“It’s time to make a change.” This was the statement made by Jagex late January 2020 after shutting down access to the Bounty Hunter worlds. There’s no news yet regarding when they’ll be opening its doors once again, but they did tell players to not panic and they were merely trying to improve upon this section of Old School RuneScape. Rather than move on from one update to the next, Jagex plans to make the PvP in OSRS a livelier activity by thinking of a long term solution for it.
So, what exactly is Bounty Hunter? And what was the underlying problem that seems to have involved OSRS gold? Find out as we talk about it in full detail!
What is Bounty Hunter?
Bounty Hunter is essentially a minigame that involves PK-ing (Player Killing) in the Wilderness. It was released back in December 2007 during the early years of OSRS and caused quite a commotion among players as it was introduced as a substitute for PvP—which was removed back then. However, Jagex ultimately changed their minds and revised Bounty Hunter to be a single-player activity instead of a PvP activity in 2014.
The goal of Bounty Hunter is to kill as many targets as you can to earn bounty points and upgrade your emblems. To earn bounty points, there are bounty tasks that you can try to complete. Unlike other missions or quests that don’t have time limits, you will only have 20 minutes to complete each task. 10 bounty points will be awarded per completed task. Furthermore, if you want to join in on the fun, you’ll need a combat level of at least 50 before you can receive these bounty tasks.
Once you’ve faced your target, you also have the chance of upgrading your mysterious emblem as well (provided that you’ll win the fight of course). If you don’t have a mysterious emblem yet, you can buy one from the Emblem Trader who runs the Bounty Hunter Shop. The emblem will automatically upgrade itself to the next tier as long as the target that you’ve killed off also has an emblem that’s the same tier as yours or higher. As you climb the tiers with your emblem, its value also rises. A tier 10 emblem is currently valued to be worth 5,000,000 bounty points!
What are Bounty Points?
Bounty points are the currency used for the Bounty Hunter minigame. You can exchange your high tier emblems for these points and use them to purchase goods from the Emblem Trader. Some of these items include a ward upgrade, kit, a clue box, and Ancient Magicks magic tablets. Almost all of the items being sold in the Bounty Hunter Shop can be traded as well, with the exception of the hunter’s honor and rune pouch.
So What’s the Problem with Bounty Hunter?
As you know, gold farming has been a common way for players to earn OSRS gold in the game. However, Bounty Hunter has been susceptible to people that abuse this minigame. There’s no problem with the minigame in general. There is, however, a problem with the players who exploit this mechanic. While it may not look like much for people who just casually play OSRS, it could soon affect the in-game economy and take a turn for the worse.
We have our fingers crossed as we’re sure that Jagex will be able to find a way to revamp the PvP in OSRS as well as the Bounty Hunter. Hopefully, this sends a message to those who are abusing the mini game for farming OSRS gold. What do you think of the temporary suspension of Bounty Hunter? Is it really a problem that warrants Jagex stepping in? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below!
