As you steal cash, gold, art, and engage in all manner of other illegal activities in Payday 2, you will earn experience. As you progress from level one to 100, you unlock new weapons, armor, gadgets, and skills which will improve your heisting skills.
Related: Payday 2: The Best Heists, Ranked
However, the adventure doesn't stop when you reach level 100. Instead, you will have the choice to gain Infamy ranks.
The Infamy system unlocks at level 100 and rewards Payday veterans with a variety of bonuses, including passive boosts to your character and new customization options, such as masks, materials, patterns, and weapon skins.
What Is Infamy In Payday 2?
Infamy is Payday 2's equivalent to a prestige system. When you reach level 100, you can choose to go Infamous and gain a level of Infamy.
If you do this, you will be reset back to level zero, lose 200 million dollars from your offshore account, and lose all of your spending cash.
You keep any weapons in your inventory, but you cannot use them until you reach the required level again.
Wave goodbye to your favorite weapons, because you'll be stuck with the Amcar, the starting weapon in Payday 2, for a few heists.
Is Infamy Worth It In Payday 2?
As mentioned above, you lose a lot by taking an Infamy level in Payday 2. However, there are plenty of rewards to earn that make Infamy worth the trouble.
Starting at Infamy level one, you will get a permanent boost to XP gained each time you take an Infamy level.
This makes it much easier to level up with Infamy levels, as you will gain much more experience. The XP boost is between five and 10 percent for every level, so they are all substantial.
Of course, if you enjoy using the best weapons and rushing through heists, Infamy might not be for you.
Related: Payday 2: Every Playable Character, Ranked
Infamy levels also cut down the number of skill points needed to reach the top skill in each skill tree.
It would usually cost 18 points to reach the top skills for any class in Payday 2. With an Infamy level, it only costs 16 points.
This might not seem like a huge difference, but it will allow you to grab a few extra essential skills.
For example, if you're usually an Enforcer/Technician blend, the points saved on each tree could be enough to get you some crucial Ghost or Mastermind skills that you couldn't access before.