PAYDAY 3 started off on a rough note for me, but I’ve seen some significant improvements that have made it a more enjoyable experience. At launch, the game was plagued with issues—unstable servers, a frustrating progression system, and a host of bugs that made it almost unplayable. Thankfully, the developers have been hard at work addressing these problems.

The recent updates have made a huge difference. The progression system has been reworked, so now I can unlock content more naturally by completing heists and securing loot, rather than grinding through a checklist. The server issues are resolved, and the option to play solo with bots has been a lifesaver, allowing me to enjoy the game without relying on online matchmaking.

The gunplay feels more refined and satisfying compared to PAYDAY 2. The game’s soundtrack is excellent, and the visuals are top-notch, adding to the overall heisting experience. However, I’ve found that the stealth mechanics can still be hit-or-miss. The AI can be unpredictable, making stealth attempts occasionally frustrating. I’ve enjoyed the game most when I can approach heists in various ways, rather than being forced into stealth.

One major downside I’ve encountered is the limited content available. After finishing the initial heists, I was disappointed to find that much of the new content is locked behind additional paywalls. Having paid full price for the game, it feels a bit frustrating to have to spend more for basic content.

Despite these issues, I think PAYDAY 3 is on the right track. The core mechanics are solid, and the ongoing updates and improvements are promising. If you’re a fan of heist games or enjoyed PAYDAY 2, you might find PAYDAY 3 worth picking up, especially if you can catch it on sale. With continued support and additional content, I believe it has the potential to meet, and maybe even exceed, the expectations set by its predecessor.

I believe that firmly, objectively, Payday 3's armor changes are the worst design decision Starbreeze made when developing this game. I can forgive the confusing perk system; I can ignore the absolute push-over that specials have become; I can even understand why they chose to make this game more "serious" than Payday 2.

But I cannot, for the life of me, even begin to understand what made them think these changes to armor were necessary.

It goes without saying that the Payday 2 armor system was good. It was a second healthbar that allowed you go toe to toe with cops for as long as it lasted, but if you over-extended, you took damage to your actual healthbar which could not naturally regenerate unless you invested in a build entirely around regenerating health.

Armor in Payday 3 also functions as a second healthbar, absorbing 100% of damage until it breaks. The issue is there is no natural regeneration beyond chunk healing, which barely heals anything unless you use the vest that's ENTIRE GIMMICK surrounds around self-repairing. And even then, that does not help. Because unlike in Payday 2, once armor is fully depleted, it does not regenerate AT ALL. You lose all of your armor unless you get a pickup from a locker in a security station OR from an armor kit.

That then leads into another issue with armor not regenerating at all: You are crippling yourself unless you use an armor kit and invest in a tank build. And the worst part, the absolute worst part, is that plates do not even fully repair most vests. You have to grab multiple plates just to fully repair the MEDIUM vest. This then leads into you draining your entire armor kit as soon as you've placed it considering we all know how absurd higher difficulty Payday is. But then, what happens when that armor kit is out? You better hope your teammates also have realized armor kits are necessary, and God help you if you're playing solo.

Now, you may ask, "Sohan, all of this just sounds like a non-issue if you just play smart and wait in cover!", and to that, I say: Yes, yes it's a bit of a non-issue if you just play smart and wait in cover. The problem is I have a heavy vest. I should be able to go out there, fight cops, then do the objective. You know what happens when I go out there and fight cops? I get PUNISHED for it. As I've said before, in Payday 2 armor allows you to fight cops for as long as it lasts, then forces you to get into cover while it regenerates or else you take health damage. In Payday 3, if I go out there and fight cops, I take permanent damage to my armor which NEVER regenerates to a meaningful degree. I am punished for playing the video game.

I think it says a lot when the lead balance director for this game hasn't even played Payday. What an actual joke.

1500+ hours and 95% achievement rating in Payday 2. As of writing, I've accumulated less than 10 hours since the launch of the game. I actually went back to playing PD:TH (Payday 1) instead. I'm having a blast.

As for Payday 3... I don't know how we got here. This is a mess. A tragedy. An *actual* crime to charge anything near retail for this experience. Honestly, the gameplay is *survivable*, but until the main menu doesn't feel like some freshman college student learning Unity and submitting his second project ever, I am just out of here. The atmosphere is gone. The passion is dead. Whatever enjoyment as the consumer you can have for the Payday franchise stops with the story of PD2.

You jumped the shark with the PD2 "secret" ending. What did you expect by trying to retcon said shark jump and deliver... not even a half baked, but quarter baked product? Like I said earlier, I have gone back to PD:TH. I enjoy the punishing mechanics of OVK and OVK145+, so no, I don't need insane power creep from PD2 to keep me happy. Nor did I even need you to not retcon the story; but you can't have both a tech demo as a game and also take away the lead that we are jumping from to come over to this new world of PD3. There is just no love here, so why give any love back? Quite frankly, I feel betrayed looking at the release of this game. People compare this launch to PD2 and say "Payday 2 was a mess at launch too." ...but we've not even come CLOSE. The gameplay loop feels pointless and I felt no incentive to replay and follow any sense of progression. I actually opened PD2 just an hour ago and spent my EXP to go infamous just to feel SOMETHING, and then went back to PD3 to sober my expectations. I regret that. I'd probably have not spent 20 minutes writing this if I had not done that.

♥♥♥♥.

So I say to our beloved game development team (and at this point, business development team), if you want to do everyone right, remove the game from the store. What are you spending to keep this "game as a service" online each month, for 600 players? This game needs it's own "realm reborn" moment, and right now, trickling content updates and dead ARGs are not going to cut it. You are wasting man hours. I'd rather see operation Medic Bag have been a "we are going dark for the next 16 months" than what this turned out to be.

Anyhow, I'm done here.
TLDR; Donacdum.