Payday is known for letting its players take on daring Bank heists, but if high-security vaults aren’t your thing, you’re still spoiled for choice. I love robbing a bank as much as anyone, but my favorite locale in Payday 3 is the nightclub. In Rock the Cradle, your team of heisters is tasked with breaking into a shady club, but you’ll quickly realize it’s far more fortified than it looks. Here’s how to get the goods and complete the Rock the Cradle mission in Payday 3.
Related: How to farm XP fast in Payday 3
How to complete Rock the Cradle mission in Payday 3
It’s best to think of Rock the Cradle as a two-part heist. The first half is spent gaining access to the VIP area, and the rest is what to do inside.
Naturally, you can do this heist loud or take a stealth approach. I usually do this one silently, but I’ll explain every objective in order. I recommend doing the first half of the heist in stealth, as if you trigger the alarms before stealing the Crypto Wallet, you lose the highest-value loot. If you go loud from the start, the objectives completely change, and the Crypto Wallet is destroyed.
Access the VIP Party
Interact with the bouncers by the VIP door, and they’ll tell you to bring a pass.
There are multiple ways to do this, but a nice, easy way is to lockpick the door to the left of the bar and go upstairs. You won’t be spotted if you’re crouching in the corner while you lockpick. When you’re upstairs, run underneath the camera and lockpick the door to Rifkin’s Office.
Once inside, interact with the QR scanner on the wall. Doing this task will highlight Rifkin on the map. Try and get as close to her as you can.
Hack Rifkin’s Phone
Image: PC Invasion
Fortunately, hacking in Payday 3 is super simple. Interact with the phone on Rifkin’s belt and stay nearby until the hack is complete. Rifkin will sometimes wander into areas you’re not allowed in. You can try and follow her or wait until she enters public areas.
Once the hack is complete, return to Rifkin’s office, open the display case, and steal the VIP passes.
Authenticate the VIP Passes
The Passes are blank, so our next task is to fill them in. Shade will tell you where to go, but there are several potential Laptop locations to visit. These Laptops have an RFID scanner on them. All you need to do is place your VIP Passes on them, interact with the Laptop, and wait a few moments. If you want to do this quietly, you will need to sneak around, as each Laptop is in a private area.
Access the VIP Party
Image: PC Invasion
With your fancy new passes, you can stroll through the VIP doors. We’ve done a complete guide on an alternative method to stealing the Blue Keycard, but you can grab it off the guard’s belt from the doorway.
The camera in this room can spot you stealing the Blue Keycard, so make sure the “observed” prompt isn’t on your screen if you do.
It doesn’t matter if you’re seen here, as you’re enjoying that VIP lifestyle now. Go down the stairs to the party.
Secure the Red Keycard
Image: PC Invasion
There are several doors at the back of the party room. You can access the Accounting Office if you enter the rightmost one and head up the stairs. Mind the camera, and once you’re inside, you’ll find the Red Keycard either in the Safe or on a shelf in the cupboard. With both Keycards, you have access to the entire map.
Enter the IT Office
The leftmost door in the main room is guarded, but you need to get inside. There’s a ‘lure’ just in front of the guard if required. Lockpick the door, beware of the camera, and head into the IT room.
The Crypto Wallet
The Crypto Wallet is in this room but just out of reach. Here, you can choose the silent or aggressive approach. For you stealth heisters, there’s a code and number on the whiteboard. Write that code down and return to the VIP party entrance. There’s a door that requires the Blue Keycard, and you can use your code to press the correct switch.
Once you’ve activated the switch, return to the Accounting Office and interact with the computer. This lets you override the Biometric Scanner remotely.
Alternatively, you can drag an executive in here and force them to use the Biometric scanner. To do this, take them as a human shield, then shove them toward the apparatus.
Tying up loose ends
With your prize now safe, you can make a getaway or storm the vault for more cash. No matter how you choose to do it, well done. You’ve just completed the Rock the Cradle heist in style.
