Imagine the scenario

You assume the role of a fledgling newcomer fresh off the streets with a bottom-tier ride, hungry for opportunities to expand your bank and to familiarize yourself with the vicious urban jungle that is Lakeshore City.

You stumble across one of those newfangled Link-Up events. Curious, you brave inside the intangible green walls housing a chaotic scene of which you are now an active participant of. Although your car struggles to perform some of the many feats under the pressure of a ticking clock, your teammates make swift work of them all, and your efforts to aid do nonetheless make an appreciable impact to your credit just in the nick of time.

You finish the event victorious, wondering just how you are allowed to walk away with a hefty $125,000 in bank for what ultimately amounts to comparatively very little effort from you especially considering your entry-level ride. Then you make an enormous realization as you attempt to drive back to your safehouse.

All your winnings are at the mercy of the entire police force, and you are dead in their sights. They effortlessly chip away enormous portions of your vehicle durability with every strike that you cannot afford to lose, and you can barely make up any margin of distance to elude even the basic Charger units. As your vehicle’s integrity whittles down to just one pothole away from complete and utter destruction, you began to panic as the grim reality of losing it all comes so precariously near. Suddenly the idea of placing dead last in the Playlist you chose to ignore becomes all that more appealing.

A trailing SWAT Raptor prepares to surge forward towards your car for the kill. You say goodbye to all that you’ve earned so far. Unbeknownst to you all this time, however, an altruistic third party has been keeping a steady eye on your situation. Fearing your grim fate, he T-bone slams your Raptor out of nowhere, and picks off the remaining units one by one.


Amidst the confusion, you dash off to safety while a helicopter running low on fuel, the last unit sworn after you, harmlessly tracks its final moments overhead as it prepares to disengage. An expanding blue bar towards the bottom of your screen provides an immediate sense of relief after that nerve-wracking experience. It is only when you return home, quite shaken but with all your winnings safe where it cannot be taken away from you, that you realize what just happened.

A hero has chosen to risk his own earnings so that he can preserve yours.

Inspired by this act, you are compelled to follow in his footsteps once your car is competent for the task whenever it should be necessary.

Why should YOU be a hero?

Because heroism pays.

Whenever the game registers that you're in a co-operative pursuit with another player, your heat level is instantly bumped up to whatever opposition they are up against, and with that a certain fixed amount right off the bat is added to your bank should you escape successfully afterwards.

Up to $10,000 right away, in fact. Any extra for cop vehicles demolished afterwards is just the cherry on top. Plus, you may be entitled to exclusive rewards involving helping other players escape pursuits, if not your own. Lastly, there may be daily/weekly challenges involving assisting other players this way, which may benefit largely to completing your Speed Pass in time (you remembered to complete it, did you?)

Even if you fail to defend your targets, or lose courage and leave them to the wolves, you still can profit from your efforts if nothing else.

Any car is viable for help out struggling players on a technical level, through for best results any A+ grade car and above may be necessary to catch up with the tougher units and to close in to the protectee car if necessary (like for example to shield them).

An example of a viable set-up specialized in mind for off-road/cross-country engagements.


So you got your car, but what about what to put on it to maximize your firepower against cop units? Here are some recommended options to put in the Auxiliary slots.


An instance of closing in to a racer in need, with intent clearly communicated.


Check your map if there's anyone with a heat level from 3 to 5 who could benefit from your interference. If there's a Link-Up event that appears to be wrapping up, there should be multiple opportunities to make easy money and help players as many time as you are able. To get to them faster, consider teleporting to the closest Safehouse or Meeting Place to bridge the gap.

Keep in mind that some players may need no assistance making it out, though anyone with an A class car and lower are exceptionally vulnerable to higher heat levels, and are therefore most at risk at losing all their earnings.

The Lakeshore Police Department has a wide range of toys at its disposal to oppose you. Knowing how each unit behaves may make all the difference on the road you need to succeed. Deployment level and cash bounties for each independent unit are not specified on this guide.

Think of your car as a hammer, and all your problems as a nail. Anything that can be solved by crashing into it should be done unhesitatingly. Every encounter is unique, and tactics that may work for one scenario may not necessarily work so well in the next.

    
• Take the low hanging fruit, any cop units with low durability or are directly in front of you are the juiciest targets
      
• Mind your own car health, do not bite off more than what you can chew
      
• Seek environmental sources of taking cops out, Luring units into traffic vehicles is a trick that never gets old, and one that they will never learn from
      
• Take care not to endanger your protectee carelessly, exercise caution when approaching them head-on
      
• Do not bring the heat back to them needlessly, if your protectee is successfully evading, make sure to help keep it that way
      
• If they are following you, lead them to safety, gas stations as well as access to the city monorail are fantastic places to keep within reach
      
• Disengage from the chase when at low health, watch out for yourself as well as you lose everything you've earned if you're busted too!

Hopefully by then you will have been well informed on the best practices to help cover for your buddies and any strangers you stumble across in the majority of all pursuit situations.

This guide is dedicated to those who choose to act honest and selfless in their dealings, and who don't derive their sense of personal enjoyment and self-worth from needlessly picking on other players whose virtual earnings are at stake.