Bounty Hunter and Skull Targets

Players with Yellow or Red skulls can become live bounty targets. When one logs in, the game may broadcast a global alert showing who they are, where they are, how dangerous they are, and how many Social Crystals you can earn by defeating them while their skull is still active.

Bounty hunting is the main way to earn PvP rewards without picking up your own skull. Read PvP, Skulls, and Death first if you are new to skull rules, safe kills, and death penalties.

What triggers a bounty alert

A BOUNTY TARGET SPOTTED alert is sent when a player with a Yellow or Red skull comes online.

The alert includes:

• character name and level
• skull color (Yellow or Red)
• threat rating (Low, Medium, High, or Epic)
• current map location
• the Social Crystal reward available while that skull is active

Example format:

🎯 BOUNTY TARGET SPOTTED! PlayerName (Level 85, High threat, Red skull) is now online at Silverwood! Bounty is claimable only while the skull is active: 8 Social Crystals.

Alerts are rate-limited per target so the same skulled character does not spam the server with repeated announcements in a short period. Alerts also appear in the community PvP channel on Discord.

White skulls do not trigger global bounty alerts, but they can still pay a smaller crystal reward if you defeat that player while the white skull is active.

Skull types and base crystal rewards

Bounty payouts start from a base value tied to the victim’s skull color. The final reward shown in alerts and claim messages can be higher when the target has a stronger PvP record.

When you claim a bounty, you may see a breakdown such as base reward plus kill bonus, streak bonus, and activity bonus. Dangerous repeat offenders tend to pay more than first-time skulled players.

Claim message example:

🏆 BOUNTY CLAIMED! You received 8 Social Crystals for eliminating PlayerName (Red skull, Notorious threat)!

Bounties are only paid while the victim’s skull is still active. If their skull expires or is removed, the target is no longer claimable.

Threat levels

Behind the alert labels Low, Medium, High, and Epic are four threat tiers:

Threat rises as a player accumulates more PvP kills, unjustified same-faction kills, and kill streaks. A Legendary target on a Red skull is usually the highest-value hunt on the server.

Who can claim bounties

Safe hunts (no skull for the killer)

Killing a player who already has a skull is a safe kill under normal PvP rules. That means you can hunt bounty targets without earning your own skull, as long as you follow the standard safe-kill rules described on PvP, Skulls, and Death:

• the target already has a skull
• you are not killing a same-faction player who has no skull
• other safe contexts still apply, such as arena maps and faction wars

This is the intended “justified” PvP loop: skulled players accept higher death risk, and hunters earn Social Crystals for stopping them.

When bounties are not paid

Bounty rewards are meant for real player-versus-player hunts. The game blocks payouts in situations such as:

• the victim has no active skull
• the kill happens in no-death-penalty areas such as Arena or Training maps
• the kill is between characters controlled by the same account
• the kill looks like self-farming between linked accounts on the same connection

If a reward is blocked, you still get the normal PvP outcome, but no Social Crystals are added.

Removing your own skull through a paid cleanup or other skull removal also ends any active bounty on you. The game confirms this with a message that your skull was removed and the bounty is no longer claimable.

What Social Crystals are used for

Social Crystals are a special currency item awarded for successful bounty claims. They are separate from gold and marketplace trading.

Common uses include:

• Map travel — some map transitions require Social Crystals. If you lack enough, travel is blocked with: You do not have enough social crystals to proceed to this map. See Maps, Transitions, and Weather for transition rules.
• High-tier crafting — advanced recipes can require Social Crystals as additional materials alongside normal crafting costs.
• Login streak and event rewards — crystals can also arrive from long-term login rewards and other game events.

Stockpile crystals from bounty hunting if you plan to unlock crystal-gated maps or craft higher-tier gear.

Tips for bounty hunters

• Watch global alerts for Yellow and Red targets, then move to the named map quickly while the skull is still active.
• Prioritize Red skulls and higher threat ratings when you want the best payouts.
• Hunt skulled players instead of same-faction players with no skull. That keeps your own record clean.
• Read the claim-message breakdown to learn which targets paid bonuses.
• Remember that arena and training areas do not grant bounty rewards even if the target has a skull.
• Coordinate with friends or guildmates for high-level Legendary targets, but only one killer receives the crystal payout per successful elimination.

Tips if you are hunted

• Your skull color, threat tier, and recent PvP activity all raise the reward hunters see when you log in.
• Logging in on a Yellow or Red skull broadcasts your location to the whole server.
• Avoid staying in obvious transition hubs right after login if you are carrying a valuable skull.
• Death penalties on skulled characters are severe. Review PvP, Skulls, and Death before risking red-skull activities.
• Red skull removes Amulet of Death protection, so hunted red-skull players are especially vulnerable.
• If you want to stop being a target, let your skull timer expire or use available skull-removal options to clear the bounty.

Related pages

• PvP, Skulls, and Death
• Combat Overview
• Maps, Transitions, and Weather
• World and Exploration Overview
• Social and Multiplayer Overview