Payday 2 Weapons

Payday 2 offers many weapon options, including primary, secondary, melee, throwables, and consumables. This article will discuss the five best secondary weapons, with at least one from each of the four subcategories: Submachine Guns, Pistols, Shotguns, and Special Weapons.

CR 805B

The player is viewing weapon skin modifications for their CR 805B Submachine Gun.

In a twist of fate, the biker gang received a truck full of CR 805B submachine guns after their attempt at intercepting a television courier failed. Though the weapons were not the shipment they were expecting, the bikers happily realized the value of the gem they had uncovered. This instrument of destruction is highly stable, accurate, and damaging; a beautiful combination that is reinforced by a fast reload rate. This fatal amalgamation comes at the cost of a slower rate of fire, the impact of which is dampened by other statistics, a smaller magazine, and less concealment. If so desired, this weapon may be modded to improve the latter weakness. This weapon is available through the Biker Heist DLC Pack, is unlocked after passing level 2, and costs a mere $58,000. 

To create a well-rounded loud CR 805B, equip it with an Expert Mag, Surgeon Sight, LED Combo, Single Fire, Accuracy Boost, and Competitors Compensator. The Expert Mag fixes one of the biggest complaints for this weapon by extending the magazine quite extensively, as well as raising stability and accuracy while neglecting concealment quite a bit. Some of these modifications will require you to complete specific tasks, such as collecting 25 purple snake packages and 5 green mantis packages.

What makes the CR 805B great:

• Available at low levels
• High damage
• High accuracy
• High stability
• Relatively moddable

How to get the CR 805B: Purchase the Biker Heist DLC Pack and the weapons will be made available to you after surpassing level two. You can then buy this artillery piece with your stolen money and use Continental Coins, Card Drops, Side Jobs, and Rewards to modify it.

To see a youtube guide on the CR 805B, click the link

CR 805B details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/CR_805B

Broomstick

The player inspects their camo skin Broomstick pistol while testing its damage count at the Safe House.

This long-barreled, wooden shouldered semi-automatic pistol proudly originated in Germany towards the end of the 1800s and boasted the highest velocity commercially manufactured cartridge until 1935. The superior German manufacturing produced a pistol with good damage and accuracy, higher than average stability, and a good rate of fire. The most disadvantageous aspect of this weapon is its slow reload rate, but a wide range of modifications provide opportunities to remedy this shortcoming. The Broomstick is available through the Gage Historical DLC Pack and is unlocked after passing level 23 for the price of $510,000.

To create an extremely powerful pistol, attach the Hurricane Compensator, Combined Module, High Capacity Mag, Pistol Red Dot Sight, Precision Barrel, and Holster Stock. The two most influential mods included in this build are the Precision Barrel, which significantly increases damage infliction but halves the amount of ammo that you can carry, and the High Capacity Mag, which, as the name implies, increases your magazine space. The rest of these mods aim to raise accuracy and stability, but you must be a good shot to reap the benefits of these additions, lest you run out of ammo. Some of these modifications will require you to complete specific tasks, such as accomplishing the Hoxton Breakout job on Overkill with everyone wearing a different “Historical” mask, equipping the Broomstick with the Damper.L 44 Nozzle and the Barrel Sight .44, and collecting 25 purple snake packages.

What makes the Broomstick great:

• High base accuracy
• Good base damage
• Exceptionally mod-able

How to get the Broomstick: Purchase the Gage Historical DLC Pack and the weapon will be made available to you after surpassing level 23. You can then buy this item with your stolen money and use Continental Coins, Card Drops, Side Jobs, and Rewards to modify it.

To see a youtube guide on the Broomstick, click the link

Broomstick details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/Broomstick#Stock

HRL-7

The player is almost done reloading their HRL-7, the smoke from their previous shot dissipating in the distance.

This weapon is a rocket-propelled grenade launcher that boasts the highest damage rate of all Payday 2 weapons, high accuracy and stability, and a wide blast radius. In exchange for the ability to kill most enemies in one shot, the HRL-7 can only shoot one round at a time, is slow to reload, and renounces its ability to be replenished from ammo drops. The HRL-7 is available through The Overkill Pack DLC and is unlocked after passing level 38 for the price of $871,000. 

There are not many changes that can be made to this weapon, which is unfortunate considering the low ammo capacity, inability to pick up ammo from enemies, and slow reload time. Despite these flaws, the stopping capabilities that this weapon carries places it above the rest. Mods that are available raise stability and reduce concealment; but trust me, concealment is not part of the equation with this cannon.

What makes the HRL-7 great:

• Extremely damaging
• Great accuracy
• One-shot kills for many enemies

How to get the HRL-7: Purchase The Overkill Pack DLC and the weapon will become available to you after surpassing level 38. You can then buy this item with your stolen money and use Continental Coins, Card Drops, Side Jobs, and Rewards to modify it.

To see a youtube guide on the HRL-7, click the link

HRL-7 details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/HRL-7#Gadget

Goliath 12G

The player inspects the left side of their Goliath 12G shotgun before entering a graffitied residence.

The Goliath 12G is a six-shooter revolving mag shotgun with a narrower spread that does well with mid-range kills. By itself, this weapon presents average damage, accuracy, and stability, but a relatively good rate of fire, total ammo amounts, and reload time. The Goliath 12G is available through the base game and is unlocked after passing level 23 at a cost of $510,000.

To build a powerful shotgun, add the AP Slugs, King’s Crown Compensator, LED Combo, and The Professional’s Choice Sight. All of these mods focus on increasing damage, accuracy, and stability with the added bonus of a threat increase. The one major drawback with this build is a decrease in total ammo. Some of these modifications will require you to complete specific tasks, such as collecting 25 purple snake packages.

What makes the Goliath 12G great:

• High rate of fire
• Good ammo pool
• Decent accuracy
• Quick reloads

How to get the Goliath 12G: After surpassing level 23, this weapon can be purchased with your stolen money. You can then buy this artillery piece with your stolen money and use Continental Coins, Card Drops, Side Jobs, and Rewards to modify it.

To see a youtube guide on the Goliath 12G, click the link

Goliath 12G details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/Goliath_12G#Sight

Pistol Crossbow

The player points their Pistol Crossbow at a map inside a neglected brick structure.

The Pistol Crossbow is a unique archery special weapon that has the ability to fire sharpened, poison-tipped, or exploding reusable bolts. With just one or two headshots, this small, quick-to-reload weapon will exert a significant amount of damage with high accuracy and stability to take down a wide variety of enemies. The Pistol Crossbow is available through the Gage Ninja Pack DLC and is unlocked after level 16 for just $349,000. 

This weapon does not offer many modding options, but it can easily be set up for a silent mission. For a silent build, add the Pistol Red Dot Sight, Camo Grip, Skeletal Limb, and a Concealment Boost. These mods mainly create a more concealable weapon while slightly boosting accuracy. Some of these modifications will require you to complete specific tasks, such as collecting 25 purple snake packages.

What makes the Pistol Crossbow great:

• Concealable and silent (excluding explosive bolts)
• Quick to reload
• High damage, accuracy, and stability
• Recoverable bolts

How to get the Pistol Crossbow: After purchasing the Gage Ninja Pack DLC this weapon will become available to purchase with your stolen funds after you reach level 16. Continental Coins, Card Drops, Side Jobs and Rewards can then be used to purchase mods.

Pistol Crossbow details: https://payday.fandom.com/wiki/Pistol_Crossbow#Ammunition

All modification examples included in this article are just one of many different combinations, some of which may be more advantageous depending on the situation. Adjusting skill trees to reflect weapon capabilities may further increase effectiveness. Keep experimenting, as many people have different weapon preferences. Have fun!

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