The supported entry options
The official role overview and FAQ describe choosing a role when you enter the city. The research also records the Police Station service counter as an enlistment option, supported by Power Up Gaming’s beginner guide. These are the available sourced descriptions. We have not verified the current interface labels, a keyboard shortcut or an exact sequence of dialogs, so this is not a fabricated screenshot walkthrough.
Availability matters: the research says enlistment depends on open slots. nowgame.eu reports a four-cop city limit after launch balancing, but that number was not found in an official announcement and remains unverified. Do not interpret a full or unavailable role as proof that your account is bugged. Equally, we cannot promise that a particular waiting period, city change or reconnect will produce an opening.
What does the role provide?
Kefir describes state-issued gear, a patrol car and respawning inside Looty Bay. The role lets you police other players without putting your own equipment into the same risk model as a criminal run. Official sources describe earnings from confiscations, arrests and bribes, while guides characterize cop income as steadier but lower than the potential criminal payday. That is a qualitative comparison, not a measured salary schedule.
Police Badges are the role’s equipment currency. The November 4 notes let cops buy badges and tie the available selection to the home district. They also reduce how many badges come from loot and salary. If a prelaunch guide assumes plentiful badge drops, it may no longer match the launch balance. Check the current source date before using a badge budget to plan your next purchase.
Why do new-server cops only have pistols?
The official November 4 patch says patrol cops start with pistols on a fresh server and obtain better equipment as that server ages. That is a server-progression restriction, not evidence that your personal character has failed to unlock an item. The supplied notes do not specify every unlock time or a minute-by-minute equipment schedule, so this guide does not invent one.
The same patch increases the respawn delay and adds further delay after consecutive deaths. That is one documented reason players may search for a “cop timer.” It is not proof that every timer in the role means the same thing. The research does not establish an exact shift duration or a formula for every respawn. Use the visible game information rather than applying an unsourced universal countdown.
Keep the city and the desert separate
The September 17 gameplay overview describes a city run built around taking loot out of Looty Bay. Entering unmasked lets you explore as a civilian; putting on a mask makes you a criminal. The choice changes the risk. Secondary beginner guides say civilians keep their bag and equipped gear when dying in the city, while criminals lose both. Removing the mask alone does not clear Criminal status: games.gg says you must leave Looty Bay.
The global desert is a different layer, divided into districts and settlements. Kefir’s September 24 overview calls it a lawless PvP area; games.gg and Power Up Gaming report that death there loses everything regardless of role. A city-specific protection should not be assumed to apply on the journey home. Plan the whole route, not just the robbery, and use the separate masks guide if you need the role rules before carrying more valuable equipment.
Income claims and disconnect risks
Secondary coverage includes striking arrest and confiscation payouts, but those figures are unverified in the source file. We leave them out rather than build a “best money” promise around them. Power Up Gaming mentions using the station counter to collect salary; this is dated guide advice, not a guarantee of how a later patch handles every session.
Steam players reported being disconnected and losing police salary during instability. No restoration policy was confirmed in the research. If this happens, record the time, world and displayed balances and contact official support. Do not assume that state-issued gear makes every form of progress immune to a technical failure. For ordinary first steps, enter through a sourced role option, check availability, learn the current equipment rules and keep official patch notes ahead of launch-week rumors.