Payday 3 rips out its hated skill system — can Skills 2.0 actually save the game?

Payday 3 tears up one of its most hated systems – and that actually matters

Payday 3’s Skills 2.0 update is the sort of blunt instrument the game needed: Starbreeze has removed Rush, Edge and Grit – the trio of buffs that defined the original, confusing skill loop – and replaced them with six archetype trees. This is a free update, it lands now, and it’s plainly aimed at salvaging a game that badly misfired at launch.

This caught my attention because Payday 3 has been a textbook example of a promising sequel crippled by design choices and bloat. Payday 2 still towers over it on Steam — recent daily counts put Payday 2 at roughly twenty times Payday 3’s players — and Starbreeze has been shuffling resources to try to fix that. They even canceled another project and handed Payday 2 support to another studio to prioritize this one. That buy-in matters: the team is putting skin in the game.

Key takeaways

• Skils 2.0 removes Rush, Edge and Grit and reorganizes skills into six archetype trees (Soldier, Ninja, Mechanic, Hacker, Conman, Professional).
• It’s a free update and includes an online build planner, weapon damage rebalances, and multiple bug fixes and QoL additions.
• Full respec potential is gated behind Infamy 150 for 51 total skill points — that grind may limit adoption.
• This is a meaningful step toward rehabilitation, but it’s not a guarantee Payday 3 becomes the co-op darling its predecessor was.

Breaking down Skills 2.0

At base, Skills 2.0 simplifies what was a baffling rewards loop. The old system essentially boiled gameplay down to stacking Rush (move faster), Edge (do more damage), or Grit (take less damage) and building around those temporary buffs. Players complained it felt shallow, floaty, and hard to meaningfully plan around. Starbreeze has scrubbed those three mechanics and introduced six archetypes — Soldier, Ninja, Mechanic, Hacker, Conman, and Professional — each with three subdivisions. They’re presented as trees now, so the structure is clearer and the path from a skill to a playstyle is easier to understand.

Important caveat: these aren’t hard classes. You can still mix and match; the trees just make it easier to build toward a concept (think “tanky engineer” or “stealthy hacker-assassin”). To help with planning, Starbreeze launched an online build planner so you can prototype loadouts without grinding in-game — a small but welcome concession to players who like theorycrafting.

Balance and the grind question

Whenever a skill overhaul drops, weapon balance has to follow. Starbreeze acknowledged that some combinations could make weapons absurdly powerful, so the patch includes a laundry list of damage tweaks. If you’re attached to a favorite gun, check the patch notes — there’s a detailed chart in the update — because numbers shifted across the board.

There’s also a practical concern: to reach maximum flexibility you need Infamy level 150 to have 51 skill points to spend. That’s a big ask. It helps veterans and long-term grinders, but casual players or those put off by the launch might never hit that ceiling. In short: the system is better, but access to its full potential is gated behind a hefty progression wall.

Small changes that actually change play

Beyond the trees, there are some quality-of-life and mechanical fixes that make heists feel more coherent. You can now throw bags to stagger enemies, giving a reliable way to create space in dire moments. Throwing a duffel bag will now show a plume of cash — a silly-but-satisfying visual that fixes immersion problems — and a nasty bug where getting tased mid-throwing-knife animation would lock you out of knives for the entire heist is finally fixed. These aren’t flashy, but they directly affect how missions play out.

Why now — and what this could mean

Why this overhaul now? Starbreeze has publicly shifted its internal priorities to give Payday 3 another shot. Canceling other projects and reallocating manpower signals this isn’t a half-measure. Skills 2.0 reads like a foundation for more changes: cleaner systems, clearer progression, and a focus on long-term balance. That’s the right roadmap if you want a No Man’s Sky-style redemption, but the gulf between “better” and “beloved” is wide.

Gamers should expect further tuning, community feedback loops, and likely more QoL fixes. But don’t expect overnight revival. Payday 3 needs a steady stream of positive updates and a stronger first-party social proof (streamers, reviews, content creators) before it climbs back to Payday 2 levels.

TL;DR

Skills 2.0 is a decisive and welcome reset: ditching Rush/Edge/Grit and moving to archetype trees fixes the biggest design complaint. The free update, build planner, balance pass and bug fixes are thoughtful, but gating full power behind Infamy 150 and the uphill task of winning back players means this is a substantial step — not a miracle cure. If Starbreeze keeps listening and shipping, Payday 3 may still earn redemption. For now, it’s a cautious yes.