Earning experience with weapons unlocks more mods, while Overkill weapons are usable after completing enough heist objectives.

Though Payday 3 sticks very close to its predecessor’s heist-based gameplay, it’s making several changes to the formula to shake things up. On top of higher challenges, armor and new enemies, it also has separate progression paths for each weapon, as outlined in a new developer diary.

Players can still choose different sights, magazines and stocks for their guns, but to unlock them, you need to use the weapon and gain experience – the more experience earned, the more options become available. There are also preset weapons equipped with mods, which can be good if you need a specific weapon type but haven’t progressed enough.

The best part is that using a preset weapon will earn experience for its base, ensuring you’re always progressing. You also have Overkill weapons, which become available when completing objectives in a heist. After enough progress, you can call it in for some serious power (and perhaps to escape a tough situation).

The recoil on weapons uses spray patterns and a kick-based system. However, while you can control some aspects of the recoil, there will be “a little bit of randomization that you can’t control,” says the developer.

“But with that said, you can learn and master the spray patterns and find the weapon that suits your personality and what you want to play with. It’s not about finding a specific break point in a game where you want to reach a specific stat number, as in Payday 2. Instead, it’s about what you enjoy in your combat situations and how you want to engage with it.”

The gadgets available include the ECM Jammer for blocking cameras and a Mini Camera, which can be viewed at any time, providing valuable surveillance.

Payday 3 is out on September 21st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, retailing for $39.99.