Starfield is a very large game that offers players the possibility to take part in a multitude of side activities, in addition to missions that allow you to continue in the main story. As in any game of its kind, Starfield gives you the choice to do as you see fit, following peaceful guidelines and a crime-free life, or letting yourself be tempted by your darkest side. For this reason, carrying out activities such as stealing, attacking an NPC, pickpocketing, trespassing, or hacking a certain faction will immediately place a bounty on you. But how does Starfield’s bounty system work? We explain it to you in this article.
How does the Starfield bounty system work?
As we have already said, if you commit any non-peaceful action, the faction to which the victim belongs will immediately place a bounty on your head. Consequently, the more you commit crimes, the more your bounty level will rise. Also, be aware that if a faction puts a bounty on you, it means that you will no longer be able to travel to outposts that they control, otherwise, you will be attacked on sight or required to pay (it depends on the type of crime committed). And if you think that you will be safe in the area, you are very wrong. Ships of that faction will be able to target you even if you are not in their airspace and will attack you, so always watch your back and pay close attention.
Another important thing to know is that, sometimes, having an active bounty on yourself will not allow you to start missions or join a faction. The only way to remedy this problem is to make your bounty disappear. The cost you pay or the time you spend in prison obviously depends on the type of crime you committed. As you can well imagine, the sentence for killing someone will be much harsher than for pickpocketing them.
Of course, the bounty system will only kick in if the police catch you in the middle of committing a crime, otherwise, you will get away with it. However, there is also the possibility that some of your companions may confess to the crime they witnessed, especially if it is something serious. However, you can check if any faction has a bounty on you by opening the Starmap and selecting any solar system. If you look at the top right corner of your screen and see a number next to the faction name, that means you have a bounty active in that territory, if not, you don’t have to worry about a thing.
How to remove a Starfield bounty
Now that you know the basics of how the Starfield bounty system works, it’s time to learn how to remove a bounty in Starfield. Knowing how the whole system works is certainly a useful thing, but it won’t prove that much useful if you don’t also know what to do to remove a bounty. In fact, in addition to the fact that having an active bounty precludes you from doing missions or joining factions, it also makes it difficult to explore the game world, because you will often be chased by the authorities who, obviously, will be hostile to you. For this reason, we advise you to do everything possible to try to remove your conviction as soon as possible in order to have an easier life in the game.
Unfortunately, in Starfield the bounty you have on your head won’t just disappear after a while. In order to free you from the bounty, you have only a few options, which we will explain in detail below so that you are prepared in case he catches you committing crimes. NOTE: dying will also cause your bounty to disappear, but you will have to deal with the penalties that are inflicted with each death.
How to pay Starfield bounty
One of the first options you have to remove the bounty on your head is to pay. To do this, go to a Trackers Alliance Self-Service Bounty Clearance Kiosk. These kiosks can be found near where you land your ship or near a bar in any settlement, so go to the closest one, but it is not in the airspace of the faction that placed the bounty on you, as it is not possible to pay a bounty in the same place where you are wanted.
Once you find the right kiosk, simply interact with it and select the “Clear Bounty” option which will allow you to remove the bounty on your head. Obviously, based on the crime you have committed, the price to pay will be different: starting from a minimum of 600 credits up to a maximum of 100,000 credits. So, do the math well in your pocket and see if it’s convenient for you and above all if you can afford to pay the bounty.
An additional piece of advice we give you is to build your own kiosk. Once you are wanted, getting close to these kiosks will not be a very simple undertaking, so take advantage of the possibility of building your own one in your outposts, in order to be more relaxed. Also, keep in mind that you can also pay the bounty directly to one of the guards of that specific faction, but in doing so you will also lose all the items you have stolen.
How jail works in Starfield
In case you don’t have enough credits to pay the bounty or if you simply don’t intend to, you can also serve your sentence in prison. Let the guard take you to the prison and the time you will have to spend there will depend on the type of crime committed. By choosing to go to prison you will lose XP, stolen items, and will have to stay there for days, although you will not lose your character levels.
Once imprisoned, you will have to wait for your sentence to be proclaimed or you can try to escape. However, even if you manage to escape without being seen, the bounty will not disappear and will still remain active. You also have the option to fight against the guards, but it’s not an action we recommend since they will become increasingly hostile and powerful and it will be difficult to escape them. Finally, if you want to recover your stolen goods, you can go to the jail’s storage box, even if it will not be easy to access it because the padlock that closes it is expert-level and therefore not easy to trick.
How to offer a bribe in Starfield
The last option you have to get rid of the bounty on your head is to try to negotiate with the guards. If you intend to make use of this technique, we recommend unlocking the Negotiation skill in the social skills tree. This will allow you not only to negotiate with the guards but also to pay smaller credit amounts as you improve your skill. Once you reach Rank 4, deleting a bounty will cost you practically nothing. Also, if you want to have even more chances, you can also rely on the Charisma skill.
However, keep in mind that if your negotiation fails, the authorities will arrest you and the price to pay to get rid of your bounty will be even higher than the previous one. Also, generally, the Starfield bounty system does not allow you to negotiate with guards if the fee payable exceeds 10,000 credits. On the other hand, if the negotiation was successful, you will be teleported to the prison but you will be free to leave.
