Bounty Hunter is a fast-paced PvP minigame that has only been preserved in OSRS in the form of Target Worlds. In 2023 Jagex is planning on bringing it back to its fullest glory by introducing an updated version, and this might mean yet another opportunity for you to get OSRS GP through PvP.
At the same time, Jagex needs to keep a good balance between making it an attractive enough activity for players to partake in and something other than what could bring so much OSRS gold that unwanted behavior would be a natural consequence.
When Was the Return of Bounty Hunter Announced?
Jagex announced the return of Bounty Hunter during the Winter Summit event on December 10th, 2022, and explained that they were not looking for a green light from the player base on whether or not to bring the PvP content back to OSRS but that they could use feedback on several aspects.
The feedback Jagex is looking for is primarily related to how rewarding the minigame should be, such as how much OSRS gold you could earn from it. This supports the attempt to prevent abusive behavior, RMT, and any toxic stuff from happening to the game’s health. This means there will be a carefully considered balance between how much money you can earn with this minigame.
Gameplay
The Bounty Hunter’s gameplay is pretty straightforward in that you will go to a designated area where you’ll face players who have a similar skill level and wealth level to yours. You will be assigned a target to kill to grab their valuables and your reward for killing them. Even though we do not know much about the rewards, they used to be gradual, meaning that the more you stay alive, the more you will earn and the more your bounty will increase as well, and Jagex mentions bringing the killstreaks into the game.
This minigame is also very important in the Old School scene because it represents a form of full consensual PvP, not the potential non-consensual PvP found in the Wilderness. Jagex describes it as fast-paced, reset-heavy and explains that the minigame style will feel encouraging to those who first try it out to attract more and more players to the PvP part of the game.
Craters
During the Winter Summit, one of the proposals around Bounty Hunter was related to bringing back the bounty hunter craters. These specifically delineated areas will be placed in the Wilderness, and you’ll receive special warnings when joining. No need to worry; this time around, the Bounty Hunter craters represent an addition to the existing PvP in the Wilderness. They do not mean that Jagex would make the Wilderness a non-PvP area again. Besides giving a very well-delineated area you need to consent to enter, the Bounty Hunter craters will also have the function to separate the brackets.
Rewards
Regarding rewards, Jagex is reinforcing the idea according to which they will consult the community and poll the rewards for the Bounty Hunter. At the same time, they share that they’d want the rewards to be “in line with the Ancient warrior equipment,” which you might know from the Seasonal Deadman Mode.
Ancient Warriors’ Equipment
The Ancient Warriors’ equipment is a set of tradeable non-degradable armors specific to the Seasonal Deadman Mode. It can only be obtained as drops from most monsters in the Wilderness. The drop rate is linked with the combat level of those monsters. There are four types of armor, each requiring level 78 Defense to wear, while their respective weapons require either 78 Range, Strength, Attack, or Magic to wield.
Besides having high requirements to wear and wield, the equipment will give you excellent stats, which could be equivalent to the Ancestral Robe Set for the magic gear or best in slot for the ranged armor. In contrast, the melee armor could give you a lot of defense or versatility when fighting your opponents.
The Ancient Warrior’s Equipment are powerful pieces of gear, so Jagex could be bringing something precious since they have something of a similar strength level in mind if the polls pass. This could make it worthwhile for you to engage in the fast-paced PvP minigame.
Account Builds
At the same time, Jagex is speaking about potentially opening account builds such as the 20 defense pure and other types of PK builds. This will undoubtedly be aided by introducing the account build system, which will help you choose your build when creating an OSRS account for sale so that you don’t accidentally gain XP in a skill you don’t want to.
Balance
On top of the Ancient Warriors’ Equipment which could be worth a lot of GP, Jagex is also planning on bringing emblems and killstreaks, which will represent other ways to earn even more gold while doing so. The return of Bounty Hunter in 2023 will be a fantastic addition to the PvP in Old School RuneScape as it will bring more flavor and a new and more rewarding way for you to engage in a gratifying, fast-paced, consensual PvP experience.