Discord Badges Explained: Active Developer, Bug Hunter and Rare Badges

Discord Badges Explained: Active Developer, Bug Hunter and Rare Badges

TL;DR: Discord's badges changed a lot in 2025. Discord removed the Active Developer badge from every profile in December 2025, and the HypeSquad quiz is gone, so no new account can join a House. The badges no account can earn any more are Early Supporter, Early Verified Bot Developer, HypeSquad Events, Moderator Programs Alumni, Partnered Server Owner and the three House badges. Bug Hunter is still awarded, but only to active members of Discord's Testers community. Anyone can get the Quest, Orbs, Nitro and Server Booster badges. No badge can be moved to another account, so a rare badge is always sold together with the account it sits on.

What happened to the Discord Active Developer badge?

Discord decommissioned the Active Developer badge in December 2025 and removed it from every profile that showed it. Its developer help centre says the badge created a heavy support load with little benefit to developers, and that Discord is looking at other ways to recognise active developers, such as showcases in its developer community. There is no replacement badge.

The badge used to go to anyone who owned an application that had run a command in the previous 30 days, and it was claimed from the Developer Portal. That is why so many older guides still explain how to get it. Those steps no longer work, and nothing brings the badge back.

It matters for buyers too. Early Supporter with Active Developer was once the most searched badge pairing, and some listings still show it in old screenshots. Since December 2025 no account can display the two together. The developer badge that still appears on profiles is Early Verified Bot Developer, covered below.

How Discord badges work

Badges sit in a row on a Discord profile, and hovering over one shows its name. Discord's help centre is clear that profile badges are non-transferable: none can be moved from one account to another. Most record something the account did, such as a purchase before a cut-off date, a programme it took part in or an event it joined. A few reflect what the owner is paying for right now, like Nitro or a server boost.

Badges fall into five groups: closed badges that no new account can receive, one rare badge that is still awarded, badges anyone can get, badges that have been removed, and one badge no seller can offer. The group a badge belongs to decides what it is worth far more than how it looks.

Badges that can no longer be earned

Early Supporter

Discord gave the Early Supporter badge to everyone who bought Nitro before 10 October 2018, as a thank-you after it introduced its higher Nitro tier. Supply is fixed and can only shrink, which is why it is the best-known collectible badge. Our guide to what the Early Supporter badge is worth covers pricing, and how to verify an Early Supporter account covers the checks before you pay. Current listings are on the Early Supporter accounts page.

Early Verified Bot Developer

This badge went to developers whose bots were verified before 19 August 2020, when Discord stopped issuing it. It still shows on the profiles that have it, and now that Active Developer has gone it is the only developer badge left on Discord profiles. Accounts that carry it alongside Early Supporter are scarcer than accounts with either badge alone.

HypeSquad Events

HypeSquad Events belonged to people who attended or ran events in HypeSquad's name, such as university clubs and LAN parties organised by HypeSquad Event Coordinators. Discord lists it as no longer obtainable. It is easy to confuse with the House badges below, so when a listing says "HypeSquad", ask which one it means.

Moderator Programs Alumni

This badge began as the Certified Discord Moderator badge, given to people who completed Discord's Moderator Academy and took part in its moderator programmes. Discord turned it into Moderator Programs Alumni to thank everyone who was part of that community before 1 December 2022, and it can no longer be obtained.

Partnered Server Owner

The Partner badge went to owners of servers accepted into Discord's Partner Program. Discord now lists it as no longer obtainable, because the programme no longer admits new servers, so existing Partner accounts are a closed supply. Unlike Early Supporter, though, it rests on a partnership that Discord can still end. Ask whether the partnered server is part of the sale, and check the badge is still showing when you log in. See Discord Partner accounts for how these deals work.

HypeSquad Houses: Bravery, Brilliance and Balance

The three House badges came from a short quiz in Discord's settings. Discord has removed the quiz, so no new account can join a House, and accounts that already have a House badge keep it. Closed does not mean scarce here: a great many accounts joined a House while the quiz was available, so a House badge adds little to a price.

Last Meadow Online and Legacy Username

Last Meadow Online was a game Discord ran from 1 to 7 April 2026. Players earned a badge that shows their level in the game, and it can no longer be obtained. The Legacy Username badge shows the old username and four-digit tag an account had before Discord's 2023 username change, so only older accounts can have it, and owners can switch it off. Both say something about when an account was active, but neither is scarce enough to drive a price.

A rare badge you can still earn: Bug Hunter

The Bug Hunter badge goes to the most active members of Discord's bug-hunting community, and a gold version marks those who reach the highest hunter level. Discord says earning it means taking an active part in its Discord Testers community; bugs reported through the normal support portal do not count. New places in the Testers community open only occasionally, so very few new ones appear, and nobody can buy one. That is why a Bug Hunter account usually sells above an ordinary aged account. Ask the seller which level it is and when it was earned.

Badges anyone can get

Quest and Orbs badges

The Quest badge appears once an account completes a Discord Quest, and at the moment it cannot be removed. The Orbs badge is bought in the Orbs shop with Orbs, Discord's virtual currency, and stays once bought. Both are easy to get, so neither should add to a price.

Nitro and Server Booster

The Nitro badge shows while an account subscribes to Nitro, Nitro Classic or Nitro Basic, and hovering over it shows how long the subscription has run. The Server Booster badge shows while the account boosts a server, and its design changes the longer the boosting continues; if boosting stops, the streak resets to the first level. Both reflect what the current owner is paying for rather than something fixed to the account, so check what happens to the subscription after a sale. Listings of Discord Nitro accounts should say.

Experimental badges

Discord is also testing badges for gifting, account age, streaming and game time with a small number of users. They are experiments that may change or disappear, so do not pay extra for one.

Badges no seller can offer

Discord Staff badges belong to people who work at Discord, so an account advertised with one is fake or not the seller's to sell. Walk away. The same goes for Active Developer, which no longer exists, and for any listing that promises to add a badge after purchase: badges cannot be added to an account or moved between accounts.

What badges mean for an account's price

Price follows scarcity, not the number of badges. The closed badges with small supply carry the value: Early Supporter, Early Verified Bot Developer, HypeSquad Events, Moderator Programs Alumni and Partnered Server Owner, with Bug Hunter close behind. Closed but common badges, like the House badges and Legacy Username, add little, and so do the badges anyone can get.

Badges also compound. Early Supporter on its own turns up on many accounts from 2016 to 2018, while Early Supporter together with Early Verified Bot Developer, Bug Hunter or Partner is much harder to find. Account age, a short or dictionary-word username and a clean history add value regardless of badges.

How to check badges before you pay

1. Ask for a live screen recording of the profile with the badge row visible. Screenshots are easy to edit, and old ones still show Active Developer.
2. Hover over each badge in the recording. The tooltip names it, which separates HypeSquad Events from a House badge and shows the Nitro subscription date.
3. Pay through escrow, then log in during the escrow window and check the badges yourself.
4. Change the email, password and two-factor authentication before you confirm receipt. Whoever controls the original email can recover the account.

Discord's terms do not allow accounts to be sold, and Discord can act against an account it links to a sale. Escrow protects your payment; checking the account during the escrow window protects everything else. Browse Discord accounts with badges, or sell a Discord account if you have one of these badges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you still get the Discord Active Developer badge?

No. Discord decommissioned the Active Developer badge in December 2025 and removed it from every profile, including accounts that had earned it. There is no way to claim it now, and a listing that shows it is using an old screenshot.

What is the rarest Discord badge?

Discord Staff is the rarest, but it belongs to Discord employees and cannot legitimately be sold. Among badges an ordinary account can carry, the closed badges with small supply are the rarest: Early Supporter, Early Verified Bot Developer, HypeSquad Events, Moderator Programs Alumni and Partnered Server Owner. Bug Hunter, especially the gold version, is also very scarce.

Can you still get HypeSquad badges?

No. Discord removed the HypeSquad quiz, so no new account can join Bravery, Brilliance or Balance, and HypeSquad Events ended with the events programme. Accounts that already have a House badge keep it.

Can you buy a Discord badge?

No badge can be bought for another account or moved to one. The Orbs badge is bought with Orbs on your own account, and the Nitro and Server Booster badges come with paying for Nitro or a boost, but none of them transfers. What people buy is an account that already carries a badge.

Is the Discord Partner badge still available?

No. Discord lists the Partnered Server Owner badge as no longer obtainable, and the Partner Program does not admit new servers. The only Partner badges are the ones already on existing accounts.