Vault Trap is an alliance event in Police Chief where your goal is to deal as much damage as possible to the Master of Heists. The more total damage you deal, the better the rewards you unlock, with the final reward milestone at 1.2 billion damage.
Alliance R4 members and above can start the event every day, but each player has an individual cooldown of 48 hours, meaning you can only participate once every two days. R4s can either start the event manually or schedule it to begin automatically at a specific time.
Each alliance has two Vault Traps, but they cannot be opened at the same time. If some members miss the first Vault Trap, they can join the second one instead. However, the 48-hour personal cooldown still applies, so if you participate in either Vault Trap, you won't be able to join another one until your cooldown expires.
Upgrading the Vault Trap
Alliance members can upgrade the Vault Trap from Level 1 to Level 5. Each level increases your troop Attack by 5%, for a maximum bonus of 25% at Level 5.
These upgrades require Tranquilizers, which are donated by alliance members. You can earn Tranquilizers by completing Criminal Capture missions in the Intel Center.
| Vault Trap Level | Tranquilizers Required | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150 | +5% |
| 2 | 200 | +10% |
| 3 | 250 | +15% |
| 4 | 300 | +20% |
| 5 | 300 | +25% |
It takes 1,200 Tranquilizers to fully upgrade one Vault Trap. Since there are two Vault Traps, you'll need 2,400 Tranquilizers to max out both. Active alliances usually have no trouble reaching this amount, so always try to upgrade both Vault Traps to get the full 25% Attack bonus.
Basic Vault Trap Damage Mechanics
The Master of Heists never attacks your troops, so defensive stats don't matter in this event. Your only goal is to maximize damage.
The two most important damage stats are Attack and Penetration. Both directly increase your damage, so you should prioritize heroes that provide these stats through their skills.
Joiner Heroes
Joiner heroes play a huge role in your rally damage.
When alliance members join your rally, only the hero placed in their first (left) slot counts as a joiner hero. Each rally can use up to four joiner heroes, chosen from the highest-level first-slot heroes that joined the rally.
For example, if five players join your rally and they all use Velocity Vixen as their first hero, only the four highest-level Velocity Vixens will be used. If one player joins first with a Level 3 Velocity Vixen but later players join with Level 5 skills, the Level 5 heroes will be selected instead.
Joiner heroes only contribute their first skill, so always send heroes whose first skill increases damage.
Some of the best joiner heroes include:
- Velocity Vixen
- Titan Andre
- Hotshot Samuel
- Furious Franklin
Paramedic Pamela is also a decent option. Her first skill gives a 15% Attack bonus, which isn't as strong as the 25% provided by the heroes above, but it's still much better than using a hero with no damage buff.
Rally Heroes
Choosing the right rally heroes is just as important.
In general, use heroes in this order of priority:
Legendary Heroes > Purple Heroes > Blue Heroes
Legendary heroes have the best stats and three skills, making them the strongest choice. Purple heroes have two skills and are still good, especially during Season 1 when hero choices are limited. Blue heroes should generally be avoided.
| Season | P2W | F2P |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Titan Andre, Dual Scarlett, Techy Tony | Aegis Leon, Dual Scarlett, Sunshine Lucy |
| Season 2 | Titan Andre, Paramedic Pamela, Furious Franklin | Hotshot Samuel, Dual Scarlett, Sunshine Lucy |
Titan Andre is by far the best Guard hero for Vault Trap thanks to his excellent damage-focused skills. He's a great choice in every season.
If you don't have Titan Andre, Enforcer Brooke is a decent replacement during Season 1. However, once Season 2 begins, the free hero Hotshot Samuel has better stats and stronger skills, making Brooke much less useful.
Even in Season 2, Titan Andre remains the best Guard hero because of his superior stats and skills.
Troop Ratios
Your troop composition is just as important as choosing the right heroes.
Since the Master of Heists never attacks back, defensive troops like Guards don't provide much value. Guards have high Health but low damage, making them great for normal battles but poor for Vault Trap.
For the highest damage, use roughly:
- 1-5% Guards
- 5-15% Bikers
- 70-90% Marksmen
A good all-around setup is:
- 1% Guards
- 9% Bikers
- 90% Marksmen
This ratio works well for most players and helps maximize your total damage during the event.