Starfield: How to Obtain Shielded Cargo

When you gaze upon the vast map of Starfield, you shall uncover a multitude of solar systems, albeit some of them being under the control of factions such as the UC Vanguard or the Freestar Collective. These systems harbor significant cities where you can sell all your belongings, yet the factions might potentially prohibit your entry into the cities if you carry certain items with you.

These items are referred to as contraband and are identified by a yellow symbol next to their names. If you wish to smuggle contraband into a significant city for the purpose of selling them, you will need to find a ship with shielding capacity.

Where To Find Shielded Capacity

Every significant city in Starfield has a ship technician near the spaceport who sells a variety of ships with different reactor types. Unfortunately, you won't find a ship with shielding capacity among these merchants. The shielding capacity of a ship is displayed directly below the amount of cargo it can transport when you examine its statistics.

The shielding capacity allows you to evade various scans conducted by the UC Vanguard or the Freestar Collective when entering their solar systems. Hence, it is evident why the merchants in their cities do not sell ships with this feature. The only way to obtain a ship with shielded cargo is to engage in space battles with the vessels of the Crimson Fleet or other hostile factions.

You must dock your ship with the enemy vessel and then take control of it to inspect its statistics. If you find shielding capacity, you can register the ship and use it for smuggling contraband. However, please note that the shielding capacity only provides a 59% chance of evading scans, which can be further enhanced using scan jammers.

On the other hand, there is a higher likelihood of being detected during a scan if your cargo hold is full or the weight of your contraband is close to the shielding capacity.