How to remove Wanted status in Palworld & what happens

In Palworld, the Palpagos Islands Defence Force, PDIF for short, is tasked with shutting down criminal activity with extreme prejudice. If you find yourself wanted, you will need to know how to get yourself out of that mess.

How to become Wanted in Palworld

Like in any game with a police presence, in Palworld, to become Wanted, you’ll have to commit one of two crimes: Assault or Trespassing.

Doing any one of these crimes will add to your Wanted tally in the top right. The more times you’re spotted doing that crime, the more you will be hunted down by the PDIF. So I’d suggest against racking up a huge Wanted list unless you want to see just how dangerous the PDIF can get.

Assault in Palworld

Assault in Palworld is pretty straightforward. Attacking a PDIF officer or a friendly NPC will count as assault. Naturally, you’ll have to be spotted doing this crime for it to count.

I must admit, for some reason, this doesn’t always work. I was able to take out every friendly NPC in the Small Settlement without the “Reliable PDIF Officer” caring at all. It was only after I assaulted him that it counted. I have a feeling this isn’t supposed to happen, as the Survival Guide states attacking friendly NPCs does count as an Assault.

When I returned to the Small Village, all the NPCs I had slaughtered were back and were willing to talk to me.

So it seems that your sins aren’t permanent, at least not yet. I also wouldn’t assume that it’s safe to slaughter friendly NPCs without a charge just because I was able to.

Also, it’s worth noting that your Assaults against the PDIF Officers who come to hunt you down do count as additional Assault charges, although not always. It seems that fast traveling somewhere else and continuing your attack counts as a new assault, but repeated assaults on officers in combat with you don’t. Keep that in mind if you’re trying to turn Palworld into Grand Theft Auto.

Related: The best location for your first base in Palworld

Trespassing in Palworld

Trespassing in Palworld will occur when you’re somewhere you’re not supposed to be. Upon entering such a space, “Criminal Activity Underway…” will pop up, letting you know you’re trespassing.

Upon being spotted by a PDIF officer while you’re trespassing will count as a Trespassing charge, and you’ll become wanted. As far as I’m aware, it doesn’t repeat if you remain on the island when being hunted down by the PDIF, unlike how the Assault charges rack up.

When you are somewhere you shouldn’t be, like in the secret Wildlife Reserves, you can sneak around by crouching to reduce your visibility. Frankly, the officers don’t have great eyesight it seems, and virtually zero hearing, so you are safe to be a little carefree when trespassing.

Additionally, you can get spotted, be attacked by, and attack the local Pals in a restricted area. They don’t seem to work with the PDIF, and you can approach them like a normal Pal. Treat Pals as you normally would.

What happens when you’re Wanted in Palworld

When you’ve accumulated one charge, you’ll become wanted in Palworld. Immediately, other PDIF officers will spawn in. With excellent armor and automatic weaponry, these PDIF enemies will give you a challenge. They’re tough to take down and will assault you with all they have.

They are a victim of poor AI for human enemies, however, so in low numbers, they are quite manageable.

The more charges you rack up whilst you’re wanted, the more powerful and numerous the PDIF officers will become. It’ll get to a point where their sheer numbers and strength will become insurmountable, even with the help of your Pals.

If you try to run away, or fast travel away, they will simply teleport and spawn in with you. There is no escape when you’re Wanted. They will keep relentlessly spawning in to take you down. You can keep fighting back, but you’ll find your Assault charges to keep climbing, which will result in even stronger PDIF enemies.

So, with this in mind, is there a way to stop being Wanted in Palworld?

Related: How to unlock and use the Egg Incubator in Palworld

How to stop being Wanted in Palworld

There is only one realistic way to remove the Wanted Status in Palworld: death.

That’s right, there is simply no better way to get the PDIF off your back than them finally putting you to the ground. There is no penalty for dying by the PDIF, you’ll respawn like normal and all of your stuff will be there as if you were killed by a Pal. There is zero drawback to letting the PDIF put you out of your misery.

Players have reported, however, that it is possible to outrun the PDIF. I haven’t pulled it off yet, even after extensive testing. They’ll spawn in around you if you fast travel, and even if you’re traveling extremely quickly, they’ll simply teleport to your location. I’m unsure how true this is, but it would be remiss of me not to mention it.

I have also read reports of players simply killing all the officers until there’s no one left to witness your heinous crimes can work. However, with your Assault charges likely to rack up, more powerful PDIF Officers will keep spawning in. It may be possible if you clear all of the available officers with an incredibly powerful AoE Pal attack, although it will probably be a while before someone confirms this as removing the Wanted status.

Now that you’re familiar with everything to do with being Wanted in Palworld, why don’t you find out how to cure the Weakened status to do something good for a change?