How to Gain and Lose Notoriety in Saints Row

Learn how to manage your Notoriety in Saints Row (2022)! Discover effective strategies for both gaining and losing police and gang notoriety to control the chaos.

Hey there! So, you wanna know how to stir up trouble and then, you know, *un*-stir it in Santo Ileso? It’s all about your Notoriety, which you'll see as those little segmented bars on your minimap. White ones are for the cops, and the colored ones – orange for Panteros, pink for Idols, blue for Marshall – show how much heat you've got from the gangs. Fill up a segment, and they'll be on your tail!

Getting the cops riled up is pretty easy. Just causing a bit of mayhem, like running over a few pedestrians or smashing up some cars, will do the trick. Honestly, just driving fast and a little reckless around town can rack up police Notoriety. They're pretty chill unless you start messing with them or their vehicles directly.

Gangs are a bit pickier. You'll gain their Notoriety by attacking them, messing with their rides, or hanging around restricted areas, especially near Threats or other objectives. It's usually an all-or-nothing deal with gangs – either they're coming for you, or they're not. So, punch a gang member, wreck their car, or even make them swerve to avoid you, and you'll start seeing those orange, pink, or blue bars fill up.

How to Lose Notoriety

Notoriety does tick down over time, especially if you haven't maxed out a segment yet. But once you've got a full segment, it's a lot harder to shake. You won't lose Notoriety if you're actively fighting or being chased. In fact, you'll probably just earn more as you defend yourself. It's a bit of a vicious cycle, but you can break it in a couple of ways: either grab a vehicle and make a run for it, or go all-in and max out your Notoriety.

If you hit the maximum five segments of Notoriety, a tough faction miniboss will show up. Take 'em down, and the faction will usually cut their losses, resetting your Notoriety. Pretty neat, huh?

When you're trying to escape, remember that Saints Row (2022) is a bit different from older games. While enemies used to spawn endlessly, here it's actually possible to fight your way out of trouble. Enemies, especially the cops, are good at calling for backup. If you can damage the person calling for reinforcements before they finish, you might interrupt them. If you manage to take out all the enemies nearby without any backup arriving, you can just lay low, and your Notoriety should eventually reset.

In reality, though, it's usually easier to just hop in a vehicle and speed off. Outrunning your pursuers is possible, but they're surprisingly persistent. Vehicular pursuers can also be finite, especially at lower Notoriety levels. So, while outrunning them works, it's often more effective to take them out in car combat. A few good sideswipes, especially if you've got the Shiny & Chrome Perk, can end the chase. Just keep moving, avoid calling for more backup, and you can usually take out your immediate pursuers. Then, it's just a matter of driving until those Notoriety bars disappear.

Keep in mind that sometimes you can't just shed Notoriety, especially during Missions and Ventures. In those cases, Notoriety is often used as a way to ramp up the difficulty by throwing endless waves of enemies at you.

Notoriety Tiers

There are five tiers of Notoriety, and the higher you go, the more intense the response will be. Expect more enemies, including tougher ones, and more dangerous vehicles as your Notoriety increases. Each faction has its own set of vehicles, but at higher tiers, expect roadblocks, and sometimes even aircraft and watercraft!

Early in the game, your Notoriety is capped at three segments, so you can only get into so much trouble initially. But hit five segments, and that faction miniboss will appear. Beat them, and your Notoriety resets!