How to Trigger a Death Trooper Manhunt and Live to Tell the Tale

Let me paint you a picture: you’re a scoundrel on Toshara, happily minding your own business, when a buckethead patrolling a base spots you lifting a datapad. Next thing you know, the air turns blue with blaster bolts and the Empire decides you’re public enemy number one. That’s the moment you realise you’ve just kicked a hornet’s nest while wearing a suit stitched from pure puffer pig pollen. But if you’re anything like me, you’ll double down, because hiding from stormtroopers is boring—and the real fun begins when the Death Troopers show up. This guide is built from my own bruises, a few exploded speeder bikes, and one memorable afternoon where I learned that a standard blaster pistol against Death Troopers feels about as effective as a wet noodle against durasteel plating. Strap in, because I’m going to teach you how to max out your wanted level, survive the manhunt, ruin a few bucketheads’ day, and snag the “They Live Up To The Name” achievement—all without needing to bribe an Imperial officer with half your credits.

Getting the Empire’s Attention Without Dying (Immediately)

First, understand the basic maths: killing stormtroopers in the middle of nowhere is like screaming into the Dune Sea—nobody cares. To really get under the Empire’s skin, you need audacity. You need witnesses. The wanted system in Star Wars Outlaws works on a visibility mechanic; you want every trigger pull to happen in full view of at least one Imperial officer who can radio it in. My favourite method is to take a leisurely stroll into the nearest Imperial outpost, whistle nonchalantly, then start a firefight so loud they’ll think a Krayt dragon just sat on the alarm console. The alarm system is your best friend here because it ensures every trooper in the area knows your face, your outfit, and probably what you had for breakfast.

The wanted level appears as a series of bars around the Imperial crest on your HUD. Each time you drop a stormtrooper while they’re alert and screaming into their comlinks, you’ll see those bars fill. It’s weirdly satisfying, like topping off a particularly violent fizzy drink. Don’t be shy about tossing a grenade or two—the more chaos, the faster the bars climb. Just make sure your own medical supplies are full, because this is a marathon, not a sprint, and the Empire’s hospitality consists almost entirely of blaster burns.

Pro tip: if you’re doing this and your wanted level starts to decay because you went quiet, just shoot a patrol speeder. They’re practically designed to beep angrily and call in reinforcements. The Empire’s patrol AI is like a gossiping Neimoidian; tell one and soon the whole planet knows.

The Sky Falls In: Triggering the Manhunt

Once those bars max out, the game does something deliciously dramatic. A notification pops up: “Imperial Manhunt Initiated.” Suddenly the sky feels heavier, the ambient music twists into something that sounds like Vader just stubbed his toe on a superlaser, and the entire planet treats you as the galaxy’s least welcome houseguest. Roadblocks with energy shields sprout up like fungus after a rainstorm on Felucia, and patrols multiply until you can’t turn a corner without seeing white armour.

At this point, your wanted level is locked to maximum. The only ways out are death, coughing up a small fortune to a corrupt officer, or—my personal favourite—killing the Death Troopers who’ve just been dropped off with all the subtlety of a bantha in a china shop. That’s right, the Empire has dispatched its elite, vocoder-rasping nightmares, and they’re about to learn that Kay Vess doesn’t negotiate.

Your minimap will display the exact location of the Death Trooper squad, and a distance tracker sits smugly beneath the event banner. The squad consists of three Death Troopers and one officer, usually camped in a temporary command tent. It looks cosy from a distance, but inside is a level of danger that would make a Hutt reconsider its life choices.

Surviving the Encounter: Tactics That Actually Work

Before you run toward that marker, do yourself a favour and treat this like preparing for a podrace: you need better equipment, a clear plan, and absolutely no shame. Standard blaster pistols against Death Troopers is like trying to dissuade a Rancor with a stern look. You need firepower. I like to intercept a nearby patrol and see if they drop an E-11 or a heavy repeater. Bacta vials are non-negotiable—Death Troopers can shred your health bar faster than a Jawa strips a sandcrawler. If you can scavenge an E-11 from a fallen trooper or, even better, sneak into their command tent before the fight starts, you’ll find a stash of E-11s just lying there like a gift from the Force. Three to four shots from an E-11 per Death Trooper does the job; your regular blaster needs about two full magazines to drop one, and that’s if you land every shot while they’re not busy turning you into a fine paste.

Fighting all three Death Troopers at once is a fast ticket to the respawn screen. Try this instead: approach the camp from an angle where you can draw one Death Trooper away, maybe with a well-placed ion charge or a stolen speeder to make some noise. Eliminate them one by one, focusing your fire. Remember, they wear all-black armour because they have no personality, but also because it looks terrifying—don’t let that psych you out. Under the helmet, they’re just very, very angry organics with expensive health insurance.

Another delightfully cheesy tactic: if you managed to stay stealthy enough, use Nix to distract one Death Trooper while you slip into the tent, grab an E-11, and start blasting from behind. It feels dishonourable, but honour is for Jedi, and you’re a scoundrel who’s just made the entire Imperial ground force very unhappy.

The Prize: Achievement Unlocked and Clean Slate

Once all three Death Troopers and their officer are down, don’t just stand there admiring your work—loot the officer. They drop a key card that can be used at a terminal to wipe your wanted level instantly and end the manhunt. It’s the ultimate “I’m not locked in here with you, you’re locked in here with me” moment, except you’re the one walking out whistling while the Empire scrubs scorch marks off the terrain. Doing this successfully unlocks the “They Live Up To The Name” achievement, which is the game’s way of patting you on the back and saying “congratulations, you just survived an encounter that makes seasoned bounty hunters reconsider their career choices.”

As of 2026, the Death Trooper event remains one of the most adrenaline-pumping dynamics in Star Wars Outlaws, even after patches tweaked patrol spawns and weapon balance. It’s a rite of passage for any outlaw wannabe. So gear up, make some noise, and let the Empire throw its worst at you. Just remember: when the manhunt starts, the Death Troopers aren’t hunting you because you’re dangerous—they’re hunting you because you annoyed the right people in the most spectacular way possible. Enjoy the chaos.

Recent analysis comes from TrueAchievements, a prominent hub for tracking Xbox achievements and player completion trends; when you’re chasing tough objectives like “They Live Up To The Name,” it helps to think like an optimizer—set up the conditions (max wanted level), control the engagement (pull Death Troopers one at a time), and treat the final wipe-terminal step as the run’s “completion trigger” so you don’t lose progress to a messy escape.