In Starfield, you might have some unlawful contraband in your ship. When you attain a patrolled space, like New Atlantis or Neon, your ship will get scanned by native authorities earlier than you land. If you happen to’re caught with contraband, you’ll get arrested.
Contraband objects are labeled with a small yellow marker in your stock, the identical approach stolen objects are labeled with a crimson marker. Not each planet has patrolled areas, so you’ll be able to take your contraband freely with you to most locations. Or when you’ve got a home on Nesoi from the Dream Residence trait, you’ll be able to at all times drop off your medicine there earlier than heading to one of many extra guarded planets. (That’s what we do!) However it’s additionally attainable to sneak issues in.
Beneath regular circumstances, stolen items don’t set off the contraband scanners.
Our information explains learn how to smuggle contraband items previous the scanners after which, when you’re by, the place to promote contraband.
The place to promote contraband
Whereas the joys of doing against the law is likely to be a reward in and of itself, the actual prize for smuggling contraband in Starfield is the credit you get from promoting it.
![Starfield Trade Authority kiosk in New Atlantis](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/st00raPI3hhLsuDa9JjLKVBlI1M=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24892528/Starfield_Trade_Authority_contraband.png)
Picture: Bethesda Recreation Studios/Bethesda Softworks through Polygon
Not many locations will deal in smuggled items, although. Fortunately, the Commerce Authority doesn’t have any hangups about that and can fortunately take it off your arms — and, higher but, they often have extra money readily available than most different distributors.
You’ll discover a yellow Commerce Authority kiosk at virtually each settlement with a spaceport. Full Commerce Authority storefronts are a bit rarer, however you’ll discover one in Cydonia on Mars within the Sol system and a giant flashy one in Neon on Volii II within the Volii system.
What occurs should you get caught with contraband?
The ships scanning you’ll cease you and ask to board. You may at all times deny them and struggle to the loss of life, however equally to combating officers after being caught stealing, it’s probably not price it.
If you happen to allow them to board, nonetheless, not solely will they confiscate your contraband, however they can even take any stolen loot (marked with the crimson emblem) from you.
![A Starfield cockpit view shows where the player is prompted to pay a fine or go to jail from a Freestar Collective officer](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IpVRuq4c9Z_4Be_xKNG4ZjhNNjI=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24881984/Starfield_2023_08_29_14_17_03.jpg)
You may pay the high-quality and get your contraband taken from you, or you’ll be able to serve jail time and lose XP. One canister of Aurora acquired us put within the slammer for seven days and we misplaced 1,000 XP for it, much like what occurs while you’re caught with a bounty.
Learn how to smuggle contraband by patrolled areas
If you happen to love smuggling items, you’ll be able to take the Deception ability, which is within the second tier of the social ability tree. It’ll make your ship much less vulnerable to contraband scans, reducing your threat of being caught by 10% at rank one and as much as 50% at rank 4.
![Starfield’s Deception skill appears in the social skill tree with the descriptions of different skill levels.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FZFeYdZtzTnoXI3eagcEU0mROXY=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24882024/Starfield_2023_08_29_14_31_59.png)
Picture: Bethesda Recreation Studios/Bethesda Softworks through Polygon
You too can improve your ship to bypass scanners, however you’ll must retailer your contraband in your cargo maintain, not your stock for this to work. Cargo holds just like the “100CM Ballast Shielded Cargo Maintain” offer you 160 mass of shielded cargo area. You too can purchase a scan jammer, which will increase your probability of evading cargo ship scans by a set proportion.
The extra contraband you could have, the upper probability you’ll have of getting caught, even with the shielded cargo, so watch out for making an attempt to take an excessive amount of into one among these guarded areas.
The place to purchase ship upgrades for smuggling
Be aware that not many spaceports will promote these things, however we did discover a man who will: Lon Anderssen within the Pink Mile on Porrima III (within the Porrima system, east of Alpha Centauri).
![A big red circle highlights the Porrima system in Starfield, to the right of all the beginner areas.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jMlQSPGm3gXpdmUfz1fJNhiwAuw=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24882139/Starfield_porrima.jpg)
Graphic: Julia Lee, Jeffrey Parkin/Polygon | Supply pictures: Bethesda Recreation Studios/Bethesda Softworks through Polygon
With no perks, the “Scan Jammer – Single-Frequency” value us 2,940 credit and including a “Caravel V101 Shielded Cargo Maintain” value 2,548 credit. This value doesn’t embrace the price of upgrading engines and the prefer to account for the added weight. These two upgrades allow us to smuggle in a single can of Aurora to Neon at a 65% probability to go.