Whether you’re new to Payday 2 or trying to better understand how to support your team, it’s easy to fall into habits that can frustrate more experienced players or simply slow you down. This guide highlights ten of the most common beginner mistakes, moving from the more harmless to the genuinely problematic. By identifying and fixing these issues, you’ll not only improve your own game—but help make the experience smoother for everyone in your crew.

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#10 – Overusing Turrets Turrets might seem flashy and powerful at first glance, but they’re a lot less useful than they appear. They burn through ammo rapidly, do minimal sustained damage, and are notoriously ineffective against shielded enemies. While the idea of mowing down cops with a mounted gun sounds awesome, you’re better off bringing doctor bags or ammo bags instead. Turrets look cool, but in most situations, they don’t earn their keep.

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#9 – Ignoring the Objective This isn’t Call of Duty—heists have goals beyond just shooting waves of police. Whether it’s hacking, bagging loot, or moving through stealth triggers, the mission objective should always take priority. While suppressing enemies can support the team, constantly focusing only on combat leads to failed missions. Balance your role: fight when needed, but never forget why you’re there.

#8 – Misusing or Ignoring Perk Decks Perk decks are essential for long-term growth and efficiency in Payday 2. Unfortunately, many beginners neglect them or equip ones that don’t match the job. Each deck offers unique playstyle bonuses, and unlocking the fourth card of any tree grants a massive 45% XP bonus—a crucial boost for leveling. And please, don’t equip loud-oriented decks like Muscle or Armor on stealth runs. For stealth, something like Hitman is far more suitable and helps reduce detection risk.

#7 – Poor Communication Payday 2 thrives on cooperation. A simple “need help,” ping, or heads-up can mean the difference between a smooth run and chaos. While experienced players may be able to read each other without speaking, beginners should practice using in-game voice or text chat. Good communication makes bag runs smoother, objectives quicker, and teamplay more fluid. Bonus tip: turn off the music to better hear important audio cues.

#6 – Tunnel Vision Being hyper-focused can be dangerous. New players often stare straight ahead, ignoring their surroundings. Awareness is key in both stealth and loud gameplay. Pay attention to guard patterns, camera movement, bag placement, and escape routes. As shown in the example, multiple guards were visible if you just paused and observed. You don’t need perfect awareness from the start—but consciously practice observing everything around you.

#5 – Opening Doors Without Thinking Sure, doors are meant to be opened, but not always in Payday 2. Unlocking certain doors can give guards new patrol paths, leading to unnecessary complications—like a guard walking into a formerly safe zone and spotting loot or players. Think twice before opening a door. If unsure, ask an experienced teammate or evaluate whether it’s truly necessary for your plan.

#4 – Mixing Loud and Stealth Builds Ineffectively With the ability to swap skill sets, players can easily switch between stealth and loud builds. However, trying to create one build that does both is usually a mistake. Skill points are limited, and spreading them too thin leaves you underpowered in both modes. It’s fine to dip into multiple trees for hybrid missions like Firestarter (day one loud, days two and three stealth), but in most cases, stick to specialization.

#3 – Misusing Doctor Bags One of the more frustrating beginner mistakes is using doctor bags just to heal. Doctor bags are not for topping up health—they’re for restoring downs. If you go down three times, you’ll go into custody. Doctor bags reset that counter. Instead, use first aid kits for healing. Doctor bags are limited, so treat them as life insurance, not pain relief.

#2 – Joining Death Wish Games Too Early Death Wish lives up to its name. It’s brutally hard, both in stealth and loud. New players often jump into these games unprepared and unfamiliar with the heists, leading to failed missions and, more often than not, being kicked. Start with Normal or Hard difficulty to learn the ropes and maps. Once you’re confident, then climb the difficulty ladder. Rushing only leads to frustration.

#1 – Dropping into Stealth Games Without Warning This is the #1 beginner blunder. When joining a stealth game already in progress, you spawn at the host’s location—often in a vulnerable or critical area. Joining without warning can immediately blow the heist. The correct approach is to ask the host if it’s safe to join. If they confirm, they can find a safe location for your spawn. Done right, everything continues smoothly. Done wrong, it’s mission failed in seconds.

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Final Thoughts These mistakes are part of the learning curve, and nobody plays perfectly right out of the gate. But being aware of them—and actively improving—makes you a better crewmate and a more effective heister. Respect the flow of a mission, communicate with your team, and tailor your builds. You’ll be avoiding these mistakes in no time—and maybe even helping the next batch of beginners do the same.