The Wanted System determines how the Occupying Faction (OF) responds to your presence and actions. Understanding this system is crucial for survival and effective resistance operations.
Your wanted level is shown as a row of stars in the top right corner of your screen, with room for five.
- 0 Stars: Not wanted - you're considered a civilian
- 1 Star: Only ever reached on the way down. Nothing escalates you to 1 star; it is the last step of the cooldown, and you are still treated as hostile while it lasts
- 2+ Stars: Hostile - the OF stops reading you as a civilian and shoots on sight
- Higher levels: Longer total cooldown, since the level drops one star at a time
Most things that make you wanted set the level to 2. Wounding or killing someone, or being seen in an armed vehicle, sets it higher.
The undercover system allows you to disguise yourself to avoid detection. A HUD indicator shows your current status:
Located next to the visibility "eye" icon, it's color determines the current status of your loadout:
- ⚪ White: You appear as a civilian - OF won't target you unless you enter restricted areas
- 🔴 Red: You appear hostile - any detection while red instantly makes you wanted
- 🔵 Blue: You appear as occupying faction - you're disguised but can be detected at close range
Civilian Disguise (White):
- Wear civilian clothing with minimal or no military gear
- OF soldiers ignore you unless you break laws or enter restricted areas
- Safest option for reconnaissance and movement
Hostile Appearance (Red):
- Wearing resistance faction (FIA) or supporting faction gear
- Carrying visible weapons
- Any detection results in instant wanted level 2
- Most dangerous state - avoid enemy contact
Occupying Faction Disguise (Blue):
- Wearing enough OF military gear to be mistaken for their faction
- Soldiers won't attack unless you get too close (~15 meters default)
- Perfect for infiltration missions
- Disguise blown if enemies get within detection range
- While the disguise holds, base and radio tower proximity does not make you wanted on its own
Your disguise can be blown when an OF soldier is inside the close-range detection distance and has line of sight to you. Firing on anyone also blows it immediately, at any range.
- Distance: Default 15m detection range, set by the difficulty settings
- Line of Sight: Enemies must actually see you to blow your disguise
- Note that the close-range disguise check uses only that distance. The Stealth skill and low light affect the normal detection range described below, not the distance at which a disguise is seen through
When your disguise is blown:
- Instant wanted level, 2 for wounding someone and 3 for killing them
- You receive a notification explaining why
- Your faction changes back to resistance
Two different rules apply. Most triggers need an OF unit to actually see you at that moment, and the eye icon is the tell. Violence does not: hurting someone makes you wanted whether or not anybody witnessed it.
- Being seen while visibly armed (any weapon in hand)
- Appearing as hostile faction (wearing FIA/supporting gear) and being seen at all
- Looting while being watched
- Placing something illegal, such as propaganda, while being watched
- Being seen close to a base or radio tower (the base radius is a difficulty setting)
- Having your disguise blown at close range
- Wounding any character, whoever they are. There is no line-of-sight check on this at all
- Killing any character, whoever they are
- Sitting in a vehicle parked next to an OF soldier who gets killed. Everyone in a vehicle within a few metres of the body is held responsible, whether or not they fired a shot
- Being seen driving or riding in an armed vehicle, or in the Mobile FOB truck
- That vehicle is also marked as a resistance vehicle from then on, so the OF will treat it as hostile even without you in it
Nothing sets 5, and nothing sets 1; you pass through 1 on the way back down.
The eye icon shows if you're currently being observed:
- No Eye: You're not being seen - no seen-gated trigger can fire
- Eye Visible: Enemy forces can see you - any hostile action triggers wanted level
- The eye fades in and out with how clearly you are being made out
- Distance: Base detection range is ~250m
- Stealth Multiplier: Your Stealth skill pulls that range in
- Visual Recognition: Lighting and visibility conditions matter
- Line of Sight: Enemies must have clear view to detect you
- Vehicle Detection: Different rules apply when in vehicles
When you're no longer being seen (no eye icon):
- Wanted level drops by 1 every timeout period
- Different timers for levels above 1 and for the final step to 0, both set by difficulty
- Must stay hidden during cooldown. Any moment you are seen again, the countdown stops
Escalation and cooldown are not mirror images: becoming wanted jumps the level straight to whatever the trigger is worth and restarts the countdown at that level, while cooling off only ever walks the level down one star at a time.
- At 1 star: Longer cooldown period required
- If seen again at 1 star: Instantly jumps back to 2 stars
- Fast travel is unavailable while your wanted level is anything above 0
- Recruits with you are treated as hostile by the same rules
You now receive clear notifications when becoming wanted, including:
- "Hostile Faction": Detected wearing enemy uniforms
- "Weapon": Seen carrying visible weapons
- "Armed Vehicle": Detected in armed vehicles
- "Base Proximity": Too close to restricted areas
- "Disguise Blown": Cover blown at close range, or blown by opening fire
- "Illegal Placement": Seen putting up something outlawed
- Choose your disguise carefully based on your mission
- Monitor the clothing icon to know your appearance status
- Avoid close contact when disguised as OF
- Use night time for reduced detection ranges
- Improve stealth skills to reduce detection distance
- Civilian disguise for reconnaissance and movement
- OF disguise for infiltrating enemy areas
- Plan escape routes before engaging in hostile actions
- Wait for cooldowns in safe locations between operations
- Too much military gear makes you appear hostile
- Mix civilian and light military for balanced approach
- Full enemy uniform for OF disguise (but risky up close)
- Weapon concealment - holster weapons when not needed
The wanted system also applies to your recruits:
- Recruits can use disguises just like players
- They inherit your stealth skill bonuses
- Manage their equipment to control their appearance
- They receive wanted levels independently
The undercover system adds a layer of tactical depth to Overthrow, allowing for creative infiltration strategies while maintaining the tension of operating behind enemy lines.
See also: Skills