Have you ever wanted to track your quarry across the stars? Have you ever wanted to use your ship's guns to finish the job, instead of your blaster? Have you ever wanted to place bounties for space Player-vs-Player kills, launch Arakyd Probe Droids to follow your mark, or keep track of your successes and failures? Now you can.
Starting in Game Update 19.17, Bounty Hunting is coming to space in Star Wars Galaxies(TM)! Bounty hunters, prepare to bring your occupation into the skies, and everyone else, be warned. Space is getting a little less safe.
Players who engage in Player-vs-Player combat in space will rack up a bounty on themselves by killing other players. The victim, the owner of the ship destroyed, will be able to place a space bounty on the killer, the owner of the ship doing the destroying. If the killer has only space bounties, the bounty must be claimed in space. If the killer has both space and ground bounties, the bounty can be claimed anywhere. The mission list will also now display the percentage ground and percentage space of the bounty's value.
Here is how the new Space Bounty Hunting works:
How a player bounty is marked:
Any player in the game can declare "Special Forces" and then engage in Player-vs-Player combat in space.
As players engage in PvP battles, they will automatically accumulate credits on their total bounty for killing opposing players.
If you are killed in PvP combat, you will also have the option of placing a bounty on the player who killed you in combat. A window will open so you can set the bounty. The window will display the maximum and minimum bounty amounts, as well as your current funds.
The bounty can be any amount from 20,000 credits to 1,000,000 credits.
If a player defeats enough enemies in PvP combat, they will have enough credits on their bounty to show up on the bounty hunter terminals located throughout the galaxy.
Any bounty hunter can then take a player bounty mission from the bounty hunter terminal (bounty hunters will not know the names of specific characters by taking these missions).
The bounty hunter knows only that he is hunting another player and the faction alignment of their mark.
Up to three (3) bounty hunters can take a mission on the same target.
Bounty hunters earn the total amount of bounty credits on the target (and only the bounty credits). The bounty hunter will also earn extra faction points if they complete a bounty on someone of the opposing faction or lose faction points for completing a bounty on someone of the same faction.
A player bounty may not be marked:
Unlike ground bounties, where players must be level 20 or above to place a bounty, there is no such restriction in space.
A player cannot place bounty credits if their character's death is the result of a duel.
A player cannot place bounty credits if their death is the result of the mission target killing the bounty hunter. Neither the bounty hunter nor their mission target can place a bounty on the other player as a result of the bounty mission PvP death.
A player cannot place bounty credits if they do not have enough money to meet the minimum bounty amount requirement.
How a bounty hunter tracks their target:
Bounty hunters start by taking a player bounty mission from any bounty hunter mission terminal throughout the galaxy.
Bounty hunters can then use their bounty hunting tools (bounty hunting droids, etc.) and prowess to track down their mission target. The Arakyd Probe Droid can now be launched in space. It will direct a bounty hunter to correct space zone, but not to their marks actual coordinates.
A bounty hunter cannot access PvP bounty missions until they are level 22 (the level at which they gain droid tracking.
When a bounty hunter finds their mark:
Once a bounty hunter takes a player mission, they are flagged for PvP combat with their target.
There is no bounty hunter first strike in space combat.
If a bounty hunter successfully kills their mission target, the bounty hunter will earn all of the bounty credits their target.
Any bounty hunters who might also have the same mission target will be notified that the target is no longer valid when the mission target is slain.
If the bounty hunter is killed by the target of his/her bounty mission, the hunter fails the mission and will need to get a new mission. In this case, the target keeps the bounty on his/her head and other bounty hunters may continue to hunt the target.
Bounty credits will not continue to accumulate by killing the same character over and over in combat (to try and drive up a player's PvP rating).
Bounty Hunter / Player Bounty Attacks
Once a bounty hunter takes a player mission, they are flagged for PvP combat with their target. Once a bounty hunter makes a move and attacks their bounty target, the target player can attack back immediately.
ALL PvP rules are still in effect so if both a bounty hunter and their mark are declared for full PvP combat, either player may attack the other player at any time.
Once the PvP combat encounter begins, players that are factionally opposed to the bounty hunter can assist the target in killing the bounty hunter and visa versa; players that are factionally opposed to the target can help the bounty hunter kill their target.
However, the bounty hunter must be the player delivering the death blow in order to win the mission (and get the payout). Also, to complete the mission in space, both the bounty hunter and the mark must be on their own ships.
Additional Player Bounty System Details:
Once a bounty hunter takes a player bounty mission, they will be flagged so that they can attack their target, the mark. In space, this also means that the mark can attack the bounty hunter.
All PvP rules are in effect. That means that if you are declared "Special Forces" or engaged in a Guild War all PvP rules still apply. However, once engaged in combat, neither the bounty hunter nor the mark can receive outside help.
Bounties placed on a player are cumulative. If multiple bounties are placed on a player, their overall bounty amount will increase.
A single player can have multiple bounties placed on them by many other players. However, these bounties are combined into one, and any bounty hunter with a mission to kill the mark will claim the full value of all the bounties on the player.
No bounties will be accumulated for combat with creatures or NPCs (PvE) whether they are faction NPCs or not. Player Bounties are only accumulated for PvP combat.
Player Bounty Missions have Faction Point bonuses and penalties. bounty hunters who kill targets of the opposite faction will earn a faction point bonus and killing a target of the same faction will get a faction point penalty.
If a player has multiple bounties on them, the bounty hunter will collect all of the bounty rewards on their target.
Players may not place bounties if their character is killed in a duel.
A Player Bounty System Counter Collection has been added to the bounty hunter section of the Slayer collection page that will track the number of times the bounty hunter killed the mark, the bounty hunter got killed by the mark, the mark killed the bounty hunter, and the mark got killed by the bounty hunter, separated into ground and space kill.
Here is an example of how player bounty hunting might happen:
An Imperial player kills a Rebel player in PvP combat.
A window will pop up asking the Rebel if he or she wants to take out a bounty on the Imperial player.
The Rebel player can choose to take out the bounty. At the time, they will be asked for the amount of credits they wish to make the bounty (up to a maximum of 1,000,000 credits). The bounty is effective immediately.
This will deduct the specified amount form your bank account, or from your cash on-hand, and add it to the overall bounty on your killer.
A player with a bounty will always display as red on the bounty hunter's radar as soon as the PvP flag is set.
bounty hunter droids are only used to track the target and are not necessary to complete the mission.
So ready your ships and watch for enemy fighters! Bounty hunting in space lifts off with Game Update 19.17!
