TL;DR
- Aera is one of 12 outlaw bounties in Pailune, available after liberating the region in Chapter 7.
- She hides near the entrance of Valgrind Tomb, just north of Pailune city.
- She is usually active in the morning around 9 AM in-game time.
- Chase her, tackle, tie her up, and walk her to the Pailune jail — no horse needed.
- Delivering her alive earns you 9 Silver and Greymane Contribution Points.
Pailune has no shortage of criminals to chase down, and Aera is one of the earlier bounties you can grab once the region opens up. She doesn’t disguise herself as an animal like Wolfe the Boarman, but she’s caused enough trouble to land herself a bounty notice on the city walls. Finding her is straightforward once you know where to look — the tricky part is that some players arrive at her location and find nobody there. This guide explains how to unlock the bounty, where Aera actually is, and what to do if she’s not showing up for you.
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How to Unlock the Aera Outlaw Bounty
Bounties in Pailune don’t appear until you’ve done a specific amount of main story progress. You need to complete Chapter 7 and fully liberate the Pailune region from the Lonely Jackals and Black Bears. This reunites the Greymanes and opens the city of Pailune for side quests, including bounty hunting.
Once that’s done, bounty notices start appearing on wooden poles and notice boards throughout the city and nearby roads. Aera’s notice is one of the first to pop up. Completing Chapter 7 also unlocks Oongka as a playable character, so you can tackle the Aera bounty as either him or Kliff.
Where to Find the Aera Bounty Notice
Walk through Pailune city and watch your mini-map for purple scroll icons. These mark bounty notices. Pick up the Aera notice from a light post or notice board and hold the examine button to read it — on keyboard that’s CTRL held down, and on controller it’s LB or L1.
Reading the notice is not optional. It adds the quest to your journal and activates Aera’s map marker. Without doing this, the outlaw icon won’t appear when you get close to her location, which is one reason some players can’t find her.
Aera’s Location — Valgrind Tomb
Aera hangs around Valgrind Tomb, which sits directly north of Pailune city. It’s a short trip — close enough that you don’t even need a horse to deliver her to jail afterward.
She usually has two to four companions nearby when you find her. Don’t worry about them. They are not hostile and will scatter the moment you approach the group. Aera is the one who matters.
One important detail — Aera tends to appear in the morning, around 9 AM in-game time. If you arrive at Valgrind Tomb and she isn’t there, try resting at a campfire or bonfire to advance the time forward. Once it’s morning in-game, head back and she should be at her spot.
What to Do If Aera Is Not There
This is the most common issue players run into with this bounty. You follow the map marker, reach Valgrind Tomb, and there’s no one there. Here’s why that happens and how to fix it:
- Wrong time of day — Aera only appears in the morning. If it’s afternoon or night in-game, rest to skip time and try again.
- You startled her before starting the quest — If you explored near Valgrind Tomb earlier without having started the bounty, you may have frightened Aera away. She won’t be standing in her default spot anymore. In this case, check the surrounding area with your mini-map. She typically flees east toward the nearby river. Walk slowly around the area and watch for her outlaw icon to pop up within roughly 50 meters.
- Reloading doesn’t always reset her — Some players report that reloading the game doesn’t bring her back to her starting position right away. If that’s the case, ride into Pailune city, rest at a bonfire to advance time, and return. That usually resets NPC spawns to their defaults.
How to Capture Aera
Aera will run the moment she spots you approaching at speed. Here’s how to catch her without fumbling it:
- Don’t sprint at her from far away — Get reasonably close first before committing to the chase. Sprinting from too far out gives her too much of a head start.
- Use the mini-map to track her — If she bolts into the brush or around rocks, keep your eyes on the mini-map outlaw icon rather than looking around visually.
- Sprint and tackle — When you’re close enough, press X on Xbox or A on PlayStation to tackle her. This knocks her down.
- Hit her a few times — After the tackle, strike her until the restrain prompt appears.
- Tie her up — Use the prompt to bind her. She’s ready to be delivered.
If you’re playing as Oongka, his tackle has a slightly wider effective range than Kliff’s, which can help if Aera is weaving around obstacles. Either character works fine here though. For a deeper look at movement and combat options, see our Advanced Combat Guide and our guide on how to parry, counter, and dodge.
How to Deliver Aera to the Pailune Jail
Once Aera is tied up, carry her to the Pailune jail to complete the bounty. Unlike some other Pailune outlaws, Aera’s location near Valgrind Tomb is close enough to the jail that you don’t need a horse. You can carry her there on foot without any trouble.
A few things to keep in mind during transport:
- Fast travel is disabled while carrying a bound prisoner. No Abyss Nexus shortcuts — it’s a walk to the jail.
- Don’t commit crimes on the way. Getting flagged by the Wanted system while carrying a prisoner forces you to sort out guards or fines first, which delays the whole delivery.
- If you want to be efficient, grab a second bounty first before heading to jail. Since Aera is close to other Pailune outlaws, you can tie up a second target and carry them both in one trip — one over your shoulder and one loaded onto your horse.
Hand Aera over to the guards at the Pailune jail to complete the quest.
Aera Bounty Rewards
Delivering Aera alive gets you:
- 9 Silver — the full reward for a live capture
- Greymane Contribution Points — spendable at the contribution shop right next to the jail
The contribution shop carries outfit pieces and other useful items, so it’s worth checking out while you’re at the jail. If Aera dies during the chase or transport, you’ll only receive half the silver reward. Always bring bounty targets in alive for the full payout.
Looking to earn more Silver through other methods? Our guide on how to make money fast in Crimson Desert has plenty of options.
Tips for the Aera Bounty
- Check the time before heading out. Save yourself a wasted trip by confirming it’s morning in-game before riding to Valgrind Tomb.
- Scan east toward the river if she’s not at the tomb entrance. That’s her most common flee direction if she’s been spooked.
- Don’t linger near Valgrind Tomb early in the game before picking up the notice. Stumbling too close to a bounty target before the quest is active can cause them to flee their spawn point.
- Pair with another bounty for efficiency. Several Pailune outlaws roam relatively close together, so catching two in one run saves a lot of back-and-forth.
More Crimson Desert Bounty Guides
Pailune has 12 bounties in total, and the region offers a lot of other content to explore alongside them. Here are some related guides to help you work through them:
- Wolfe Outlaw Bounty Guide — the boar-disguised outlaw in Silver Wolf Mountain
- Dante the Great Thief Bounty Guide
- Haldin Bounty Guide
- Bo Bounty Guide
- Blix Bounty Guide
- Bianca Bounty Guide
- Warren Outlaw Bounty Guide
- Fabrizio Bounty Guide
For everything else, our Crimson Desert Guide Hub has the full collection of guides covering quests, builds, weapons, mounts, puzzles, and more.
