What are favors & how do you unlock them in PAYDAY 3?

Favors are a key mechanic in previous PAYDAY games, and they make a return in PAYDAY 3. However, favors now play a slightly different role in the heist game, which can be confusing since it isn't super obvious how they work this time around.

PAYDAY 3 can be pretty tricky if you turn the difficulty up. Whether you’re trying to lockpick before a guard comes around the corner, or trying to take down both Shield and Dozer enemies, you’re going to need all the help you can get.

That’s where favors come in, making some elements of each heist a little easier if you plan far enough ahead. So, here’s everything you need to know about favors in PAYDAY 3, including what they are and how to unlock them.

Favors in PAYDAY 3 are essentially a way to make completing a heist a little easier. Players can choose to equip one favor before entering a heist, which will spawn a bag of chosen supplies somewhere on the map.

There are currently four different types of favors that players can unlock and equip in PAYDAY 3:

• Ammo Bag - Spawns a bag of ammunition resupplies
• Medic Bag - Spawns a bag of medical supplies to heal lost health
• Armor Bag - Spawns a bag of armor plate refills to replenish lost armor
• Zipline Bag - Spawns a handy zipline that players can use to escape the scene quickly

To find a favor, look around the map for bags on the floor. These will be highlighted through walls in an orange outline, so you should be able to spot them from far away.

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You can unlock and buy more favors from the Gage: Arms Dealer tab of the Vendors menu.

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Scroll down to the very bottom of the list to see all of the favors you can buy, listed. Each favor will set you back $10,000, so they aren’t too expensive. You can purchase as many of them as you like, but as mentioned, you can only ever take one of them into a heist with you at any one time.

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To equip favors in PAYDAY 3, you’ll need to select them from the heist lobby screen where you choose your loadout. 

In the tab to the left of the screen, you’ll see all of the favors that you’ve unlocked listed. Simply click on one to equip it, and the chosen favor will appear in your game once you load in.

There are four potential favor slots - one for each player in the lobby. This means that if you’re playing solo, you can only bring one favor into the heist with you.

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Heist-Specific favors in PAYDAY 3 provide more detailed support for a number of heists. For example, you may see an option to be told the location of certain items, like keycards or QR codes before the heist begins.

These are super useful favors if you’re trying to figure out how to complete a heist in stealth. However, it’s currently unknown how to unlock these favors for each heist. For now, it appears that these Heist-Specific favors are awarded to players at random.

We will update this guide if how to unlock Heist-Specific favors becomes apparent.

That’s everything you need to know about favors in PAYDAY 3, including what they do and how they work.

To learn more about the customisation options in PAYDAY 3, check out our list of all the masks and how to unlock them, as well as all the weapons. Check out our PAYDAY 3 homepage for even more guides.