Starbreeze: Free content update announced for PAYDAY 3

PAYDAY 3 will receive its next update in November, which contains two free legacy heists and changes to the progression system. We welcome Starbreeze’s decision to provide players with free content to regain their trust and entice them to return to the game. It’s also encouraging to see Starbreeze address the players’ complaints regarding the progression system.

The update will reimagine two classic heists from PAYDAY 2, Cook Off and Turbid Station. The update also includes a new skill line, brand new first-person interaction animations, Infamy Points to heist payout, two new tracks from Gustavo Coutinho, and more than 200 additional bug fixes and improvements.

The update addresses the two main complaints players have brought up: too few heists and an unrewarding progression system. PAYDAY 3 was released with eight distinct heists (maps). Each heist takes 10 to 40 minutes and can be completed in different ways, creating replayability. However, eight heists can only go so far, and new content needs to be added periodically to keep players engaged. Providing two new free legacy heists is a good start. In addition to these heists, we also know that according to PAYDAY 3’s “road map,” the first DLC (downloadable content) is set to be released in winter 2023, with the second, third, and fourth ones released during 2024.

The criticism against PAYDAY 3’s progression system, which is used to unlock new weapons, masks, gadgets, and weapon accessories, was how infamy points (experience points) were gained. In PAYDAY 3, progress is primarily achieved by completing challenges rather than by completing the heists, such as in PAYDAY 2. This change led to complaints that the progression system did not feel rewarding and led to player fatigue. With the new update, players will once again earn infamy points for each completed heist. According to Starbreeze, the amount won’t be massive, but enough so that players will always make progress towards their next level.