PAYDAY 2 Update 246 (2026): Flare Gun, Frying Pan & Firestarter Changes Explained
- Niels Gys
- May 19
- 5 min read
So. Is PAYDAY 2 Update 246 actually worth caring about?
Short answer: yes.
This is not one of those updates where developers rearrange three menu buttons, fix a typo, and then act like they cured smallpox.
Update 246 quietly fixes several annoying problems, buffs one of the weakest weapons added in recent memory, improves stealth on a frustrating heist, and somehow also adds a PUBG frying pan to organized crime. Because apparently we are now one step away from Dallas robbing a bank with camping equipment and a saucepan.
Most importantly: Firestarter stealth is less painful, Nightclub stealth is less annoying, and the Ballerina pistol finally stopped feeling like decorative furniture.
Quick Verdict
Should you care?
Yes. Especially if you stealth, run Firestarter, or bought the Espionage Weapon Pack and felt mildly robbed.
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What Actually Matters In Update 246
✅ Ballerina 9mm buffed hard
✅ Firestarter Day 1 stealth improved
✅ Nightclub titan cameras removed
✅ Smarter mask drops
✅ New free PUBG weapons pack
✅ Several crash fixes and quality-of-life improvements
This is one of those sneaky-good PAYDAY 2 patches that looks stupid at first glance and turns out surprisingly useful once you stop laughing at the frying pan.
The PUBG Weapons Pack Is Free And Completely Ridiculous
Yes, PAYDAY 2 now contains PUBG weapons.
No, nobody asked for this.
Yes, somehow it still works.
Update 246 adds a free PUBG Weapons Pack featuring:
Flare Gun
Frying Pan melee weapon
Olive Branch melee weapon
New mask pattern
On paper this sounds like somebody accidentally mixed two update folders together after an energy drink incident.
In practice?
It feels very PAYDAY.
This is a game where four masked lunatics scream at civilians while carrying enough weaponry to invade a medium-sized country. A frying pan honestly feels overdue.
The Flare Gun Is Dumb In The Best Possible Way
The new Flare Gun looks like a joke weapon.
And then you fire it into someone’s chest.
Suddenly the joke develops anger issues.
Flare Gun Stats
Stat | Value |
Damage | 155 |
Magazine | 1 |
Total Ammo | 6 |
Reload | 2.5s |
Accuracy | 72 |
Stability | 68 |
It also deals burn damage on direct hits, which means enemies get the unique experience of being set on fire by emergency equipment.
Is it meta?
No.
Should you replace your primary build with it?
Absolutely not.
Should you spend an evening bullying bulldozers with maritime distress technology?
Without question.
The Frying Pan Is Exactly What You Hope It Is
The frying pan has arrived.
And frankly, it slaps.
Hard.
Frying Pan Stats
70 base damage
400 charged damage
Massive knockdown
Good concealment
In gameplay terms, this means you can now flatten elite tactical units using the same object normally used to burn pancakes.
There is something profoundly beautiful about watching heavily armored law enforcement collapse because someone hit them with cookware stolen from a kitchen aisle.
Human progress.
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The Ballerina 9mm Finally Got The Buff It Desperately Needed
This is the real headline.
The Ballerina 9mm launched in the Espionage Weapon Pack with all the effectiveness of a luxury perfume bottle taped to a trigger.
Pretty?
Yes.
Practical?
Not remotely.
Luckily, Update 246 finally gives it the boost it needed.
Ballerina 9mm Changes
Ammo pickup:
0.4-2 → 3–5
Concealment:
21 → 25
Close-range bonus:
5% extra damage within 8.5m
Pointe Barrel buff:
Damage increased significantly
This makes a massive difference.
Before the patch, running the Ballerina felt like voluntarily handicapping yourself for fashion reasons.
Now?
It actually earns a place in stealth and dodge builds.
Not top-tier meta.
But finally useful enough that equipping it no longer feels like self-sabotage.
Firestarter Stealth Got A Much-Needed Reality Check
This is quietly one of the best parts of Update 246.
Recently, developers removed the infamous shortcut exploit from Firestarter Day 1 (Airport).
Players hated it.
Not because challenge is bad.
Because the replacement felt unfair.
Instead of restoring the exploit, the developers actually improved stealth balance. Which, shockingly, is the adult solution.
Firestarter Day 1 Changes
Alerted gangsters no longer instantly trigger loud
Added security room spawn
Added 10% stealth completion bonus
Added body bag asset
Better visibility
Openable dumpsters
Gate navigation fixes
After playing it, stealth feels less like punishment and more like an actual plan.
You still need functioning brain cells.
Just fewer emergency blood pressure pills.
Nightclub Stealth Is No Longer RNG Torture
If you play stealth, this change alone deserves applause.
Previously, Titan Cameras could randomly spawn on Nightclub at higher difficulties.
Which meant one run felt normal.
The next felt like robbing a nightclub monitored by NASA.
Players constantly restarted until RNG stopped behaving like a casino owner cheating at cards.
Good news:
Titan cameras are gone.
Nightclub stealth is fun again.
Civilization survives another day.
Smarter Mask Drops Finally Reduce Duplicate Junk
Small change.
Big quality-of-life improvement.
Mask drops now factor in masks you already own, meaning duplicates should appear less frequently.
Translation:
Less disappointment.
Fewer moments where PAYDAY opens the reward screen just to hand you something you already own for the sixth time like a confused grandparent buying identical Christmas presents.
Other Useful Fixes Worth Knowing
A few smaller changes deserve mention:
ECM Feedback timer fixed
Multiple mod crash protections
Weapon equip animation fixes
Grenade launcher sting grenade compatibility
Several collision and progression fixes across heists including GO Bank, Heat Street, Green Bridge, Framing Frame, Brooklyn 10-10, Reservoir Dogs, and Counterfeit
Not flashy.
But the kind of fixes that quietly stop your evening from turning into angry keyboard archaeology.
Is PAYDAY 2 Update 246 Worth Playing?
Yes. Easily.
No, this is not a gigantic expansion.
No, it won’t suddenly reinvent PAYDAY 2.
But it does exactly what a good update should do:
It fixes frustrations.
It improves weak content.
It adds stupid fun.
And occasionally lets you assault federal response teams with kitchenware.
Which, frankly, is the kind of chaotic criminal energy PAYDAY has always been brilliant at.
If CRIMENET saved you from wasting an evening testing whether a frying pan belongs in tactical warfare, consider buying us a coffee on Ko-fi. Independent criminal journalism does not fund itself. Tragically, governments remain weirdly anti-heist.
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