Bounty Hunting Locations & Primer
Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 11:05 am
I’ve been Bounty Hunting in Elite Dangerous with others for a little while now and it has proven quite lucrative and fun. You can do it solo but it is more rewarding with a wingman, especially if you want to take on big fish like Anacondas. One thing to keep in mind though is that with Bounty Hunting whoever gets the killing blow gets all the spoils, and Frontier has stated it will stay this way. This can be fun if you’re competing with another play or NPC for a bounty as you can snipe the kill, but with a teammate you might want to take turns. Bounty Hunting can be a lot of fun though, and a great way to make money in the game. I’m sure as Frontier continues to add features to Elite it will only get more engaging.
Great as Elite Dangerous is, it is lacking in documentation, and thus there is a lot of confusion amongst new players on how to Bounty hunt properly. It’s easy when first starting out to not make much money at it or get a bounty on oneself and be chased be the local security. This is a guide to help alleviate those teething issues and give a new or even an somewhat seasoned player a guide on how to Bounty Hunt and where the good hunting grounds are.
Where can I Bounty Hunt?
In truth, you can Bounty Hunt anywhere in the game so long as it is not within the no-fire zone of a station (Though be careful not to get a bounty on yourself outside of Anarchy systems). So yes you can hunt outside a station so long as you are far enough out, but good luck getting the kill before ships warp away! Most people Bounty hunt at one of two locations, Extraction Points and Nav Beacons, because both of these locations have a wealth of wanted ships passing through them.
Extraction Points are where you and NPCs go to mine rocks, and of course there will be pirates there to hunt the miners. Those pirates are your prey as by and large they will have bounties on them. Extraction Points tend to be filled with Sidewinders and Cobras which are usually not worth very much in Bounties (You’ll be lucky to see a Cobra with $10k). Still it can be fun to dart in and out of the rocks, just be mindful not to fly into anything accidentally while you’re chasing down your prey!
Nav Beacons are where the real money is at in Bounty Hunting, these locations which are always close to a star but do not exist in every system are always full of ships coming and going. You will find merchant vessels, security forces, pirates and other Bounty Hunters at these locations. Some of them will even hunt you, perhaps even while you’re chasing someone else! At Nav Beacons you’ll find the larger prey, Anacondas worth $45k, Asps worth $20k and Lakon Type 9s worth $6k, as well as all the other ships in the game.
Anarchy Systems are the best place to bounty hunt as you can safely shoot anyone there, whether they are wanted in the system or not. This is important because if you know someone is wanted in another system thanks to the Kill Warrant Scanner but they’re not wanted in the system your currently in, then shooting them would be a crime. You can still do it of course, and get the bounty for them if you succeed, but you’ll now have a bounty on your head and the authorities will be chasing after you! This is why many prefer to Bounty Hunt in Anarchy Systems so that you can go after any ship with a Bounty on it with impunity, regardless of if they are wanted within the solar system or outside it or both.
But if you do intend to Bounty Hunt in civilized space, either only hunt people that are wanted in that system or be ready to fight and/or run from the authorities and other Bounty Hunters when they come gunning for you. You’re wanted status won’t carry over to other systems, but anyone with a Kill Warrant Scanner (Like other Bounty Hunters) will be able to see if there is a price on your head in other systems and then try to claim it.