net-like headpiece, and four green ‘eyes’ from their night vision goggles. Cloakers use stealth and speed to blindside you before you can react.
They give out a shrill, yodel-like war cry when they sprint to make their attack. If their attack lands, you will be immediately knocked to the ground and forced to watch helplessly as the cloaker beats you to a pulp. The cloaker will continue its attack until your health is totally drained or the cloaker is killed.
The best defense against cloakers is teamwork. They have very little health and aren’t much of a threat if teammates are nearby to release you from the cloaker’s assault. Cloakers are designed to punish those who venture off alone, so always stick with a teammate when they’re around. If you ever do find yourself isolated and hear the cloaker’s cry, it’s probably too late, but you’re able to attempt to outrun or quickly shoot them before they close the distance.
