Choose TheKknowley's armor-supported shotgun setup for a detailed starting loadout or a Hard Cast assault-rifle setup for headshots. A Vampire SMG setup offers another option built around stuns, while a separate defensive shotgun variant pairs Resilient with Bulky. These recommendations serve different priorities, and TheKknowley's detailed shotgun guide specifically targets update 3.9.
Check the update context before choosing
The official PAYDAY 3 homepage lists update 3.10, making the version attached to a build recommendation relevant. TheKknowley presents his shotgun loadout as his personal best after update 3.9, so treat that judgment within its stated context. Check the relevant changelog before assuming its interactions remain identical in a later update. Weapon perks give weapons additional functions, making the perk package part of the choice alongside the weapon itself.
Armor-supported shotgun: weapons and skills
In his Update 3.9 setup, TheKknowley equips the M7 Pursuivant shotgun with Knockback and uses Aced Point Blank against bulldozers. He describes Knockback as giving each shot a 50% higher chance to trigger a disrupting animation. His attachment choices include a CQC barrel and an extended magazine for more time between reloads. His secondary is the Justicar with Accelerator, a mobility perk; he uses it against snipers and to conserve M7 ammunition.
If you lack the Houston Breakout Weapon Pack, which includes the M7 Pursuivant, his suggested alternative is the Poacher iconic weapon. He highlights its 300% damage increase on the second shot fired per reload. He recommends acing Speed Loader when using this variant, tying the weapon alternative to a corresponding skill adjustment. TheKknowley uses Aced Annihilation in the M7 build; a separate dual-shotgun guide also recommends it for a 10% shotgun damage increase from repeated hits on enemies.
For defense, take aced Extra Protection for the damage reduction described in the guide. Armor bags are TheKknowley's core deployable, supported by acing both Armored Up one and Armored Up two. Basic Beast of Burden adds the ability to move two bags at once.
Shotgun equipment, armor and resource recovery
The recommended equipment pairs armor bags with shock grenades, with the tool slot left to personal preference. TheKknowley mentions trip lasers as a popular tool choice and takes basic Stockpile for more starting shock grenades and basic Stunned for a longer stun. He also takes Aced Shock Vector to stun groups and Aced Renewable Energy to recover throwables through interactions with zappers. He values shocks against shields and recommends targeting zapper weak points when opportunities arise.
His armor configuration uses the Mercenary frame with three resistant plates and a single impact plate intended to take initial damage. In that configuration, he reports that an armor repair kit repairs the impact plate alongside the top layer of the remaining resistant plates. He spends five points acing Trade Broker and Consumerism, describing civilian trades counting as three and capacity for up to five consumables. His preferred consumables are armor repair kits, linking those skill choices to the armor configuration.
The OVE9050 saw from the Brute Force Crimebond provides another resource option through Grave Robber, which generates resources from kills; a separate Update 3.9 showcase documented unlocking the saw with Renown. Both shotgun guides connect the saw to resource generation, and the dual-shotgun guide pairs Grave Robber with Blade Slinger for projectile attacks that can return resources. TheKknowley favors the silent saw blade because it lets him bring out the saw immediately. He explicitly acknowledges lower ammo efficiency, making immediate access the benefit he chooses over that cost.
Hard Cast assault rifle: headshots and ammunition
The weapon-type showcase uses Hard Cast on the North West B9, with the CAR-4 as an alternative. The presenter prefers the B9 for its higher ammunition return per kill, while the CAR-4 offers greater armor penetration. In this setup, Hard Cast helps secure headshot kills by damaging health without first breaking armor. With either rifle, use an extended magazine alongside Ammo Funnel and Replenish.
For marking enemies, the showcase offers either trip lasers or motion sensors according to player preference. It pairs that marking approach with the Specialist armor frame. For the version using armor bags, it recommends Red Fox as an option for dealing with bulldozers. Keep that equipment condition attached to the Red Fox recommendation when comparing this setup with the shotgun loadout.
Insurance Plan LMG: an objective-holding concept
The Insurance Plan LMG is presented here as an objective-holding concept, with the following choices illustrating its role rather than defining a complete loadout. The showcase centers it on Insurance Plan and keeping hostages together to support damage resistance while holding an objective. It offers either the RPK or the Breaker, with Brawler as its weapon perk choice. In the demonstrated Brawler setup, firing an unsilenced weapon makes nearby civilians drop to the ground.
Bring ammo bags for the LMG and make sure you can equip the OVE9050 OVERKILL saw from the Brute Force Crimebond before copying the showcase’s supply plan: the saw provides supplies without trading away the hostages that keep Insurance Plan active. ECM jammers and flash grenades provide enemy stuns, giving those equipment slots a different purpose from the ammo supply. The showcase identifies movement between positions as the build's main weakness and advises having teammates around when moving. Team-supported movement is therefore part of the concept, alongside the hostage-focused position it aims to maintain.
Defensive shotgun: pair Resilient with Bulky
A separate shotgun recommendation pairs a customizable shotgun carrying Resilient with a revolver carrying Bulky. The showcase warns that duplicate copies of either Resilient or Bulky across equipped weapons overwrite each other. Follow the complementary pairing when assembling this variant instead of equipping duplicate copies of the same perk. This is a distinct weapon-perk arrangement from TheKknowley's M7 recommendation with Knockback.
The defensive shotgun variant uses a Vanguard armor frame with two resistant plates. Its armor bags restore resistant plates if they break, connecting the deployable choice to that plate configuration. The showcase also uses the Sociopath bat with Berserker as a way to recover health. Keep the Vanguard frame and Sociopath bat distinct here: the bat supplies the stated health-recovery option.
Vampire SMG: stuns with an ammo tradeoff
The SMG recommendation combines Vampire with the stunning capability of SMGs. The showcase favors lower rates of fire and higher damage output, recommending the base-game FIK PC9 or, if you own the matching weapon pack, the WAR-45 from Syntax Error or the ATK-7 from Boys in Blue. It recommends a Quick Pull magazine for ammunition management and fast reloads, while warning that careless play can exhaust ammunition. Treat that warning as part of the choice if you are considering this setup for its stun-focused approach.
The accompanying sidearm is a pistol carrying Pin Puller, while a Mamba with Cluster Bomb supplies the recommended crowd-clearing option. For armor, the showcase recommends the Sociopath frame and leaves its plate composition to player preference. That differs from the specified plate arrangements in the Mercenary and Vanguard shotgun recommendations. Choose between these builds by the role and resource package you want, while retaining each recommendation's stated equipment conditions.