How to Trade Hostages in Payday 3

As a game centered around robbing banks and pulling off major heists for a significant paycheck, Payday 3 allows players to take hostages as shields or trade them for different perks. It’s an expanded system from Payday 2, which also allowed us to take hostages and use them to gain various benefits, but this time around, it’s better. Here’s how to trade hostages in Payday 3 to buy a bit of time or resources!

How to Take a Hostage in Payday 3

Despite the frantic nature of Payday 3, I’ve found that taking a hostage is both simple and well worth the time. To take a hostage in Payday 3, you first need to secure them. For that, walk up to any civilian roaming the map, and then you’ll want to hit the ‘Middle Mouse Button’ to shout at them. They’ll drop to the ground, where you can then hold ‘F’ to tie their hands. From there, you have multiple options. You can take them as a human shield, which is extremely useful in a firefight. Or, you can trade them as a hostage to delay a police assault or to secure resources for the entire team.

Should You Trade Your Hostages in Payday 3?

On lower difficulties, keeping numerous hostages can help delay an assault and prevent your entire team from going down too quickly. Unfortunately, on higher difficulties, like Overkill, the police don’t mind a casualty or two in their attempt to stop the Payday gang. They’ll open fire.

If you have the option to trade hostages, do so. It’s well worth the few seconds of breathing room you receive for the low cost of a single civilian. You can buy a little more time before the police assault the bank, earn some resources like med packs and ammo, or use the manager to open a locked door.