I still remember the first time I became wanted in Assassin's Creed Shadows. I was playing as Naoe, trying to slip through a castle town, but one messy fight led to another, and suddenly every guard in the region treated me like a walking bounty. By 2026, after countless patches and seasonal events, the core rule has not changed: if you kill too many enemies in one area, the game marks you as wanted, and enemies attack on sight at any time of day. That turns quiet exploration into a constant brawl, especially when I want to be stealthy. Over time I learned two reliable ways to wipe the slate clean. They are not complicated, but they do require planning.

Change the season to reset regional alerts

My favorite method is also the simplest: change the season. Whenever the season changes in-game, whether it happens automatically through story progress or manually by me, any and all regional alerts disappear. I do not need to fight a boss, pay a fine, or track down a special NPC. The world just moves on, and the guards forget why they were angry.

To check the season progress, I pause the game and open the inventory screen. In the top right, there is a compass-like meter that shows how close I am to the next season. If I am not in the middle of a quest, I can hold right on the d-pad to trigger the change immediately. That instantly clears my wanted status. The catch is that the game often locks this option during quests. When that happens, I have to wait until the season changes naturally, which usually happens every few quests or so. I have learned to use that waiting time to finish side objectives, upgrade my hideout, or just enjoy the scenery without picking fights.

Season changes are great because they reset everything at once. If I am wanted in multiple regions, one seasonal shift wipes all of them. That is especially useful when I have been careless in several provinces while hunting targets. But if I need to clear an alert right now, and the season meter is nearly empty, waiting is not always practical. That is where scouts come in.

Use scouts to clear a specific region

The second method requires more setup, but it gives me control over when and where I remove a wanted status. I first need to upgrade my Kakurega in the Hideout to level two. That unlocks the ability to use scouts to clear regional alerts. The upgrade costs are not trivial, but by the mid-game I usually have enough resources stockpiled.

Once the Kakurega is level two, I open the map and hover over the region where I am wanted. Then I hold X on PlayStation or A on Xbox to send a scout and remove the alert. It is quick, precise, and it means I do not have to wait for the next season. I can clear one region, fast travel there, and continue a quest without every guard in the area trying to stab me.

The main downside is that scouts are a limited resource. I cannot spam them endlessly, so I try to save them for moments when I really need to sneak through a hostile region. If I am just exploring and not in a hurry, I will often let the season change handle it. But when I am chasing a specific objective and the alert is blocking my path, scouts are a lifesaver.

What I do when I am wanted

When the red alert icon appears, I do not panic anymore. I follow a simple routine:

1. 🗺️ Check the map to see which regions are affected.

2. ⏳ Look at the season meter. If it is almost full, I wait or do safe activities.

3. 🧭 If I need immediate access, I use a scout on the region I care about.

4. 🏯 If neither option is available, I switch to Yasuke and embrace the fight, or I fast travel away and continue elsewhere.

I also try to avoid becoming wanted in the first place. Naoe is at her best when she stays hidden, so I use shadows, bushes, and rooftops to thin out enemies without raising the alarm. But sometimes a plan falls apart. A samurai spots me, a guard calls for backup, and before I know it, I have cut down half a patrol. In those moments, knowing how to remove the wanted status keeps the game from becoming a nonstop chase.

By 2026, Assassin's Creed Shadows has received numerous updates, but these two methods remain the most reliable. Changing the season is free and total, while scouts offer precision at the cost of resources. Together, they let me return to what I love most: wandering the beautiful landscape, planning my next assassination, and pretending I am always in control. If you are tired of being hunted every time you step outside, try these tricks. They changed the way I play, and they might do the same for you.