So finally, Year 1 of DLC content is over, the Gold Pass is finished, time to write a Review for this roller-coaster of a game.

And like a classic OVERKILL Software (now Starbreeze) release the game starts becoming more enjoyable after a coulple of updates. If there wasn't the critical bug in their update pipeline (player saves could be wiped; atleast the bug was found before the first update) the game would be in a better state much sooner.

I've enjoyed PAYDAY 3 since version 1.0.
The new Stealth mechanics are for me, a PAYDAY heister which mostly stealthed the predecessor PAYDAY 2, a major plus.
But you could say, that maskless stealth runs (yes, a new feature in PD3) are pretty OP, while on some maps masked up runs are pretty punishing with the restricted paths you can take. I wish more maps have an objective requiring you to mask up in the end to raise the tension of a successful stealth run.

The couple rounds of loud were also enjoyable, but to be fair I haven't got enough experience the judge the critic of other players. Let's say the direction of the loud aspect is a complete redefinition of the mechanics introduced in PD:TH and PD2. Although Starbreeze announced a major Armor system overhaul for December, which is something I hope the community gives a chance experimenting with the new amor system, instead of relying on the "old" shield system (from PD:TH and PD2), which gets reintroduced with this overhaul.

A major drawback is the replayability of the heists, especially the launch ones.
While the direct location of tasks changes (via RNG), they still remain in the same vicinity, making all runs play the same.
Only the starting with the Houston Breakout DLC it feels that the objectives feel more randomized, making repeated runs more enjoyable. I hope they keep the RNG up for the foreseeable future.

Would I recommend the (GOLD EDITION)?
On Sale, for the price yes as a standalone product. But, on Sale PAYDAY 2 Legacy Collection has a lot of content for less money, which right now PAYDAY 3 can't compete. If you are new in the world of heisting and can live with the old (and sometimes crash prone) Diesel engine get PAYDAY 2 on sale, you will get a lot of enjoyment.
If you already conquered PAYDAY 2 and are in need of new content, PAYDAY 3 is a nice grab if you can effort it, on Sale.

Let's hope the game doesn't die after another half a year (the end of the Deep Silver publishing deal)

So finally, Year 1 of DLC content is over, the Gold Pass is finished, time to write a Review for this roller-coaster of a game. And like a classic OVERKILL Software (now Starbreeze) release the game starts becoming more enjoyable after a coulple of updates. If there wasn't the critical bug in their update pipeline (player saves could be wiped; atleast the bug was found before the first update) the game would be in a better state much sooner. I've enjoyed PAYDAY 3 since version 1.0. The new Stealth mechanics are for me, a PAYDAY heister which mostly stealthed the predecessor PAYDAY 2, a major plus. But you could say, that maskless stealth runs (yes, a new feature in PD3) are pretty OP, while on some maps masked up runs are pretty punishing with the restricted paths you can take. I wish more maps have an objective requiring you to mask up in the end to raise the tension of a successful stealth run. The couple rounds of loud were also enjoyable, but to be fair I haven't got enough experience the judge the critic of other players. Let's say the direction of the loud aspect is a complete redefinition of the mechanics introduced in PD:TH and PD2. Although Starbreeze announced a major Armor system overhaul for December, which is something I hope the community gives a chance experimenting with the new amor system, instead of relying on the "old" shield system (from PD:TH and PD2), which gets reintroduced with this overhaul. A major drawback is the replayability of the heists, especially the launch ones. While the direct location of tasks changes (via RNG), they still remain in the same vicinity, making all runs play the same. Only the starting with the Houston Breakout DLC it feels that the objectives feel more randomized, making repeated runs more enjoyable. I hope they keep the RNG up for the foreseeable future. Would I recommend the (GOLD EDITION)? On Sale, for the price yes as a standalone product. But, on Sale PAYDAY 2 Legacy Collection has a lot of content for less money, which right now PAYDAY 3 can't compete. If you are new in the world of heisting and can live with the old (and sometimes crash prone) Diesel engine get PAYDAY 2 on sale, you will get a lot of enjoyment. If you already conquered PAYDAY 2 and are in need of new content, PAYDAY 3 is a nice grab if you can effort it, on Sale. Let's hope the game doesn't die after another half a year (the end of the Deep Silver publishing deal)