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Star Citizen is a game that gives its players full control over how they make a living in the game. Whether it's cargo hauling medical supplies or bounty hunting the system's most wanted criminals, this game has it all. Although there is no designed "career path" for criminals, there are plenty of gameplay mechanics that allow players to partake in illegal activities to make a living in Star Citizen.
This guide will highlight a few of these features and how players can best utilize them to make a living in the Stanton system. In the future, the Pyro system will be added with the release of 4.0. This will be a far more lawless frontier where pirating will be far more viable. However, for now, players will have to stray on the side of caution while in the current system.
Tips and Preparation
For those looking to live the pirate's life, they will need plenty of preparation to ensure their time is used effectively - not only to make the most profit but also to have the most fun possible. Players may want to "look the part". Trying to come across as hostile to other players whilst wearing a basic outfit/space suit can be tricky. Bringing a stack of heavy armor and some unique weapons can help to intimidate new/intermediate players.
Quantum interdiction can be a large part of intercepting other players. As of patch 3.18, there are only 2 ships in the game that feature some sort of interdiction system (these being the RSI Mantis and the Drake Cutlass Blue). Although not essential, these ships can be great when used alongside other fighters to take out miners or traders passing through common routes.
Finding other players who enjoy the pirate gameplay loop can help the effectiveness of each outing. Sometimes a one-man army isn't always best. This will mean splitting profits on a trust system, so make sure these are people who are trustworthy.
Personal Missions
Personal missions are the most developed gameplay loop when considering illegal gameplay loops. These are missions that are easy to access through the contract manager in the mobiglass that grant an instant reward on completion.
The missions here vary greatly from simple comm-array removals to the hijacking of scavenger ships. Although some of these may not have the highest reward, they are really fun and are a great change of pace for those looking to change up the standard Star Citizen formula.
For those looking for a slightly higher risk-reward gameplay loop, there are some other options.
Hijacking Miners
Although it may seem unfair, the developers purposefully allow players to start PvP battles with those mining in the Stanton system. Not only does it open up an entirely new way of playing the game, but it also makes the mining experience much more adrenaline-inducing - the same can be said for stealing cargo.
Hijacking miners is one of the best ways to make money as a pirate., however, there is some knowledge/preparation the player needs before starting their endeavor.
It's worth researching some of the best mining routes as these will be the busy areas for most mining vessels.
Stealing Cargo
Stealing cargo is similar to stealing mined commodities. Players will need to locate popular trading routes and find a good location to ambush miners exiting hyperspace. A great website for this is SC Trade Tools. This will make it quick and simple to find the most popular trading routes in the system where large cargo ships will be passing by.
Some players who are trading commodities will be willing to make a deal as it will put them in a less risky position than the alternative of losing their cargo which will likely have been a large investment.
The addition of the "cargo refactor" update in alpha 3.18 will make stealing cargo far more engaging and user-friendly alongside the well-developed space combat gameplay.
Current Issues with Pirating
Unfortunately, there are some issues with pirate life. This isn't necessarily a "problem" with the game but simply an outcome of Star Citizen's design.
Players will usually quit the game if they find themselves stuck in a trap, saving some of their loot or hard-earned cash. This may change with the addition of PES (Persistent Entity Streaming) and further updates leading up to the full game release.
Currently, boarding ships is somewhat ineffective for a few reasons. As mentioned above, players can leave the server if they feel they are in a position they can't escape. In addition to this, it is sometimes impossible to enter an enemy ship if they have locked the external doors.
Pirating gameplay is often associated with griefing. Players should ensure they are going to benefit from the conflict before it begins rather than just ruining someone's day in the verse. If the player makes a deal with another, make sure to stick to it, as this keeps the game fun for everyone.
Griefing generally stems from a lack of PvP gameplay loops; however, in the future, we will see more updates to this side of the game, giving these players less reason to grief and more reason to engage with legitimate gameplay loops.
Star Citizen is available on PC.