Watch Dogs 2 - How to get more Followers, level up and earn Research points
Everyone wants more people following them on social media, and Watch Dogs 2 has made this a central mechanic. Most things you do in the game give DedSec more Followers, which in turn make you a more powerful hacker and expand your options in combat. Here's how to get more Followers in Watch Dogs 2.
What are Followers used for in Watch Dogs 2?
Followers essentially act like experience points in the game. At a certain threshold of followers, you 'level up' and unlock a handful of Research Points, which you can spend how you please in the Research app.
While you can get Research Points by hacking specific points out in the world, they're usually locked away in difficult places - and so the easiest way to do it is by levelling up by getting more Followers.
It's also said Followers will unlock new activities in the world, though in our experience they unlocked linearly as you play one Main Operative to the next - most likely due to the fact story missions are one of the most reliable and lucrative sources of Followers.
How to get more Followers in Watch Dogs 2
There are multiple sources of Followers in the game:
Main Operations - This is the most straightforward source of Followers. While the number varies, you will get a healthy number for missions you complete; the early game CyberDriver missions range around 27,000 to 46,000, for example, with similar numbers in later missions. Completing the final mission, Motherload, will net you a cool 402,800 Followers in one go.
Side Operations - Similar to above, these range according to the mission, but are usually in the 5 figures.
Online Operations - Again, these depend on the mission, and range in the 5 figure region. Interestingly these are the only area of the game with difficulty settings, and the harder the mission, the more Followers you get. Remember Online Operations are randomly generated and infinite, so you can keep farming these over and over, and are playable solo, too.
Other multiplayer activities - As well as Online Operations (which can be done solo) participating in multiplayer activities gets you bonus Followers, depending on your performance. Bounty Hunter will get you between 5,000 and 25,000 Followers, while Hacking Invasions range between 4,000 and 15,000. You can enable online activities and have players come to you, or seek them out with the app, and depending on how good you are, could prove to be a quick and easy way to repeatedly get Followers, perhaps more so than doing main story missions.
Want more tips? Our Watch Dogs 2 walkthrough and guide provides an overview of everything you can do in the open-world game, from all finding all Key Data locations, unique vehicles and finding hidden gnomes and gnome outfit, through to tips on races, ScoutX, Driver SF and multiplayer. We also have walkthroughs on Trophy and Achievement specific side-quests Ubistolen, $911 and Shadows as well as how to get more Followers and how to make money.
Driver: SF - These short driving missions can net you between 6,600 and 11,000 Followers, depending on your star rating. With some of these missions taking just five minutes to complete, they're a pretty quick and easy source. The number of stars you receive add up, with extra Followers given to you at certain thresholds, such as a bonus 12,000 Followers at 21 stars, and 25,000 at 50 stars.
ScoutX - Take a snap in a location instructed by the ScoutX will get you 8,000 Followers a pop. While it's technically a simple task, the small number of Followers means it's only worth it if you're in the area, so we wouldn't recommend chaining them back to back. Your phone will buzz if you're passing one, or you can check the app to see how far you are from a hotspot.
Races - Completing optional races - Drone, Motocross, Sailboat - will get you a small number of Followers and Cash, depending on the medal, the higher the better. For example, a Motocross race can net you 11,000 Followers for a gold medal if completed under 2 minutes 30 seconds, which isn't a bad return for your time.
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