Payday 3 Lead Guard Explained: What They Do & How to Defeat Them Easily

The guards you face throughout each heist can prove troublesome for your overall strategy, especially for those trying the stealthy route. But, to make matters worse, the Lead Guard can potentially derail your entire plan due to their overpowered abilities. We’ll explain what this type of enemy entails and how to defeat them quickly.

What Is a Lead Guard in Payday 3?

The Lead Guard patrols in random areas with endless radio spawns, switching up their routes after some time to throw off stealth players. That means anytime you hold the opponent or eliminate them, you will need to answer their radio approximately every 30 seconds, or else it will lead to a search and result in an all-out alert. Based on my experience, the opponent goes almost anywhere, even in the room with staircases where you would think it would be safe (like I unfortunately did.)

If you aren’t sure what the difference is between the Lead Guard and a regular one, the key characteristics you need to look out for are a hat and a bulletproof vest.

You can only encounter Lead Guards in Overkill mode, where you will also need to watch out for the indestructible Titan Cameras. Of course, it will be much more challenging than other difficulties, so you must prepare beforehand to execute the plan successfully.

How to Defeat the Lead Guard in Payday 3

The best approach to defeating the Lead Guard is to actually not eliminate them. If you take them down, you’ll always need to answer the radio, which can ultimately raise the alarm after hitting the maximum amount. Some players have also indicated that this opponent seems impossible to beat in solo mode, given that they change their patrol routes randomly.

Therefore, you may want to participate in this mode with a team, where one member can essentially babysit the guard while everyone else completes the rest of the mission. That way, you’ll be able to know where they are at all times, avoiding the risk of a surprise collision.

On the other hand, those who don’t mind a full-frontal assault can easily take down the Lead Guard, as they don’t relatively have any buffs outside of the endless radio spawns. You could either stay out of their sight to sneak attack them or eliminate them with your weapon. As a result, players will need to prepare themselves for a heist showdown, as the alert will be raised in no time.

Hopefully, you have a better understanding of what a Lead Guard is, and if you want to learn more about the game, you can check out our C-Stacks guide. Be sure to also explore the relevant links below to view more Payday 3 content.