Payday 3 Under the Surphaze stealth guide

If you’re interested in doing a solo stealth run at the Under the Surphaze heist in Payday 3, here’s how we would do it.

This is one of the game’s most iconic heists, and we’ve already raved about it in our Payday 3 review. It features many of the classic Payday qualities, while also keeping the player on their toes with new quirks. One of the best things about this level is that it’s perfect for stealth runs. Even better than that – it’s possible to do without much equipment at all. You only really need to kill one guard, and you can take him down without a gun. This means you’re not going to need one of the best stealth builds in Payday 3 to have a crack at it.

Just the same as doing a stealth run in No Rest for the Wicked, Dirty Ice, or Rock the Cradle, you can do it straight out the gates.

Payday 3 solo stealth guide for Under the Surphaze

Enter the gallery through the main large gate. There will be a large courtyard with two guards and a few security cameras. Sneakily head straight down towards the front and lockpick your way into the actual gallery. There’s going to be a few guards and two security cameras in here. You’re going to want to sneak beneath all of them and head towards your left.

There’s going to be a bathroom with a phone on the counter – grab it. This will help you steal the paintings. Once you have grabbed the smartphone, leave the room again wary of guards and cameras.

On your right, as soon as you leave the restroom, there’s a locked door labelled Staff Only. Enter here. On the other end of the room, painstakingly open all of the cabinets one by one, not finding the phone until you reach the last one as I did. No, joking, you can find it in the bottom left first time. You should now have two QR codes. If you run the risk of guards finding you, you can hide in a toilet cubicle. Just make sure you have enough toilet paper.

Now head down the corridor away from the staff only room and the rest room, we’re heading towards a door protected by a security camera on the left of the restroom. You’re going to need to sneak in, head up the stairs and into a staff room. You’ll find another phone in here.

There’s a few other smartphones that you’ll find dotted around the map, and you’re going to need at least five of them.

On the second floor, you’re also going to want to find the security camera room. There’s a guard in here. Introduce the back of his head to your silenced pistol. You’re now going to be able to walk around the gallery with a bit more freedom. You’ll also find a phone in this room with a QR code.

After this, have a wonder around the second floor and find the managers room. You’ll find a phone in here and computer which you can interact with. A civilian has walked in a few times on me in here, so tie up their hands and lock them in this room. When you interact with the PC, it will tell you where some of the key are you’re going to want to grab it: E4 and E7.

There should also be server room nearby with a weird science-y tripod contraption. Grab that, alongside the phone. Then, move the wooden panel behind the desk to find a secret safe. In here, you’re going to find a USB stick that’s going to help use get the Uma Ladette painting.

With all of the QR codes collected, you can head back to the main staircase. There’s a little thing here you’re going to want to do. Activate this contraption on a wall, then head over to the little highlighted circles. Stand in them for a bit to deactivate the security bars. This will make it easier for you to steal the paintings later on. You can do this on the second and first floors. Having disabled the security cameras will make this easier for you.

You can now collect all of the paintings in the gallery with relative ease. Make sure to avoid any traps in the exhibition rooms, though you shouldn’t have too many cameras or guards to worry about at this point.

Starting at the Greg Jud painting in room E1. No camera, you’re going to be able to walk over to the painting and pick it up with relative ease. Grab it after using either the cutter or lockpick to get into the case and drop it off with a teammate.

Next, head to locations of the paintings on the manager’s computer. For me, this was room E4 and E7, though it could change for you. (I’ve not noticed it change in any playthrough of this level, though I could very well be wrong about that.) There’s going to be plenty of traps in these rooms, though move slowly and carefully and you’ll be fine. There’s going to be a power switch in the room you can activate, making it much easier to get into. If you’re unsure which are the Pedro Vicario paintings – use your gun’s UV flashlight to highlight the blood splashes.

The final painting, the Uma Ladette, is going to be found using that weird device from earlier. In the final exhibit room, disable the security and point the spectrophotometer at the paintings. When Shade informs you you’re pointing the device at the right painting, plug the USB into it and get the hell out of there.

You can use the roof to escape, or quietly leave the way that you came. You’re going to want to avoid any civilians and guards, so move carefully and slowly.

Payday 3 Under the Surphaze smartphone locations

• In the Staff Only room on the first floor
• In the Bathroom next to the Staff Only room
• In the Staff room on the second floor
• In the Bar on the first floor
• In the Security office on the second floor
• In the Manager’s office on the second floor
• In the Server room on the second floor

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Now that we’re done with the Under the Surphaze stealth heist, you might want to revisit how we would get rich fast using the Payday 3 Road Rage heist.

You’re going to net a tasty take-home package with this heist, so don’t hesitate to consider buying out the best assault build in Payday 3 after this. Make sure you’re rigged up on the best graphics settings before you try this out.