The Elara bounty is one of the Delesyia region bounties in Crimson Desert, and it trips up a lot of players. The target sits deep inside a hostile camp, the tackle controls are poorly explained, and the walk back to town is long enough that you can lose progress if you're not careful. Here's everything you need to get it done cleanly.
Quick answer: Pick up Elara's bounty poster in Delesyia City, travel to the Benus Bandit Camp in Southern Delesyia, tackle Elara by holding R on PC (or crouching then pressing F + left mouse button), tie her up, and carry her back to the Delesyia City constabulary.
Prerequisites before starting
Bounties in Crimson Desert do not fully unlock until you've progressed far enough in the main story. If you attempt to capture a bounty target before finishing Chapter 1, the mission can auto-fail when you try to enter town — a cutscene fires and the quest breaks. Make sure you have completed at least Chapter 1 before investing time in any bounty. Some players have also reported that visiting the jailhouse in Hernand (tied to the Jonathan quest) is what actually unlocks the bounty system.
Picking up the Elara bounty poster
Bounty posters in Delesyia City appear on wooden poles, on the sides of buildings, and near shops. Look for them while exploring the city. Once you find Elara's poster, examine it to mark her location on your map. The poster points you toward the Benus Bandit Camp in Southern Delesyia.
Reaching the Benus Bandit Camp
The camp sits just south of the Sanctum of Veneration. You can reach it by heading south from Marni's Laboratorium or northeast from Marni's Masterium. The trip is straightforward, but keep in mind that the return journey while carrying Elara is much longer and more dangerous.
Locating Elara inside the camp
Elara patrols the catwalks and scaffolding near the wooden platforms at the edge of the camp. She wears an orange tunic, which makes her easy to spot among the other bandits. If she doesn't appear, try resting at a nearby location until morning or saving and reloading your game — bounty targets occasionally fail to spawn on the first visit.
Capturing Elara alive — Method 1 (clear the camp first)
Step 1: Aggro the bandits from a distance and pull them away from Elara. These enemies are not particularly tough, so you can eliminate them without much trouble. Clearing the camp does not cancel the bounty — Elara will remain at her position on the scaffolding.
Step 2: Walk up to Elara after the camp is clear. This triggers a chase sequence where she starts running.
Step 3: Close the distance and hold R on PC to tackle her to the ground. On PlayStation, the input is to crouch (or dodge-roll toward her with Circle) and then press Circle + Triangle during the roll animation to initiate a grab-tackle. On Xbox, roll with B and then press B + Y. After the tackle connects, Kliff will pin her down and hit her a couple of times, then a prompt appears to tie her up.
Capturing Elara alive — Method 2 (skip clearing the camp)
Step 1: Run directly up the scaffolding near the edge of the camp to trigger Elara's chase. She will flee outside the camp boundaries.
Step 2: Chase her and tackle her using the same inputs described above — hold R on PC, or dodge-roll into the grab combo on controller. The key challenge here is that nearby bandits will follow you and interfere. You need enough distance from them to complete the tie-up animation without getting interrupted or accidentally killing Elara in the crossfire.
Step 3: Once she's tied up, deal with any pursuing bandits.
Tackle controls reference
| Platform | Input |
|---|---|
| PC (keyboard/mouse) | Crouch, then press F + left mouse button. Alternatively, press ALT to roll, then hold F + left mouse button mid-roll. |
| PC (hold method) | Hold R near the target to tackle. |
| PlayStation | Press Circle to dodge-roll toward target, then hold Circle + Triangle during the roll animation. |
| Xbox | Press B to dodge-roll toward target, then hold B + Y during the roll animation. |
Carrying Elara back to Delesyia City
After tying Elara up, you need to carry her to the constabulary in Delesyia City. The distance is significant. To pick her up, sheathe your weapon first — on PS5, press left on the D-pad; on PC, open the weapon wheel without selecting anything and close it. Then hold the point/lantern button (LB on Xbox, L1 on PS5, CTRL on PC) while looking at her body to get the carry option.
You can also store her on your horse. While carrying her, point at your horse and use the same button to get a "store" prompt. This frees your hands for combat if needed.
Once you reach the constabulary in Delesyia City, turn Elara in to the authorities. A short cutscene plays, and the bounty closes.
What to do if something goes wrong
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Elara doesn't spawn at the camp | Rest until morning, or save and reload. Make sure you've completed Chapter 1 and visited the Hernand jailhouse. |
| You accidentally killed Elara | Sheathe your weapon, then hold the point button (LB / L1 / CTRL) while looking at her body to pick it up. You can turn in a dead bounty for reduced pay. If the carry option won't appear, open and close the weapon wheel to fully sheathe. |
| Tackle prompt doesn't appear | Make sure you're out of active combat. Kill surrounding enemies, run away until the blue circle disappears from the minimap, then sneak back and crouch near Elara. |
| Guards attack you on turn-in | Remove your mask before entering town. Wearing a mask while wrestling or carrying a bounty can trigger a bounty on you. |
| Elara disappears after a cutscene | Avoid interacting with NPCs or triggering story cutscenes while carrying a bounty. If she vanishes, the mission will eventually fail and you can retry from the camp. |
The Elara bounty is one of the trickier ones in Crimson Desert, mostly because the game does a poor job explaining the tackle mechanic. Once you know the crouch-and-grab input, though, the actual capture takes seconds. The real test of patience is the long walk back to Delesyia City — stick to the northern mountain pass, keep your weapon sheathed, and don't talk to anyone until you've turned her in.