DLC is optional for this build
Infamy V and Level 100 is recommended but should be usable for lower Infamy players, although some tweaks may need to be made.

If you'd like to pick up Legacy Edition (and help Overkill fund Payday 3) here is a link

Q: Why Stoic?
A: Stoic is a very powerful perk deck if you know how to use it right, and I feel it is more than capable of filling a variety of roles in Death Sentence.

Q: Okay, why SMG's?
A: I never found myself enjoying the pistol meta that was largely popular (and still is). Combined with critical hits and damage stacking skills, SMG's are capable of handling both special enemies and hordes of normal ones without much issue. To put it simply, they're very versatile.

Aced Uppers for 12 first aid kits which can automatically heal you when standing next to them. Very useful for when your flask is not ready and you've taken too much damage. This is up to personal preference really and can be swapped out for ammo or doctor bags. I don't feel Inspire is necessary due to bots being able to pick it up as a perk and it being extremely common in other player's builds.

Aced Joker and Partners in Crime
Jokers are extremely useful for One Down, drawing fire away from yourself and having another ally to shoot enemies. Additionally, aced Partners in Crime gives you an additional 30% health when you have a hostage or Joker.

Aced Hostage Taker
The constant passive regen when you have a Joker or hostage makes it a must-have for Stoic builds. You're going to be continuously losing health and burning through first-aid kits elsewise.

Spare points can be dumped into Sharpshooter for extra stability. Stability is more useful than accuracy when it comes to this build and should be prioritized.

Aced Die hard for 20 additional points of armor health

Aced Shock and Awe to counter Shields and meet the point requirement.

Basic Iron Man for the additional 30% armor health

Spare points can be dumped into basic Underdog, acing Resilience, or basic Scavenger, Personal preference really.

Aced Steady Grip for the point bonuses it provides

Aced Heavy Impact for the stagger effect. Taking continuous damage is a major weakness of this build and interrupting enemies from damaging you helps improve survivability

Basic Fire Control for hip firing (I personally mainly hip fire with the SMG's, this can be swapped out if it doesn't suit your preference)

Aced Lock N' Load to speed up reloads. Some SMG's used in this build have slower reloads, so this tends to help very well.

Aced Surefire to penetrate body armor, the additional ammo capacity is a nice touch as well.

Aced Body Expertise for the damage bonus regardless of headshots. This build revolves more around volume of fire versus pin-point headshots. If you feel this skill to be unnecessary, invest in Sharpshooter skills or Silent Killer crit skills.

For spare points Hardware Expert and Drill Sawgent as spare points. Useful for drill related heists but should be swapped out when doing heists like Cook Out.

Basic Duck and Cover & Parkour for obligatory movement skills

Basic Inner Pockets for additional concealment points

Basic Low Blow for critical damage. Synergizes very well with the rapid fire that SMG's are known to have.

Aced Nine Lives for the additional down. Obligatory skill for Death Sentence and One Down.

Spare skill points should be dumped into acing Akimbo if you are using an Akimbo primary.

Short Barrel
Stubby Compensator
Concealment Boost
Compact Laser Module
Vintage Magazine

The akimbo CR 805B's are excellent for shredding enemies in full auto and being reliable backup weapons in semi-auto. They have good stats and, when modded right, can easily outclass other akimbo SMG's in a multitude of stats.

+ Can be used in semi-auto to act as a backup weapon
++ Useful for taking out crowds of enemies and special enemies alike
+++ Pound-for-pound, best 100 damage range akimbo SMG

- Burns through ammo on full-auto very fast
-- Making it crit-viable drains a lot of accuracy

OR
Just use the GL40 with the Pirate's Barrel and Sawn-off Stock. Both work just fine.

Stubby Compensator
Boost of your choice(optional)

Thankfully, the majority of akimbo SMG's do not need DLC. The Akimbo Tatonkas fill an unusual category, as typically they are chosen for their beefy ammo capacity. Nonetheless the akimbo variant is capable of mowing down hordes and special enemies alike.

+ Solid stats
++ Good damage compiled with large magazine size allows for continuous DPS

- Fire rate is lower than other SMG's, making it less effective against tougher opponents like Bulldozers

Stubby Compensator
Compact Laser Module
AK Rubber Grip
Any sight with -1 concealment (optional)
Concealment Boost (optional)

The Tatonka is the only 100+ damage SMG with an ammo pool over 100. That alone makes it one of the best SMG's in the game. Additionally, the Tatonka's large magazine size makes it equally useful.

+ Large magazine size for infrequent reloading
++ Good damage
+++ Generous ammo pool

- Stats are outdone by other SMG's
-- Reloads are lengthy without reload skills
--- Not a whole lot of attachments

Stubby Compensator
Stability Boost
Any -1 Concealment Sight

The Mark 10 is an often overlooked gun but boasts the best stats of the vanilla SMG's. It's fairly easy to reach 100 stability while also maintaining good concealment as well.

+ Good ammo capacity and magazine size
++ Easy to reach 100 stability
+++ Best stats for a vanilla SMG

- High rate of fire can lead to issues at long range
-- Damage leaves more to be desired

Solo
This build is more oriented towards solo players. While you complete objectives, you'll be focused on defending them and clearing the path towards next objectives. Your ability to tank damage using Stoic and passively heal any you weren't able to tank encourages a defensive playstyle, but clearing hordes and special enemies are fairly easy too. Stay out of open spaces when possible. Your first-aid kits should be used in an area you are defending or to tank damage while crossing open areas.
TL;DR Focus on doing the objectives and making sure you don't get swarmed

Multiplayer
Ammo conservation will be more difficult in a multiplayer match depending on how many players are present. Your initial advantage over others will be the ability to trade damage with large swarms and even Bulldozers and come out unscathed due to Stoic. You should still focus on defensive play and close quarters combat. First-aid kits are still useful in multiplayer but expect to run out of them faster, alternatively this will help support the entire team throughout combat rather than a situational item such as medic bags.
TL;DR Focus on supporting your teammates and clearing a path while others work on objectives

This build is intended for Mayhem through Death Sentence difficulty. Survivability becomes much more of a challenge on Death Sentence but Death Wish or Mayhem are much more lenient with your limited health pool. Make sure you time your flasks right and continue to kill enemies to reduce the cooldown. Don't get flanked and avoid open areas where you can be shot from afar.

This build should also be One-Down viable, and depending on how risky you want to play, you can keep the First-Aid kits to prevent being downed in the first place or switch over to medic bags for a safer approach.

You should also have in total around 5-10 concealment. Try and keep it low so you can get the maximum crit chance if possible.