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There are numerous ways to escape the police in Watch Dogs, and you’ll probably use all of them if you want to make a clean getaway. Depending on your reputation and your current circumstances, there are a wide variety of methods in which you can escape the fuzz, but you need to know what your options are in every instance. We collected the best tips to evade the police, no matter what kind of circumstance you find yourself in.
Examine Your Options
As soon as the police are on to you, you need to examine the situation and figure out what your options are. Under most circumstances, the easiest way to lose the police is via the water. Is there any water nearby? If there is a body of water in close proximity, is there a boat that you can steal? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then you’ve got your primary objective. While escaping via the water doesn’t always work, it’s definitely the easiest and most effective method of escape.
If water isn’t an option, look around for a ctOS control center. If you’ve hacked into all of the ctOS areas, you can move in and out with relative freedom. Even if you haven’t, in most cases you can at least hack the gate and move inside (while watching out for guards). As soon as you’re inside, close the gate behind you. The first time you do this, the police won’t override the gate controls to follow you in. As long as you don’t do this often, you can get away with it almost every time.
Even if there isn’t a ctOS location nearby, look around for any gated area. While it’s easier for the police to override a normal gate compared to a ctOS gate, in many instances they’ll just give up. This even works for garages and similar areas where you need to hack the entrance to gain access. The trick is to pay close attention to the surrounding area, move quickly inside the gated location and close the gate just as quickly so no police officers can follow you in.
Escaping on Foot
You don’t have many options if you’re trying to escape the police on foot. Aside from running into a gated area (as mentioned above), the only real escape option you have is to hide. Once the police lose sight of you, a countdown begins. If you can stay hidden from the police for roughly 45 seconds, they’ll call off the search. This is easier said than done because they will search for you relentlessly, especially if you have a bad reputation.
Your best bet if you’re on foot when the police begin the chase is to get a car as quickly as possible. Keep in mind the police will almost always open fire as soon as they see you. If you take a few bullets, find cover as quickly as possible. Aiden regains his health relatively fast, so all you have to do is duck behind the nearest ledge or any other object that can serve as cover and you’ll be back at full health in a matter of seconds. Use this time to look around and find a better method of escape.
Escaping in a Vehicle
The most common way you’ll find yourself running from the police is in a vehicle of some sort. The type of vehicle you’re in should dictate your escape plan. If you’re in a fast sports car, you can’t take much damage so a police helicopter is a problem. However, outrunning police cars in a sports car is fairly easy. Police cars only go so fast and they can be outrun. If this happens, be on the lookout for road blocks, because that’s the primary strategy for the police if you’re outrunning them. If a chopper is chasing you, look for an underpass or garage to drive through. It doesn’t take much for a chopper to move off. In many cases you don’t even need to stop. Just drive through a garage and you’re fine.
If you’re in a slower vehicle, you have to apply some defensive driving skills. The police will catch up to you and then try to run you off the road. Your best bet is to slam on your brakes and make a sharp turn to evade them. It also helps to drive through back alleys and side streets instead of the main roads. If you can make it to the freeway and you’ve got some impressive driving skills, you can run the police cars into the other vehicles on the highway or the water barrels near the exits.
