Payday: The Heist

Payday: The Heist. PC Boxart Release Date: 2011 Developer: Overkill Software Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment Series: Payday Platforms: PC, PS3 Genre: First-person shooter

PAYDAY: The Heist is a four-player cooperative FPS game released by Overkill Software in 2011, based around classic bank robbery movies such as Heat. Players take control of four career criminals, Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf, and Chains, as they commit various heists orchestrated by their contact, known as Bain. Players face a variety of law enforcement enemies and objectives, such as using portable saws to literally separate a room from a building before taking it out of there with them, or sneaking around the building of a gem company to break into its vault. Of note is that there are three (four with the Wolf Pack DLC) different 'skill trees' for players to progress in. These can be toggled at any time in-mission and whichever tree is selected will award the player with a new item or upgrade on their next level up. These trees are: Assault, which is focused on heavier weaponry, Sharpshooter, which is focused on accurate weapons and extra endurance, Support, which is based around powerful supporting weapons and healing, and the DLC tree Technician, which is focused around gadgets like automated sentry guns. Take note that all of the cosmetic additions to weapons earned with upgrades, such as the dual magazine for the MP5 or the bipod for the HK-21 are all entirely optional and can be enabled or disabled at will by the player in the Upgrades tab on the main menu.

The following weapons appear in the video game Payday: The Heist

Handguns

Beretta 92FS

The Beretta 92FS appears in-game as the "B9-S" and is fitted with a suppressor. It is the default sidearm, always being available. It is also one of two weapons to be suppressed in the game. Levelling up in the Assault tree will award extended magazine capacities, while the Sharpshooter tree will award a barrel extension and the Support tree will give accuracy increases. While having a higher magazine size than most of the other pistols, the B9-S has extremely low damage. The Shield special unit uses a fully-automatic variant (acting much like the in-game Glock), while normal versions are used by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team enemies. The third-person model is solid black while the first-person model has a chrome slide and frame, with black grips. The gun appears to operate in DAO.

Beretta 92FS - 9x19mm

The B9-S in-game, the upgraded version on the bottom.

The player holds the B9-S.

The player holds the B9-S with its upgrade.

The player aims the B9-S.

The player reloads the B9-S.

The player reloads the upgraded B9-S.

Colt M1911A1

The Chromed or Nickeled Colt M1911A1 appears in-game as the "Crosskill .45", or "C45" for short.It should be noted that the gun also incorrectly operates in DAO. It is unlocked at level 13 in the Assault skill tree and possesses a good balance of power and magazine size. More levels in the Assault tree will give out a recoil compensator (similar to the above B9-S) in addition to magazine extensions and increased damage. The C45 is also commonly used by security guards as well as police officers.

Colt M1911A1 - .45 ACP.

The Crosskill .45 and its two upgrades.

The player holds the base Crosskill .45.

The player holds the Crosskill .45 with its first upgrade.

The player holds a fully upgraded Crosskill .45.

The player aims the Crosskill .45.

The player reloads the Crosskill .45.

The player reloads the Crosskill .45 with its first upgrade.

The player reloads a fully upgraded Crosskill .45.

Glock 18C

The Glock 18C appears in-game as the "STRYK" (the name of the gun means "to beating" in Swedish) in the Wolf Pack DLC. It is notably always spun when drawn and is unlocked at level 2 of the Technician skill tree (DLC only). The STRYK pistol is the only fully-automatic handgun in the game with the largest magazine capacity and rate of fire. However, it suffers from low single-shot damage, high recoil, low accuracy, and even lower ammunition reserve for its magazine size. Thus, firing the weapon in short, accurate bursts is a must to get the most out of it.

Further levels will increase the magazine capacity (which turns the STRYK's standard 17 round magazine into a high-capacity 33 round magazine.), as well as decreasing the recoil, boosting the accuracy, as well as the low damage. The B9-S used by the Shield special units acts much like this weapon.

Despite the STRYK being depicted as matte black in upgrade images and other media, it is actually olive-drab/desert colored, best observed in well-lit heists such as Counterfeit. This may suggest that the STRYK is a illegally-modified semi-auto pistol, as colored Glock frames are only marketed for civilian models, while the Glock 18s are available in black finish only (the colored frame could also be just a custom finish, however).

Glock 18C (3rd Generation) - 9x19mm. This model has compensator cuts on the slide and barrel to reduce muzzle climb while firing

Holding the STRYK pistol.

The player aims the STRYK pistol.

Taurus Raging Bull

The Taurus Raging Bull appears in-game as the "Bronco .44". It is unlocked at level 6 in the Support skill tree and is the most powerful sidearm, taking far less hits to kill enemies than the others. On the other hand, it fires more slowly and holds less ammunition than the other sidearms and has a longer reload time. Further levels in the Support tree will decrease the reload time, in addition to improving the accuracy (which will also give a full-length barrel) and increases to its already-high damage. It is worth noting that the final damage increase upgrade visually alters the bullets to be hollow-point rounds, which would actually be less effective against most of the enemies due to their body armor. Chains can be briefly seen holding the revolver during the game intro and on a menu background.

Taurus Raging Bull Black - .44 Magnum

The Bronco .44 alongside the long-barrel-upgraded version, and the unupgraded and hollow-point bullet speedloaders compared.

The player holds the unupgraded Bronco .44.

The player holds the Bronco .44 with its long barrel upgrade.

The player holds the Bronco .44 with its hollow-point bullets upgrade.

The player aims the unupgraded Bronco .44.

The player reloads the base Bronco .44. Note the cocked hammer, it is always in the cocked position despite there is no animation that shows it being cocked.

The player reloads the long-barreled Bronco .44.

The player prepares to load new hollow-point rounds into the fully upgraded Bronco .44.

Submachine Guns

Heckler and Koch MP5A2

The Heckler and Koch MP5A2 appears in-game as the "Compact-5". It is unlocked at level 21 of the Support skill tree, and is the most accurate of the secondary weapons. It fires slower than the Mark 11 and holds less in its magazine, but is far more precise and is an effective weapon at medium and even long ranges with good aim and firing discipline, even being an excellent weapon to dispatch SWAT Snipers. Upgrades later in the Support tree will decrease the time it takes to zoom in and out of its sights, as well as lower its reload duration (which will change the magazine to a straight magazine, and later a double magazine) and recoil. Rather than magazine extensions, the Compact-5 gets upgrades to its already high accuracy, which eventually changes the handguard into a heat shield. It is also worth noting that two MP5s with their stocks removed are used as the weapon part of the deployable Sentry Gun (which is available with the Wolf Pack DLC), which appears to feed from an internal box, similar to the ammo boxes used in machine guns, instead of magazines. The MP5 is also used by the Cloaker special units. The MP5 is also seen in the menu background for the Support tree, being carried by Chains.

Heckler and Koch MP5A2 - 9x19mm.

The base Compact-5 above the fully-upgraded version.

The player holds the normal Compact-5.

The player holds the Compact-5. It's hard to tell, but it has its heat-shield upgrade, signifying this is a fully-upgraded Compact-5.

The player aims the Compact-5.

The player reloads the Compact-5.

The player loads a new double-magazine into the Compact-5.

The player reloads a fully-upgraded Compact-5.

Twin-linked MP5s serve as the weapon for the sentry gun. They appear to feed from a high-capacity box instead of traditional magazines. This is supported by the fact that the sentry gun fires well beyond 30 rounds, the largest magazine for an MP5, before running out of ammo.

Ingram MAC-10

The Ingram MAC-10, fitted with a suppressor, appears in-game as the "Mark 11" (indicative of the MAC-11, but the in-game stats specifically state it is a .45 ACP weapon). It is unlocked at level 5 of the Assault tree and is a popular secondary weapon, given its rather large magazine capacity and its high rate of fire, though its power is somewhat low and its recoil can be hard to manage. It is the only weapon in the game aside from the B9-S that comes with a suppressor, making it useful for missions where stealth would be required (such as shooting out security cameras at the start of the No Mercy DLC heist). Further level-ups in the Assault tree will reduce the time it takes to zoom in and out from the sights, as well as increase the magazine size (which visibly changes) and lower the recoil (which will change the suppressor to a large flash hider on the final upgrade, oddly enough). The MAC-10 is also used (again, with the suppressor) by the enemy gangsters in the Panic Room heist. The menu background for the Assault tree also shows Dallas carrying this weapon.

Oddly enough, the upgrade tree description of the "Mark 11" claims it was illegally modified to support auto-fire, suggesting that this weapon is a post-op SWD/Cobray M10 dressed up to look the part instead.

MAC-10 with a suppressor - .45 ACP

MAC-10 with detachable barrel extension - .45 ACP

The Mark 11 with its visual upgrades showcased.

The player holds the base Mark 11.

The player holds the Mark 11 with its lightweight "silencer" upgrade.

The player aims the Mark 11.

The player reloads the unupgraded Mark 11.

The player reloads the Mark 11 with its upgraded casket magazine.

Rifles

Colt M4A1

The Colt M4A1 appears in-game as the AMCAR-4. It is the default primary weapon, being fairly accurate and powerful with a high rate of fire. As with the B9-S, the three different skill trees (not counting the Wolf Pack DLC, as the Technician tree does not affect either starting weapon) will upgrade different aspects of the weapon. The Assault tree increase the AMCAR's power, while the Sharpshooter tree increases its accuracy (adding a different flash hider and later an EOTech sight), and the Support tree enhances its magazine capacity. The M4A1 is also used by a majority of the SWAT enemies, notably the Taser. Bizarrely, the shock from the taser appears to come from the barrel of their M4A1s. The SWAT Sniper enemies also use them semi-automatically and with red tracer rounds, though this can only be seen on Counterfeit where the snipers are much closer than in other maps. Many menu backgrounds also depict the crew holding this weapon.

Colt M4A1 - 5.56x45mm NATO

The AMCAR-4's in-game model and upgrades.

The player holds the unupgraded AMCAR-4.

The player holds the AMCAR-4 with its flash hider upgrade.

The player holds the AMCAR-4, now fully upgraded with its reflex sight.

The player aims through the base AMCAR-4's iron sights.

The player aims through the fully upgraded AMCAR-4's reflex sight.

The player reloads the AMCAR-4.

The player reloads the AMCAR-4, providing a better view of its flash hider upgrade.

The player reloads the fully upgraded AMCAR-4.

Izhmash AKM

The Izhmash AKM appears in-game as the AK in the Wolf Pack DLC. It is unlocked at level 9 in the Technician skill tree and has more power and a higher rate of fire than the AMCAR-4, but at the same time, has a longer reload time and much higher recoil. Upgrades later in the tree will decrease the recoil, and increase the accuracy (which results in adding a reflex sight, which seems to be a lower weaver rail mounted BSA SP-4, magazine size, and power. One of the later recoil dampener upgrades will change the rifle's frame by replacing the wooden handguard with a synthetic black RIS handguard and the wooden fixed stock replaced with a metal folding stock typically found in skladnoy AK variants.

A worthy note is that the AK's magazine is noticeably small and has little curvature, highly resembling the smaller 5.56x45mm magazines used by the Norinco Type 84S. This is odd, however, since according to it's in-game description: it uses the standard 7.62x39mm rounds. It also uses an AK74-styled muzzle brake, although there are aftermarket muzzle brakes in that style for 7.62x39mm AKs.

Izhmash AKM - 7.62x39mm

Holding an unmodded AK. Note the ribbed receiver.

Sighting down an unmodded AK.

The dramatic reload of an unmodded AK. Whenever the magazine is reloaded after it is completely empty; the shooter will displace the old magazine by pushing the release level with the new magazine then load it in, then throw the gun over to his left hand to charge the weapon with his right hand, then position it back.

A view of the AK in the upgrade menu. Note the Type 84S-styled magazine and AK74-styled muzzle brake.

Springfield Armory M1A SOCOM 16

The M1A SOCOM 16 appears in-game as the M308. It is unlocked at level 17 in the Sharpshooter skill tree and features a dark digital camouflage finish in first-person (though oddly, the third-person is black instead). Upgrades later in the tree will decrease the high recoil and increase the magazine capacity and damage, in addition to the accuracy (which will add a reflex sight later on). The menu background for the Sharpshooter tree also shows Hoxton wielding this rifle.

Springfield Armory M1A SOCOM 16 - .308 Winchester

The M308 showcased with its only visual upgrade.

The player holds the unupgraded M308.

The player holds the sighted M308.

The player aims with the unupgraded M308, wishing that they had an optical sight to use.

The player's wishes had come true and is now aiming the M308 with the assistance of a scope.

After failing to snipe the ground beneath them because their rifle lacks a scope, the player reloads the M308.

With the help of their scope, the player managed to take out the ground with only one shot and tops off the rifle.

Shotguns

Benelli M1 Entry

A variant of the Benelli M1 Entry appears in-game as the Reinbeck 880. It is unlocked at level 13 in the Support skill tree and is a popular primary weapon due to its high damage, and because it hits from much further away than most shotguns in video games can. When reloading from empty, the gun will occasionally be pumped after the last shell is loaded, but sometimes instead after the first shell. The high power makes it easy to stun enemies that aren't killed outright. Upgrades will increase the magazine capacity and power, as well as lower the recoil (which comes with a heat shield on the barrel at a late level). Some enemies use this as well, mostly the higher-level SWAT team. It is also used by the Bulldozer special unit, having extreme power in his hands and is usually able to incapacitate a player in a single blast if their armor was already low or gone. Oddly enough, the third-person model of the Reinbeck is that of a Mossberg 500 series shotgun with a heat shield and an M4-style stock and pistol grip.

Benelli M1 Entry - 12 Gauge

The Reinbeck 880 is shown with and without its upgrades.

The player holds the unupgraded Reinbeck 880.

The player holds the fully upgraded Reinbeck, as denoted by its heat shield.

The player aims the Reinbeck.

The player reloads the base Reinbeck.

The player reloads the Reinbeck with its extended magazine upgrade.

The player reloads the fully-upgraded Reinbeck 880. Note that the heat shield covers the weapon's serial number.

Serbu Super Shorty

The Serbu Super Shorty appears in-game as the Locomotive 12G. It is unlocked at level 7 in the Sharpshooter skill tree and is infamous among the community for its low magazine capacity, accuracy, and power. Unusually, ammo pickups from enemies will sometimes not function for this weapon. The Locomotive's main advantages are its somewhat faster rate of fire and its slightly faster reload speed than the Reinbeck. Later levels in the Sharpshooter tree will decrease the recoil and reload time, in addition to enhancing its small magazine (very slightly) and increasing its fire rate, which eventually adds a barrel extension and a foregrip.

Serbu Super Shorty Shotgun made from a Remington 870 - 12 Gauge

The Locomotive 12G with its visual upgrades.

The player holds the Locomotive 12G. Its visual upgrades can't be seen without reloading.

The player aims the Locomotive 12G , its stock acting as a makeshift scope.

The player reloads the unupgraded Locomotive 12G.

The player reloads the Locomotive 12G with its extended magazine upgrade.

The player reloads the Locomotive 12G with its custom foregrip upgrade.

Machine Guns

Heckler & Koch HK21

The Heckler and Koch HK11A1 appears in-game as the Brenner 21. It is unlocked at level 22 of the Assault tree and is a popular weapon due to its very high power and its large magazines. Upgrades are given at later levels that boost its already-high damage and magazine size, and decrease its recoil (which will add an unusable bipod and a reflex sight). The last magazine upgrade will change the magazine to a box and ammo belt instead of the normal drum. The Brenner 21's main flaws are its very low accuracy, its slow reload times, and its somewhat low rate of fire.

Heckler & Koch HK11E - 7.62x51mm NATO

The Brenner 21 along with its various upgrades. This is undoubtedly a 11A1 due to the optimized magazine-fed design and short barrel.

The player holds the Brenner 21 with its box magazine upgrade, it's last upgrade.

The player holds the Brenner 21 with its bipod and reflex sight upgrades, but not with its box magazine upgrade. Apparently whoever was taking these pictures forgot that the drum magazine was the unupgraded magazine and the box magazine was the upgraded one, not the other way around.

The player aims with the Brenner 21's rather small iron sights.

The player aims through the Brenner 21's reflex sight upgrade.

The player prepares to remove the Brenner 21's upgraded box magazine.

The player grips the Brenner 21's upgraded box magazine while eyeing the bipod upgrade.

The player dramatically grabs the Brenner 21's unupgraded drum magazine, with the bipod upgrade hidden behind the player's hand and the weapon's reflex sight upgrade on the right edge of the picture.

The player finally reloads a fully upgraded Brenner 21.

Launchers

M79 Grenade Launcher

The M79 Grenade Launcher appears in-game as the GL40 in the Wolf Pack DLC. It is unlocked at level 21 of the Technician skill tree. It can decimate a fairly large group of enemies in a single hit, and is powerful, though its slow reload time, low reserve ammunition capacity, and the fact that it can cause self-damage (and potentially hit civilians or hostages) require its users to be careful and conservative. An upgrade later in the tree will increase the radius of the explosions (and add a range finder), while others will increase the damage and the number of extra grenades that can be carried. In particular, the GL40 is an effective weapon on the Shield special units, as firing one grenade behind their bulletproof shield will usually kill them instantly (and any enemies next to them).

M79 grenade launcher - 40x46mm

Grenades

M18 smoke grenade

The M18 smoke grenade is a tactical grenade exclusive to the police. It is usually thrown whenever the SWAT team goes in during a police assault. It obscures player vision, but the police seem to be totally unaffected by it and are capable of accurately shooting you down through the smoke cloud. Supposedly because of thermal sights according to the heisters, despite the fact that apart from the Cloaker, no officer is seen wearing or using any kind of electronic goggles or scopes.

M18 smoke grenade

The M18 smoke grenade strangely unobscured by its own smoke.

See Also

Payday (disambiguation)

Payday: The Heist

Payday 2