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The Payday 3 Rock the Cradle heist is one of the most difficult missions to pull off in stealth, as there are several ways to access and secure the data under the Neon Cradle nightclub. There are no easy options here, and there's always the possibility of something going wrong that can force you to go loud as the police swarm or restart for another attempt. Furthermore, there's also a known bug involving the bouncer and a stolen VIP Pass, which can throw a spanner in the works of your stealth approach if you're affected by it - but hopefully this has now been resolved and will be unlikely to interfere with current playthroughs.
Fortunately, I'm here to help with this heist via the far more lucrative stealthy approach, taking you through the various puzzles, secrets and more besides to make it out of the Neon Cradle safely with a good payout. If you want to crack the Rock the Cradle mission in Payday 3, our walkthrough and guide will take you through to the end.
How to beat the Payday 3 Rock the Cradle heist
The Payday 3 Rock the Cradle heist is best beaten in stealth, for the maximum payout, though this is definitely the more challenging approach. Still, it's not impossible - I've done it solo and I'll take you through it below. Obviously there's various perks, skills and equipment you can pick up that'll help, but this is an unmasked run - as in, you need never pull on the mask to successfully do it.
Access the VIP area
Firstly, you'll be blocked off from entering the VIP area at the back of the club by some burly bouncers and a large door. The goal now is to get a VIP pass that'll let you through - easier said than done. To do that, head to the staff door opposite on the other side of the bar, crouch down in the corner and pick the lock. The bartender will be blind to what you're doing while he's mixing drinks, so time it well and you can sneak through.
Once past the door, head upstairs and take the door directly ahead of you. There'll be an open area with the DJ on the right - but ignore him. You want the door opposite with the camera just next to it. Time its movements to pick the lock and break into the accountant's office.
In here, don't touch anything except the computer - hacking it will reveal you need some more data.
Hack Rifkin's Phone
At this point your new target will be highlighted with a white outline. Rifkin wanders about both the public and private areas of the Nightclub, and you need to hack the phone hanging on the back of her belt. You can initiate the hack by pressing Square/X over it, but make sure nobody is watching (she goes outside for smoke breaks and into the bathroom to check herself in the mirror, sooner or later you'll catch her on her own).
Once the hack starts, you simply need to stay close to her until the little green meter builds up. For this reason, you want to start the hack as soon as possible after she comes out of a private area, so maximise the time you can be safely close to her.
Once it's done, it's back to the private office from before to unlock the display case, first by using the scanner, then interacting with the case itself. Inside are some Blank VIP invitations - snatch those up.
Authenticate the VIP invitations
Now you have the passes, but there's no data programmed on them. You need to find a laptop and attached peripheral somewhere in the nightclub - we've seen it move around, either in the reserved area up the stairs next to the entrance, on a table between the two cameras, or in the staff break room area just to the left of the bouncers you need to get past.
Either way, sneak in and use the laptop (when nobody's looking) to authenticate the passes. The staff room is far easier, but if you find it in the reserved area, the best approach is to stand directly under the camera closest to it while you wait for the download to finish.
Show invitation to the bouncer
This is where things get tricky, as this step of the game is currently bugged. There's roughly even odds right now on whether the bouncer lets you through, or acts like you don't have the invitation - which means you need to restart, try the inferior method with the speakers, or just go loud. Either way, not ideal, but if it does work as intended you should be allowed downstairs into the VIP area.
As you go down, make sure to snatch the blue keycard from the back of one of the bouncers. You can do this relatively easily if you crouch on the other side of the doors, and it'll be essential later.
Steal the Crypto Wallet
There's a few steps here, and we'll expedite them - head to the back right of the private area to find a locked door to the accounting office. Pick it when nobody is watching, then head up the stairs to the office and crack the safe to get the Red Keycard.
Head back down and follow the left wall to find the IT Room, with a guard and camera outside. Ahead of the guard, in front of the bar, is a little firework machine you can use to lure him away - then pick the door when the camera isn't watching. Be careful, there's another one inside! On your right is a door that needs the red keycard - the IT Room.
Cut the Power to the IT Room
Look at the big whiteboard inside and make a note of the four-digit serial code and the colour written on it - for us, it was "B300 Green", but it's randomised each time. Now head to the marked icon next to the stairs you used to come down here from the main club. It'll require the Blue Keycard you stole off the bouncer at the end of step 4.
Inside are a load of fuse boxes - open the one with the matching serial number written on it, then flick the switch of the same colour. Now head back to the accountant's room where you cracked the safe, and reset the Biometric Scanner on her computer. Nearly there!
Get the Crypto Wallet
Heading back to the IT Room, the Crypto Wallet should now be yours to steal. Sneak it out and take a right, hugging the wall up the stairs so as not to get seen. Drop the bag off the balcony somewhere out of sight, then run down to grab it and throw it in the loot zone. Now you just saunter over to the marked extraction point, and you've done it!
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