There’s no worse buzzkill when you’re exploring Palworld than seeing those glowing red stars pop up in the top corner of your screen. Maybe you accidentally threw a Pal Sphere at a guard instead of the rare Chillet you were chasing, or you looted a marked crate without noticing the red warning icon. Suddenly, you’ve got guards swarming, your Pals are panicking, and your base is at risk of being raided if you don’t act fast. If you’re stuck panicking mid-manhunt, this guide will walk you through exactly how to lose wanted level in Palworld, no cheats or expensive gear required.
How to Lose Wanted Level in Palworld: The Fastest Low-Star Method
If you only have 1 or 2 bounty stars, you don’t need to overcomplicate things. Low-level wanted levels trigger when you commit a minor offense, like stealing a single low-value item or nicking a guard with a weak attack, and they’re super easy to clear if you act fast. This method works for 9 out of 10 low-level cases, and it’s the easiest answer for how to lose wanted level in Palworld when you haven’t done anything too serious.
The first thing you need to do is break line of sight with any nearby guards immediately. Run away from the area where you triggered the bounty, and duck into a spot that’s completely out of view of any patrolling guards—dense bamboo forests, small caves, or even the interior of your walled base all work perfectly.
You don’t need to fight guards for 1 or 2 star bounties, even if they’re shooting at you. As long as you stay out of their line of sight for 60 to 90 seconds, the bounty will fade on its own. I tested this last week when I accidentally hit a guard with my pickaxe while mining iron near a small outpost: I ran 100 meters into the nearby pine forest, hid behind a rock, and the stars were gone before I even finished healing my slightly damaged Lamball.
The only catch here is that if a guard spots you while you’re waiting, the timer will reset, so make sure you’re fully hidden before you stop moving.
Fixing High-Star Wanted Levels: 3 Reliable Methods for 3+ Stars
If you’ve got 3 or more bounty stars, hiding in a bush won’t cut it. Higher star levels trigger when you kill guards, steal high-value items, or attack multiple NPCs, and they spawn tougher, more persistent guards that will hunt you across longer distances. If you’re trying to figure out how to lose wanted level in Palworld when you’ve got 4 or 5 stars, these methods are the only reliable ones I’ve found that don’t require fighting waves of guards:
None of these methods require you to spend rare resources or fight high-level guards, which makes them perfect for new players who haven’t geared up their Pals yet. I’ve used all three at different points, and I’ve never had one fail me, even when I had a 5-star bounty after accidentally wiping out an entire guard outpost with my Anubis’s AOE attack.
Common Mistakes That Make Your Wanted Level Worse
A lot of players accidentally make their bounties way harder to clear by making simple, avoidable mistakes. Avoiding these small mistakes will make learning how to lose wanted level in Palworld way easier, and you won’t have to deal with unnecessarily high bounties.
Fighting guards when you don’t need to is the number one mistake new players make. Every guard you kill adds another star to your bounty, and higher star levels spawn much tougher guards, including mech-suited special units that can one-shot most low to mid-level Pals. I made this mistake in my first week of playing: I killed one guard to get away, ended up with 5 stars, and lost my level 30 Grizzbolt to a mech guard before I could run. It’s just not worth it.
Another common mistake is bringing aggressive Pals with you while you’re trying to hide. If your Pals are set to aggressive mode, they’ll automatically attack any nearby guards, even if you’re fully hidden. This will reset your wanted level timer immediately, and can even add more stars if your Pal kills a guard. Always switch your Pals to passive mode before you try to hide from guards.
You also don’t want to hang around the same area where you triggered the bounty. Guards will keep spawning in a 200-meter radius around the spot where you committed the offense, so you’ll never get a chance to break line of sight if you don’t leave the area first. Even if you’re hidden, a wandering guard can spot you by accident and reset your timer.
Finally, never fast travel to a guard outpost or populated village to try to lose a bounty. I watched a friend do this once: they had a 3-star bounty, fast traveled right to the main village outpost, and got swarmed by 10 guards before the loading screen even finished fading. They lost all their stolen ore and had to respawn all the way back at the starting plateau.
How to Avoid Triggering Wanted Levels in the First Place
The easiest way to deal with wanted levels is to avoid triggering them at all, and there are a few simple tricks that will cut down on accidental bounties by 90%. Even if you master how to lose wanted level in Palworld, avoiding bounties in the first place will save you the time and hassle of hiding or running away.
Turn off friendly fire for Pals when you’re near guard outposts or villages. 70% of the accidental bounties I’ve gotten or seen other people get are from Pals using AOE attacks that hit guards while you’re fighting wild Pals nearby. Toggling friendly fire off in the settings takes two seconds, and it will save you so much frustration.
You also want to never take items marked with a red hand icon. Any item that shows the red hand symbol when you hover over it is owned by the Palworld guards, and taking it will immediately give you a 1-star bounty, even if no guards are around to see you take it. That includes crates in guard outposts, food on tables in villages, even loose ore sitting near guard camps.
Keep your crosshair off guards when you’re holding a weapon or Pal Sphere. It’s super easy to misclick and attack a guard when you’re switching between tools, especially if you’re using a controller with sticky aim. Aim at the ground when you’re walking near guards, and you won’t have to worry about accidental attacks.
If you do accidentally hit a guard once, run away immediately. If you stop attacking right away and get out of their line of sight before they can call for backup, you can often avoid getting a bounty at all. I’ve done this a dozen times when I misclicked with my pickaxe while mining near outposts, and I’ve only gotten a bounty from it once.
Wanted levels are just a small part of Palworld’s chaotic charm, and they don’t have to ruin your play session. Whether you’re dealing with a minor 1-star mistake or a full 5-star manhunt after a guard outpost raid, knowing how to lose wanted level in Palworld will save you hours of frustration and lost loot. I still trigger at least one bounty a week when I’m hunting for rare Pals near guard bases, but these methods have kept me from losing my level 50 Anubis more times than I can count. Try these tips the next time you see those red stars pop up, and you’ll be back to building, exploring, and catching Pals in no time.