Street Cred: The Reputation System

Face

Face is the measure of your overall reputation and level of intimidation you wield over those surrounding you in and out of battle. It’s earned and counted in two distinct ways, both of which have special effects on your overall gameplay.

Face Points and Upgrades

After every mission you successfully accomplish, you are awarded Face points. These points go towards Face Upgrades, which affect combat skills and the effects food and drink have upon Wei Shen. Ultimately they can provide significant discounts at every vendor, food stand, and car dealer in the city as well.

Face During Combat

Early into the story, you unlock Wei Shen’s Face Meter, which appears next to the mini-map opposite your Health Meter. The Face Meter increases with every opponent you defeat in combat, and the amount changes depending on how brutal you are at dispatching opponents. When the meter fills, enemies can cower before Wei and become easier to disarm. New effects from a full Face Meter are unlocked as you gain higher Face Upgrade levels.

Cop and Triad Reputation

There are two major factions you deal with throughout Sleeping Dogs: Cops and the Triad. Your actions determine how many points you earn for both factions at the end of a mission, which go towards specific upgrades representative of both factions. These two forms of points are earned very differently.

Cop Points

At the start of any mission, you have the full amount of Cop points that can possibly be awarded for that mission. This reward is reduced for injuring or killing civilians or police officers, as well as by causing property damage. You even lose Cop points for being clumsy during chases on foot, such as running into people and obstacles as you navigate towards your target. It’s impossible to earn back Cop points that you’ve lost, so it’s imperative that you pay attention to your surroundings to avoid any unnecessary mishaps.

Triad Points

Every mission starts you off with no Triad points earned. These points are gained primarily by defeating opponents in combat. You can increase how many points you earn by being more brutal and stylish in combat, while also avoiding damage as much as possible. Using successive Counters, environmental hazards, or melee weapon takedowns on enemies provide Triad point bonuses that increase with each successful use or execution of these things. You can also receive a Triad point bonus for successive headshots in firefights.

You might think that you will have to sacrifice one form of reputation to maintain or gain another, but this is not the case. By displaying some finesse, it is totally possible to play through a mission, retain the majority of the Cop points you start with, all the while racking up a large amount of Triad points by taking advantage of the full extent of Wei Shen’s arsenal and unleashing it on your Triad enemies. It’s important to maintain this level of measured aggression, as the Cop and Triad Upgrades are all incredibly useful.

Beating the Heat

Whenever you commit a crime, there is a chance that an HKPD officer in the area witnesses it and begins to pursue you. Because of the secretive nature of Wei’s assignment, the average officer only sees Wei as another gangster and will take action accordingly.

Pay attention to your mini-map. Any officers on foot are displayed with blue icons, with their perception radius displayed around them. Keep in mind, you can still get away with petty crimes inside that radius if they don’t actually see them happen, and if they don’t involve gunfire. If there is shooting, officers will call for back up.

The Heat system consists of five levels of escalation. At level 1, the HKPD would prefer to arrest Wei, and they are not as aggressive, avoiding lethal force. By level 3, the HKPD will begin to use firearms, though they will still try to cuff Wei to bring him in. At level 5 Heat, arrest is no longer an option they wish to exercise. SWAT will be deployed, and heavier firepower will be leveled at Wei.

Escaping the cops will require you to escape their dragnet, displayed on the mini-map as a red sphere of influence in the city. You might be able to outdrive the HKPD at Heat level 1, but at higher levels you’ll need to get creative. Stunt jumps can help you evade their sight. One Cop Upgrade allows you to lose Heat by Action Hijacking another vehicle. Drag pursuit units into tight alleys and try to break free while they crash into each other as they attempt to keep up. You can even resort to ramming HKPD vehicles off the road, though this is only a safe option at Heat levels 1 and 2. At higher levels, the HKPD use of firearms makes this a risky proposition.

Resorting to overt violence, such as hand-to-hand combat or the use of firearms, does not pacify the police. If anything, you’ll get slapped with another Heat level! To escape the cops, you’ll have to avoid killing or harming them as much as possible. After all, Wei Shen is still an officer of the law, right?