Bounties
The bounty system has two sides: player bounties that captains post on each other, and faction bounties that the Federation and Pirate organizations generate automatically. Both require traveling to a contract office to collect.
Player Bounties
Posting a Bounty
Go to a Starport and open the Wanted Postings board (called the Bounty Hunter Registry at pirate ports). Select a target by their player name, set a reward amount, and confirm.
Rules:
- Minimum bounty: 500 cr
- Maximum per posting: 100,000 cr
- Posting fee: 10% of the bounty amount, charged upfront and non-refundable
- You cannot post a bounty on yourself
- One active bounty per target at a time
- Bounties expire after 7 days if uncollected
A 10,000 cr bounty costs 11,000 cr total. The fee burns regardless of outcome.
Collecting a Player Bounty
Collecting a bounty is a two-step process.
- Defeat the target in PvP combat.
- Travel to a contract office to file the claim.
You cannot collect at the point of victory. You need to physically travel to the correct contract office:
- Federation Bounty Registry — at Federation Starports
- Pirate Bay Contract Office — at Pirate Starports
You can collect at either office regardless of your alignment, but access to a given starport depends on your faction standing. See the Port Restrictions section below.
You cannot collect a bounty you posted yourself. Defeating your own alt clears the bounty but pays nothing.
Faction Bounties
The Federation and Pirate factions post their own bounties independently of players.
- Federation bounties are generated when you attack Federation-aligned NPCs. Attacking enough triggers a faction contract on your head worth credits and alignment consequences.
- Pirate bounties are generated when you attack Pirate-aligned NPCs. They pay credits and a pirate-side alignment shift to collectors.
Faction bounty values scale with the number of kills and the tier of NPCs attacked. The bounty board shows faction contracts in a separate section from player bounties.
To collect a faction bounty: defeat the specified enemy type or accumulate enough kills, then claim at the appropriate contract office.
Wanted Status
When you have active bounties on your head — player or faction — your Ship Stats tab shows a visible WANTED indicator with your total exposure. This information is public and visible on the bounty board. Hunters can see your last known location in the feed.
Port Restrictions
Active bounties create travel pressure.
- Federation starports may arrest you if you have a Federation-faction bounty active and your alignment is sufficiently pirate-leaning.
- Pirate starports may deny access based on alignment and standing.
- To clear a wanted bounty, pay it off at the appropriate contract office before docking at a hostile port.
The Bounty Board
The bounty board at any Starport shows:
- Player bounties — all active contracts sorted by payout, with time remaining and last known location
- Faction bounties — current faction contracts posted by the Federation and Pirates
- Your own exposure — bounties currently on your head, summed prominently
Leaderboards
The Most Wanted and Top Bounty Hunters leaderboards track kill counts, total bounties claimed, and active exposure across the galaxy. These update in real time and serve as a measure of reputation in the criminal economy.
Strategic Notes
As a planet owner: When a pirate robs your Trading Post the feed broadcasts their name to the galaxy. Post a bounty immediately — hunters will have intel and motive.
As a bounty hunter: Sort by payout, cross-reference last-seen feed data, and plan your approach before committing turns. Remember you must reach a contract office after the kill to cash out.
As a target: There is no mechanic to remove a posted bounty. Paying off wanted status at a contract office clears the faction hold; player bounties expire on their own after 7 days. Staying in Federation space prevents PvP but does not protect you from faction arrest if your standing is wrong.