Guide: PAYDAY 2 Perk Decks - How Perk Decks Work And All Perks Listed

Perky

by Glen Fox Thu 22nd Feb 2018

There are 20 Perk Decks in PAYDAY 2, and each of them provide a bunch of passive bonuses that help customise your character in your own play style.

This guide takes a good look at Perk Decks to help you understand the system. We'll also include all perks in the game to help you decide which deck is for you.

How do Perk Decks work in Payday 2?

Each Perk Deck has nine different perks to unlock, though eight of them remain consistent across all decks. That means only five perks are unique to each deck.

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You unlock perks using Perk Points, which you earn by earning XP. Given that you can earn an unlimited supply of Perk Points, you can realistically unlock all perks and Perk Decks in the game.

Bear in mind that you can only have a single Perk Deck active at any one moment though, so you still have to choose which is best for you.

How many Perk Points do I need to fully unlock a Perk Deck?

It costs 13,700 Perk Points to unlock all nine perks in a deck, and 274,000 points to unlock every perk in all 20 decks.

Mutual Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Helmet Popping	Increases headshot damage by 25%.	2	300
Blending In	You get one more concealment, and your movement speed is 15% less affected by wearing armour. You also get 45% more experience for completing jobs.	4	600
Walk-in Closet	You can now use armour bags, allowing you to change armour during a heist. This perk also increases the ammo you pick up by 135%.	6	1,600
Fast and Furious	You deal 5% more damage and you can interact with doctor bags 20% faster.	8	3,200
Deck Completion	You have a 10% increased chance fo getting a higher quality item during a PAYDAY.	9	4,000

Crew Chief Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Brute Strength	You and your crew have 8% damage reduction. This is doubled for you when your health is lower than 50%.	1	200
Marathon Man	You and your crew have 50% more stamina, you can shout 25% further, and you receive 6% less damage from enemies while within medium range.	3	400
Wolf Pack	You have 20% more health and your crew has 10% more.	5	1,000
Testudo	You have 10% more armour and your crew has 5% more.	7	2,400
Hostage Situation	You and your crew have 6% more health and 12% more stamina for every hostage you have up to four times. You and your crew take 8% less damage while you have one or more hostages.	9	4,000

Muscle Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Brute Strength	You have 10% more health.	1	200
Meat Shield	You are 15% more likely to be targeted while close to crew members, and have 10% more health.	3	400
Giant Strength	You have an additional 20% more health.	5	1,000
Disturbing the Peace	All firearms have a chance to spread panic among enemies.	7	2,400
800-pound Gorilla	You have an additional 40% more health and regenerate 3% of your total health every five seconds.	9	4,000

Armourer Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Type I Armour	You have 10% more armour.	1	200
Type II Armour	You have an additional 10% more armour.	3	400
Type III Armour	You have an additional 10% more armour.	5	1,000
Reinforced Armour	Your armour recovers 10% faster, and you are immune to health damage for two seconds after losing armour. This can only happen every 15 seconds.	7	2,400
Liquid Armour	You have an additional 5% more armour, and you and your crew recover armour 10% faster.	9	4,000

Rogue Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Subtle	You have a 15% higher chance to dodge.	1	200
Elusive	You are 15% less likely to be targeted while close to crew members.	3	400
Evasive	You have an additional 15% higher chance to dodge.	5	1,000
Shadow Warrior	You have an additional 15% higher chance to dodge.	7	2,400
Killer Instinct	All of your weapons have a 25% chance to pierce enemy armour, and you can swap weapons 80% faster.	9	4,000

Crook Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Subtle	You have a 15% higher chance to dodge.	1	200
Basic Composure	You have a 5% higher chance to dodge while wearing ballistic vests, and their armour is increased by 20%.	3	400
Advanced Composure	Your chance to dodge is increased by an additional 10% while wearing ballistic vests, and your armour is increased by an additional 20%.	5	1,000
Expert Composure	Your chance to dodge is increased by an additional 10% while wearing ballistic vests, and your armour is increased by an additional 25%.	7	2,400
Master Recovery	You recover armour 10% faster.	9	4,000

Hitman Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Basic Recovery	Your armour recovers 5% faster.	1	200
Ambidexterity	The stability penalty for dual wielding is reduced by 16, and your armour recovers an additional 10% faster. Your ammo capacity for going akimbo is increased by 50%.	3	400
Advanced Recovery	Your armour recovers an additional 10% faster.	5	1,000
Expert Recovery	Your armour recovers an additional 10% faster.	7	2,400
Tooth and Claw	Your armour recovers an additional 10% faster, and will recover 1.5 seconds after breaking.	9	4,000

Burglar Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Sneaky	You have a 20% higher chance to dodge.	1	200
Bag of Tricks	While standing still and crouching, you can bag corpses 20% faster and have a 10% less chance of being targeted.	3	400
Luck of the Irish	You have a 5% additional chance to dodge, and a further 5% additional chance while standing still and crouching. You also pick locks 20% faster.	5	1,000
Dutch Courage	You have a 5% higher chance to dodge, and a further 5% additional chance while standing still and crouching. You answer pagers 10% faster.	7	2,400
Breath of Fresh Air	Your armour recovers 20% faster while standing still and crouching, and you move 10% faster while crouching.	9	4,000

Infiltrator Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
OVERDOG	You take 12% less damage while surrounded by three or more enemies. Your second and each consecutive melee hit within seven seconds of the last will deal 10 times more damage than normal.	1	200
Basic Close Combat	While within medium range of an enemy, you take 8% less damage.	3	400
Advanced Close Combat	While within medium range of an enemy, you take an additional 8% less damage.	5	1,000
Expert Close Combat	While within medium range of an enemy, you take an additional 8% less damage.	7	2,400
Life Drain	You regenerate 20% of your health when striking an enemy with your weapon. This can only happen once every 10 seconds.	9	4,000

Sociopath Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
OVERDOG	You take 12% less damage while surrounded by three or more enemies. Your second and each consecutive melee hit within seven seconds of the last will deal 10 times more damage than normal.	1	200
Tension	You regenerate 30 armour when killing an enemy. This can't occur more than once every second. You also gain an additional 10% armour.	3	400
Clean Hit	You regenerate 10% health when killing an enemy. This can't occur more than once every second. While within medium range of an enemy you receive 8% less damage.	5	1,000
Overdose	You recover 30 armour when killing an enemy at medium range. This can't occur more than once every second. You also gain an additional 10% armour.	7	2,400
Showdown	You have a 75% chance to spread panic among enemies when killing them at medium range. This can't occur more than once every second.	9	4,000

Gambler Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Medical Supplies	You get medical supplies from ammo packs and recover between 16 and 24 health. This can't occur more than once every three seconds. If your health is lower than another player's, you recover 20% more health. This can stack up to three times.	1	200
Ammo Give Out	When you pick up ammo, you trigger an ammo pickup for 50% of normal pickup to other players in your crew. This can't occur more than once every five seconds. You also have 20% more health.	3	400
Sharing Is Caring	Your teammates also get healed for 50% of the amount you're healed when picking ammo up from packs. You also have 20% more health.	5	1,000
More Healing 1	You gain an additional eight more health from ammo packs.	7	2,400
More Healing 2	You gain an additional eight more health from ammo packs.	9	4,000

Grinder Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Histamine	You recover a life point every 0.3 seconds for three seconds after damaging an enemy. This effect stacks but can't occur more than once every 1.5 seconds.	1	200
Adrenaline	You now recover two life points and have 20% more health.	3	400
Endorphins	You now recover three life points, and you have a 10% higher chance to pierce enemy armour.	5	1,000
Dopamine	You now recover four life points and have 20% more health.	7	2,400
Euphoria	You now recover health every 0.3 seconds for 4.2 seconds. You also have a 20% higher chance to pierce enemy armour.	9	4,000

Yakuza Perks

Skill	Effects	Tier	Cost
Koi Irezumi	Your armour recovers faster the lower health you have. While below 50% health, you'll regain armour 20% faster.	1	200
Hebi Irezumi	You move faster the lower health you have. While below 50% health, you'll move 20% faster.	3	400
Tora Irezumi	You have an additional 20% armour recovery rate while your health is below 50%.	5	1,000
Ryu Irezumi	You have an additional 20% armour recovery rate while your health is below 50%.	7	2,400
Oni Irezumi	All of the effects in this perk deck now start at 100% health instead of 50%.	9	4,000

Ex-President Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Point Break	You store four health for every enemy your crew kills while you have armour, and gain the total health stored when your armour is destroyed. The maximum amount of health gained depends on your equipped armour.	1	200
The Emerging Force	You now store four more health per kill and have 10% more health.	3	400
Life of Ice	You can store 50% more health, have 10% more health, and have a 10% higher chance to dodge.	5	1,000
Awakening Earth	You can now store four more health per kill, and have 20% more health.	7	2,400
The Perfect Line	Your armour recovers faster after killing an enemy depending on how much armour you have at the time of the kill. This buff resets when your armour recovers.	9	4,000

Maniac Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Excitement	All of the damage you deal is converted into hysteria stacks, up to 240 every four seconds. You can only hold 600 hysteria stacks in total. You have one damage absorption for every 30 stacks of hysteria, but this decays at a rate of 60% + 80 every eight seconds.	1	200
Outburst	Your crew members now gain the effect of hysteria stacks.	3	400
Fervor	Your hysteria stacks now decay at a rate of 60% + 40 every eight seconds.	5	1,000
Recklessness	Your hysteria stacks now grant one damage absorption per 25 stacks.	7	2,400
Insanity	You have 100% more damage absorption from hysteria stacks.	9	4,000

Anarchist Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Blitzkrieg Bop	You can now regenerate armour during combat, and are immune to health damage for two seconds when your armour depletes. This can only happen every 15 seconds.	1	200
Straight Edge	50% of your health is converted into 100% armour.	3	400
Death or Glory	50% of your health is converted into 110% armour.	5	1,000
Rise Above	50% of your health is converted into 120% armour.	7	2,400
Lust for Life	You get 10 armour each time you deal damage. This can only happen every 1.5 seconds.	9	4,000

Biker Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Prospect	You get five health and armour each time you or your crew performs a kill. This can't happen more than four times every four seconds.	1	200
Tail Gunner	For every 10% of health you're missing, you'll get one more armour per kills.	3	400
Road Captain	For every 10% of health you're missing, the four second cool down is reduced by 0.1 seconds.	5	1,000
Sgt-at-Arms	For every 10% of armour you're missing, you'll get one more health per kills.	7	2,400
Prez	For every 10% of armour you're missing, the four second cool down is reduced by 0.1 seconds.	9	4,000

Kingpin Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Bad Guy Coming Through	You have the kingpin injector, which heals you for 75% of all damage you take for six seconds. It has a 30 second cooldown.	1	200
Play Rough	You have 10% more health.	3	400
Public Enemy No.1	You have 10% more health, and enemies will target you whenever possible while the injector effect is active.	5	1,000
Balls vs. Bullets	You have 20% more health, and you receive 25% more health from the injector while below 50% health.	7	2,400
Right to the Top	You have 40% more health. The injector now recharges one second faster for every five points of health you recover while using it.	9	4,000

Sicario Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Smoker	You have a throwable smoke bomb, which creates a smoke screen that lasts for 10 seconds. While standing inside of this, you and your crew automatically avoid 50% of all bullets but have 50% less accuracy. The smoke bomb has a 60 second cool down, which you can reduce by a second per kill.	1	200
Twitch	You have a 20% higher chance to dodge each time you're shot until you dodge. At this point the buff is reset and has a four second cool down.	3	400
Subtle	You have a 15% higher chance to dodge.	5	1,000
Agility Shield	Dodging replenishes your armour.	7	2,400
Unseen Shadow	All of your perk deck effects are increased by 100% while standing in smoke. Your allies also gain a 10% chance to dodge while standing in it.	9	4,000

Stoic Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Virtue	You have the hip flast, which reduces damage by 75% but applies the reduced damage over 12 seconds instead. You can activate the flask to negate any pending damage, which triggers a 10 second cooldown. You can reduce this by a second per kill.	1	200
Un-moved	All of your armour is converted into health.	3	400
Calm	If you don't take damage for four seconds, your hip flask damage over time effects are negated.	5	1,000
Imperturbable	Your flask recharges two seconds faster for every kill while your health is below 35%.	7	2,400
Enduring	When damage over time is removed, you're healed for 50% of the total damage over time remaining.	9	4,000

Tag Team Perks

Perk	Effects	Tier	Cost
Soul Mates	You have the gas dispenser, which you can use to tag a nearby crew member. You now recover 15 health, and your tagged unit 7.5 health per kill. This lasts for 12 seconds, and has a cool down of 60 seconds. You can extend the duration by 1.3 seconds and reduce the cool down by two seconds per kill.	1	200
Scent	You have 20% more health.	3	400
Synergy	You now have two more absorption per kill you or your tagged unit performs. This has a cap of 20, and lasts until the gas dispenser goes out of cool down.	5	1,000
Inhale	You have 20% more health.	7	2,400
Harmony	Your tagged unit kills now reduce the gas dispenser cool down timer by two seconds until the tag runs out.	9	4,000