Things to Do in Star Citizen Alpha 3.17 Ever wanted to live in a universe that grants the freedom of exploration, the thrill of combat, and the unique challenge of building a life in space? Star Citizen puts ultimate control directly in your hands, whether you're making your way as a cargo hauler, exploring the vastness of space, or scraping out a living outside the law, it's up to you to define your story. You've got your starter ship, you've chosen a primary residence, and you're ready to start your adventures in the 'verse, but where should you start? There's a lot to see and do in the Stanton system. Read on for a quick guide for a few of the options available to you take to the skies for the first time.
Visit a Hospital Before you venture too far out into the 'verse, be sure to visit a hospital or clinic. If you meet an untimely demise while out adventuring, you'll respawn at your designated imprint location, which is your primary residence city by default. You can set this to any hospital or clinic by visiting them and selecting "Transfer Imprint" at a Regeneration terminal.
Hospitals and clinics are also a great place to stock up on medical supplies, medical multi-tool attachments, or even dedicated healing tools. Check out our Hospitals and Healing Guide for more information on how these tools work, as well as additional guides through the entire medical gameplay system.
Start Your Career Parcel Delivery Mining Bounty Hunting Parcel Delivery One of the best ways to start earning credits quickly is parcel delivery missions. These missions start off with a simple point-A-to-point-B delivery of a standard parcel box, but as you earn a reputation with various delivery brokers, missions will increase in difficulty (and payout) with more complex journeys, timed deliveries, and hazardous cargo.
This is also a great way to get acquainted with Stanton as these missions require traveling to every corner of the Stanton system. Open your Contracts Manager in your mobiGlas (F1); you'll find these missions under the delivery category.
Mining Looking to get your hands dirty with some good, honest work? Mining is another great way to earn credits in the 'verse. Grab yourself a multi-tool with an OreBit mining attachment at a cargo center, refinery deck, or a few various other shops around Stanton to get started.
The best place to find quality ore is to start in a cave. Caves are usually the subject of Investigation missions, so take a look at your Contracts Manager to see if one is available. Once you find some ore (example pictured), left-click to engage the mining laser on your multi-tool. Keep the energy level displayed on the left side of the UI in the green zone to crack the ore open. Be careful though, if the energy level stays in the red zone too long... well, let's just say things can get explosive.
For info on how to further your career with a mining ship like the Prospector or MOLE, check out community member xl0p's guide on ship mining.
Bounty Hunting Combat more your style? Bounty hunting is another viable career choice in the Stanton system. To get started, go to your Contracts Manager and accept the Tracker Training Permit Certification mission. This will cost 500 credits to start, but you'll be making money in no time. You'll then receive an NPC target to destroy in the Stanton system, which will be marked on your Starmap.
Once complete, you'll gain access to additional contracts as well as certification missions with the various security companies of Stanton. As you do more and more missions, you'll gain a reputation with both these companies as well as the Bounty Hunters Guild. This will give you access to riskier contracts that payout much higher, as well as additional credit bonuses. You can track your bounty hunting reputation in the Delphi app on your mobiGlas.
For some tips on flight combat in Star Citizen to help take out these bounties, check out CaptainBerks' combat guide for beginners.
What to Do Next Commodity Trading Refueling Missions Exploration A Life of Crime Commodity Trading Upgrade your ship to something with a bit more cargo and parcel delivery seems too small for your larger hold? Commodity trading is an extremely lucrative way to earn profit while trucking your way across the system.
Head to a commodity kiosk to load up your ship with cargo of various types. The more valuable the cargo, the higher the buy-in, but the bigger the margins if you deliver to the right place. These kiosks can be found in cargo centers, admin offices, and even mining outposts on planets and moons. Keep an eye on your journal for updated pricing information as you travel around the system.
Refueling Perhaps providing a service is more up your alley? The Refueling profession, new to Alpha 3.17, makes use of the MISC Starfarer line of ships to deliver fuel to those in need.
Once you have your Starfarer, you can buy fuel both for yourself as well as to load your fuel pods at any port. This will allow you to refuel other players mid-flight, whether out of the goodness of your heart or for a healthy profit margin. Check out the full Ship to Ship Refueling Guide for more details.
Missions There's a myriad of other missions available in your Contracts Manager that take you to the farthest reaches and the deepest corners of the 'verse.
Assist microTech security to save the day as a yacht in orbit is boarded by pirates. Investigate a tragic accident on a local cargo station to potentially prove a man's innocence. Search the depths of a cave system for a missing person. These along with many more are scattered throughout the system waiting for you to discover.
Exploration While you're embarking on missions and traveling around the system, keep an eye out for loot! Aside from looting the bounties or pirates you come across during your adventures, loot can be found in boxes and crates scattered throughout the locations you come across.
Most bunkers, caves, derelict ships, and a few security stations have loot to be found. The deeper you explore, the rarer the loot you'll find. If you find something you don't have a use for, don't worry, take it to a shop to sell!
A Life of Crime Looking to live dangerously? Following the letter of the law isn't the only way to play. Take a gander at the contracts available in the Personal tab of your Contracts Manager to try your hand at a life of crime.
These missions are high risk, high reward, and you run the risk of gaining a crime stat. Repeated success at performing these missions will earn the trust of the various illegal brokers in the system, giving you access to even more lucrative opportunities. Be careful, as the security forces of the megacorps of Stanton don't take lightly to being crossed. Keep your jobs quick and clean to avoid a trip to Klescher Rehabilitation Center.
Looking for More? For more guides on how to get started in the 'verse, check out the Star Citizen Welcome Hub. You'll find additional video guides on a variety of topics, tons of FAQs on Star Citizen and its community, as well as a link to the guide system.
If you prefer to learn with the help of someone experienced with the game, the Guide System is the place for you. The Guide System gives you an easy way to find knowledgeable members of the community to help you get started or hone your skills in a particular role or profession.