Is it still the case that if I find a Lost Soul that I want, I should just DM Ellias Aubec with the Lost Soul's Name and my own character ID#? I did this twice--the first time on Day 44--with no response, so I thought maybe this isn't the proper method now...?

My guess is Ellias is just busy IRL or something, which is fine. I'm in no hurry. Just want to make sure this is indeed how things should go.

If I recall rightly, the Lost Soul's location isn't required, right?

They are changing the way Lost souls are claimed, so I've heard.
There will be a new "Claim NPC" button.

Not sure how it will work? Though I'm guessing if you come across a lost soul that does not belong to anybody, you can click the button and claim it?

At this current time, claiming lost souls isn't possible. Apparently there was some abuse of the system which lead to dev team deciding that a Claim NPC button was needed. I'm not sure what the planned timeframe is for this button to be added, but it will be eventually! :p

If a player is arrested and drops character, the arrester should receive ownership of the Lost Soul NPC.

That's the only way (afaik) to claim one at this point in time.

Factions also take ownership of lost souls if the player is in the faction, don't they?

That exact scenario (faction member arrested by myself and dropped character) resulted in the Lost Soul NPC being owned by me (not the faction).

Well, I mean if they're not arrested and they drop :p

Kind of disappointing. I found the Lost Soul on a Darkness planet.

No idea now if I could have claimed him via a Button or not. Didn't check and too far away to bother turning around now.

Thanks as always, everyone. :)

You couldn't. The button hasn't been added yet.

I believe that the only time ownership is transferred is when the PC is arrested and drop. Any other time and they are just NPC owned. Unless that has been changed that is.

Also, due to some abuse by people in claiming NPCs that they just knew were around but not actually at their location Sel has decided that I should not give ownership to anyone and he was going to work on a claim button that would work like item claiming.

Interesting, Ellias. Thanks.

I just found one on a station and claimed him...not really knowing what else to do. But the ownership is to me when I did that.

Yes, the claim button was introduced in the 3 months since the last reply on this thread, as was noted in a sync digest on the Sim News.

I am sitting in the middle of 4 lost souls. No claim button. That thing change?

they have to be owned by the NPC owner, not already owned by a player