PAYDAY 2: The Etiquette

Please take a few minutes to educate yourself on how to be a true gentleman when pulling heists.

1. How To Interact With Fellow Heisters

Players should treat one-another with the utmost respect and dignity. That being said, you should also listen to another heister's advice when it is given, and participate in chat discussion.

Here are some simple tips even a barbarian could understand.

• Avoid causing difficulty for your teammates by participating and staying near them.
  
• When asked a question in the text chat, answer in the text chat.
  
• Unless a teammate tells you otherwise or it jeopardizes your mission,always revive eachother.
  
• If you are kicked from a game, make an effort to understand why.
  
• If one person is interacting with something, nobody else has to. Too often will somebody begin to fix a drill or revive a teammate, only to have the rest of the team join in.

2. How To Be A Quality Host

Hosting a server in Payday 2 allows you some fantastic and wonderous powers. The most prominent of which is the ABILITY TO KICK PLAYERS. Unless you have a serious and pressing need to do so, do not kick players.

Why not, you ask? Here is a list:

• It's a jerk thing to do. Payday offers several filters that allow the host to control who can and cannot join his server. If the problem of unreliable teammates persist, there are thousands of other players to form a more permanent bandit squad with.
  
• It can cause other players to exit.
  
• If it is during a mission and depending on your lobby settings, that player will be replaced by an AI.
  
• You hosted because you wanted to choose the mission and be effective, not so you could ruin someone else's time.
  
• If you're waiting for a friend, change the game settings to "Friends Only." Leaving the lobby open and kicking people who enter is a waste of time for you and those trying to join.

I hope that furthered your understanding.

Along with the awesome power of the kick, one must also recognize the needs of those within the server. If someone joins the server directly before or during "Ukrainian Job" or "Nightclub," that player is likely looking to do speedruns. On the opposite end of the spectrum, someone joining you during "Mallcrashers" on the lowest difficulty is likely new or prefers easier missions. Knowing what the heisters in your server are looking to do will help you coordinate better with them during the mission.

That being said, there are some circumstances where preventative measures may be taken. If you are attempting a Death Wish mission and do not want non-Infamied players joining, it may be necessary to kick players. Do this sparingly, but it is a warranted action.

3. Gentlemanly Tactics

Now that you've joined a server or are hosting one, how should you act? What should you do? How do you coordinate with fellow soldiers of fortune? Here is a list of helpful advice:

• Pay attention. You should always know where the most dangerous police officers are and where they are entering.
  
• Mark your opponents. Marking a Bulldozer or a Shield Officer can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Knowing if a special enforcer is approaching is vital to your group's success. To mark a special enemy, look at them and press the "F" key.
  
• Don't get separated. Being in a position where you are too far away to be revived by any teammate if you are killed is the key way to tell if your team is too spread out.
  
• Communicate. Ignoring the chat is the best way to fail. Using the text chat is the best way to ensure your message is heard by all of your teammates. Only use voice chat if you are confident the other players can hear you.
  
• Don't take a risk your team doesn't know you're about to take. For example, if you are going to blow up the meth lab on the first stage of "Rats," make sure you teammates know and are prepared to vacate the house when you blow it up.
  
• Don't shoot for shooting's sake. You should only be eliminating enemies that are immediately threatening you or are forming outside nearby entrances.

Those are just the basic ways to coordinate with your team, and through gameplay I'm sure you will learn more.

4. Knowing When It's Too Risky

It's always a drag when you get so close to succeeding, but fail because you failed to weigh the risks. Identifying when you should cut your losses and leave and when you should stay and fight for the extra bag of jewelry can mean the difference between a Payday and rage.

• Are you in an assault wave? If the answer is "yes," which it probably is, then make sure your team is together and can make an escape on a moment's notice.
  
• Is someone downed? If a teammate is downed and you have all the requirements to make a successful escape and you are unsure if you can safely revive the teammate, do not attempt to rescue them.
  
• Are you the only one currently out of custody in a mission? Cut your losses. It's time to get out of there.

Knowing when and when not to escape is the key to your success on any Pro job.

5. Creating a Loadout

In order to create an effective loadout, one must know what is appropriate for their mission.

STEALTH RUN
If your team is attempting a stealth mission, it is best to make sure one of your teammates is using an ECM jammer and has considerable standing in the "Ghost" skill tree. Avoid using unsilenced weapons, heavy armors, and sentry guns.

SPEEDRUN
If your team is confident that you can complete the mission before your progress is slowed by the police, wear light to no armor. This will decrease the time it takes to perform actions and it increases your speed and stamina. Equip weapons that have a high damage rating, but are also extremely mobile. Make sure a minimum of one teammate has unlocked the ability to use C4 explosives. Some missions require you to both open a door and open a safe. If this is the case, make sure two people have C4 or one person has unlocked the perk to use the ECM jammer to open doors and one person has C4.

HEAVY OPPOSITION
If your team is on a heavy opposition mission where you have little control over the time the mission will take and where your escape will be, you should wear your heaviest armor and have weapons with a high amount of carried ammo. Ensure that your team has two deployable ammo bags and one medical bag. Tripmines can help you hold a position, but it is recommended that you bring a sentry gun or an ammo bag instead.

STANDARD HEIST
On a mission where none of the above apply, bring moderate to heavy armor and a high-damage primary with a silenced secondary. Use your silenced secondary to eliminate as many enemies as you can until you are spotted. Doing so can prolong the amount of time your team has before the Assault Wave begins.

Use Crew Setup!
It is absolutely vital that you see what each member of your group will be bringing onto the mission. If it is necessary, your teammates can make adjustments to better equip themselves for the mission.

6. New Players

If you are a new player, or you are going to be on a mission with new players, do not fret! Follow these simple rules to help new players or learn from veterans!

IF YOU ARE NEW

• Follow someone else's lead.
  
• Always stay near a senior player, and listen to their advice.
  
• Stick to the plan!
  
• Death Wish is not for you. If you are not extremely comfortable playing this game, practice on the lower difficulties.

IF YOU ARE A SEASONED PLAYER

• Don't kick new players! If you don't want newer players, modify the game settings.
  
• Provide helpful advice.
  
• Don't be angry if someone makes a mistake!. These messups, while they can end the mission, are the only way to keep the game interesting.
  
• Give a detailed explanation of what you plan to do on the mission, even if it is simple.
  
• If the mission fails because of a newer player, DO NOT insult them. They already know it was their fault and are already prepared to do something differently.

All in all, just be polite and respect your teammates regardless of their experience level.

[SirArthurYeetcannon]

I am infamy 59 with 8 years of pd2 experience, if any new players wanna hit me up to learn the ropes im more than willing to help.

[shrieking freaker]

a true legend if i ever saw one

[bacon man]

i read this all in a fancy British voice, as it should be read

[Sanya the Skelet]

"If you are kicked from a game, make an effort to understand why."

i guess so many players don't know anything about how to be a quality host

[airi]

even in 2021, this guide really does show the true payday 2 etiquette.

[Drusiton]

Also, I don't have to worry that my perfect stealth plan will be ruined, because prompts exist now.

[Drusiton]

A shame that we have this guide, seems many hosts get too worked up over a game or a simple mistake. I usually like it when a noob joins my game, because I get to teach them the basics and I end up learning new things as I teach.

[waste of my time]

+rep

[Krieg]

Rule number 1 of being a host, you get to do whatever the fuck you want.

[2tru3]

Biggest cancer filled gaming community preaching on etiquete... LOL!!!