Apart from being an avid explorer in Starfield, you can also strive to work for money. There are a lot of instances where you need money whether it’s for upgrades, items, or something else. While some quests and missions may not be highly rewarding, finding and selling illegal items may fetch you some nice cash. This is where the Contraband comes in as illegal goods. This guide will help you in the whole ordeal of Starfield contraband with locating, smuggling, and selling it to make a pretty penny.
About Contraband
Contrabands are illegal items that can only be used by selling them at specific areas. They mostly contain items like drugs, technical items, artwork or even organs. This makes them worth a lot depending on the item present inside the package. You can get them at specific locations and smuggle them out. Once sold, they are worth the trouble of going through the process, so there won’t be any complaints.
Contrabands are marked in yellow on map and inventory, which makes them distinguishable. Also, they don’t affect the surrounding relationships. There is no need to worry about the changes in behavior or quests, as everything remains separate from your crime endeavors.
Location of Contraband
There is no specific location where you can find Contraband. As they are illegal goods, they are hard to find in highly populated or high-security areas. During exploration, you can randomly come across them, so keep an eye out for them. Look for contraband in areas where the rules are not much implemented, like the Neon City. You can also buy it from a Lastral Lounge Bartender in this city. Go up to him and ask to buy items. He sells Aurora, one of the cheapest contraband.
Contraband can also be found in enemy spaceships, so if accessed or stolen, do sweep around for some lying around. They are quite rare but can be worth a lot if found.
Smuggling Contraband
Add Shielded Cargo Hold
Before you pick up contraband, you need to first install a Shielded Cargo Hold. These can be bought in specific areas, like the Crimson fleet or Red Mile on Porrima III. These look like extra square parts that can store the contraband and prevent it from being detected. Check the shop and anything with the word Shielded can be used to store these illegal goods.
If you are planning to smuggle a lot of contraband, it is better to buy a Scan Jammer. It can be found on the Porrima III on The Red Mile, so you can buy it with Cargo Hold. Scan Jammer decreases the chance of being detected. You’ll need Scan Jammer for heavy objects, as the more items you have, the more likely you’ll be detected and scanned.
Avoid Detection
Be careful while smuggling the Contraband as you can get caught while transporting. If you are stopped for a scan, it is most likely for you to lose the contraband, and you can’t do anything about it. When resisted, it can turn into a fight. Both have the same outcome, with the latter leaving you with less health and bullets. So, it’s better for them to just take it.
Once confiscated, you have two options. You can either serve jail time or pay a fine for each one. With jail time you can lose XP while a fine will deduct your cash so choose wisely.
Selling Contraband
After going through all the trouble of collecting and smuggling, you can now sell it to finish the process. On the main planet Jamison, land in the New Atlantis. Go towards the station and look for an elevator on the left. Go down the elevator and look for the Trade Authority. This area would be different from the other vendors as it has two guards stationed at either side of the door. You can easily sell the goods here, so this can be one of the possible areas you can make money from.
These Trade Authority areas can be found in almost every city or area with a proper station. Some may be harder to find as there is no exact location for them, so you can look around. If you can’t find them, you always have the one at Jamison, so sell the goods here.
That is all for Starfield Contraband guide including selling, locating, and smuggling. If you want to make more money, you can steal and sell ships or try Jackpot codes in Starfield.
