# PAYDAY 3 PAYDAY 3: Update 2.5 Changelog – Skills 2.0 - Product: PAYDAY 3 (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/payday-3) - Vendor: Starbreeze Studios - Date: 2025-12-02 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1272080/view/494961642665148710 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/payday-3/releases/2025-12-02-payday-3-update-2.5-changelog-skills-2.0 What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog. Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'. --- - **added** — New Skill System with classic tree shape and 51 maximum points, fully unlocked at infamy level 150 - **added** — Players can now throw bags at enemies to make them stagger - **added** — Flying money bills VFX when picking up and throwing certain loot bags - **added** — Additional QR phones on lower difficulties in Delivery Charge heist - **changed** — Completely replaced the old skill system and removed EDGE/GRIT/RUSH buffs - **changed** — Default 'mask up' key changed from the grenade button to the shoot button to prevent accidental grenade discharges - **changed** — Updated XeSS version from 2.0.2 to 2.1.1.1 - **changed** — Dropped Overkill weapons are now easier to pick up - **changed** — Adjusted damage of many weapons to balance them alongside the new skill system - **fixed** — Fixed bug where Achievements and Challenges were not being tracked or completed - **fixed** — Player will no longer get stuck if running into vault doors that still have the drill attached - **fixed** — Interceptor no longer permanently blocks radios from activating on intimidated guards - **fixed** — Fixed issue where being tased when throwing a knife blocked the ability to throw for the rest of the heist - **fixed** — Fixed issue where Techie's drones would stop spawning - **fixed** — Fixed issue where QR codes were not synced after a player leaves and rejoins - **fixed** — Fixed rare cloth simulation crash when starting as Dallas and switching preferred characters - **fixed** — Steam players will no longer crash the game when enabling crossplay setting during a party session - **fixed** — Fixed rare issue where background audio at the waterfront would not play all the ambience - **fixed** — Fixed issue in Touch the Sky heist where players would spawn crouched - **fixed** — Chains will no longer clip through short sleeves when performing a melee attack ##### **New Feature - **Skills 2.0 **It's been a long time coming, but Skills 2.0 is finally here!** This **FREE** update to PAYDAY 3 completely revamps the skill system, providing heisters even more ways to create the perfect build. Want to take a look at the new skills while your game updates? [Check out our Skills 2.0 Simulator!](https://www.paydaythegame.com/payday3/skills/) --- ##### Features - New Skill System - Completely replaces the old system - Removes EDGE/GRIT/RUSH buffs - New format, classic “tree” shape - 51 maximum points, fully unlocked at infamy level 150 - There’s a Skill Simulator on [our website](https://www.paydaythegame.com/payday3/skills/) - Players can now throw bags at enemies to make them stagger - The default ‘mask up’ key has been changed from the grenade button to the shoot button to prevent accidental grenade discharges caused by going loud - Fixed a bug of where Achievements & Challenges were not being tracked or completed --- ##### Gameplay - Player won't get stuck if running into vault doors that still have the drill attached - Interceptor no longer permanently blocks radios from activating on intimidated guards - Fixed an issue where being tased when throwing a knife, blocked the ability to throw for the rest of the heist - The Interceptor Overkill weapon will now appear as locked when joining a loud game as a drop-in player - Fixed an issue where the Techie's drones would stop spawning - Updated text on Daily Challenge to clarify that "Secure a total of 30 loot bags" only counts the ones secured personally by the player - Completing 3 Daily Challenges in one heist will now award the correct amount of C stacks - Fixed bug when QR codes were not synced after a player leaves and rejoins --- ##### Technical Changes - Fixed a rare cloth simulation crash when starting as Dallas, and switching preferred characters - Updated the XeSS version from 2.0.2 to 2.1.1.1 - Dropped Overkill weapons are now easier to pick up - Steam players will no longer crash the game when enabling crossplay setting during a party session --- ##### Art - Added flying money bills VFX when picking up and throwing certain loot bags - Chains will no longer clip through his short sleeves when performing a melee attack --- ##### Audio - Fixed a rare issue where background audio at the waterfront wouldn't play all the ambience --- ##### Heist Changes ##### General - Helicopters no longer pitch forward when in hover ##### Touch the Sky - Fixed an issue where players would spawn crouched ##### Delivery Charge - Fixed an issue where adding favours could spawn more than 2 Wixia containers - Removed clipping from a police van - Added additional QR phones on lower difficulties, two extra when playing Normal and Hard, one extra when playing Very Hard --- ##### Weapon Balance Changes We have adjusted the damage of many of the weapons to balance them alongside the new skill system. **Close/Medium/Far:** Damage dependent on distance from target. **AP:** Armor Penetration. [table equalcells="1" ][th colspan="5" ] Assault Rifles [th colwidth="173"] [th colwidth="172"] Close [th colwidth="171"] Medium [th colwidth="171"] Far AP [th colwidth="173"] CAR4 [td colwidth="172"] 64.6 [td colwidth="171"] 50.0 [td colwidth="171"] 43.0 2 [th colwidth="173"] NWB9 [td colwidth="172"] 51.5 [td colwidth="171"] 35.0 [td colwidth="171"] 30.0 2.2 [th colwidth="173"] VF7S [td colwidth="172"] 92.0 [td colwidth="171"] 78.0 [td colwidth="171"] 69.0 2.5 [th colwidth="173"] KU59 [td colwidth="172"] 98.5 [td colwidth="171"] 68.0 [td colwidth="171"] 58.0 1 [th colwidth="173"] RG5 [td colwidth="172"] 104.6 [td colwidth="171"] 82.0 [td colwidth="171"] 71.0 2 [th colwidth="173"] CHS3 [td colwidth="172"] 67.0 [td colwidth="171"] 55.0 [td colwidth="171"] 49.0 2.4 [td colspan="5" ] [th colspan="5" ] SMGs [th colwidth="173"] [th colwidth="172"] Close [th _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1272080/view/494961642665148710]_