Payday 2 may be in its eighth year, but the community has grown since the start of 2021. With the lack of new releases in the gaming community over the past year, people are looking for a different multiplayer experience. Gamers looking for a new game to play with their friends should see if they enjoy Payday 2.
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The shooter is a refreshing break from the battle royale and RPG games that have taken over the community in the past couple of years. New and returning players will want to know the top non pay-to-play Payday 2 builds in 2021 before jumping into online multiplayer, and this guide will cover seven of the most overpowered of them.
Updated by Payton Lott on July 3, 2021: No class is complete without one of the best weapons in the game. Despite the current LMG meta, there are plenty of top-tier submachine guns and assault rifles that will get the job done. Each of the following classes is tailored to a particular playstyle, and only a few weapons can be viable in each role. This updated guide will explain why each weapon is dominant and include all of the relevant stats for players of Payday 2. With the most effective weapons in the game, the following 2021 builds will be unstoppable.
7 Anarchist Akimbo
- Controller: Forced Friendship, Confident, Joker, Partners In Crime
- Sharpshooter: Stable Shot
- Tank: Resilience, Die Hard, Bullseye
- Ammo Specialist: Scavenger, Bulletstorm, Extra Lead, Fully Loaded
- Oppressor: Steady Grip, Fire Control, Sure Fire, Lock and Load, Body Expertise
- Artful Dodger: Duck And Cover, Inner Pockets
- Silent Killer: Second Wind, The Professional, Optical Illusions, Low Blow
- Gunslinger: Equilibrium, Akimbo
- Revenant: Nine Lives
- Martial Arts: Brawler, Bloodthirst, Berserker
One of the best and most enjoyable classes to use is an akimbo build with Anarchist for speed and concealment. Below are the following skill allocations for the class.
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Each of these perks will be geared toward fast movement and accuracy at close range. Players can choose between running the concussion or Molotov. *The Akimbo Krinkovs are recognized by many in the community as the best SMGs, and should be used with this class. With a deadly combination of high damage, accuracy, and 60 round mags, these guns are scary good in all modes. Krinkovs have a better rate of fire, and higher pickup percentage than any comparable weapons in the game. There are a lot of options for attachments, but accuracy, stability, and reload time are the stats to focus on. The primary akimbo guns should be equipped with a fully auto mod. Finally, class is complete with a pistol secondary and melee weapon.
6 M60 Anarchist
- Medic: Combat Medic, Quick Fix, Combat Doctor
- Shotgunner: Underdog
- Sharpshooter: Stable Shot
- Tank: Resilience, Die Hard, Bullseye, Iron Man
- Breacher: Hardware Expert
- Oppressor: Steady Grip, Fire Control, Sure Fire, Lock and Load, Body Expertise
- Artful Dodger: Duck And Cover, Parkour
- Silent Killer: Second Wind, The Professional
- Revenant: Nine Lives
- Martial Arts: Brawler, Bloodthirst, Berserker, Frenzy
The M60 LMG may not be the most used weapon in the class, but it can be very overpowered in heists. The gun will two-shot most enemies and has less recoil than the more popular KSP. Because of how controllable the M60 is at range, it is one of the better sniper killers in Payday 2. Below are the perks people will want to use to optimize the Payday 2 build
Gamers will want to run the Improved Tactical vest with the M60 and their grenade launcher of choice. Concussion grenades and the switchblade are the final items players should use to create one of the most reliable Payday 2 builds.
5 Kingpin Rocket Spammer
- Medic: Combat Medic, Quick Fix, Uppers
- Controller: Forced Friendship, Confident, Joker, Partners In Crime, Hostage Taker
- Sharpshooter: Stable Shot
- Shotgunner: Underdog
- Tank: Resilience, Die Hard, Transporter Bullseye
- Ammo Specialist: Scavenger, Bulletstorm, Extra Lead, Fully Loaded
- Engineer: Third Law, Eco Sentry, Jack Of All Trades
- Breacher: Hardware Expert
- Oppressor: Steady Grip, Lock N' Load, Surefire
- Artful Dodger: Duck And Cover
- Silent Killer: Second Wind, The Professional
- Martial Arts: Brawler, Bloodthirst, Pumping Iron
- Revenant: Nine Lives
Using the rocket class is extremely addicting. It is one of the best position defense weapons and shines when players have the high ground on opponents. Reloading can take some time, but an assault rifle will be the backup in chaotic situations. People will want to use the following perks.
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The weapons in the class will be geared to exploit blast damage and the skill trees above. *Among assault rifles, the Union 5.56 is far and away the top option. It has an extremely high fire rate with very good damage values. With the right attachments, players can get to 100 accuracy and 100 stability, which is completely absurd. Reload speed and an ammo pickup rate of 9 make the Union the king of ARs in Payday 2. As a secondary, gamers should choose the launcher of their choice. The build may seem cheap, but it is too overpowered to ignore. Players can use their rockets, then grenades, and the Union 5.56. If the tactic works properly, it is disgustingly broken in Payday 2.
4 Mindless Anarchist
- Medic: Combat Medic, Painkillers, Combat Doctor, Inspire
- Controller: Forced Friendship, Confident, Joker, Partners In Crime
- Shotgunner: Underdog, Shotgun CQB
- Tank: Resilience, Die Hard, Bullseye
- Engineer: Third Law, Sentry Targeting Package, Engineering, Jack Of All Trades, Tower Defense
- Artful Dodger: Duck And Cover
- Silent Killer: Second Wind, Optical Illusions, Low Blow
- Gunslinger: Equilibrium, Akimbo
- Revenant: Nine Lives
People that want to shut their brains off and fly through hordes of enemies will want to run this build. *Akimbo Krinkovs paired with the infamous Grimm shotgun are the primary weapons people will want to use in the build. The Grimm requires little aim or accuracy, pressing the trigger is good enough. If Dragon's Breath rounds are equipped, every enemy on the screen will die from burn damage. People can spam the Grimm so fast that opponents will not be able to react. For a shotgun, the Grimm has terrible accuracy from the hip. However, bad accuracy actually increases the AOE of the Dragon's Breath rounds, allowing the gun to DPS more enemies at once.
With this setup, gamers will have four different AI at their disposal to help take down more enemies. If people need to fire a bullet, they will barely have to aim with the Grimm and dual akimbo SMGs. This is one of the most mindless ways to play Payday 2, but it provides a nice break from the stress of complex builds.
3 Armorer LMG
- Medic: Combat Medic, Quick Fix, Uppers, Inspire
- Controller: Forced Friendship, Joker, Partners In Crime
- Sharpshooter: Stable Shot
- Tank: Resilience, Die Hard, Transporter, Bullseye, Shock And Awe, Iron Man
- Ammo Specialist: Scavenger
- Oppressor: Steady Grip, Lock N' Load, Surefire, Body Expertise
- Artful Dodger: Duck And Cover, Parkour
- Silent Killer: Second Wind, The Professional, High Value Target, Unseen Strike
Another effective Payday 2 build is the Armorer paired with the Buzzsaw 42 LMG. Payday 2 has been LMG/Shotgun dominant for years now, so one had to make the cut. The skills for the class are enumerated above.
One of the most popular LMGs right now is the Buzzsaw 42. *The weapon has an insane fire rate, and somehow has decent accuracy too. The main selling point of the Buzzsaw is its unmatched DPS values. The gun does 80 damage per bullet with a fire rate of 1,200 rounds per minute. No weapon in Payday 2 has a better damage output than the Buzzsaw MG 42. After modifying the gun with their preferred attachments, players will want to use a rocket or pistol secondary and a Molotov to round out the build. Skilled Armorers are almost impossible to kill because they have extra health kits and are extremely efficient with ammunition.
2 Stoic KSP Build
- Medic: Combat Medic, Quick Fix, Uppers, Inspire
- Controller: Forced Friendship, Confident, Joker, Partners In Crime, Hostage Taker
- Sharpshooter: Stable Shot
- Shotgunner: Underdog
- Tank: Resilience, Die Hard, Shock And Awe, Iron Man
- Ammo Specialist: Scavenger
- Breacher: Hardware Expert
- Oppressor: Steady Grip, Fire Control, Lock And Load
- Artful Dodger: Duck And Cover, Parkour
- Silent Killer: Second Wind, The Professional, High Value Target, Unseen Strike
One of the most fun classes to use in the game is a KSP Stoic deck build with the Controller and Silent Killer trees built out. The LMG grenade launcher combo is a jack of all trades that will perform well in almost any scenario. All of the important skills are listed below.
Gamers will want to have the bigger barrel, the foregrip, and the bipod equipped to maximize the effectiveness of the gun. The KSP is one of the simplest guns to control in the game and paired with a grenade launcher, the class will tear through hordes of enemies with little resistance. *Among LMGs, the KSP is a jack of all trades. It has a rate of fire over 900 and 80 damage per round. Ammo pickup is about 15 rounds when wielding the gun, and 100 rounds is more than enough ammo to dish out a ton of damage. With the above attachments, the KSP will have very high accuracy and stability for an LMG as well.
1 Akimbo Shotgun Hacker
- Medic: Combat Medic, Quick Fix, Uppers, Inspire
- Controller: Forced Friendship, Confident, Joker, Partners In Crime, Hostage Taker
- Shotgunner: Underdog, Shotgun CQB, Shotgun Impact, Close By, Overkill
- Tank: Resilience, Die Hard, Bullseye, Shock And Awe
- Ammo Specialist: Scavenger
- Breacher: Hardware Expert
- Artful Dodger: Duck And Cover
- Silent Killer: Second Wind, Optical Illusions, Low Blow
- Gunslinger: Akimbo
- Revenant: Nine Lives
Shotguns have been meta in Payday 2 for some time. Specifically, the Goliath 12-gauge shotguns have been among the best options for a few years. *Unlike the Grimm shotgun, the Goliaths are extremely accurate weapons. They have more ammo and much better stability. Players will be able to concentrate fire better and deal more damage, but the Goliaths actually require skill to use. They may not be as easy to wield as the Grimm, but they are more effective when used correctly. Running these powerful guns akimbo as a hacker with the following skills is a foolproof way to dominate in Payday 2.
The key attachments for this 2021 build include the short barrel, shark teeth nozzle, and concealment mod. Any type of pistol will work as a secondary, but the Magnum is probably the best medium to long-range option in the class. The Magnum will complement the close-range akimbo shotguns and gamers will be unstoppable at all ranges. The Hacker skills will give players +20 health for every kill, rewarding aggressive tactics. Hackers can continuously push enemies without dying.