Payday 2: Career Mode+ Guide

This guide provides a complete narrative experience and a comprehensive play order designed to complement the game's default Career Mode.

Introduction + Background

WHAT THIS GUIDE IS:
This guide provides a complete narrative experience and a comprehensive play order designed to complement the game's default Career Mode. It is designed for playing through the story with new players.

While I was reviewing Payday 2's Career Mode ahead of introducing 3 new friends to the game's story, I found it had quite a few inconsistencies, plot holes and forgotten heists. It also didn't really integrate Payday's other multi-media storytelling, like the beloved live-action trailers. Payday 2's plot is a ton of fun, but relied on being dripfed via live-service and speculated over by the community. This is where my guide comes in. It adds additional heists not otherwise integrated into the Career Mode plot (E.G. Shadow Raid, which canonically happens before Meltdown, is not featured in Career Mode), includes the wonderful golden-age-Payday live action trailers such as the Dentist introduction, and buffs out the list with character introductions, context, notes, etc. All of this is with the intention of recapturing the feeling of watching the story unfold as it was released and sharing that with friends.

WHAT THIS GUIDE IS NOT:
This is not a Payday timeline. This has been done far better than I could by Strider and Lemushki, whose guide you should visit and thumbs-up.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=901700279
With this in mind, this guide differs from most accepted fan-chronologies by a bit, as it is intended, for better or worse, to follow the "official" order as closely as possible - warts & all.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE:
This guide is intended to be used alongside the in-game Career Mode while playing with new players. I personally shepherded 3 players through the plot of the game using this guide as a means of making sure the entire story was communicated. The only context they were provided ahead of the experience was that, 'After Payday: the Heist, Hoxton was caught and Dallas' brother Houston took his place.'

This guide is intended to be used with a companion Google Sheet checklist.[docs.google.com]

If you like it, feel free to duplicate it to your own Google Drive and check it off as you proceed. The checklist will visually update as you complete it.




This has been a solo project, and if you see something you think is a mistake, let me know. I would love to make this guide better.

The format of this Steam guide will be delineating each of the Career Mode stages as they are in-game, then documenting additional heists, multi-media story moments and optional objectives that might be worth completing before moving on.

It will also track heisters as they join the Payday Gang chronologically. However, when viewed chronologically, heisters mostly join in the latter half of the plot as told by Career Mode, so I didn't personally track this during our playthrough as it would be stale for my friends to not be able to try out and learn about characters for the first two-dozen hours of gameplay. I kept the information in case someone else wanted to try it, though. Mileage may vary.

Final note: A few of the Career Mode stages require clearing the heist on Hard or higher to progress, but the majority require Very Hard or higher. For this reason, you should really just be playing on Very Hard from the beginning - given Payday's kind of odd difficulty hierarchy, "Very Hard" is more akin to medium in any other game, anyway.

With this introduction out of the way, let's get started with the first Career Mode stage: #1. The Basics.

Ch.1 - Just Getting Started | #1-#7

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#1: The Basics

"This shouldn't be too hard. Don't worry, I got your back and will talk you through it. Gives me a chance to make sure you're still up for this life."
—Bain

Complete The Tutorial Heists - Loud or reach reputation level 10.

No additional notes needed.

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#2: Getting Ready

"Okay, so this might just work out. Preparation is important though. You're a professional. You need the right gear for the job. Okay, there may not be much in the cupboard right now, but as you keep pulling off heists, get notorious, we'll get those racks and cabinets filled with all the right gear."
—Bain

Go to your inventory and equip a deployable, a perk from any perk deck and also spend five skill points.

No additional notes needed.

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#3: Let's Make Some Money

"Okay. The Fed's have nothing on you. You've got the mask. You've got the guns. But have you got what it takes to make the Payday Gang the stuff of legends? Well, it's time to find out. DC's got branch banks and jewellery stores all over. Been a long while since any of them were knocked over. Too long. Let's get rich."
—Bain

Complete the Jewelry Store heist and any of the Bank Heists.

Note:

Make sure to use the Start Level button next to Bank Heist on the Career Mode briefing to get the contract. I've had trouble getting the game to award objective completion when selecting the heist from the Crime.net contract broker.

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#4: Fortune & Glory

"Great work. This means you're starting to get notorious. And, at the end of the day, notoriety is your life-blood. Money can be stolen, see. Gold can come and go. But notoriety - that's what you're really worth. So let's get some more."
—Bain

Complete the Go Bank and Diamond Store heists.

No additional notes needed.

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#5: Time to Show Off

"Outstanding. People are starting to hear about the Payday Gang. I told you notoriety matters. You need it to get the real big scores. And the people who supply those scores are watching. They're waiting to see what you can do. I think I have just the jobs to do that."
—Bain

Complete at least three Transport heists.
Complete the Transport: Train Heist and steal the turret prototype.
Train counts towards the 3 transport heists counter.

Note:

I personally recommend doing Transport: Underpass, Transport: Harbor, and then Transport: Train.
Transport: Park and Transport: Downtown are a bit more frustrating in terms of open level design, with Transport: Crossroads being the hardest in this respect. Transport: Train should be your the third heist no matter what, as your first two Transport heists will likely feature blueprints as a loot item that are referenced in the dialogue of Transport: Train.

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#6: Moving Up in the World

"OK, I told you before that people are watching you, One guy in particular has an interest in you. I might have something big coming up with this new contact, but the job he has in mind will be difficult and you have to get ready for it. Come back when you've prepped a bit more and I will set you up."
—Bain

Reach reputation level 25 or complete The Tutorial Heists - Stealth.

No additional notes needed.

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#7: International Connections

"You proved you have what it takes to get in, get loud and get the job done. That brings contacts our way. Here's our first - Vlad Kozak. Vlad's crazy. Even for someone spat from the Russian mobscene, this big guy stands apart, Well, he likes your work. We'll see if that's a good thing. But before he lets you into bed with him, you're going to have to do a little grunt work."
—Bain

Complete the Mallcrasher and Four Stores heists on hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

Ch.1 - Just Getting Started | #7-#15

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#8: Personal Favors

"Vlad's happy, and, trust me, we want to keep that guy smiling. He's so happy, in fact, he's got a couple of jobs for you that're a little bit personal. Do these for him, he says, and we're gonna be his top guys. Can't hurt to do the big guy a couple of little favors, can it?"
—Bain

Complete the White Xmas and Ukrainian Job heists on hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

Note:

You should complete the Stealth-only heist Shadow Raid before continuing to #9. It canonically happens before Meltdown, and the objectives you complete in Shadow Raid are mentioned in Bain's chatter during Meltdown.

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#9: Duck & Cover

"Okay, Vlad - well, he likes how you do things. Says he's got a job for you. Something special. Something big. He wants you to boost 'something' from that Murkywater warehouse you hit for Gage, you remember that? Vlad is pitching against the Murkies. Something like that can only end in trouble for everyone. So make sure you hit it hard and fast."
—Bain

Complete the Meltdown heist on hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#10: Highway Incident

"Nuclear warheads in the hands of a mobster? Don't ask. Vlad's ready to help you step up. Says he can help you get in touch with the cartels, but the Fed's are combing the streets looking for those missing warheads. Well, let them pull DC apart looking for you. Vlad has another job, and this one is urgent. Get to LA - fast."
—Bain

Complete the Aftershock heist on hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#11: Paying Rent

"Before Vlad hands over any of that powder, he needs a little insurance. The name of the Payday Gang means something new. Having us flex a little muscle shows his rivals how far he's come. He's a pain in the ass, I know, but after this he'll be ready to introduce you to his cartel, so it's worth it."
—Bain

Complete the Nightclub and Stealing Xmas heists on hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#12: Honest Work

"Vlad has hooked us up with a contact in the cartel - Hector Morales. Not quite ready to let us in with their action, not until we prove ourselves. We need to build our notoriety. So time to get a few jobs under our belts. Enough to get your names on the lips of every cop and politician in DC. That should do it."
—Bain

Reach reputation level 50.

Note:

It's unlikely, but if you aren't reputation level 50 by now, you should probably crank up the difficulty on your heists moving forward to get more XP and keep up with the difficulty curve. In the meantime, there's a few silly Halloween heists you could do, as they don't fit anywhere in the plot. Or, you could go back and finish the other three Transport heists you skipped previously.

Transport: Park
Transport: Downtown
Transport: Crossroads

Safehouse Nightmare
Lab Rats (Endless heist)
Cursed Kill Room
Prison Nightmare (Widely regarded as the best Halloween heist)

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#13: Promotion

"Hector's ready to work with us. He's looking to move a big shipment of coke to the docks. A very big shipment. Wants us riding in the truck with the product. I'm guessing this amount of blow is going to see Hector move up the ranks in the cartel. Good opportunity for us to move with him."
—Bain

Complete the Watchdogs heist on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#14: The Price You Pay

"The Feds were waiting for us! Someone, inside or outside the crew, but someone close to us, is a rat. We'll figure out who it was, but until then we stay professional. Hector wants us on another job, sticking it to his rivals - the Mendoza cartel. Let's do this. Maybe it will draw the traitor out."
—Bain

Complete the Firestarter job on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#15: Payment Due

"Hector's got a plan for finishing off the Mendozas, who we reckon are being moved out of the country. Part of that plan is getting info off another gang, the Cobras, but they don't want money - they want meth. Hector won't use his own people for this, so we're going to see the deal goes down. This could be what puts Hector top of the pile, so it's worth our time."
—Bain

Complete the Rats job in Very hard or higher.

Note:

After this heist is completed, Cook-Off is available. Cook-Off is an endless meth-cooking heist, based on the meth-cooking operation in Rats. While not providing anything to the story, it would make a good fundraising heist if your party is low on spending money.

Ch.2 - Kings of Crime.net | #16-23

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#16: Power Play

"All right, we got a new contact. A politician, calling himself The Elephant. Job is a bit of industrial sabotage. Some hot-shot scientist has figured out cold fusion. Sort of technology that will make the oil companies as dead as disco. And the "Powers That Be" have a lot of money in those companies, so The Elephant and his friends want to make sure this technology gets buried. Fine by me."
—Bain

Complete the Big Oil job on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#17: Pieces Off the Board

"Getting that fusion engine off the scene will make The Elephant happy. And a happy Elephant is an Elephant that pays. He's so happy he has something else for us. The Elephant's next play is having us take out one of his opponents. So that's what we do."
—Bain

Complete the Framing Frame job on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#18: The Crooks and the Crooked

"The Elephant is more of a back-room power broker. Works through pawns he gets into position, and that is what he wants us to do now. He's got a man - Bob McKendrick - in the running to be DC's mayor. The Elephant wants to make sure his man wins that race."
—Bain

Complete the Election Day job on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

---

Note:

Before starting #19, enjoy The Dentist Trailer.

What an amazing time to be a Payday fan.

#19: Big Time

"I don't like it when people are trying to force our hands but this guy, The Dentist, has the means to get our associate back. If we want to be able to break Hoxton out of prison we have to play along with The Dentist's little plans. Although "little" is truly the wrong word here. The first job he "so kindly" asks us to do might be the biggest job we've done yet. He wants us to prove ourselves with the ultimate bank heist - the Benevolent Bank. It's never been successfully hit. If we pull this off, he says he'll help us get a chance to get Hoxton back. But not for free, I guess we'll hear more from him after the job."
—Bain

Complete the Big Bank heist on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #20, enjoy both trailers for the next heist from the Dentist - Hotline Miami.

Jacket is recruited to the Payday Gang in preparation for the Hotline Miami heist.

#20: Takedown Tango

"The Dentist has a job for us, something big, but before that we need to get Hoxton back - he's in maximum security. Getting to him means getting to the District Attorney. Problem is he's being protected by a sack of Russian crap, calling himself The Commissar. Solution? Remove The Commissar. Wet work isn't usually our style but...well, exceptions can be made."
—Bain

Complete the Hotline Miami heist on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #21, enjoy the trailer for the next heist from The Dentist - Hoxton Breakout.

#21: Free Bird

"Killing The Commissar means The Dentist can get to the DA. And that opens things up for us in the field of maximum security prison transfers. Of course, there's only one guy inside that we care about - our old friend Hoxton. He's a high-value, maximum security prisoner for the Feds. Putting pressure on the DA means we can get Hoxton into position for a break-out. So that's exactly what we're going to do."
—Bain

Complete the Hoxton Breakout job in Very Hard or higher.

Hoxton, of course, re-joins the Payday Gang after this heist.

Hoxton is joined by Bonnie, who has information vital to rooting out the rat.

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#22: Bullets in the Safe House

"Hoxton used his time on the inside well. He wasn't even out of his prison pyjamas before busting in the FBI headquarters and getting everything he could about the rat. No name - the Feds are too canny for that - but the location of the safehouse where the rat is being held. Time to finish this."
—Bain

Complete the Hoxton Revenge heist on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #23, enjoy the trailer that introduces a new heister, Clover, and sheds light on The Dentist's master plan: Something involving The Diamond.

Clover is recruited to the Payday Gang in preparation for The Diamond heist.

#23: Some Things Are Forever

"Hector, that rat, is in the ground. Now, The Dentist is setting us after something special. He's not saying what it is just yet. First things first, though. There's a Diamond at the McKendrick Museum - THE Diamond. It's a valuable rock, and we're after it. The Dentist needs this diamond for something big, really big and we want a piece of it, so lets get get over to the Museum and grab that stone."
—Bain

Complete The Diamond heist on very hard or higher.

Note:

(Not to be confused with "Diamond Heist")

Ch.2 - Kings of Crime.Net | #24-#32

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Note:

Before continuing to #24, please enjoy the culmination of the combined efforts of the Payday Gang and The Dentist - The Golden Grin Casino heist, and the Sokol character trailer.

Sokol is recruited to the Payday Gang in preparation for the Golden Grin Casino heist.

#24: A Gamble

"The Diamond might be worth a King's ransom, but to The Dentist it's just a tool. Well, part of a tool, to be precise. Seems his real prize is stored in one of the world's toughest vaults - the Golden Grin Casino. We may be able to sneak it out of there, but if things get loud we need a plan B. That's why we're bringing in Sokol. He's designed a drill - the biggest ever, with The Diamond on the tip. Pack your bags - we're going to Vegas."
—Bain

Complete the Golden Grin Casino heist on very hard or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #25, enjoy the Bomb Heists trailer.

Dragan is recruited to the Payday Gang in preparation for the Bomb heists.

#25: A New Friend

"After the Golden Grin, the Payday Gang is known from DC to LA and all points between. But it looks like you're getting an international reputation too. Got a call from The Butcher. A Croatian arms dealer, looking to make it in America. And who are we to stand in the way of someone following the American dream?"
—Bain

Complete either The Bomb: Dockyard or The Bomb: Forest on very hard or higher.

Note:

The Bomb: Forest is widely disliked relative to The Bomb: Dockyard. I personally recommend doing The Bomb: Dockyard.

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#26: Shipping Fees

"Looks like The Butcher's burgeoning international operations hit something of a snag. The Sosa cartel have been interferring with her shipments. We made a little Balkan friend. Let's keep her that way."
—Bain

Complete the Scarface Mansion heist on very hard or higher.

Note:

After this, Scarface joins the Payday Gang as thanks for clearing the Scarface Mansion of Sosa cartel members.

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#20: What We Do Best

"You've come a long way, but don't think for a moment that this is the end. It isn't. You've made the Payday Gang the most wanted gang in the land. Keep it up. Get out there. Rob some banks. Pull off some heists. Do what you do best."
—Bain

Gain 20 Crime Spree levels.

Note:

This is kind of filler/padding in the Career Mode, but its unfortunately not skippable.
For information on Crime Sprees, see the fan-wiki article.[payday.fandom.com]

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#28: Back From Vacation

"Now that we have our fill of suntans and Tequila Sunrises, it's time to start planning for something juicy again. I got something in mind, but to set it up, we need some help, and the help I have in mind will take some convincing. So we gotta do something to impress them. I've got a couple sweet options for you to pick from..."
—Bain

Complete either The Alesso Heist or the Counterfeit heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

Note:

Both of these heists are great. You should really, really do both of them before continuing.

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#29: Secrets & Gold

"OK, so I've been looking at this one for a while, but needed to be sure we were ready for it. The First World Bank. Old, established, full of secrets and gold, all there for the taking. We're already famous, but this one will get us into the history books."
—Bain

Complete the First World Bank heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #30, enjoy the Hardcore Henry Packs trailer.

Jimmy joins the Payday Gang to assist with his own upcoming heists.

#30: Don't Wake the Bear

"You gotta wonder how some characters survive this business, but I try to keep an open mind. Anyway, this guy Jimmy wants to work with us, says he has big job lined up. I did some checking and, crazy or not, the grapevine says he's OK, so it might be worth the risk. We better be sure though, because the job involves going up against notorious Russian psycho "Akan". Not to be messed with lightly, from what I've heard. First thing Jimmy wants us to do is intercept a Murkywater transport of... get this- an EMP bomb! Says we're gonna need it for the next phase."
—Bain

Complete the Murky Station heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#31: Moscow Mule

"This whole 'stopping evil psychos' thing is a little out of our comfort zone, but Jimmy is pretty convincing. Maybe we should see this one through. Only thing is... uh... we gotta go to Russia. There's a cache of high-tech data Jimmy wants us to steal, so that Akan doesn't get his hands on it. He's pretty riled up about it. But even if we take Jimmy at his word, and doing this will be kind of a public service, we can probably squeeze a nice bit of profit from it too. And hey, it'll be a change of pace, right? I hear Siberia is nice this time of year..."
—Bain

Complete the Boiling Point heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

---

Note:

Prior to the upcoming heists, Sydney intervenes on a standard Bank Heist job to grab a bag of money for herself. Bain, impressed by her tenacity, extends a warm invitation to the Payday Gang.

It's a little difficult to place Sydney's exact introduction into Career Mode, but this is about when it happened in real life. This footnote + trailer will explain her otherwise inexplicable appearance in later storybeats.

#32: Animal Farm

"Yeah... it feels like everyone is asking for help from the Payday gang now. Vlad wants us to help out his cousin, who somehow got wind of our adventure in the Motherland. He's been good for us so far, so if you're up for it, why not hear what he has to say? Or of you're in the mood for something more... greasy, he also mentioned a warehouse full of bikers that need to be shown the way to some holiday cheer. Up to you, guys."
—Bain

Complete either the Goat Simulator heist or the Santa's Workshop heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

Note:

In my opinion, Goat Simulator is a ton of fun. Santa's Workshop is... fine. I'd always air on the side of doing both here, but if you really wanna skip one, make sure it's Santa's Workshop.

Ch.3 - Endgame | #33-#43

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#33: That New Car Smell

"I usually don't like dealing with anonymous outfits, but a request has been made through the grapevine for an order of Falcogini automobiles, and the payday is substantial, worth looking into. There weren't any specifics, so we can do it on our terms. Might be a ticket to higher gains down the road. There are a lot of cops near the Falcogini dealership though, and we gotta get the cars out clean, so no storm of bullets, OK?"
—Bain

Complete the Car Shop heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes are needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #34, enjoy the Biker Packs trailer.

Biker is recruited to the Payday Gang in preparation for the Biker Heist.

#34: Chrome, Rubber & Tattoos

"Our old friend The Elephant has brought us a new prospect- a member of a local biker gang. He's a real hard-ass this one, good to have around in a fight. Before he joins up permanently though, he's asked for our help in leaving his gang. Apparently, they don't take kindly to members wanting out. I say we do- it's an investment, and good karma for us. Rust also mentioned a piece of technology in the gang's possession that I could use..."
—Bain

Complete the Biker Heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#35: Heavy Lift

"Looks like our new heister is settling in. Rust still has contacts around the city and got an interesting tip for us. There's a run-down building being used by a local gang that has a panic room filled with loot. Apparently, the room is virtually break-in proof without damaging the contents, but I've got another idea. I think you're going to have some fun with this one guys."
—Bain

Complete the Panic Room heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #36, enjoy the John Wick introduction trailer.

John Wick is recruited to the Payday Gang in preparation for jobs with the Continental.

#36: The New York Situation

"Hey gang. I got a job for you from The Continental. Turns out they were the ones that took delivery of the Falcoginis, and have been wanting to work with us for a while. Their guy Charon is in deep ♥♥♥♥ in N.Y.C., needs to be pulled out of a situation. A mutual friend of him and Chains- John Wick, made the introductions. I got someone else I need to meet there too, that will help us in the future. So, let's get to The Big Apple."
—Bain

Complete the Brooklyn 10-10 heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#37: Money in the Water

"Mayor McKendrick has been a rusty nail in our asses long enough. Time for us to give him some payback. And it's gonna be the kind politicians hate- loss of money. Wick got a tip from Charon about a big fundraiser the Mayor is holding and we're going to crash the place, but quiet-like."
—Bain

Complete the Yacht Heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#38: Clowns, Death and Tax Returns

""The taxman cometh", they say. Very profound. What say we make it the other way around? Got us a nice thank-you-tip from the Continental. There's this IRS guy, a real dirtbag, about to sell a hard drive containing very sensitive information worth millions to some corporate slime-balls. If we intercept the deal, we can take that little mint away from them and keep it for ourselves. It'll be like our own version of Robin Hood, stickin' it to The Man to feed all us needy heisters."
—Bain

Complete the Undercover heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#39: Convoy of Bricks

"I've been trying to find more ways to cash in on Murkywater. They have tentacles spread all over the place, and have an uncanny way of turning up where you least expect it. There's definitely more to them than what we've seen. They've got a supply line running through D.C. I've been looking at, and it finally looks like something worth our while is coming through."
—Bain

Complete the Slaughterhouse heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #40, enjoy the Bodhi debriefing trailer.

Bodhi is introduced to the Payday Gang by Murkywater's agent, Locke, in preparation for the Point Break Heists.

#40: Cat Bites Dog

"Sometimes fate shows you where your biggest problems are. Keeps you from getting over-confident. Looks like Murkywater got tired of us taking from them and are after revenge. A Murky agent just hacked into Crimenet- says he can shut us down permanently, and I believe him. But he also says he wants to work with us, AGAINST Murkywater. Damn way to say hello, huh? Who knows what this guy really wants, but until we know more about him, we should play along. Make the best of the situation and get some profit out of it. But don't let your guard down for a minute."
—Bain

Complete the Beneath the Mountain heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#41: Birth of Sky

"Well, how about that. The mountain job turned out pretty nice, under the circumstances. Hope you guys are up for a plane ride. Locke has another job he wants "help" with, onboard a Murkywater cargo plane. He seems hell-bent on pissing all over their operation, which is fine by me. Just keep watching for anything suspicious, 'cause I'm still not convinced he isn't waiting to stick a knife in our back."
—Bain

Complete the Birth of Sky heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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Note:

Before continuing to #42, enjoy the Jiro character trailer.

Jiro joins the Payday Gang hoping to find his lost son, Kento. In the meantime, his experience as a yakuza provides a valuable toolset, and a means to stay afloat with the Gang.

#42: Damage Control

"Still not really sure what to make of this guy, but Locke seems on the up an'up. If nothing else, the way he's been moving against Murkywater, it would be suicide to double-cross us too. And hasn't let us down so far. Says he has info about people that are trying to bring us down. Obviously, we're not gonna give them the chance..."
—Bain

Complete the Heat Street heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#43: Bridge Busters

"Gang, after a little not-so-friendly persuasion, we got us a lead on Kento. A guy by the name of Kazuo supposedly has some info for us, with one little snag; he's rattling bars at D.C. Central. Lucky for you, I've arranged a transfer, so all we gotta do is make sure to grab him when it happens. This one is gonna get really loud, and I don't think we'll be too popular with the D.D.O.T. afterward, 'cause they're gonna be fixing more than potholes- we're taking down a bridge!"
—Bain

Complete the Green Bridge heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

Note:

Sangres is introduced after this heist to the Payday Gang.

Ch.3 - Endgame | #44-#52

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#44: Polar Safari

"Time for a little trip up north, guys. Locke has set up a sweet weapons deal with the Butcher, but he needs some extra protection. The deal is going down in a remote Alaskan port, so pack your thermal undies. You'll be traveling incognito, so I've got train tickets booked for you."
—Bain

Complete the Alaskan Deal heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

---

#45: Carbon Payback

"Looks like Locke took us for a bunch of chumps in Alaska and the Butcher is pissed. After what he pulled, we need to show him what happens when you mess with us. Locke has gone dark for the moment, but he's got investments in the Garnet group. If we put a big dent in their finances, it's gonna hurt Locke too, so I've got a little job for you that'll do just that."
—Bain

Complete the Diamond Heist heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

Note:

(Not to be confused with "Diamond Heist")

Duke joins the Payday Gang, having been recruited by Bain for his extensive research on and work with historic artifacts and artwork.

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#46: Black Suit Blues

"Hey gang, I think you guys need a break from D.C. and I've got something real old-school lined up for you. An old friend of mine in the Cabot family, out in La La Land, needs some extra people. It's another job against the Garnet group, which means... more diamonds. I owe this guy a favor from way back, so I need you to get out there and help him. And the Payday's good, anyway. Show those Hollywood cosmo-drinkers how the pro's from D.C. handle things. It should be a cakewalk."
—Bain

Complete the Reservoir Dogs Heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

Note:

A story moment happens in the end of this heist via Bain's comms system. You may need to draw attention to it, so that players with you don't lack context for the upcoming change-of-hands in contractor from Bain to Locke.

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#47: Old Town, New Captain

"Friends, I promise I will see you to the end of this, yeah? Bain has been secretly searching for some kind of Holy Grail Dinges for along time and I am committed to help. He may be gone, but the search will continue. Duke has managed to start uncovering a lot of new leads on it, digging through volumes of ancient lore. Before he got taken, Bain set up a plan to find an artifact buried in the foundation of a bank in Brooklyn. This artifact was put there in the early 1900s and may contain clues we need."
—Locke

Complete the Brooklyn Bank heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

Note:

If you intend to complete the Secret / Good Ending, you will need to complete this on Overkill difficulty.

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#48: Garrett's Foil

"If we believe his message, Bain is truly dead. And the Elephant has been arrested. According to Garrett's email logs, The people behind Bain's capture are called The Kataru; they seem to be some kind of ancient and secret society that uses Murkywater as a front. They are offering to trade Bain's body to Garrett in return for some object connected to Bain's grail-thing, which Duke says is called Baldwin's Lament, or something. So if we're going to finish what Bain started and find this thing, whatever it is, we need that object. And it would be fitting payback to put that chop in a kakspul of trouble, yeah?"
—Locke

Complete the Breakin' Feds heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#49: There's Something in the Desert

"Dear friends, I knew I had seen something like the Elephant box before, and remembered a visit I once paid to a secret Murkywater storage and research facility out in the desert. This place is basically the heart of Murky, full of insane projects, and what little I saw made me begin to question how much longer I wanted to work with those dwankies. I had a friend help me hack into the security feed and we've managed to find out that they are in fact holding two almost identical cases. Duke is pretty sure the Kataru were trying to gather them for some reason connected to Baldwin's Lament."
—Locke

Complete the Henry's Rock heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

Note:

Joy is introduced to the Payday Gang by Locke - He believes her cybersecurity skills will prove very valuable in the upcoming heists.

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#50: The Lost Recovered

"The Elephant, now released from lockup after being falsely charged by that chop Garrett with fake Kataru evidence, is looking for some payback. Looks like he's going to help us find Baldwins Lament, and Bain too. He's tipped us about an auction taking place in Salem, Massachusetts where they're offering items from a shipwreck recently discovered in Antarctica. According to the notes and research left by Duke's grandfather, one of the passengers was somehow involved with the Kataru. This passenger was apparently traveling to an unknown location and hoped to divert the course of the ship when it dissappeared in 1905. Something he carried with him is apparently important, and you know... an auction with lots of nice, juicy antiques might just boost our coffers a bit, yeah?"
—Locke

Complete the Shacklethorne Auction heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#51: Lazarus Down

"OK, here we go. Those Kataru dwankies have had their nasty paws on our Bain for faw too long. With information provided by the Elephant, I have managed to find where Bain is being kept. Murkywater has many facilities and this is one of the worst- a run-down prison they bought from the US miitary in the 70s, located on a small island with a lighthouse. No one pays attention to the place as long as the lighthouse works, because the Murkys are running it through a utilities subsidiary. The prison was originally used to hold Japanese POWs after Pearl Harbor and has been equipped with advanced medical facilities. When I was with Murky, rumor was they did some very nasty experiments there. I'm working on a plan to get you in there and extract Bain. Let's hope we're not too late."
—Locke

Complete the Hell's Island heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

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#52: Turnaround

"Dear friends, the Dentist and those Murky keks have infected Bain with a strange virus while they had him. I managed to pull some information from the Murky mainframe and recognize the codename. The virus is a refined strain of sommething they got hold of many years ago, when they were contracted by the US government to develop biological toxins using loopholes in existing bio-warfrae treaties. I had an old bio-med contact look at it and, while the virus isn't contagious, the situation is blerrie awful. There is no cure. Bain only has, at most, a few days until he is consumed from within. I asked Chains once when Bain's obsession with this whole secret dinges started, and he told me about the Cagliostro manuscript being payment for a hospital job many years ago, involving the blood of a patient in isolation. I remember an incident back at Murky around the same time, with a huge scandal and coverup. One of the... volunteers... Murky was doing medical tests on had gotten out and needed to be contained. It can't be a coincidence. Maybe Bain's search, will ultimately be his end."
—Locke

Complete the No Mercy heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

No additional notes needed.

Ch.3 - Endgame | #53, Ending

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Note:

The 3 short DLC campaigns released after Payday 2's final heist chronologically take place after Hell's Island, but before The White House - if you would like to complete these concurrent events before the finale of the game, skip to Chapter 4 - Silk Road.

#53: The Greatest Heist of All

"Bain knows his time is running out, but he's hell-bent on seeing his crew, all of us, get the reward we deserve before it's over. He was always talking about pulling off the 'greatest heist' or whatever... and I never really did know what he meant, until now. It's like this- at the end of the American civil war, President Lincoln issued pardons to Confederate soldiers, to help unite the country. To make them easier to distribute, many of the documents were left without assignees, and were delivered by his generals. As it happens, some of these pardons still exist, locked away... in the blerrie White House. And listen to this, friends- they are still legal! Imagine getting away with all we've done and retiring... that would indeed be something mighty, yeah? Well, you chops, we're going for it. Now that the building it has been nicely emptied by the dwankies causing all the world-upending ruckus, we can probably get inside. They only seem to have a skeleton crew of Murkys guarding it- no doubt maneuvered in place by the Dentist after the Secret Service and other agencies were relocated. But it's not going to be easy... and it will be an all-or-nothing job. If we fail, it's over. For real, this time."
—Locke

Complete The White House heist on the very hard difficulty or higher.

Note:

Of course, completing this heist as it is written thus far will net you the 'Bad Ending.'
If you wish to shepard your group through The Secret and into the Good Ending, I can highly recommend this guide by Sensei Tehminer:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1557217006
While I will not go into details on the objectives for the Good Ending in this guide, relevant checkboxes are included on the companion spreadsheet:
Overdrill is included as it is 'canon' to the Good Ending. For a great guide on Overdrill, check out this upload by MadLad:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=538995264

Ch.4 - Silk Road

This guide, from this point onward, deviates from Career Mode and aims to contextualize the remaining heists released after the White House Heist. These synopses are from the FANDOM wiki.

The Silk Road campaign was the first DLC campaign released post-White House for Payday 2. It, and the 2 more campaigns that follow, run concurrent to the events of Hell's Island onward in the timeline.

Heist #1: Border Crossing

While the original heisters rescue Bain in Hell's Island, Locke instructs another team of the Payday Gang to launch an attack on a compound owned by the Coyopa Cartel and fend off Murkywater units. The biker gang OVERKILL MC has a hidden tunnel that will lead them to the compound.

Note:

This heist comes with another endless heist similar to Cook-Off called Border Crystals.
It is not plot relevant.

Heist #2: San Martín Bank

Vlad catches wind of the Payday gang's operations in Mexico and requests some help while they're still there. Apparently stealing the Murkywater plane in Mexico caused problems for not only The Dentist, but for Vlad as well, and that the Payday gang kind of "owes him one".

The Coyopas own a bank in Mexico, the San Martín Bank, mainly using it to host illegal activities like money laundering. They also hold some Russian Treasures of the Romanov Dynasty that Vlad claims to be family heirlooms.

Break into the bank and reclaim Vlad's loot to keep the Ukrainian happy.

Heist #3: Breakfast in Tijuana

Vlad's brother-in-law and the partner who optionally helps with the car at the beginning of San Martín Bank heist, Hajrudin, has been captured by the Mexican police, apparently right after the robbery. He was transferred to a police station in Tijuana where they have enough evidence that can land him in prison for a long time. The gang is tasked with getting him out of there and destroy the evidence against him as thanks for his help.

Heist #4: Buluc's Mansion

Vlad has contracted a hit on Buluc, the leader of the Coyopa cartel, as revenge for getting Hajrudin put in prison. The heist takes place at his mansion off the coast of Mexico during a masquerade ball. Among the mansion's security are four guards wearing masquerade masks and brightly colored suits that are Buluc's most trusted men. While a criminal, he has also paid off the Federales and thus will assist him and his men during the heist.

Ch.5 - City of Gold

Heist #1: Dragon Heist

The gang is tasked with stealing a jade dragon statue from a triad-run tea shop in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Heist #2: The Ukrainian Prisoner

The crew breaks into the dockyard and accesses the camera feeds to locate and release Vlad, who has been heavily injured by the torture inflicted onto him. After stabilizing him, he is put into the scoop of a skid loader operated by a worker allied with Jiu Feng and escorted to the docks, acquiring intel on the triads along the way. At the docks, Locke is unable to contact Jiu Feng to come in by boat to pick up the crew due to the comms being interfered with by the triad— in loud, the triad boss, Yufu Wang, speaks to the crew directly, telling them he is giving them one opportunity to return what they stole to "save everyone a lot of trouble"— and the crew signals him to come in so they may escape.

Heist #3: Black Cat

Vlad requests the crew to get revenge against the Golden Dagger Triad for torturing him in The Ukrainian Prisoner heist. It involves the crew hitting a triad-owned casino ship for a vault full of money in either stealth or in loud, with some help from Jiu Feng.

Heist #4: Mountain Master

After disrupting the Golden Dagger's operations throughout San Francisco, Golden Dagger boss Shayu contacts the gang, asking them to eliminate Triad head Yufu Wang for his gross incompetence. The crew must scale his penthouse, find Wang, and eliminate him by any means necessary.

Ch.6 - Texas Heat

Heist #1: Midland Ranch

With the help of their new contact, Gemma McShay, the Payday Gang infiltrate a farm used to stockpile military firearm prototypes.

Heist #2: Lost in Transit

The Payday Gang hit an army train yard for printing plates inside the trains.

Heist #3: Hostile Takeover

Blaine Keegan, Gemma McShay's employer, employs the Payday Gang to infiltrate a rival corporation's offices and R&D lab for blackmail.

Heist #4: Crude Awakening

Alice Rainey, having been almost removed from SERA leadership after the events of Hostile Takeover, has taken control of SERA's top offshore oil rig. She has stashed away all of her remaining funds in her private office, and places Gabriel Santiago in charge of the rig. Blaine Keegan tasks the crew with hitting the rig to put an end not just to Rainey, but to put SERA out of operations for the foreseeable future.

Closing + Credits

This guide would not have been possible without the help of the many contributors at the FANDOM wiki. I also must thank Lemushki and Strider again for their incredible helpful Unofficial Payday Series Timeline - it helped me sanity-check a lot of my personal placements in the Career Mode chronology vs the most widely accepted fan chronologies, if that makes sense.

Are there missing, trailers, comics etc. that you feel are vital to the plot of Payday 2? Do you disagree with my introductions of characters? Have you found a typo, or formatting inconsistency?
Please, let me know. I would like this guide to be the best it can be.

Thank you for reading.

[thistlehare]

This will be updated with the newly revealed extended cut of the Sokol Character Trailer as soon as a good quality upload is on YouTube

[thistlehare]

Thanks for pointing that out, I just fixed it now

[timetorekt]

San Martin Bank was mentioned instead of Buluc's Mansion, might wanna fix that