What are Perk Decks?

Perk Decks are a secondary customization for your character - meaning their usefulness will change drastically depending on the other customizations that you utilize. Combining Skill Trees, Perk Decks, and weapons is called a build, and there are countless different combinations for a player to try. If done well, the results can be phenomenal. If done poorly, intense frustration may ensue. The benefits of Perk Decks vary greatly, but they all provide passive support for you or your crew in the form of health, stamina, or armor boosts. There are twenty-two Perk Decks at this time to choose from, each one offering a unique advantage. 

Perk Decks can be purchased using Perk Points. You can only gain Perk Points by accumulating experience, which then gets converted. Because experience is limitless, Perk Points are also limitless, allowing the player to eventually possess every single Perk Deck… after acquiring all of the Downloadable Content (DLC) packs, of course.

All completed Perk Decks share 5 similarities which, when combined, result in increased headshot damage, increased concealment, faster movement with armor, amplified experience for the completed job, armor bag availability, more ammo from fallen enemies, increased inflicted damage, and faster healing from a doctor bag. Once each deck is completed, the player has a 10% chance of getting a more rare item as a pay day reward. 

Each deck has a unique feature to add to the gameplay that, when combined with the right skill tree, can really enhance the experience. When you and your crew choose the right Perk Decks, you can all help each other and have a great pay day.

Here you will find my five favorite Perk Decks and what sets them apart.

Burglar Perk Deck

Unique characteristics of the Burglar Perk Deck and what it has to offer.

Burglars are known for breaking and entering, but their skills go far beyond that. Their agility allows them to quickly pick locks, rapidly bag corpses, and expeditiously answer pagers. Their speed is great for dodging bullets as well. If they are struck, they easily shrug off the pain and keep going. 

Crouching down and staying still is a key factor in this completed Perk Deck as it will decrease targeting from enemies as well as increase armor recovery. To make this a little easier, the deck increases crouch movement speed. It is a fantastic option for stealth jobs, but if built correctly can be very useful on a loud board as well.

When entering a stealthy heist, concealment is vital. The fact that this deck decreases the chances of being seen makes it ideal for sneaking around. The ability to answer pagers quickly with increased bagging speed means you’re less likely to be caught hiding one of your victims. Faster lockpicking skills will quietly get you through doorways and into safes before you are noticed. When things go wrong, as they quickly can, this deck loads you up with increased dodging capabilities as well as a boost in armor. The fact that this deck can be used for stealthy or loud missions is exactly why it is on this list. In my opinion, it is the most versatile of the stealth decks.

Why this deck is great:

• Lower chance of enemy targeting
• Increased dodge chance
• Increased lockpicking speed
• Increased pager answering speed
• Increased corpse bagging speed
• Armor recovery

Burglar Perk Deck details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/Perk_Decks#Burglar

Sociopath Perk Deck

Unique characteristics of the Sociopath Perk Deck and what it has to offer.  

Sociopaths can make highly effective criminals thanks to their inability to feel guilt. Oftentimes, criminal syndicates will avoid them due to their unpredictability, but you cannot deny that they excel in violence. 

Dealing out death really gets this Perk Deck rolling. The deck increases total armor, then boosts it by replenishing armor and health with nearly every kill. Melee attacks deal some serious damage, so to compensate you will take less damage at medium range and when surrounded. The super bonus of this deck: mass chaos. This deck increases the odds that the enemy will panic after a medium range kill. 

This deck is great when the player is knowingly walking right into an ambush and everyone must die. This deck is great for close and medium range melee combat, a very useful ability when conserving ammo. Melee attacks become 10 times more powerful, and close range combat will trigger a reduction in damage taken as well as a 75% chance to create panic in the enemy. One kill every second will boost armor and health, on top of a max armor increase. When surrounded by three or more enemies, the player will experience even more of a damage reduction. By combining major killing powers with boosted armor and a decreased impact on health, this Perk Deck can be very valuable. The negatives of this deck are that it does not give the crew any perks, and missing a melee attack will cause the inflicted damage to go back to normal levels. Despite this, the sheer damage you can cause earned this deck a place on my list.

Why the deck is great:

• Powerful close range combat
• Decreased damage taken
• Increased armor
• Chance to cause panic

Sociopath details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/Perk_Decks#Sociopath

Muscle Perk Deck

Unique characteristics of the Muscle Perk Deck and what it has to offer. 

When you’re the muscle, your job is to inflict pain and violence. These individuals are used by crime organizations to send a message, usually through intense suffering. Because they’re often in the thick of battle, they have to find some way to survive, which is what this deck provides. 

The Muscle Perk Deck loads you up with plenty of health, which is necessary because you will be targeted more than your teammates. As the player completes the deck, they will unlock more health increases and eventually be able to regenerate health over time. Muscle helps out their crew members by drawing fire away from them when in a group. As an extra bonus, there is a chance that their presence may cause panic among the enemy, opening up a weak spot for attack. 

This deck goes a long way in intense firefights. However, because this deck does not offer assistance with armor, speed, or damage infliction, the player will find that extra health will still disappear quite quickly if not utilized well. The perks that this deck provides are not well rounded, nor do they assist the other players, decreasing its value. However, when the task at hand is to survive, extra health is the key. When combined with a skillful shot and a thorough understanding of mission details, this deck can be incredibly handy. These perks can be useful for solo players by greatly extending their health. When combined with heavy armor, you will be a force to be reckoned with.

Why this deck is great:

• Increases max health
• Health regeneration over time
• Chance to spread panic

Muscle details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/Perk_Decks#Muscle

Grinder Perk Deck

Unique characteristics of the Grinder Perk Deck and what it has to offer.

To grind something implies that it is being crushed to dust, and that is what the Grinder excels at. Grinders are in the thick of battle, imparting pain and surviving against astonishing odds. Their survival relies heavily on their capability to kill. 

The Grinder Perk Deck is all about feeling good after hurting others. With this deck completed, the player will experience 40% increased max health, a 30% increased chance at piercing enemy armor, and health regeneration. After inflicting damage, the player will recover 4 health points every 0.3 seconds for 4.2 full seconds. That means you can gain a total of 56 health points for shooting someone. As an added bonus, this perk can be stacked. The result? The more pain you cause, the stronger you get. But there’s a catch - you cannot go into battle wearing anything heavier than the Lightweight Ballistic Vest. So if you’re a bit sadistic and you don’t want to ruin the look of your two-piece suit, definitely give this deck a try. 

Health can be difficult to come by during gameplay, but this Perk Deck gives you a chance to get around that. Just shoot, punch, explode, or otherwise injure the enemy and you’ll see that health jump right up. This deck heavily influences health and does not offer perks to the rest of the crew, which would normally put it a little lower on my list. The reason it is number two is because of how useful this deck can be for solo players. Combine this perk deck with turret guns, and you will find that any damage your turrets cause gives you health. With this ability, you can set out a turret gun, take shelter, and watch your health go right back up. After that, the Grinder is ready to plunge back into battle.

Why this deck is so great:

• Health regenerates quite quickly
• Works with turret guns
• Increased chance of piercing armor

Grinder details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/Perk_Decks#Grinder

Crew Chief Perk Deck

Unique characteristics of the Crew Chief Perk Deck and what it has to offer.

A Crew Chief is in charge of an entire branch of an organized crime group. Their job is to command soldiers and report to the boss. Being in charge means taking care of your soldiers, and this perk deck makes sure that happens. 

The Crew Chief provides perks for the whole team. Perks for you and the crew incorporate a little bit of everything, including damage reduction, stamina boost, health boost, and armor. As the player gets closer to completing the deck, the perks increase in intensity. 

Before the shooting starts, the player can take a hostage and hide them away somewhere. That hostage will continue to benefit them throughout the game… until the hostage is killed or freed, that is. This deck can be combined with the aced Hostage Taker skill, making your hostages even more valuable. This feature sets the Crew Chief perk deck apart, but the fact that it offers more health, armor, and stamina for you and everyone that you’re playing with is incredibly advantageous. Because this deck is well rounded and assists everybody in the crew, it is my number one Perk Deck choice.

Why this deck is great:

• Damage reduction for the whole crew
• Stamina increase for the whole crew
• Health for the whole crew
• Armor for the whole crew
• Hostages become more beneficial
• Louder shouts

Crew Chief details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/Perk_Decks#Crew_Chief

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