Payday 3 has a motley assortment of different police units to throw at you. Plenty of players have their lives quickly ruined by the mighty Bulldozers or Snipers, but if you ask me, the real menace is the Cloakers. These freaky ninjas are dressed in budget Splinter Cell cosplays and are supremely frustrating to fight. But fear not, heister; let me show you how to beat Cloakers in Payday 3.
Related: Best weapons in Payday 3
How to beat Cloakers in Payday 3
I’ve read multiple posts from people complaining about how ‘cheap’ and ‘unfair’ Cloakers are. I like them as they are so unique, but there’s no denying how frustrating they can be to fight. Remember, Shade usually announces when Cloakers are in play, and they always make that terrifying siren sound when they are close.
Here are a few strategies you can employ to deal with these light-footed foes.
Don’t go loud
I won’t tell you how to play, but you can avoid Cloakers entirely if they don’t even show up. Cloakers don’t usually appear in the first wave of police reinforcements, so you can reduce the chance of seeing them if you’re not going loud for the entire heist. Payday 3 seems to favor stealth playstyles. It certainly helps to be quiet, but It’s not strictly necessary.
If your playstyle is ‘loud and proud,’ I completely respect that, and that leads nicely into our next strategy.
Group up
Cloakers love nothing more than to isolate and bully a heister who’s alone and away from their team. When a Cloaker knocks you down, they constantly attack until you succumb to their flurry of kicks and punches.
When you hear Shade’s warning about incoming Cloakers, it’s time to group up. Cloakers are terrifying if you’re alone but comically weak if you have backup. If they knock you down, your buddies can kill them, and you’ll be back on your feet in no time.
Grouping up is the best strategy against Cloakers, but with randoms on your team, you may have to work extra hard to get in position.
Bring a shotgun
Shotguns are amazing against Cloakers because they work best against foes who like to fight up close and personal. Shotguns are also decent when fired from the hip, and it really helps if a Cloaker rushes you. If you don’t like Shotguns, the KU-59 is another good weapon. It looks like an AK but has a tight hip fire spread for those point-blank engagements.
Stay in the open
If all else fails, don’t lose hope, heister. Cloakers love to ambush you from corners and blind spots. If you stand in the open, you take away that advantage and they have to engage you on your terms. This strategy sounds great, but comes with its own issues. Standing out in the open means you’re likely to take fire from other units and are a sitting duck for Snipers.
If you’re minding Cloakers, you’re likely not completing the objective and helping your team. It beats getting knocked down, but the other strategies mentioned are better.
Hopefully, these strategies will take the sting out of your next Cloaker encounter. Now, go forth and rob the most giant vault you can find without worrying about Payday 3’s biggest pests.
