Despite initially releasing in 2013, Payday 2 is still receiving love from its developers and the community, which has sunk thousands of hours into the co-op heist game. However, with Payday 2 becoming free for a limited time on the Epic Games store, a new wave of thrill seekers are ready to throw themselves into the virtual world of organized crime.
New players will be eager to level up, so that they can unlock more heists, skills, and perks. With that in mind, it's important to understand how to gain XP fast in Payday 2, and which heists provide the most XP. Regardless of which heists are the best for XP though, players should prioritize those with a heist bonus on the crime.net menu. To maximize XP, try and secure as many loot bags as possible and avoid detection on stealth missions. Playing on harder difficulties also increases the amount of XP gained.
The best heists for XP in Payday 2, or any game for that matter, aren't necessarily just the missions that provide the greatest amount of XP or those which are most XP efficient. The whole point of gaining XP is to level up, and if players are new to a game and currently at a low level, they might not have the skill or assets required to successfully pull off the best heists.
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This is where the Four Stores heist comes into play. It is one of the easiest heists in the game to learn and complete quickly. Players simply have to steal $15,000 from four different stores, taking money from cash registers, cash boxes, ATMs, and safes. Once players have gotten to grips with the mission, they can increase the difficulty to accrue even more XP while grinding. There is a small stealth bonus for avoiding detection on this heist. To make sure they get that bonus, players can check out these tips for creating the ultimate stealth build in Payday 2​​​​​.
Another fairly easy heist with a big XP payoff is the Diamond Store heist. Players must simply steal and secure jewelry before escaping. There are two ways to approach the heist, with players either choosing to go in loud or to accomplish their goal via stealth. It is options like these that make Payday 2 one of the best FPS games for replayability.
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By mastering the Diamond Store heist, players are able to use it as an XP farm, which can help them level up quickly. To make heists easier, players should use the best skills in Payday 2​​​​​​.
Election Day is a two-day heist of middling difficulty, and it offers big XP returns especially if done well. There is up to a 20% stealth bonus for this heist, meaning that if players go undetected on day 1, they will get more XP. Unlocking the best skills in the Ghost tree generally helps with stealth.
On the first day, players have to find a way into the docks, identify which truck has the ballot machines, and tag it, before escaping in preparation for day 2. Day 2 is then all about finding the ballot machines and hacking them as fast as possible to manipulate the vote. Players can then turn their attention to what is most important: the gold they are being rewarded with.
Carrying heavy bags while under stress, or even fire, is one thing players try and avoid in Payday 2. Thankfully in the Hoxton Breakout heist, there is only a bag containing a server which has to be carried out at the very end. Hoxton Breakout is a two-day heist and, in addition to being relatively easy, it is an extremely lucrative heist in terms of both money and XP.
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This heist also has extra optional goals, all of which give their own XP rewards, meaning that mastering this heist will make it easily one of the best for grinding towards infamy. Given the heis'ts difficulty, players will want to make sure they have the most overpowered builds in Payday 2​​​​​​ before going in.
Cook Off is well known among the community for being one of the best heists for grinding XP in Payday 2. Unlike most other heists in the game, players generate their own loot by cooking meth. Since up to 1200 bags of meth can be cooked in any given heist, the potential for making money and gaining XP is extraordinary, particularly for players brave enough to play on harder difficulties.
The contract for this heist is obtained from Bain, and players will want to be around level 60 before attempting it. After first locating the meth lab, players will then need to defend it from the police while trying to cook as much as possible. Players must also try and avoid blowing up the lab, and it is up to them when they call it a day and make an escape. Cook Off is a one-day heist and, given the mission's difficulty, players will want to make sure they are armed with the best weapons in Payday 2.
Payday 2 is available for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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