Payday 2 is a cooperative PvE first-person shooter and a sequel to the first installment, which earned great success in 2011. Payday 2 honors what made the first game great and adds to it in many ways. The sequel improved the map design and added several mechanics that enhanced the experience, such as a skills system, more characters, equipment, a perk deck system, and more. All of this gives players more gameplay opportunities and opens up new ways of playing the game. One of the most fun and challenging ways to approach Payday 2 is with a stealth build.
Without a doubt, playing the game in complete stealth mode is one of the most challenging ways to play, if not the most, especially on higher difficulties. This article will provide players with tips and recommend equipment to make their stealth gameplay easier. Remember that some recommendations may be based on personal preference, but we will focus on what has worked for our stealth builds in Payday 2.
If you’re playing the sequel, check out our top Payday 3 stealth build.
Stealth Build Overview
Stealth in Payday 2 is not as simple as grabbing a suppressed pistol and a melee weapon to sneak behind enemies. You have to take a lot of factors into consideration to keep guards unsuspected. In this game, if you kill someone, you don’t only have to hide the dead body; you need to count and use your Body Bags, cable ties, and other resources smartly. Next, we will list the weapons, gear, skills, and perks that have worked for us, hoping they will help you too.
We recommend going armorless to increase your concealment points for armor and outfit. The Lightweight Ballistic Vest offers good concealment if you want to carry armor.
Best Primary Weapons for a Stealth Loadout in Payday 2
Weapon preferences are more subjective, but in Payday 2, some fan favorites can make a difference, especially if you are a good shooter. Remember that players must completely suppress any gun to work in a Payday 2 stealth build. Additionally, using a weapon that isn’t suspicious is advised because the bigger the gun, the more easily guards will be alerted or become wary of you.
Cavity 9mm
The Cavity 9mm is one of the best primary weapons for a stealth loadout due to its high concealment of 27, making it the third best stealth primary weapon of the game. This weapon is a high-damage semi-automatic rifle and can kill most enemies in less than two shots.
The only downside to this gun is that you can only use it on single fire, and it has high recoil, making it not very good for close-quarters combat. If you are a player with good aim, this gun is for you.
Best mods for a Cavity 9mm Stealth Build
- Low Profile Suppressor
CAR-4
The CAR-4 has 20 points of concealment, but where it shines, it’s its customization, as it has many options. This assault rifle is fully automatic, and every part can be modded to have a high concealment score (33). The only con of this gun is the slow rate of fire. Thus, if you can steady your aim and go for high-value targets, it’s a great gun for any Payday 2 stealth build.
Best mods for a CAR-4 Stealth Build
- Stealth Barrel (+1 Concealment)
- Short Barrel (+2 Concealment)
- E.M.O Foregrip (+2 Concealment)
- Titanium Skeleton Grip (+2 Concealment)
- Vintage Magazine (+1 Concealment)
- Folding Stock (+3 Concealment)
- LW Upper Receiver for more accuracy
Akimbo Chimano Compact
The Chimano Compact are pistols capable of dual-wielding as a primary weapon with significant damage but not good accuracy. This Compact pair of pistols offer the highest concealment possible in the game and are perfect for a complete stealth run. Due to this weapon already being high in concealment points, we recommend players add mods that help with the accuracy and a suppressor of your preference.
Best Payday 2 Stealth Build Secondary Weapons
The secondary weapons are what you see most experienced players using, and you most likely saw tons of speedrunners running with a fan favorite, The Judge.
The Judge – The Best Secondary Weapon for a Payday 2 Stealth Build
This secondary shotgun is highly concealable and has a very high rate of fire. The Judge is not only an excellent weapon for stealth builds in Payday 2, but it also offers significant damage, fast reload and draw. The downside of this weapon is the low ammo pickup rate. Suppressors remove some concealment points, which are necessary for a stealth run.
Claire 12G
This secondary shotgun is on par with The Judge regarding concealment. It suffers from the same disadvantage as The Judge: the low ammo pickup rate. This shotgun has incredibly significant damage and is very accurate. Keep in mind that the recoil gets very high. When modded for concealment
Best mods for a Claire 12G Shotgun Stealth Build in Payday 2
- Sawed-Off Barrel: (+10 Concealment)
Bernetti 9
You can’t go wrong with this pistol as it is helpful in almost any situation and reliable in stealth runs. The Bernetti 9 has decent damage, recoil, accuracy, and rate of fire. The only downside of this gun is that if you need to go loud, you might struggle with more difficult enemies.
Best mods for a Bernetti 9 Pistol Stealth Build
- The Elite Slide Upper Receiver: (+8 Stability)
- Ergo Grip: (+4 Stability)
- Any suppressor of your preference
Best Melee Weapons to Use on a Stealth Build in Payday 2
It is up to personal preference for the best melee weapons in a stealthy Payday 2 build. Yet, we recommend sticking to those that offer 30 points of concealment.
Best Perk Deck for a Stealth Loadout – The Burglar
The Perk Deck is similar to the Skill System, providing players with passive and active advantages. Without a doubt, the Burglar perk is the one designed for a great stealth build in Payday 2. This perk will allow players to perform various actions faster and stealthily. Yakuza, Rogue, and Crew Chiefs are also okay options for specific reasons, but Burglar is 100% the way to go.
Best Skills for a Payday 2 Stealth Build
Skills are primarily passive benefits that players can adapt to different situations.
Stockholm Syndrome
This skill will intimidate civilians through the noise made by the player and will remain intimidated for longer. This way, you can prevent civilians from trying to escape or calling for help.
Forced Friendship
This skill will provide players with more cable ties which are a must to keep civilians controlled. You don’t want those pesky civilians running around and messing up all of the sneaking your doing by taking a stealth build in Payday 2.
Hardware Expert
This skill will allow you to deploy saws and drills silently, and guards can only detect them through visual contact by guards and civilians. Another good thing about this skill is that you can fix drills and saws faster.
Cleaner
Cleaner provides players with additional body bags that are needed to hide bodies.
Parkour
This skill will allow you to move faster. This is a great addition to your Payday 2 stealth build in that you can move farther while sneaking, unseen.
High-Value Target
Marked enemies take more damage.
Top Equipment to Sneak and Win in Payday 2
Throwables
We recommend silent throwables in a stealth build as any other lethal equipment will alert guards and civilians in Payday 2.
Equipment
For equipment, the best option would be Body Bag Case which will allow you to restock your Body Bags to hide more bodies. Another helpful piece of equipment is the ECM Jammer to be able to trick radars and other sensors.
Wrapping-Up Our Guide on the Best Payday 2 Stealth Build
Some of the recommendations are almost a must for the most part, but as we like to say, at the end of the day, your personal preference must come first. It’s a game, so make sure you have fun, try the other guns, and pick your favorite for your Payday 2 stealth build.
If you decide stealth isn’t your thing, check out our guide to the best Payday 2 dodge build. For players that prefer to be agile and make quick movements, it’s a much better choice! For other great loadouts, check out our top Payday 2 builds list. It will surely move you to test out some new combinations of guns and perks you didn’t even know were completely viable and interesting!
Good Luck, Good Heist!
