How to Trade Hostages in Payday 3
Updated: 30th Oct 2023 by Team SuperCheats
A new life-saving feature in Payday 3 is the ability to trade the hostages you capture. Take a look at our How to Trade Hostages Guide to find out everything you need to know about hostages and how you use them to make trades with the police during missions. Hostages are a valuable currency that can replenish resources or buy time to execute plans.
How to Take Hostages
In Payday 3 you can target any civilian you want to take hostage. This can be achieved by either pushing them to the ground or shouting while pointing your gun at them.
This is done by pushing 'Up' on your D-Pad of your console controller or if you are playing on PC by pressing the middle mouse button. Once your target is in a curled-up position on the floor, move towards them so two on-screen options appear.
- Take as Human Shield
- Tie Up Hands
You cannot take Security guards or Police officers hostage and firing your weapon at any point during the process will trigger the alarm and alert those waiting outside.
Take as Human Shield
If you opt to take a civilian hostage to use as a human shield security guards and police will be less likely to shoot at you in fear of hitting your hostage. However, you may risk being attacked on high-tier assaults.
To take a hostage as a human shield press the Square button on a PlayStation controller, the X button on an Xbox controller, or the F key on a PC keyboard.
Tie Up Hands
If you plan on trading your civilian hostages later in the game to make an exchange it is in your best interests to tie them up as soon as possible. To tie up a hostage press the Square button on a PlayStation controller, the X button on an Xbox controller, or the F key on a PC keyboard.
How to Trade a Hostage
During certain times of the action phase in Payday 3 you will be given the opportunity to trade off hostages in exchange for resources such as ammunition and med packs or extra time in order to plan your next move without having the threat of an assault by the police. This option will most likely appear when the alarms go off and you put on your mask.
To trade a hostage in Payday 3 you choose your civilian and use them as a human shield. If you then shove the civilian you have taken hostage and approach them again the option to tie them up will appear.
Doing this will then bring up the 'Trade Hostage' prompt. To tie up a hostage and trade a hostage both utilize the same control input - press the Square button on a PlayStation controller, the X button on an Xbox controller, or the F key on a PC keyboard.
The Negotiation Phase
The negotiation phase in Payday 3 will begin once you have chosen the 'Trade Hostage' option. It is at this point that you can deal with the police officers at the scene to either obtain more resources you may need or score more time for your teammates. If you kill a hostage or police officer during this phase the truce in place will be immediately nullified and the assault by the authorities will continue.
To master the art of trading hostages with minimal casualties in Payday 3 it is recommended that you practice during the Crowd Control tutorial. This is an important mechanic of the game that you need to become familiar with as the resources and extra time you get from a trade with the Police can be the difference between succeeding or failing in a heist.
If you want to get your hands on the best skills and weapons that Payday 3 has to offer you will need to earn XP and level up to meet the requirement to unlock them. We have a guide that will tell you the Easy Ways to Earn XP and Level Up in Payday 3.
No comments yet. Tell us what you think to be the first.