Star Citizen Beginners Full Guide (How To Make Money, Where To Buy Ships & More)

Star Citizen is a massively multiplayer science-fiction space simulation game in active development and available on early access. It is developed by Cloud Imperium Games and it represents a UFO in the world of video games.

Star Citizen, the sci-fi FPS based on space trading and combat simulation, is set in the 30th century, a time when mankind managed to settle down on many worlds. The player can go about their everyday activities as he pleases by becoming a simple member of a ship’s crew, or a bounty hunter, pirate, mercenary, miner, merchant, explorer… It is possible to visit a hundred planetary systems with your ship and even explore all the space stations and planets on foot.

Here’s our complete guide to Star Citizen. Discover all our tips and tricks to help you get better at this space MMO. Start out smoothly and become a feared and respected player throughout the galaxy thanks to this detailed guide.

Star Citizen: Where To Buy Ships

In Star Citizen, you have the opportunity to buy and rent ships thanks to the aUEC (in-game currency) you earn during your missions. This allows you to discover new gameplays, add a few new features to your hangar, or test a ship before buying it for real with real money to support the project.

You don’t know where to buy ships in Star Citizen? Well, Ships and vehicles can be purchased in three locations: Levski, ArcCorp, and Lorville. Note that there will be more Ship shops in the future.

In each location, there are large booths allow you to view the space ships for sale and make your choice.

Here are the locations of the 3 main ship shops in Star Citizen:

Teach’s Ship Shop in Levski (Delamar): You will find near the ship control terminals an elevator leading you straight to the shop.

Astro Armada on ArcCorp (Area18): While on the bridge in Area18, just enter the door in front of you and you will be inside the shop

New Deal in Lorville: When you are in Lorville you will find this Ship Shop at Teasa Spaceport

To buy a ship, all you have to do is get close to the one you’re looking at and select the “Buy” option.

Star Citizen: How To Land

If you are new to Star Citizen, you will find it hard to land your ship without crashing. But don’t worry because every great pilot was once a novice, we will show you how to land safely in Star Citizen.

Landing on a runway, with or without requesting authorization from local Landing Services
Landing on a hangar, pad or bay is always with a request for authorization from local Landing Services.
Landing in the open, outside cities, is done without requesting authorization from local Landing Services.

Authorization request

If you are approaching a station or city, look at your Comms list. If there is a “Landing Services” Channel, it means that you have to ask for authorization. If this is the case, click on the request and wait for a pad, runway or hangar to be assigned to you.

The runway or hangar will be identified by an augmented reality marker. Be careful, your space ship must be within 5 to 7 km of the place where you will be landing before the Landing Services appear in your Comms Interface.

Note that you can request a landing authorization using 2 methods; the MobiGlas or your Ship HUD.

MobiGlas

The MobiGlas is an indispensable piece of equipment for all space citizens, serving as an identity card, wallet, videophone, instant messaging device, and it enables you to access your inventory, contracts list as well as your Comms system.

To open the Comms interface, click on F11, this will display the page on your MobiGlas right away. If you are close enough to the Landing Services, they will be displayed in the left-hand menu under the Contacts list. Click on the arrow next to the Landing Services to contact them.

Ship HUD

The Ship HUD, Heads Up Display, displays various information, and we can toggle between them. In the top left of the ship HUD, there is a menu, hold F to select it, and then select Comms. The option to contact the Landing Services will be available on your Comms list only if you are within their range.

Landing on a runway (landing strip)

The objective is to position your ship a few meters above the runway and then initiate an Auto Landing or slow descent until the Landing Gear touches the ground. The procedure is as follows:

Make sure that the speed control is off (C key).
Lower the landing gear (N key)
Move towards the runway by progressively reducing the maximum speed (mouse wheel)
Try to stop vertically above the runway ( hold X to regain control of the ship and try again)
Once the ship is hovering in a steady-state, activate Auto Landing (hold the N key) or slow descent (left control).
Once the ship has landed, the augmented reality runway boundaries disappear and a “Landing Complete” voice message plays.
You can shut down the engine and get out of the seat.

Landing on a hangar

There are two types of hangars, those with a ceiling door and those with a side door. In both cases, be sure to wait until the door is open before entering your space ship.

For the rest, the sequence is the same as for a landing on a runway. You just have to pay attention to the vehicle’s size. In case of doubt, do not hesitate to stop and look at the outside view (use F4 to toggle the camera then Hold Z for the Freelook, do it again to return to piloting).

Landing in the open (outside cities and space stations)

When landing in the middle of nowhere, automatic landing is not possible. So you have to land the ship manually.

The difficulty often lies in evaluating the landing area: is it flat? Is it large enough? Are there any obstacles under the landing gear or the openings (ramps, elevators)? Just plan your landing carefully and remember that with practice you can manage to learn how to land in any location safely.

Make full use of the Arena Commander

Note that the Arena Commander allows you to play without enemies by choosing your own map. You can also learn how to operate your spaceship properly, get used to the controls and master the landing.

Beware of NO FLY ZONE

There are some locations in Star Citizen, mainly cities that have No-Fly Zones, which are areas where it is forbidden to fly and players cannot fly within. The no-fly zone is indicated by a colored grid surrounding the boundary of the restricted zone. Whenever you are getting too close to these areas, your autopilot will try to fly away from them. We recommend that you be careful and aware when approaching a no-fly zone.

Star Citizen: How To Refuel

Your space ship is great, it can take you from one planet to another, it can carry out mining operations, it can be upgraded and equipped with devastating weapons and more, but without fuel, your ship is nothing. Refueling is essential in Star Citizen and without fuel, nothing will work. So here is how to refuel your ship in Star Citizen.

First of all, you should be aware that there are 2 types of fuel; Hydrogen and Quantum and they are completely different.

Hydrogen Fuel

Less powerful than Quantum fuel and is consumed by the power plant to supply all the components of the SHIP, and more particularly the Maneuvering Thrusters during maneuvers and accelerations. The use of Afterburners increases its consumption.

Most ships are equipped with air inlets to absorb ambient hydrogen to refuel during flight. For ships without these and for some large ships, you may need to refuel after doing costly hydrogen maneuvers.

Quantum Fuel

Quantum fuel is far more powerful than hydrogen. Consumed by the quantum engine, it allows Quantum Travel and thus is able to slightly approximate the speed of light. Very few ships are equipped with a refinery powerful enough to convert the gas into quantum.

Now that you know the two types of fuel, here is how and where you can refuel your ship in Star Citizen. There are different ways and situations to do so.

Refueling with Vehicle Maintenance Services

To fill up with hydrogen and quantum fuel, you can go to any city with a Spaceport, or to a Relay station located at a Lagrange point in the system. There you will find the necessary Vehicle Maintenance Services. Whenever you need to refuel, visit these locations:

R&R (Rest & Relax) stations : the main refuel points in the galaxy
Levski
Port Olisar
GrimHex
Area18
Lorville

After landing on one of the Landing Pads in these locations; don’t leave your ship, stay in the pilot seat (ship power must be on) and open your MobiGlas by clicking on F1 then select Vehicle Maintenance Services. After doing so, you will find various options, among them, is Refuel, then you must choose the type of fuel that you need (or both) and hit ‘’Confirm’’. After a few seconds, your ship will be fully fueled up.

But what happens if your ship runs out of fuel while in the air? Here is how to refuel while flying.

Refueling while flying

If your ship is equipped with an Air Intake and can refine the captured gas, you will surely be able to refill your Hydrogen during the flight. If your ship doesn’t have this feature, then you can get the necessary fuel supplies from another ship.

Getting fuel supplies from other ships

Some ships can provide you with fuel, such as the Vulcan, Starfarer, and Starfarer Gemini, which are dedicated refueling ships. The Kraken Carrier can also refuel ships that land on its airstrips. Other ships with an internal ship hangar, such as the Idris or Polaris, can refuel small ships.

How To Make Money In Star Citizen

The cash in Star Citizen is paramount! It allows you to do everything in the game and it’s so useful that you always need it. Discover how to make money in Star Citizen.

Trade

Trade remains a safe bet, especially if you have a ship with a large cargo capacity in your possession. You can opt for Legal Trade, which is less risky or go for the Illegal Trade, which is adapted to small and fast ships, it’s a great source of money but it is risky. Note that both types of trade are complementary but we recommend that you start with the illegal one to make a lot of money then play it safe with the legal trade.

Star Citizen Trade Routes

Trade is for those who want to earn a lot of money by buying and reselling legal and illegal products. To optimally do so, you need to know the best trade routes in Star Citizen.

For those who want to stay in compliance with the law, there are several transport routes that offer large stocks and interesting profitability. There are routes for every planetary system. Here are some of the best and easiest trade routes in Star Citizen.

Hurston system

Your route starts from Lorville without a load
Head to Ita Moon and HDMS-Bezdek or HDMS-Lathan to buy Titanium or Laranite
Head back to Lorville to sell your cargo

Crusader system

Departure from Port Olisar after buying Agricultural Supplies
Then go to Cellin at the outpost of Gallete Family Farms or at the research facility of Terra Mills HydroFarm to resell it and buy Distilled Spirits
Your best bet is to always go to Cellin at Tram & Myers Mining outpost to sell your cargo and buy Diamond or Laranite – Note that Laranite is very expensive to buy so it is better to buy Diamond at the beginning –
Head back to Port Olisar to sell the whole cargo

Keep in mind that Distilled Spirits are illegal, but as long as you don’t leave Cellin to sell them, there is no risk of controls and inspections.

ArcCorp system

Fly your ship from Area 18 without cargo
Head for Wala and ArcCorp Mining 046 or ArcCorp Mining 056 to buy Astatine or Laranite
Return to Area 18 to sell this valuable harvest

Here is a trick; you take medical supplies from Port Olisar, you sell them to ArcCorp Mining Area 141 on Daymar. At this outpost, you buy Agricium, which you sell in Port Olisar. Agricium is a legal resource and one the most profitable metals and the journey between this Daymar outpost and Port Olisar is the fastest and most profitable. Take full advantage of this trade route.

The possibilities of trade routes in Star Citizen are limitless and you will get to know more routes with time, you will even manage to establish your own trade routes and at that moment you can start doing the illegitimate trade. Keep in mind that prices may change between updates and that in the future the game’s economy will be dynamic.

Missions/Contracts

Missions are also very practical when it comes to making money, especially when shared with a party thanks to the mission sharing feature. Missions are various; they can be as Contracts given by certain NPCs or help requests from other players.

Open your MobiGlas (F1) and select Contracts Manager; you will find General and Personal each with a list of currently available mission categories with active contracts to be claimed. Choose the suitable contract after reading its details then hit ACCEPT OFFER.

The mission types

Delivery: Delivery missions are a great way to start making money. Even if they don’t lend themselves too well to mission sharing. Your job is to deliver a certain item to a specified location safely. This might involve a delivery using your ship or on foot, according to the mission details.
Mercenary: Go and kill someone or something and get your cash. As a bounty hunter, your missions are a little more profitable but require you to be careful to avoid getting killed. They can often be done in quick succession and are very nice to do in a group. However, be careful who you get these missions from if you don’t want to become a pirate.
Maintenance: A request for assistance with cleaning or removing wreckage and waste.
ECN Alert: Emergency Communication Network, sometimes you receive distress calls from other ships and people seeking help; go and do your job!
Investigation: Your mission is to visit a specific location and gather the necessary Intel or data on certain objects.
Service Beacon: A request for assistance sent by another player.

Hand Mining

Since 3.7 it is possible to go to caves on some Moons and Planets to mine. First of all, you have to go to one of the cities that are Levski, Lorville or Area18 to buy a MultiTool and the Ore Bit Mining Attachment. Then, you have to head to one of the stars where the caves are located such as Daymar, Hurston or Aberdeen. It is also advisable to buy the Backpack that can be bought in Port Olisar.

The optimal way to find a cave is to go for an Investigation mission that asks you to investigate a cave that is not listed on the Star Citizen Map. Once you are there, here is what you can harvest:

Bat droppings and mushrooms: You can collect them but they are not so profitable, they better be left on the ground
Minerals: There are different types of minerals and they represent an amazing source of cash. Among these minerals are: Dolivine (Green), Aphorite (Purple), Hadanite (Pink)
Other materials and gems, which are acquired with Ship Mining.

To sell your Harvested Minerals, all you have to do is go to the nearest Trading Terminal, select Sell and then select your personal inventory and choose what you are going to sell. Enjoy your hard-earned cash but spend it wisely!

Star Citizen Hammerhead

The Hammerhead is a distinguished patrol ship in Star Citizen. Its ability to respond quickly and gain the upper hand on the battlefield is paramount for any type of security operation. The Aegis Hammerhead is a heavy gunship designed for intense battles thanks to its outstanding weaponry and armor.

This warship is endowed with great speed and equipped with both manned and unmanned turrets that provide protection from all sides. Its role consists of providing anti-fighter support to capital ships or leading fighter groups.

The Star Citizen Hammerhead also has numerous missiles and reinforced armor at the front. Very capacious, it is capable of carrying a crew of up to 9 persons in full comfort, which makes it ideal for long-duration missions. Note that the cockpit is located below the ship.

Star Citizen Requirements

Being a game in active development, Star Citizen System Requirements may change many times before its final release. Right now, we are going to provide you with the current hardware requirements.

Here are Star Citizen Requirements 2020:

Minimum:

Memory: 16 GB
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon R5 M330
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000
Star Citizen File Size: 40 GB
OS: 64 bit version Window (Windows 7 service pack 1 (64 bit) or higher)

This is the end of our Star Citizen Full Beginner Guide, more will be coming soon in the second part of the guide. Stay tuned for more information! Until then, we advise you to begin your space adventure, get yourself a ship and try to learn the basics of the game, how to fly and land your ship, how to use your MobiGlas and so on. You can also check out our other guides here.

Star Citizen Beginners Full Guide (How To make Money, Where To Buy Ships & More)