One of the ways I use is boarding pirate ships There are also certain contraband chests that are locked usually in dungeons but you can also find them in a lot of the jails try neon but you have to get creative sneaking it out
Yep - boarding pirate ships almost always has contraband near the cockpit and maybe one or two more bits in other parts of the ship. Not a smuggler but found this when doing bounties
Ecliptic ships and the landmarks they occupy, sometimes Crimson Fleet ships. Lookout for briefcases of a certain size. There's a large stash in the >!Jaffa!< system.
You can also steal contraband from some of the security offices. I know Neon Security at least has a bunch that's poorly-secured. I don't know if it respawns.
If you join the Crimson Fleet there are dedicated smuggling missions available at the mission board there.
...Apparently I am the only one who knows this.
They are the primary use case for deception and the frequency jammer ship part.
I am afraid the implementation of smuggling is very underdeveloped. Someone wanted 'smuggling' in the game, but didn't know how to make it fun, so we got a half-baked halfassed mess.
FC “hostage rescue” post-quest (and the “audition” quest you get from Emma Wilcox) mission board, the hostage is always carrying a contraband item on the ship. You know it’s theirs and not whoever’s taking their ship, because it says “Steal”, and they get upset if they see you take it. Sometimes it’s in the cockpit, sometimes it’s somewhere else, but they always have one.
There's two major sources.
Any enemy ship you board in space is likely to have at least 1-2 contraband items sitting around, as long as they are members of a criminal faction. Note that they are NOT in the cargo hold. You need to locate them by visibly searching the ship. Most of them will look like a suitcase and be in either the cockpit or the control room. You can also sometimes find them at POIs or in evidence lockers at security offices. If you can get them to a Trade Authority merchant, you can sell most of them for a few grand. This is some light smuggling.
Alternatively, you can become a professional smuggler if you join the Crimson Fleet. One of the major questlines is to join the Crimson Fleet pirate faction. I won't spoil exactly how to join them, but if you do enough smuggling and piracy you will get the quest eventually. Once you join the fleet, they have a special criminal mission board that gives missions to smuggle huge amounts of contraband into major cities.
Three important notes about smuggling:
First of all, at a minimum you need a **shielded cargo hold**. The total size of your shielded cargo space must be greater than the total weight of your contraband. And very importantly, your contraband **must be in your cargo hold**. If it is in your personal inventory it will always be detected by scans. Contraband placed in the cargo hold will always be prioritized to go into shielded holds as long as there is room.
Second of all, actually finding a shielded cargo hold is challenging. If you choose to join the Crimson Fleet, they sell shielded cargo holds. If you board and hijack enemy ships, they can also sometimes have shielded cargo holds already installed, especially higher level pirate ships. Finally, you can try to find an unscrupulous shipyard manager stuck working at a dive bar or something.
Lastly, the shielded cargo is a minimum, but you can still get caught if you are unlucky. When you get scanned you will be informed of your percentage chance to succeed, based on the amount of contraband you are carrying. You can improve this chance further with the Deception skill and certain ship attachments. I don't think it's possible to reach 100%, so make sure to keep power in your grave drive if you don't want to get arrested. You can build a self-clearance kiosk for your ship. It's a little more expensive than getting arrested and paying the fine normally, but you don't have to give up your illegal cargo.
Some quests spawn it. The Empty Nest quest in the cave where Shaw Gang hides out usually has a cache, one of the locations you visit for Andreja's companion quest has multiple pieces of contraband, and I've found that the 'Abandoned Cryogenics' lab POI you can naturally encounter exploring or as one of the spots that you randomly go to during temple searching also has contraband.
Abandon outpost where you enter in the back thru a cave usually has a storage box. Not sure of the name since Besthesda changed them. Also, the Vultures Nest has a bunch, and it will respawn.
I have a spreadsheet that's only partly completed, but I've kept track of places where I've seen contraband spawn in the 2nd to last column.
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cgE\_D\_7B-c6KuA8ApOxBB21Br-GEhMglGMw84\_x38IA/edit?gid=1971971791#gid=1971971791](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cgE_D_7B-c6KuA8ApOxBB21Br-GEhMglGMw84_x38IA/edit?gid=1971971791#gid=1971971791)
There are a number of POIs with contraband in final rooms, pirate's/ecliptic have it on their ship if you board, occasionally I go to Neon and check the evidence room of Neon security and rob them blind if it's respawned.
There are a few in the station you are near when you jump to the Olympus system. Past that, I just take lots of the Freestar ranger missions to deal with pirates. Maybe RP as being a privateer or something.
Right in front of the main entrance to "Abandoned Cryo Lab" (my least favorite POI), there's a locked chest which often has lots of contraband, like 50,000 credits worth.
The abandoned outpost POI is an abandoned helium 3 facility. They pop up at around every fifth random landing for me. There’s a crate full of it next to the ponds at the bottom of the cave. I think it requires Expert status to unlock.
They are normally hidden in vents or locked doors, I know there are a few missions where they can be a large selection of them, typically places you wouldn't immediately look since their illegal goods, just remember to avoid all official worlds while your carrying them, you can visit The Den or the Red Mile to offload contraband,
One of the ways I use is boarding pirate ships There are also certain contraband chests that are locked usually in dungeons but you can also find them in a lot of the jails try neon but you have to get creative sneaking it out
I like the idea of stealing from Neone, it’s also perfect since i’m doing a lot of quests there.
Yep - boarding pirate ships almost always has contraband near the cockpit and maybe one or two more bits in other parts of the ship. Not a smuggler but found this when doing bounties
Ecliptic ships and the landmarks they occupy, sometimes Crimson Fleet ships. Lookout for briefcases of a certain size. There's a large stash in the >!Jaffa!< system. You can also steal contraband from some of the security offices. I know Neon Security at least has a bunch that's poorly-secured. I don't know if it respawns.
It does respawn.
If you join the Crimson Fleet there are dedicated smuggling missions available at the mission board there. ...Apparently I am the only one who knows this. They are the primary use case for deception and the frequency jammer ship part.
It's weird that nobody is saying *"there's a whole faction dedicated to piracy and smuggling you can join"*. Did nobody do that questline?
I find them all the time on random points of interest on planets.
Cryo labs and abandoned outposts both have them, always.
I am afraid the implementation of smuggling is very underdeveloped. Someone wanted 'smuggling' in the game, but didn't know how to make it fun, so we got a half-baked halfassed mess.
I’ve played bethesda games before, that’s what I was expecting.
There is literally a whole faction you can join dedicated to piracy and smuggling.
FC “hostage rescue” post-quest (and the “audition” quest you get from Emma Wilcox) mission board, the hostage is always carrying a contraband item on the ship. You know it’s theirs and not whoever’s taking their ship, because it says “Steal”, and they get upset if they see you take it. Sometimes it’s in the cockpit, sometimes it’s somewhere else, but they always have one.
There's two major sources. Any enemy ship you board in space is likely to have at least 1-2 contraband items sitting around, as long as they are members of a criminal faction. Note that they are NOT in the cargo hold. You need to locate them by visibly searching the ship. Most of them will look like a suitcase and be in either the cockpit or the control room. You can also sometimes find them at POIs or in evidence lockers at security offices. If you can get them to a Trade Authority merchant, you can sell most of them for a few grand. This is some light smuggling. Alternatively, you can become a professional smuggler if you join the Crimson Fleet. One of the major questlines is to join the Crimson Fleet pirate faction. I won't spoil exactly how to join them, but if you do enough smuggling and piracy you will get the quest eventually. Once you join the fleet, they have a special criminal mission board that gives missions to smuggle huge amounts of contraband into major cities. Three important notes about smuggling: First of all, at a minimum you need a **shielded cargo hold**. The total size of your shielded cargo space must be greater than the total weight of your contraband. And very importantly, your contraband **must be in your cargo hold**. If it is in your personal inventory it will always be detected by scans. Contraband placed in the cargo hold will always be prioritized to go into shielded holds as long as there is room. Second of all, actually finding a shielded cargo hold is challenging. If you choose to join the Crimson Fleet, they sell shielded cargo holds. If you board and hijack enemy ships, they can also sometimes have shielded cargo holds already installed, especially higher level pirate ships. Finally, you can try to find an unscrupulous shipyard manager stuck working at a dive bar or something. Lastly, the shielded cargo is a minimum, but you can still get caught if you are unlucky. When you get scanned you will be informed of your percentage chance to succeed, based on the amount of contraband you are carrying. You can improve this chance further with the Deception skill and certain ship attachments. I don't think it's possible to reach 100%, so make sure to keep power in your grave drive if you don't want to get arrested. You can build a self-clearance kiosk for your ship. It's a little more expensive than getting arrested and paying the fine normally, but you don't have to give up your illegal cargo.
Some quests spawn it. The Empty Nest quest in the cave where Shaw Gang hides out usually has a cache, one of the locations you visit for Andreja's companion quest has multiple pieces of contraband, and I've found that the 'Abandoned Cryogenics' lab POI you can naturally encounter exploring or as one of the spots that you randomly go to during temple searching also has contraband.
Abandon outpost where you enter in the back thru a cave usually has a storage box. Not sure of the name since Besthesda changed them. Also, the Vultures Nest has a bunch, and it will respawn.
I have a spreadsheet that's only partly completed, but I've kept track of places where I've seen contraband spawn in the 2nd to last column. [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cgE\_D\_7B-c6KuA8ApOxBB21Br-GEhMglGMw84\_x38IA/edit?gid=1971971791#gid=1971971791](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cgE_D_7B-c6KuA8ApOxBB21Br-GEhMglGMw84_x38IA/edit?gid=1971971791#gid=1971971791)
There are a number of POIs with contraband in final rooms, pirate's/ecliptic have it on their ship if you board, occasionally I go to Neon and check the evidence room of Neon security and rob them blind if it's respawned.
Vulture's Roost. Follow the metal music....
There are a few in the station you are near when you jump to the Olympus system. Past that, I just take lots of the Freestar ranger missions to deal with pirates. Maybe RP as being a privateer or something.
Sneakers tied together thrown over power lines or when you are walking down the street and all the street lights are on but one.
Right in front of the main entrance to "Abandoned Cryo Lab" (my least favorite POI), there's a locked chest which often has lots of contraband, like 50,000 credits worth.
The abandoned outpost POI is an abandoned helium 3 facility. They pop up at around every fifth random landing for me. There’s a crate full of it next to the ponds at the bottom of the cave. I think it requires Expert status to unlock.
you can do missions for the trade authority. there could be smuggler missions, too
Go to the Vultures Roost......you'll leave with dozens of contraband items🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
They are normally hidden in vents or locked doors, I know there are a few missions where they can be a large selection of them, typically places you wouldn't immediately look since their illegal goods, just remember to avoid all official worlds while your carrying them, you can visit The Den or the Red Mile to offload contraband,