DSOD Build list

- I play DS and DSOD, but I'm not a hardcore DSOD player. That's why some of these builds are meme builds. That said, I try to make all my builds DSOD viable. (2 shot armor, breakpoints, nine lives aced, etc.)

- I don't play Payday2 as often anymore, so I lost steam while putting this guide together and didn't add my stoic builds to this guide and also didn't bother to add explanations to some of the builds. If any of you want tips on some of the builds or want alternatives, please leave a comment.

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Changelog
- 2024/12/10 : added more detailed description for the Hacker perkdeck due to request.
- 2024/12/18 : removed beginner tips for builds.
- 2025/04/15 : spelling error fixed
- 2025/05/27 : added simple ar(hacker), double sniper(anarchist) and crossed out builds that i no longer use.
- 2025/06/16 : added some comments about why the builds were crossed out.

Hacker is nice because it basically stuns all the enemies around you. It requires you to be extra aggressive because of the cooldown of pECM and the mechanics of the perkdeck. Therefore, I tend to use spammy weapons such as akimbo smg's or LMGs.

* It's also nice for trying crazy/unique weapons since you have high dodge and the pECM.

Some tips:

- How do I use the perk deck?
When you activate pECM, killing enemies affected by it will heal you. Also, each kill reduces the cooldown by 6 seconds.

- What equipment should I use?
First aid kits (FAKs) are used for tanking damage or preventing downs through the "uppers" skill. place it down near you before doing something risky.
If you find yourself going down alot, it's ok to take medbags with you until you get used to the deck.

- What skills should I use?
I generally pair hacker with joker skills and sometimes hostage taker aced. sneaky bastard is useful if you want to max out dodge, but I'd recommend spending those points in dps etc.

- general play style:

• Kill everything you see. Activate the pECM and kill atleast one to get the dodge bonus.
  
• Everytime You use the pECM try to kill around 10 enemies. This will shorten the cooldown time for your next pECM.
  
• Instead of waiting in a corner of the room and getting overrun by enemies, pop out of cover and activate the pECM to kill the enemies approaching.
  
• Dodge is not god mode. Use cover at all times and use the pECM to safely kill the enemies.
  
• When moving, think as if you're jumping from cover to cover. Instead of walking along a path, this should be like playing 'The floor is lava'.
  
• If you need to do objectives or your in a situation, place down a FAKs and utilize the uppers skill. (Example for Fixing a drill: Kill most enemies with pECM -> place down a FAKs near the drill. -> fix the drill. -> if you get shot move back to cover. (if you couldn't react in time, the FAKs will save you) -> If you finished the drill and need some health, use the FAKs and go back to cover.)
  IMPORTANT: There is a cooldown time for the uppers skill. You cannot have infinite health by placing several down.

due to akimbo-smgs crashing the game, I've started to use ARs way more.

- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- First aid kit
- buzzer - Precision Barrel
- The Bigger the Better Suppressor
- Accuracy Boost
- Compact laser module
- 45 degree ironsights
- Speculator Sight - Rami Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- AK Rubber Grip

Kevkild's Build. Slightly modified the weapons.
- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- Ammobags
- buzzer - Short Barrel
- Rami Suppressor (Medium Suppressor, Medved R4 also works)
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- Compact Laser Module
- Speed Pull Magazine - TiN Treated Barrel
- Champion's Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Medved R4 Laser Sight (personal taste)
- Extended Magazine

* if you don't mind the slow reload, use the expert mag or L5 mag on the akimbos and swap the suppressor on the 5/7 for a flash hider

⠀ Kevkild's Build. Slightly modified the weapons.
- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- First aid kits
- buzzer - The Bigger the Better Suppressor
- Accuracy Boost
- Auto Fire
- Compact Laser module
- AK Rubber Grip - Rami Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- Aftermarket Shorty
- Compact laser module
- Skeletonized AR Grip
- Orthogon Lower Receiver
- CAR Quadstacked Mag
- Orthogon Upper Receiver - TiN Treated Barrel
- Flash Hider
- Concealment Boost
- Medved R4 Laser Sight (personal taste)
- Extended Magazine

The outfit is how I feel when I use this build
* You could use Grinder instead for lower difficulties.
- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- Ammobags
- buzzer - better Grenade launcher
- MG8 Precision Barrel
- Rami suppressor (can use medium or Medved R4)
- Stability Boost
- Compact laser Module
- Verge AK Grip - Concealment Boost
- Venomous Mod Set - better guns
- Medium Barrel
- Rami suppressor (can use medium or Medved R4)
- Stability Boost
- LED Combo
- L5 Magazine or Expert Mag - Viper Grenade
- Concealment Boost

Used to be an anarchist build
- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- First aid kits
- buzzer - Rami Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- Compact laser module - Longshot Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Compact laser module
- Iron Sights
- Stakeout Stock

Awful build. But fun to use.

A fun build. Not really good.Alternate fire Akimbo mod makes this nice - Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- First Aid Kits
- buzzer - Railed Barrel
- IPSC Compensator
- Concealment Boost
- Micro laser
- Ergogrip - TiN Treated Barrel
- Flash Hider
- Concealment Boost
- Medved R4 Laser Sight (personal taste)
- Extended Magazine

Kevkild's Build. modified some of the skills and gun mods
- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- First aid kits
- buzzer - Velocity Compensator
- Concealment Boost
- Polymer Flashlight
- Ergo Grip
- Extended Magazine - TiN Treated Barrel
- Flash Hider
- Concealment Boost
- Medved R4 Laser Sight (personal taste)
- Extended Magazine

- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- Ammobags
- buzzer - The Stump Barrel
- Concealment Boost
- I'll Take Half That Kit
- Compact laser module * If you want a decent gun, use the akron.
- Stability Boost
- Aureate Exclusive Set
- Compact laser module
- Speculator Sight - Rami Suppressor (medium or Medved also works)
- Concealment Boost
- Sehr Kurze Barrel
- Straight Magazine
- Adjustable Stock

Use the ecms to stun a large area. Sometimes useful for turrets

- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- ECM
- buzzer - The Bigger the Better Suppressor
- Accuracy Boost
- Auto Fire
- Compact laser module
- AK Rubber Grip - TiN Treated Barrel
- Flash Hider
- Concealment Boost
- Medved R4 Laser Sight (personal taste)
- Extended Magazine

Not a meta build but fun to use.

<reason for crossing out>
damage falloff made every shotgun less viable a while ago. the IZMHA build is still usable, but you may find it difficult to use in open maps.
My method of using it is to fight near cover indoor, with the pECM until I get hit. once I get hit I take cover for unseen strike. after that, it melts everything.

- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- ECM
- buzzer - 000 Buckshot
- Short Barrel
- The Silent Killer Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- Takita Charging Handle
- Hollow handle
- Compact laser module
- AK Rubber Grip
- Big Brother Magazine
- See More Sight
- Skeletal Stock
- Takita Railed Cover - HE Round
- The Silent Killer Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Compact laser module
- Custom Reinforced frame

Utility build lacked DPS so got replaced.

- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- ECM
- buzzer - The Bigger the Better Suppressor
- Stability Boost
- Auto Fire
- Compact laser module
- Speed Pull Magazine
- 45 Degree Ironsights
- Specular Sight - TiN Treated Barrel
- Flash Hider
- Concealment Boost
- Medved R4 Laser Sight (personal taste)
- Extended Magazine

• Only good for maps like hoxton breakout day 1, beneath the mountain etc.
  
• don't expect to kill alot. focus on ECM and stunning the area for your teammates. You should be the one doing the objective.

<reason for crossing out>
Le cringe

- Two-piece Suit
- pocket ECM
- First Aid Kits
- buzzer - Tombstone Slug RIP DB
- Shark Teeth Nozzle
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- Little Brother Foregrip
- Big Brother Magazine - Takitka Muzzle Brake
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- LED Combo
- AK Rubber Grip
- Speculator Sight
- Takitka Telescopic Stock

The anarchist Perk Deck is an armor based perk deck. To be exact, it is an armor-gating perk deck. Which means it relies on regenerating a small bit of armor before getting hit.

There are mainly 3 ways to regenerate armor.

1. Auto regen : Cooldown is based on the type of armor used. two-piece suit being the fastest.
   
2. Bullseye skill : hitting a headshot will regen 5 armor. no need for bullseye aced. cooldown: 5 sec
   
3. Damaging enemies : Part of the perk deck, unlocked by the last card('lust for life'). 10 armor after dealing damage. cooldown : 1.5 sec

There is also an important feature of this perk deck that you should be aware of.
Blitzkrieg Bop : Also known as 2-second god mode, this is part of the perkdeck. When your armor breaks, you are given 2 seconds of invincibility. cooldown: 15sec

Anarchist pairs well with 'Berserker' based builds.

Kevkild's build Some skills and weapon modification changed
- Two-piece Suit
- Concussion Grenades
- Medbags
- Ice pick - Medium Barrel
- Total Ammo Boost
- LED Combo
- Signature Magnifier Gadget
- Speculator Sight
- Tactical Stock - The bigger the better suppressor
- Stability Boost
- Auto Fire
- LED Combo
- Speed Pull Magazine
- Signature Magnifier Gadget
- Speculator Sight

Kevkild's build
- Two-piece Suit
- Molotov cocktail
- Medbags
- Ice pick - Gedampfter Barrel
- Concealment Boost
- Compact Laser Module
- Subtiler Grip
- 45 Degree Ironsights
- Specular Sight - The bigger the better suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Scope Mount
- Aluminum Foregrip
- Compact Laser Module
- AK Rubber Grip
- Low Drag Magazine
- Speculator Sight
- Takitka Telescopic Stock
- Takitka Railed Cover

- Two-piece Suit
- Molotov cocktail
- Medbags
- Buzzer - AML Barrel
- Rami Suppressor
- Accuracy Boost
- Stealth Laser Module
- Titanium Skeleton Grip
- Speculator Sight
- Wide Stock - Precision Barrel
- The Bigger the Better Suppressor
- Accuracy Boost
- Compact laser module
- 45 Degree Ironsights
- Speculator Sight - TiN Treated Barrel
- Flash Hider
- Concealment Boost
- Medved R4 Laser Sight (personal taste)
- Extended Magazine

Use the Amaroq for dozers and specials and use the north star for normal enemies.
the ammo bags are for insurance.

- Two-piece Suit
- Molotov Cocktail
- Ammobags
- Ice pick - Qanuk Barrel
- Ice Cap Suppressor
- Dire Speedbolt
- Stability Boost
- Snowbound shell Rack
- LED Combo
- Akhlut Magazine
- Signature Magnifier Gadget
- Speculator Sight - Tiwaz Silencer
- Accuracy
- LED Combo\
- Rubber Grip
- Signature Magnifier Gadget
- Biometric Analyzer
- war-torn Stock

Zerk with the molotov. Use the Sniper for long-range engagements and shields. Also, Graze helps with ammo.

- Two-piece Suit
- Molotov cocktail
- Medbags
- Ice pick - MG8 Precision Rifle
- The Bigger the Better Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- LED Combo
- Verge AK Grip - Tiwaz Silencer
- Concealment Boost
- Stealth laser module
- Ursa Minor Grip
- 45 Degree Ironsights
- Cynosura Iron Sights
- Folding Stock This build goes against one of the most important rules of builds because it's a hybrid build (akimbo and sniper) that also has better alternatives (primary snipers like the contractor is way better)
However, this is one of my favorite builds. I like snipers with graze but I also love the braindead gameplay of akimbo SMGs. The sniper is good for shields and long range encounters while the akimbo helps clear rooms in a pinch.
Use the akimbo for a while and then uses graze to fill up on ammo. graze and the ammo efficiency of the gen21's allows you to stay ammo positive as long as you're clicking heads. I like to think of this build as the less-brain-dead version of a 'Hacker with akimbo SMGs and ammobags' build.

- Two-piece Suit
- Concussion Grenade
- Tripmines
- buzzer - The Bigger the Better Suppressor
- Stability Boost
- Auto Fire
- Stealth laser module
- Speed Pull Magazine
- 45 Degree Red dot sight
- See more sight - HE Round
- The Silent Killer Suppressor
- Concealment Boost
- Compact laser module
- Custom Reinforced frame

Inpired by a Kevkild video/ a friend using tripmines during a hiest.
- Two-piece Suit
- Concussion Grenades
- Tripmines / Medbags
- Ice pick - Short Barrel
- Accuracy Boost
- Compact laser module
- Speculator Sight
- Tactical Stock - Competitor's Compensator
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- Medved R4 Laser Sight

Kevkild's Build.
- Two-piece Suit
- Molotov cocktail
- Medkit
- buzzer (Ice pick is better but I just use the buzzer here) - Jungle Ninja Supressor
- Stability Boost
- Micro laser
- Ergo Grip
- Extended Magazine - TiN Treated Barrel
- Champion's Supressor
- Concealment Boost
- Medved R4 Laser Sight (personal taste)
- Extended Magazine

- Two-piece Suit
- Concussion Grenade
- Medbags
- Buzzer - 000 Buckshot
- Long Barrel
- The Silent Killer Supressor
- Stability Boost
- Auto Fire
- LED Combo
- Straight Grip - AP Slug
- The Silent Killer Suppressor
- Accuracy Boost
- Stealth Laser Module
- Custom Reinforced Frame

you could add Berserker to make it even more deadly.

<reason for crossing out>
The build was replaced by the 'double sniper build'
I found that I like to use this build to fend off specials and dozers from a distance. and that means that I wasn't really picking up ammo.
because of this, I decided to use a higher damage sniper paired with a lower damage sniper and ammobags. the new build is considerably weaker in close-quarter-combat, but in a long distance map with sightlines to spawns (i.e. panic room, counterfeit etc) I think the new build is better.

- Two-piece Suit
- Concussion Grenades
- Medbags
- Ice pick - Silenced Barrel
- Accuracy Boost
- Stealth laser Module
- Signature Magnifier Gadget
- Biometric analyzer - Rami Supressor
- Stability Boost
- Auto Fire
- Short Foregrip
- LED Combo
- Extended Magazine
- Signature Magnifier Gadget
- Speculator Sight
- Wide Stock

another older Kevkild build

<reason for crossing out>
This build works but felt weak at times. Therefore I stopped using it. it's still very viable as a high dmg sniper build. especially if you only have the Platypus and none of the DLC snipers.
But for me, I prefer the 255 dmg sniper frenzy build over this. If you have a 255 damage sniper or a 500 damage sniper you want to use, this is a build you can use.

- Two-piece Suit
- Concussion Grenades
- Medbags
- Ice pick You can use any sniper above 255 damage. Just keep in mind that high damage = less ammo pickup.
- Long Range Barrel
- Stability Boost - Stability Boost
- LED Combo
- Signature Magnifier Gadget
- Speculator Sight
- Tactical Stock - Long Barrel
- Total Ammo Boost
- LED Combo
- Signature Magnifier Gadget
- Speculator Sight
- Tactical Aluminum Body (It looks cool) whatever you want. here are a few SMG's I use in this build. - Competitor's Compensator
- Accuracy Boost
- Auto Fire
- LED Combo
- Speed Pull Magazine
- Speculator Sight - Taktika Muzzle Brake
- Stability Boost
- Scope Mount
- Moscow Special Rail
- LED Combo
- Verge AK Grip
- Speed Pull Magazine
- Speculator Sight
- Classic Stock - Marmon Compensator
- Accuracy Boost
- Railed Handguard
- LED Combo
- Speed Pull Magazine
- Speculator Sight
- Skeletal Stock * ammo efficient secondary example
- Competitor's Compensator
- Stability Boost
- Polizei Tactical Barrel
- LED Combo
- Straight Magazine
- Adjustabe Stock (for style)

Inpired by a Thekknowley video
- Two-piece Suit
- LEech ampule
- FAKs
- Buzzer - 000 Buckshot
- Long Barrel
- The Silent Killer Supressor
- Stability Boost
- Auto Fire
- LED Combo
- Straight Grip - AP Slug
- The Silent Killer Suppressor
- Accuracy Boost
- Stealth Laser Module
- Custom Reinforced Frame

another great Kevkild build

<reason for crossing out>
I prefer anarchist with snipers. The build is solid.

- Two-piece Suit
- Leech Ampule
- FAKs
- Buzzer - Short Barrel
- Accuracy Boost
- Compact laser module
- Speculator Sight
- Tactical Stock - Rami Suppressor (Medium or Medved)
- Concealment Boost
- Auto Fire
- Compact laser module
- AK Rubber Grip
- Speculator Sight

FAKs / Medbags

• FAKs with the 'Uppers' skill Aced automatically uses a FAKs that was placed near you when you go down. preventing you from going down. great for health based builds.
  
• Medbags reset your remaining downs left. It is a waste to use them for health in most situations. Revenant skill based builds or Leech builds sinergize well with medbags. otherwise, it is normal to pair these with non-health based builds such as anarchist or beserker skill based builds.

Ammobags

• Pair them with 'Bullet Storm' for unlimited ammo for short durations.
  
• Good for spawn camping enemies because you don't have to worry about not being able to reach the ammo drops beyond the map. (i.e. Panic room roof, Heat street extraction etc.)

Trip Mines and Shaped Charges

• Tripmines in detection mode will highlight enemies. Great for wall-piercing guns such as snipers.
  
• Tripmines with the 'Fire Trap' skill are good for preventing enemies from turning off the power etc. place them on the floor in front of the powerbox.
  
• Shaped charges are nice alternatives to drilling/sawing stuff. Use the 'more firepower' skill to get a maximum of 6 shaped charges.

ECM

• With the 'ECM overdrive' skill Aced, these can be used to Open doors.
  
• 'ECM Specialist' basic allows you to place 2 ECMs.
  
• ECM Feedback turned on will make the enemy turret shoot the enemies instead of you. good for surviving open maps with turrets.

Sentry Gun

• As they are basically a Stationary Joker, they are great at taking some of the aggro off of you.
  
• Not very good in DW/DS/DSOD because of the higher enemy damage. you need to place them strategically in those difficulties. On the other hand, sentry guns in lower difficulties can make a heist super easy.

Drawing of Fauna from @ZeNoX5300

Where alot of my builds come from.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2141942312

Other famous guides (may be outdated, but great for ideas and strategy)
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1939955661
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2125901380

Guides to help with DSOD
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2269730558
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2820887583