Contraband Guide Starfield – In Starfield, Contraband items are those marked with a yellow symbol in your inventory, indicating that you’ve acquired or possess them illegally. Selling these items to regular vendors is not an option, and carrying them on your person or ship can lead to trouble, potentially resulting in a trip to space jail during a successful scan. If you want to maintain a lawful image while still engaging in some lucrative under-the-radar activities, you’ll need to know where to safely stash your Contraband in Starfield. And this guide covers precisely that!
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Where to Store Contraband in Starfield
The Contraband system in Starfield is surprisingly intricate and somewhat complex, but let’s break it down into a few key points:
- Contraband in your personal inventory is always detectable, so the only place to hide your illegal items is in your ship’s cargo hold.
- Its Cargo Hold is the main factor determining whether your ship can pass a scan with Contraband inside.
- Your beginner ship, for example, comes with a Standard Cargo Hold, resulting in a 0% chance of evading a scan when entering a settled system.
- To have any chance of slipping by a scanner, you’ll need a special Shielded Cargo Hold on your ship and store your Contraband items inside it. The quality of this shielded cargo hold and the amount of Contraband it holds will affect your evasion chance!
How to Get a Shielded Cargo Hold for Hiding Contraband in Starfield
Now that you understand the gameplay mechanics behind Contraband and ship scans, let’s explore different methods of acquiring a cargo hold for your smuggling operations:
Purchase from Special Vendors
You can acquire shielded cargo holds and scan jammers directly from vendors specializing in such rare ship parts. There are two such vendors that we know of:
- Lon Anderssen in Red Mile, Planet Porrima III: You can enter this planet without facing scans, making it a safe location to buy Contraband-related items. Lon Anderssen offers the top-tier “10ST Hauler Shielded Cargo Hold,” the best Credits can buy in Starfield.
- Jasmine, Crimson Fleet Ship Services Technician: You must have joined the Crimson Fleet through the “Deep Cover” mission to access this vendor’s merchandise.
Take Over a Ship That Already Has One
A more daring method involves boarding and commandeering other ships in space. Here’s how:
- Use the Targeting Systems skill to disable a target spaceship’s engines.
- Board the ship, clear any hostile threats, and gain control.
- Check the ship’s Ship Overview to see if it has a shielded cargo hold beneath the total cargo capacity meter.
Obtain Through Specific Quests
Certain quests reward you with ships that may come equipped with a shielded cargo hold.
- For instance, completing the “Mantis” side mission grants you the Razorleaf spaceship with a shielded capacity of 160.
- To access this side quest, you’ll need to read the “Secret Outpost!” slate found on Spacers during the “Groundpounder” side mission.
Once you’ve obtained a ship with a Shielded Cargo Hold or upgraded your own ship with one, make sure to store all Contraband items inside it, especially before jumping to planets with major cities like Jemison or Akila.
How to Increase Scan Evade Chance in Starfield
You’ll notice the chances of passing a scan with Contraband on your HUD. To increase this ‘Chance to Evade Scan,’ consider these two methods:
- Payloads Skill (Tech, Tier 2): This skill boosts your existing cargo hold capacity by a set percentage, which increases as you invest more ranks in it. This, in turn, enhances your chances of getting away with Contraband in your shielded cargo hold.
- Scan Jammer: A rare item that you’re more likely to find on commandeered ships than for sale at a vendor. This valuable item can also significantly increase your chances of scan evasion!
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With this knowledge, you’re better equipped to navigate the complex world of Contraband and scans in Starfield, allowing your character to maintain a profitable yet discreet lifestyle!
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