Bounty Hunting in Ostranauts

Bounty hunting is new in Ostranauts 1.0 — a mid-game income loop where corporate stations post warrants on criminals you capture dead or alive. Blue Bottle Games frames it as dystopian capitalism fantasy: security firms outsource violence to broke captains who already own gun-capable hulls and carry death pay escrow for crew fatalities. This is not a day-one OKLG side gig — it assumes you can fly, fight, dock under stress, and absorb repair bills when a warrant target shoots back.

Read Ship Combat and How to Fly and Dock before you accept your first contract. Bounty income contrasts with steady How to Salvage margins — higher peaks, higher variance.

What the 1.0 bounty system adds

Launch notes for 2026-08-03 shipped bounty boards alongside Steam Workshop support and improved tutorial flow — but the mechanics stand apart from modding or salvage permits. Warrants appear on faction and security kiosks, especially near Ceres where proxy wars produce fugitives. Each contract specifies:

• Target identity — name, last known lane, sometimes ship class hints
• Capture preference — alive delivery pays more but demands restraint, brig space, and suit integrity
• Dead capture — faster, bloodier, still profitable when brig refits are impossible
• Payout and faction impact — completing warrants shifts standing with BCER, BCRS, or neutral security contractors

There is no multiplayer mode — you hunt AI fugitives in single-player lanes shared with pirates and corporate escorts.

Preparation: hull, crew, and brig thinking

Bounty hunting punishes cargo tubs with no power budget for weapons:

Combat-capable ship — At minimum, plan PDC coverage, a primary kinetic weapon or missile option, and ablative cladding from Ship Combat. Arrive with magazines full — restock at BCRS or BCER vendors before accepting warrants in contested space.

Brig and restraint thinking — Alive captures need secure compartments: reinforced doors, forbid zones, and spare suits so prisoners do not vent your airlock during transfer. Ship Building refits may add a dedicated brig tile set before your first alive bonus matters.

Crew roster — Hire Crew with combat-adjacent skills and clear Work shifts during intercepts. Death pay triggers on fatalities — budget escrow before you chase armed targets. Crew AI repair priorities should stay above clean when hull breaches mid-fight.

Life support headroom — Extra bodies consume O2 and CO2 scrubber capacity — rerun the atmosphere checklist when brig occupancy rises.

Faction standing and Ceres context

Warrants tie into Ceres Affair story threads from Early Access — corporate security, pirate opportunists, and proxy war belligerents all post bounties with different ethics. Completing a BCER-aligned warrant may anger BCRS traders you rely on for ammo restock.

Read the Ceres conflict zone before you pick sides for profit. Neutral standing preserves shopping flexibility at Zhonghuamen and Port Mojave until story choices lock you in.

Compare faction gates with combat vendor tables on Stations and Travel — hunting income is worthless if repair parts become unavailable afterward.

Dead versus alive economics

Alive captures demand:

• Disabling fire instead of hull destruction — railguns and missiles need restraint settings and good piloting
• Boarding or tractor operations — match VREL, clamp, EVA with restraints
• Brig time during return transit — food, air, and suicide risk from desperate prisoners

Dead captures demand:

• Overwhelming firepower — faster resolution, higher ammo cost
• Proof of kill — confirm target destruction without collateral station fines
• Lower bonus tiers on some contracts — read kiosk text before you open fire

Mid-game captains often take dead-or-alive clauses literally based on ship fit — a salvage tub with one PDC takes dead warrants until brig refits fund alive bonuses.

Bounty income versus salvage

OKLG salvage pays predictable tutorial-era bills — daily permits near $5000, uninstall loops, vendor repair math. Bounty hunting spikes income when warrants align with lanes you already fly — but dry boards, failed intercepts, and combat repairs create droughts.

Use salvage solvency to finance first combat refits; use bounties to finance torch remass and Ceres dock fees. Asteroid mining adds a third parallel when ore prices beat warrant payouts.

Track shift mortgage deductions with the mortgage shift planner — a failed bounty week still ticks six-hour finance charges.

When to start bounty hunting

Not day one. Getting Started and improved 1.0 tutorial flow teach undock, atmosphere, and first salvage — none of that requires guns. Start warrants after:

1. Reliable OKLG redock without hull scratches
2. Stable life support on multi-day trips
3. Combat loadout tested on drones or quiet targets
4. Cash buffer for repair and death pay exposure

Story captains pursuing Ceres Affair closure may receive warrant-adjacent objectives naturally — treat those as narrative gates rather than optional grind.

Workshop and modding note

Steam Workshop mods may adjust economy or add ships — legitimate modding only; this guide covers vanilla 1.0 warrants. Read Steam Workshop for load order and save backup before you mix mods with bounty saves.

Related pages

• Ship Combat — weapons, decoys, armor
• Hire Crew — death pay and roster shifts
• Ceres Conflict Zone — warrant board locations
• Version 1.0 Launch — bounty system shipped at release
• How to Salvage — baseline income comparison
• Fire in the Hold — combat foundation before 1.0 bounties
• Updates — hotfixes to warrant spawning and payouts