How Wanted level works in Palworld, explained

In a delightfully weird turn of fate, Palworld has ended up being a smash hit against all odds. As its premise – Pokémon, but with guns, survival, and enslavement – lends itself phenomenally well to strange gameplay loops, it should come as no surprise that it’s got a Wanted level as well.

Indeed, there are some laws in the strange universe of Palworld. Though they’re generally fairly self-evident, it is possible to break them. Whether inadvertently or by design, any Palworld player will find themselves “Wanted” sooner or later, and once the going gets tough, you’re going to want to know how to get away from the guards.

Palworld’s Wanted level explained

We won’t judge why, exactly, you might be Wanted in Palworld. This is a game that tasks you with enslavement at an industrial scale, after all, so there’s a whole gamut of questionable activities you could be engaging in. Broadly speaking, however, you’ll only actually break the law if you do any of the following:

• Attack human NPCs
• Attack your own Pals

It’s fairly easy not to become Wanted in Palworld. However, those NPCs can be turned into useful cogs in your budding Factorio-esque industrial setup, so the odds are good you’ll try to take them on sooner or later.

Once you’ve broken the law on Palworld‘s Palapagos Island, it won’t take long until the local “police” force is on your tail. The PIDF (Palpagos Island Defense Force) isn’t keen on taking prisoners, so in true GTA fashion, you should expect to get gunned down on sight. Once you’ve got the ‘Wanted’ banner in the top right corner of the screen, that’s when you’ll know it’s time to get a move on.

What is the ‘Criminal Activity Underway’ message?

As soon as you start being unruly, in Palworld, you’ll be greeted by the ominous-looking “Criminal Activity Underway” pop-up that plainly announces the PIDF’s arrival. Of course, what follows next is a police chase of epic proportions: one that you won’t easily be able to shake off.

Can you escape the guards while Wanted in Palworld?

Indeed, you can escape the PIDF guards while Wanted in Palworld, but that’s no easy feat. If you do set your mind on escaping them (for example, if you’ve got rare loot you don’t want to lose), then note that it’s going to be fairly difficult to get away from the PIDF. We recommend jumping off cliffs and doing other similar maneuvers to break the PIDF’s line of sight. Again, though, do not expect this to be easy.

It’s far easier to simply allow the PIDF to take you down in most situations. Indeed, simply by dying in Palworld, you’ll clear your Wanted status with minimum fuss. That way, the PIDF guards will be done away with, and you’ll be free to go on your merry way. Obviously, this won’t always be the way to go, but it’s your easiest option for sure. If that’s the option you end up going with (accidentally or not), just remember to go back and collect your loot.

There is a third option you may consider ahead of time, however: getting rid of all the witnesses. Attacking an NPC is all fine and well as long as you can take them down before the PIDF gets to you. If the cops do reach you and you’re still dead-set on not running, you can always try to take them down as well, which will make the job of hiding until ‘Wanted’ goes away that much easier. Note, too, that it’s possible to capture a PIDF guard in Palworld as well, as with any other human NPC in the game!