Cargo hauling is one of my favorite activities
in Star Citizen. And while it's yet to reach its intended final form, there's still something of
a satisfying game Loop for those that enjoy the play-style. It can be engaged in with a variety of
ships, and can be run by either a solo player or a crew, with the latter set to become more prevalent
and necessary in future updates. Citizens, my name's BeardofOz and today I'll be going
over Cargo Hauling as a whole. With changes just added and more still to come, I felt it
was time to touch on it again. I'll go over the basics for those that are newer to the game or
perhaps just the Profession. I'll discuss some upcoming changes that are set to expand upon
the current state of the loop, as well as go over some of my favorite trade routes, from the
quick and easy for newer players or smaller ships, to larger more investment heavy routes that
will strain your wallet but pay out when you reach that final terminal. If you already
know what's what I've put time codes below for you to skip to whichever part of this video
interests you. If by the end of this video you've learned something new, or even if you
just like the cut of my jib, consider liking the video and subscribing to the channel for
more content like this. Alright, let's Dive in. The overall vision for Cargo Hauling in Star
Citizen is to be one of many interlaced factors, in a player-driven economy that is ever-changing
and evolving. With truly Dynamic supply and demand resulting of the sum of player and AI activity in
a living breathing universe.. (Record Scratch).. but we aren't there yet. As it stands Cargo
Hauling is just another game Loop that is for the most part disconnected from the rest of the
verse and certainly isn't affected by, nor does it affect the economy. But that has slowly started to
change in part, especially with the introduction of the physicalization of cargo. While it doesn't
change the state of the economy, it does however allow for the expansion upon certain areas of
gameplay: Piracy and Salvage being the main beneficiaries. And as further updates and content
are brought to life in the Persistent Universe, such as the addition of larger hauling vessels,
not to mention the eagerly awaited second system of Pyro, the world of cargo hauling stands to
become not only more engaging from a gameplay standpoint, but also more profitable as this
will see the expansion of supply and demand, even if it isn't yet dynamically driven.
The recent changes to mining have already seen a shift in the value and direction
of cargo, but more on that later. So let's get the how to's out of the way. To get
involved in Cargo Hauling you're going to need two things. The first is a ship with cargo space.
This is denoted by an SCU value. SCU stands for a 'Standard Cargo Unit' and the more of these you
can fit, the more you can haul, the more you can haul, the more you can make, pretty simple right?
Now in this regard not all ships are made equal as some will be able to haul much more than others.
But don't let this get you down, for even a small ship with a limited amount of cargo space can
make you profit. For those of you that have a ship with very little to no cargo space, ships
such as the Drake Cutlass Black and the MISC Freelancer can be rented for more than a modest
fee. The next thing you'll need is money. When it comes to the traditional Cargo Hauling Loop you'll
need money with which to purchase, to then transport and sell. There are of course other
ways to acquire said cargo but that's another video for another time. Alright. Assuming that
you have the two things needed for the Cargo Hauling Loop, we can move on to the next step.
In order to purchase cargo you'll need to go to a location that sells it. This can range
from Mining Facilities, Research Facilities, Hydroponics Labs and Illegal Operations located
on Planets, Moon, Cities and Space Stations. If you're buying from a location at an Outpost on the
surface of a Planet or Moon, the trade terminal is usually located in the building with this
Tell-tale Antenna looking structure with orange lights, often labeled as the 'Storage' building.
Otherwise, at Cities or Stations this might be the T.D.D; the Trade and Development Division or the
Admin Office. With your Cargo capable ship nearby, whether stored or not, approach and interact with
the Trade Terminal. On the left hand side of the display you'll have a drop down menu. Select the
ship you are intending to haul with and it will bring up the cargo grid reference. This will
inform you of how much cargo space the ship has, and also what cargo you are currently
carrying, if any. In the event that you have something currently in the hold of your ship,
whether it be a package, vehicle or delivery of Meat to Grim Hex, any unavailable space In Your
Vessel will be marked with these red X's. Assuming you have space with which to store, the options
of purchasable cargo will appear on the right hand side of the display. The available quantity
to purchase will be noted for each cargo type and should a specific cargo be sold out, it will also
be noted here. This will happen often with popular and lucrative cargo options. Using the slider you
can select a specific amount of cargo available to your cargo capacity and financial allowance.
Or you can press the arrow here to select the maximum amount of cargo attainable within the
constraints of your wallet, cargo space and the availability. Selecting buy will make the purchase
and commit you to seeing this Venture through. You are now financially invested in this activity. At
the time of making this video, cargo is transported to the hold of your ship by the magical power
of sheer will. But if you're watching this sometime in the future, perhaps you have to move it
yourself or, pay AI Dock Workers to do it for you. Now the hauling begins. Get in your ship and
fly it to your destination. Much in the same way as purchasing, the selling of your cargo is
done so at a similar terminal, at a different location. Transport your cargo to that location,
land your ship and approach the terminal. Much as we did before, you'll select your ship on the
drop down menu. The cargo contained within will be listed on the left hand side. If the cargo entry
has a padlock symbol, it cannot be sold at this location, whether because this location simply
doesn't buy that commodity or you have obtained it by less than legal means. While not properly
Dynamic, there is a degree of supply and demand involved with some cargo types, so you may notice
that the sell price of the cargo you're hauling is not quite as lucrative as it might have been
elsewhere, or that the location will only purchase a certain quantity. As such you may need to break
up the amounts of commodity you're selling at multiple locations. Generally speaking, if the
T.D.D purchases the commodity you're selling, they will do so in higher quantities though perhaps
not always at the best price. Once you're happy to sell, select the commodity and the amount, and
sell. With the recent terminal update introduced in 3.18, you can now select the sell tab on a terminal
to see what Commodities a location will purchase. So it never hurts to look while you're here
to prepare for future purchases. With the addition of physicalized cargo, the hauling of Commodities
now comes with more risk than before. This is a venture that not only requires the investment of
time, but also of aUEC too. As it stands, there is no insurance of Cargo Commodities purchased, so
in the event of a terrible accident, the investment you made can quickly become a loss. And should the
cargo you're hauling be of significant value, there's always the risk of Piracy. The physicalization
of that cargo means that should your ship suddenly stop, drop and open its doors, the valuable
Commodities within can be transferred to another, and sold on. At this point in time, Commodities not
purchased by yourself can only be sold at a no questions asked terminal. Excluding Narcotics, this
will generally be at a lower value than what you would have sold them for at a legitimate place
of Commerce. But considering that those in the business of taking didn't have to make an initial
investment of credits, it's all profit to them. So now that we've got the what, why and how out
of the way, it's time for the important stuff: the 'where's'. Ultimately a lot of preferred routes
will depend on what ship you're running, how much money you have and are willing to invest, and
how much time you're happy to spend 'doing the do'. With that in mind, here's three of my favorite
trade runs starting from Small Potatoes up to the big money makers. Bear in mind that as the game
progresses with additional updates, some of these routes may become more or less lucrative as time
goes on. Not to mention that the more people haul, the more you may find some of these Commodities
being less abundant. If your favorite route isn't mentioned here or you think you found a better way
to do it, let me know in the comments section below. The first of the routes is a low profit one, true,
but it also requires a lot less in terms of time and money investment. As such the risk should also
be lower as while Piracy doesn't discriminate, the profits gained from taking your cargo on
this one would be low. Located in all regions, excluding Hurston, you'll find these Hydroponics
Labs. Here they sell Distilled Spirits. These are relatively cheap and the locations that buy
them are generally orbital stations, so you don't need to spend as much time landing at a
space Hub and catching a train to the T.D.D. This allows for a faster turnaround and repetition
of the loop. A favorite one of mine is Bountiful Harvest Hydroponics on Daymar, in the Crusader
System, to Port Olisar. And if Port Olisar isn't buying any more, Grim Hex in the asteroid band of
Yela is also a short jump away. While this isn't as lucrative as others, the lack of planetary
atmosphere and gravity makes for short work, and it's in my opinion a great starter Loop for
those low on funds or just starting out in the profession. The next is a bit more of a relay and
works well for larger trading vessels. Locations like Rayari Anvik on Calliope is selling medical
supplies. These supplies can be sold at larger hubs like the T.D.D's, but also many Mining Facilities
such as those that sell Laranite or Agricium. Generally they'll have a limit of the amount
of medical supplies they'll purchase, so the larger your cargo holding capacity the more stops
you might need to make. Locations such as Mining Facility Bezdek and Lathan on Arial in the Hurston
System, or Area 45 and 56 on Wala in ArcCorp are good options. Once you've sold the medical supplies and
bought up minerals, you can return to New Babbage, land on the ice outside of the Commons, take the
surface entrance, and go to the T.D.D. Skipping the transit system to sell your commodity. Making you
a tiny bit of profit and allowing you to start the cycle fresh. The recent changes to mining in
update 3.19 have implemented a shift in resource allocation and value, and while this serves to
primarily boost the variety and value of the mining game Loop, some of those changes have had a
positive effect on the landscape of Cargo Hauling. Primarily, when it comes to the Commodities of
Beryl, Gold and Diamonds. These Commodities need to be sold at the T.D.D's and can be purchased
at a few key locations. My favorite of these Commodities is Diamond with a profit margin of
roughly 900 aUEC per SCU traded. Meaning the larger the vessel You Haul in, the more you can
make, so long as you have the funds to buy in. For those of you fond of trading in the Hercules
C2, this Loop is especially profitable in ArcCorp with the mining areas 45, 48 and 56, selling
up to 1000 SCU of diamonds. Buying and selling a full load in the C2 will net you roughly half
a million credits in profit per run. One of the most profitable lines in hauling but also the
riskiest, are the narcotic Commodities. I won't go into too much detail on this in this video, but
be sure to check out my illegal cargo guide here. I'll also put a link to it in the description
below. Be warned however, given the popularity of these Commodities, supplies are often limited, and
the locations to sell them at are often dangerous as they aren't Armistice zones. Note also that
you need to sell narcotics at a 'No Questions Asked' terminal, so the payout you'd receive is
the same as what a Pirate would. So haulers of illegal Commodities are the most profitable
for those that engage in this PVP exercise. So now that you know what to do, and have a few
places and commodities with which to start doing it, get out there and start hauling. If you have
any routes you'd like to share or any important bits of information you think I missed, feel free
to let me know in the comments section below. If you enjoyed the video, or learned something of value,
consider leaving it a 'Like' and Subscribing to the channel for more videos like this. If you'd like
to go one step further in supporting the channel, you can become a member today for just one dollar!
I also stream on Twitch, I'll leave a link to that in the description below. As always Citizens, stay
safe in the verse, and I'll catch you all next time! -BeardofOz
