Welcome to the shadows. In this guide I will attempt to share some of my experiences moving valuable cargo into stations while remaining unseen.
Firstly let me outline where you may find the cargo you wish to move under the eyes of those in charge.
The Goods
Illicit cargo can be of three types, although for practical purposes there are only two.
I.) Illegal - Cargo Purchased legally and imported into systems where it is illegal. This can mean things such as drugs, weapons, liqour, or even toxic waste.
II.) Stolen - Cargo that you find in space and pick up via your cargo hatch. This cargo can be obtained by two primary ways:
Once you have obtained stolen or illegal cargo it is important to avoid security forces as being scanned with illegal cargo will result in a fine, possibly attack. For this reason it is important that you carefully consider the risk of discovery over the value of filling your cargo hold with more illicit cargo for sale.
Staying in the Shadows
The best way to avoid scanning from security forces is careful planning and simple caution.
Getting In
Sometimes you can't stick to deserted outposts. When you have to sneak into a larger, patrolled outpost, you can either trust to luck or to preparedness and skill. I am of course talking about silent running.
Before even approaching the station in Super-cruise I recommend taking the following steps:
Smuggling Missions *Section a work in progress*
Smuggling missions are missions that require you to pick up illegal items and return them to the issuing station. The mission description will note that the activity is considered illegal.
Some of the items requested by the smuggling mission include ancient artifacts, black boxes, rebel transmissions. If you already have the items in your hold you can complete them immediately so be sure to check the bulletin board for opportunities to make extra money before selling to the black market.
Completing the Mission: When you pick up a smuggling mission you will be given a target system where you can locate the requested items. Head out to the system you've been directed to and begin looking for Unidentified Signal Sources in super-cruise. Signal contacts appear at random so keep an eye out for them on your destinations list and be sure to target any that pop up as soon as possible as they may disappear just as suddenly. If you don't see any signal contacts simply continue flying around the system until you locate one. You will have the most luck near the local star or around orbiting planetary bodies, so I recommend circling the star a few Ls out then flying to another planetary body - you'll likely have at least one pop up on the way.
Once you locate a contact be sure to jump in via destination lock rather than simply dropping out in proximity. These usually function as 'pocket' universes and will not remain if you miss-jump and have to re-enter super-cruise. The signal sources seem to be weighted to contain the items you are after when you have a mission so persevere if you don't find it right away. When you find the correct contact you will see white contacts on your radar - these are (hopefully) the cargo you are after. Target the nearest one and scoop it up, then rinse and repeat with each remaining item until you have them all.
Before turning in your mission I recommend flying around in super-cruise a bit more looking for additional signal contacts. As I mentioned previously these seem to be weighted to show up more frequently if you have a mission to find them. You can take advantage of this by delaying turning in your mission if the item in question is something of particular value such as ancient artifacts. It is not uncommon for me to go out for 2-3 of an item and end up coming back with 15-20, selling the remaining ones for extra cash or picking up an additional mission for the same gear and turning it in right away.
Last words: Hopefully you've found this guide to be useful. If I've missed anything or you have anything to add please feel free to comment and I'll try to keep this updated. Hope you enjoyed the guide!
Firstly let me outline where you may find the cargo you wish to move under the eyes of those in charge.
The Goods
Illicit cargo can be of three types, although for practical purposes there are only two.
I.) Illegal - Cargo Purchased legally and imported into systems where it is illegal. This can mean things such as drugs, weapons, liqour, or even toxic waste.
II.) Stolen - Cargo that you find in space and pick up via your cargo hatch. This cargo can be obtained by two primary ways:
- Piracy - attacking a ship until it dumps cargo in an attempt to divert you so it may escape, shooting out a cargo hatch, or completely destroying a ship and retrieving the spoils.
- Salvage - Unidentified signal contacts often contain the remains of destroyed ships which may leave behind cargo which you can simply scoop up with your cargo hatch, but beware! On rare occasions (in my experience) these can be traps. Keep an eye on your sensors in case ships jump in to retrieve the goods themselves or to destroy the unwary commander tempted by the bait. These locations are also the source of cargo requested in smuggling and retrieval missions.
Once you have obtained stolen or illegal cargo it is important to avoid security forces as being scanned with illegal cargo will result in a fine, possibly attack. For this reason it is important that you carefully consider the risk of discovery over the value of filling your cargo hold with more illicit cargo for sale.
Staying in the Shadows
The best way to avoid scanning from security forces is careful planning and simple caution.
I.) Turn off automatic reporting of crimes against you. You can do this via your systems panel on the right side of your HUD. Doing so will prevent your ship from summoning security forces to defend you when you are attacked by pirates or a wanted merchant. It would be unfortunate to have them come to your aid only to fine you for the cargo you pick up after winning the fight.
II.) Before you begin smuggling learn the locations of black markets near you. These can be found by checking the contacts screen of station services - not to be confused with your contacts panel on the HUD. Black markets occur in a variety of station types but the safest ones to use will always be outposts as they frequently have no orbiting security force.
III.) Build friendly reputation in the system you intend to offload your goods. There are two reasons for this:
IV.) Fly indirect routes. Flying along the solar plan places you in the path of all of those that want to part you from your hard earned stolen goods. In addition to avoiding them you will also avoid the gravity wells of the various planetary bodies and be able to travel faster.
II.) Before you begin smuggling learn the locations of black markets near you. These can be found by checking the contacts screen of station services - not to be confused with your contacts panel on the HUD. Black markets occur in a variety of station types but the safest ones to use will always be outposts as they frequently have no orbiting security force.
III.) Build friendly reputation in the system you intend to offload your goods. There are two reasons for this:
- If you are friendly with the system all system aligned ships will be marked green. This makes it FAR easier to see security forced headed your way on your radar and thus divert your course in Super-cruise to avoid them as they come near.
- It has been my experience that security forces attempt to interdict you far less if you have friendly or better reputation with them. This is anecdotal but I believe it to be accurate.
Getting In
Sometimes you can't stick to deserted outposts. When you have to sneak into a larger, patrolled outpost, you can either trust to luck or to preparedness and skill. I am of course talking about silent running.
Before even approaching the station in Super-cruise I recommend taking the following steps:
I.) Shut it down: Access your modules list and deactivate EVERYTHING that you don't need to make a stealth run into the station. This includes your weapons, your cargo hatch, your shields (they'll be coming down anyway), anything and everything that uses power and generates heat - EXCEPT of course for your sensors, frame-shift drive, thrusters, and your life-support - those come later.
II.) Line it Up: Most stations with internal docking ports are aligned so that their opening it pointed towards the planetary body they orbit. This means that if you take the time to align your flight path you will jump in already on the correct side to dock, saving yourself from flying around the station and getting yourself scanned in the process.
III.) Sneak it in: There are two primary methods of getting in:
The Easy Way:
It's absolutely possible to boost your way into the station before you are caught by AI scans. You will want to divert your power to engines so that you are able to boost as frequently as possible, as well as increasing your max thrust. With this method the name of the game is 'sprint'. I don't enjoy this method as much and so have put it second. As I see it there are a few major drawbacks to this method.
Regardless of your choice of method have fun with it because at the end of the day that's why we're all here.
II.) Line it Up: Most stations with internal docking ports are aligned so that their opening it pointed towards the planetary body they orbit. This means that if you take the time to align your flight path you will jump in already on the correct side to dock, saving yourself from flying around the station and getting yourself scanned in the process.
III.) Sneak it in: There are two primary methods of getting in:
The Fun Way:
This part has a few steps that need to be taken in fairly rapid order.
BE AWARE: Players can continue to scan you until you've docked, possibly resulting in a fine even after you believed you were safe - I tested this myself last night to the chagrin of two unlucky smugglers. They do not always even have to maintain line of sight as the station walls do not seem interrupt the scan.
Along the way be sure to watch your heat levels. A little damage from heat is better than a fine, but if you are almost inside you may consider simply turning off silent running - use your best judgement. Heat will begin to cause damage at 150%, with ship destruction at 200%
Alternatively you can fit a heatsink launcher which will allow you to dump heat if necessary. If you fit one be sure to keep it active when turning off your other modules. I suggest you continue turning off modules even when you have a heatsink launcher as it will cost money to get more heatsinks (refilled via the ammo reload screen on stations). Heatsink launchers are a great addition as it can give you the ability to go silent before turning off your modules should you get interdicted.*Thank you Sandman for the reminder to add this*
Once you dock be sure to turn your modules back on. You wouldn't want to head out for a fight and forget to switch on your guns.
This part has a few steps that need to be taken in fairly rapid order.
- Jump in
- Align with the station entrance
- Throttle up towards the entrance
- Turn off flight assist
- Drop your throttle to zero - you'll keep moving forward
- Activate Silent Running
- Turn off Thrusters in the Modules Menu of your Systems Panel
- Turn off your Frame Shift Drive as well. This is to minimize your heat generation
BE AWARE: Players can continue to scan you until you've docked, possibly resulting in a fine even after you believed you were safe - I tested this myself last night to the chagrin of two unlucky smugglers. They do not always even have to maintain line of sight as the station walls do not seem interrupt the scan.
Along the way be sure to watch your heat levels. A little damage from heat is better than a fine, but if you are almost inside you may consider simply turning off silent running - use your best judgement. Heat will begin to cause damage at 150%, with ship destruction at 200%
Alternatively you can fit a heatsink launcher which will allow you to dump heat if necessary. If you fit one be sure to keep it active when turning off your other modules. I suggest you continue turning off modules even when you have a heatsink launcher as it will cost money to get more heatsinks (refilled via the ammo reload screen on stations). Heatsink launchers are a great addition as it can give you the ability to go silent before turning off your modules should you get interdicted.*Thank you Sandman for the reminder to add this*
Once you dock be sure to turn your modules back on. You wouldn't want to head out for a fight and forget to switch on your guns.
The Easy Way:
It's absolutely possible to boost your way into the station before you are caught by AI scans. You will want to divert your power to engines so that you are able to boost as frequently as possible, as well as increasing your max thrust. With this method the name of the game is 'sprint'. I don't enjoy this method as much and so have put it second. As I see it there are a few major drawbacks to this method.
- You can still get caught by nosey players. A player isn't limited to scanning you while you're outside the station. You may not be as obviously smuggling but the player can target you and thus scan you.
- Massively increased risk of collision. You are flying into a limited space on a clock, with all of the speed you can muster. This doesn't make for delicate flight.
- Higher chance of detection. You are expecting to be scanned and just hoping to get inside before you are caught, with no ability to wait around should a Type-9 get lodged cross-wise in the entrance.
- Lets be honest - it's not nearly as fun and immersive.
Smuggling Missions *Section a work in progress*
Smuggling missions are missions that require you to pick up illegal items and return them to the issuing station. The mission description will note that the activity is considered illegal.
Some of the items requested by the smuggling mission include ancient artifacts, black boxes, rebel transmissions. If you already have the items in your hold you can complete them immediately so be sure to check the bulletin board for opportunities to make extra money before selling to the black market.
Completing the Mission: When you pick up a smuggling mission you will be given a target system where you can locate the requested items. Head out to the system you've been directed to and begin looking for Unidentified Signal Sources in super-cruise. Signal contacts appear at random so keep an eye out for them on your destinations list and be sure to target any that pop up as soon as possible as they may disappear just as suddenly. If you don't see any signal contacts simply continue flying around the system until you locate one. You will have the most luck near the local star or around orbiting planetary bodies, so I recommend circling the star a few Ls out then flying to another planetary body - you'll likely have at least one pop up on the way.
Once you locate a contact be sure to jump in via destination lock rather than simply dropping out in proximity. These usually function as 'pocket' universes and will not remain if you miss-jump and have to re-enter super-cruise. The signal sources seem to be weighted to contain the items you are after when you have a mission so persevere if you don't find it right away. When you find the correct contact you will see white contacts on your radar - these are (hopefully) the cargo you are after. Target the nearest one and scoop it up, then rinse and repeat with each remaining item until you have them all.
Before turning in your mission I recommend flying around in super-cruise a bit more looking for additional signal contacts. As I mentioned previously these seem to be weighted to show up more frequently if you have a mission to find them. You can take advantage of this by delaying turning in your mission if the item in question is something of particular value such as ancient artifacts. It is not uncommon for me to go out for 2-3 of an item and end up coming back with 15-20, selling the remaining ones for extra cash or picking up an additional mission for the same gear and turning it in right away.
Last words: Hopefully you've found this guide to be useful. If I've missed anything or you have anything to add please feel free to comment and I'll try to keep this updated. Hope you enjoyed the guide!
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