Bounty Hunter

Template:RoleInfobox Bounty Hunting is a combat-related career that involves destroying criminal ships and pirates, because they are wanted in a jurisdiction. Bounty hunters can earn credits by redeeming Bounty Vouchers. They also earn experience for the combat rank, and increase their reputation with a minor faction that issued the bounty.

Overview

Throughout the galaxy players may encounter NPC ships (AI controlled) and lawbreaking real players (pilots). Once scanned, a player can see whether a pilot has a current bounty issued against them. As a bounty hunter you can destroy them in combat to receive a bounty voucher. You will receive a reward by redeeming the voucher at a starport that is controlled by the faction that issued the bounty.

Scanning

A basic scan using a ship's Sensors can determine if the selected target is "Clean" or if there is a warrant for their destruction. Bounties outside of the current jurisdiction are not shown by the ship scanner so it is highly recommended that bounty hunters equip a Kill Warrant Scanner to scan for those extra bounties (bind it to a fire group, aim at the target and "shoot" until the scan is finished) as this can significantly increase payouts. It is also recommended to have a Frame Shift Wake Scanner equipped to scan any High Energy Wakes in case the target jumps away, though pursuing runners is only worthwhile if their bounty is exceptionally high.

Locations

Many criminals seek refuge in systems with an anarchy status. Anarchy systems are ruled by a faction that doesn't enforce the rule of law. However, players are able to scan other ships in these systems with a kill warrant scanner in order to see if they are wanted in any other systems. Upon destroying a wanted ship the player can travel to the system the bounty was issued and claim it.

Bounty hunters will often loiter outside stations in order to scan other ships when they slow down to enter the docking area, but many bounty hunters are most active at Resource Extraction Sites or Nav Beacons since many wanted ships will appear at both locations. Most NPC ships will pass through the Nav Beacons making them excellent areas for both NPC and player bounty hunters. The Resource Extraction Sites can be mixed in their populations. Isolated clusters of asteroids rarely contain any activity at all whereas the planetary rings of busy planets are rife with pirates looking to prey on miners. This makes planetary rings advisable for any prospective bounty hunters.

Friendly fire

A major problem for bounty hunters is accidentally shooting the regional security services. Stray Multi-cannon shots, turreted weapons, and occasional AI stupidity tend to be the causes of this problem. There is some leeway before the security services will set a bounty or even attack, but caution should still be exercised in the event that the security ships are badly damaged. In the event that a bounty is incurred, the player will need to go to a station or system where their bounty does not apply and use an Interstellar Factor contact to pay it off, provided their notoriety is zero.

Claim a bounty

To claim a bounty a player only needs to find a target with an active bounty on them and destroy their ship. Getting the final "kill" shot is not required to claim the bounty if the following conditions are met:

1. No other players who are not part of the player's Team attack and hit the ship since the player's last successful hit on the target. NPC attacks do not count as kill credit to a player is prioritized over an NPC.
2. The player's last successful hit on the target was within a short time frame before the killing blow, usually within the last 15-30 seconds or so. Teammates getting the killing blow will still award the player a Bounty Voucher if the player's last hit on the target was within a decent time frame.

Bounty Vouchers

File:BountyVoucherMenu1.jpg

Cashing in bounty vouchers

Bounty Vouchers are awarded when a commander destroys a ship that had a bounty on it. These vouchers must be cashed in at an appropriate contact to receive the reward. Voucher can also be redeemed at Interstellar Factors, but a 25% fee is imposed for this service (if Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is installed, all stations have Interstellar Factors, and no fee is imposed).

Kills and associated bounty vouchers are recorded in the ship's log, so if the player's ship is destroyed before they get back to a station contact to present them for payment, then the vouchers will be permanently lost along with the ship.

Notes

• If the player fires on and hits the target before the target is designated as "wanted", then the player will gain their own bounty.
• With update 1.03, collecting and redeeming Bounty Vouchers also earns the player positive reputation with the minor faction that issues the bounty.
• Bounty Voucher values were increased by between four and ten times their original values in a balancing pass on November 30, 2020.

See also

• Crime & Punishment
• Interstellar Factors
• Smuggler
• Pirate

Videos

• File:Bounty Hunting Beginner Guide - Elite Dangerous
• File:INTERSTELLAR BOUNTY HUNTERS - Elite Dangerous Immersive Space Combat
• File:Elite Dangerous - Crime and Punishment
• File:Python mk2 - Bounty Hunting -4K VR-
• File:Elite Dangerous Odyssey - Raider Bounty hunting - gameplay example
• File:Sidewinder Bounty Hunter - No Engineering - Gameplay - Elite Dangerous

Gallery

• Bounty Hunter Ship Progression
  Bounty Hunter Ship Progression