Overview of the chllenges in Payday 3 for leveling.
General Tips
1) ALWAYS and I do mean ALWAYS use your toys.
There is a Challenge for using Armor Bags, there is one for using your Micro Cameras, and a few for using grenades. Basically, if you bring it there is a Challenge to use it. So every time you do a loud mission and don’t drop both your Micro Cameras, you are losing out on progress on a Challenge. Every time you stealth a bank without dropping your Medic bag, you are losing out on progress on a Challenge.
Get in the habit of using up your equipment before the mission ends. Drop micro cameras on loud, and mask up right before you leave on stealth to drop your Ammo bag. (Obviously don’t toss your nades on a stealth heist)
2) Mark EVERYTHING.
There are Challenges for marking cameras and guards. These only count each unique guard once per mission and the challenges require hundreds of guards and security cameras.
So once again, get in the habit of marking cameras and guards to keep up with those challenges (mark by default is middle mouse button)
3) Dealing with specials
There are challenges for breaking the glass on shields, shooting the grenade belt of Naders, shooting off the dozer face plates, and shooting the batteries on the belt of Zappers.
Some of these like the shields and Dozer might happen passively depending on how you play, its worth it to keep in mind shooting the belts of Naders and Zappers progress Challenges too. And every Challenge to do means more levels, so when you see a special it is better for your leveling progress to deal with them beyond just head shots.
Generic Map Challenges.
Here is the list of Generic Challenges that all maps share.
1) Loud (4)
Beat (Map Name) on (Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Overkill) after the Assault has started.
Note: Completing on higher difficulties seems to retroactively give lesser difficulties, but it was bugged for some of my friends so we had to do the difficulties one by one for certain people)
2) Silent (4 if the map can be stealthed)
Beat (Map Name) on (Normal, Hard, Very hard, Overkill) before the Assault has started.
3) Escape without being downed after the assault has started (any difficulty but only once).
4) Escape with the maximum amount of bags (any difficulty but only once).
5) Repeat offender Loud (4)
Beat (map Name) X times on Normal or higher difficulty after the Assault has started.
Beat (map Name) X times on Hard or higher difficulty after the Assault has started.
Beat (map Name) X times on Very Hard or higher difficulty after the Assault has started.
Beat (map Name) X times on Overkill or higher difficulty after the Assault has started.
6) Repeat offender Silent (4)
Beat (map Name) X times on Normal or higher difficulty before the Assault has started.
Beat (map Name) X times on Hard or higher difficulty before the Assault has Started.
Beat (map Name) X times on Very Hard or higher difficulty before the Assault has started.
Beat (map Name) X times on Overkill or higher difficulty before the Assault has started.
Note On repeat offender Challenges. Completing on harder difficulties also counts for lesser difficulties, but lesser difficulties require more per tier. For example, at tier 1 you need 15 normal, 10 on hard, and 5 on very hard. So 5 very hard missions will complete the Very Hard Challenge, but you’ll need 5 more Hard or better to get the Hard version.
No Rest for the Wicked.
1) Flee before the blockers come up again.
I know I said I wouldn’t walk through, but this one requires to trigger assault, lower bollards, wait for escape van, and have crew escape before the cops raise them again.
2) Tie up the bank manager before the objective where you need him.
Road Rage
1) Do not let the Armored Transport come to a halt during the escort
Dirty Ice
1) Successfully blackmail the manager in stealth on any difficulty
2) Access the Jewelry Workshop in under 5 minutes in stealth on Overkill difficulty.
3) In the Dirt Ice Heist, control the public showroom, take all its loot, and escape without tripping the alarm on Overkill difficulty.
Rock the Cradle
1) Before the assault has started, access the VIP area with a self-printed invitation and complete the heist in stealth.
2) Complete Nightclub in full stealth without raising any alarms.
3) Before the assault has started, access the VIP area without any VIP identification and complete the heist in stealth.
Under the Surphaze
1) Steal the centerpiece painting by Shanda Latrell in Under the Surphaze
2) Steal and extract the loot from all seven exhibition rooms, and complete the heist.
Gold and Sharke
1) In stealth, secure all the loot from the vault by using the staircases only (not the elevator).
99 Boxes
1) Complete the level in stealth without killing any guards or taking down the security camera operator on Overkill.
2) Secure both hi-tech devices at their maximum value.
3) complete the heist in under 12 minutes
Touch the Sky
1) Complete Touch the Sky in stealth without killing anyone on Overkill.
2) Complete all mandatory objectives in loud and open the panic room by taking Mason to the Iris scanner.
3) Kidnap Mason while he is talking on the phone, scan his iris, and complete the level in stealth without harming him.
Note about weapons.
1) Bring the weapon with a single mod.
2) Bring the weapon with a mod in every slot.
3) Get kills with the weapon (some require suppressor, some do not).
4) Get headshots (some require while aiming down sights, some do not).
With this in mind, when you are stealthing missions and don’t plan to use a weapon (maybe you are staying unmasked or you’ve got a silenced weapon in the other slot), this is perfect opportunity to level guns you don’t aim to use to get the weapon xp to put a mod in every slot.
Even if you are using quick xp missions like found in other guides, those missions are a great place to bring a modded weapon to get the challenge out of the way before putting the gun on the side burner.
Side arms can usually be finished quick, with all four slots usually requiring only a handful of levels. Meanwhile rifles have a lot of slots and can ask you to level them to the mid twenties just to get a mod in every slot.
And the headshot thing is just what you should be doing anyway, but it is nice that it double dips.
More Guides:
- PAYDAY 3: Stealth Guide & Tips
- PAYDAY 3: Laser Maze Solutions for Under The Surphaze
- PAYDAY 3: FPS Boost + Stuttering Mitigation + Force HDR
- PAYDAY 3: “Under the Surphaze” Safe Location
- PAYDAY 3: How to Increase FOV Beyond 90