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Payday 3: How to Beat Heavy Swat

Having problems against Heavy SWAT units in Payday 3? Here's how to deal with them.

Amidst the different enemy types in Payday 3, you might assume that the most troublesome are the specials. There’s certainly no denying just how disruptive a cloaker or bulldozer can be in the middle of an assault wave. However, one of the more annoying enemies is the stronger variants of SWAT forces. Here is how to beat Heavy SWAT units in Payday 3.

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How to Beat Heavy Swat in Payday 3

How to Kill Heavy Swat

As simple as it seems, the best method to beat a Heavy SWAT unit is to focus your shots on their head. It might take some shots to get through their helmet, but you’ll eventually hear the visor break. Your next headshot will put them down for good.

The primary reason to aim for their heads is due to their strong body armor. It prevents a lot of damage from getting through, and we can attest you’ll be dropping an unnecessary amount of ammo with body shots. More than convenient, it’s simply downright necessary to go for headshots.

How to Take Heavy Swat Units as Hostage

If you don’t want to kill them all, you might have the option to convert one with the Menacing skill. As long as you’re within five meters, you can shout at one and make them surrender. They’ll then act like hostages, meaning you’ll incur a penalty cost for killing them but can trade them for resources. Aside from Heavy SWAT, this also works for regular SWAT and guards.

Related: How to Tie Up Guards in Payday 3

It’s important to note that there isn’t a current way to convert them as an ally. Although Payday 2 had this with the Joker skill, there is no equivalent with the sequel.

That covers how to beat Heavy SWAT in Payday 3. If you want to finish them off extra fast, it might be helpful to browse our shotgun builds list. All other tips are available on our PD3 guides page.


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Author
Image of Samuel Moreno
Samuel Moreno
Samuel is a freelance writer who has had work published with Hard Drive, GameSkinny, Otaquest, and PhenixxGaming. He's a big fan of the Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil series, but truth be told he'd sell his soul simply for a new Ape Escape game.