Star Citizen Guide to Mastering Contested Zones – Your Ultimate Survival

Star Citizen Alpha’s latest update has seen the release of several new game mechanics, among the most notable of these are the newly-designated “Contested Zones”. Players have been used to safe zones and other peaceful hubs till now, where Player v/s Player violence is highly penalized. However, contested zones bring an entirely new meta to the Galaxy. 

Contested zones are a free-for-all, spots designated for not just players but even hostile AI enemies to let their cannons loose! This violence, however, is accompanied by equally high rewards, with rare ships, high-tier gear, and eye-watering Star Citizen aUEC payouts. This guide will help you master these patches of the Wild West in Star Citizen.

What are Contested Zones?

Contested zones are high-stakes PvPvE (Player v/s Player v/s Enemy), free-for-all zones, offering an alternative to the usual safe hubs, designed to provide skilled players with a chance to prove their mettle, among not just other players but also AI enemies. Contested zones are designated locations within the Pyro system, within three space stations: Checkmate, Orbituary and Ruin. Here are a few things that set contested zones apart:

• High Stakes: And the players aren’t the only danger you face in the contested zones. Death in contested zones results in a loss of gear, both equipped and in inventory. 
• High Rewards: However, contested zones also offer some of the rarest components and weapons, valuable materials like RMC, CMAS, illicit goods, and mining riches. Apart from this, missions going into the contested zones offer lucrative payouts, which you can use to upgrade or buy Star Citizen Ships. You can even gain access to the exclusive, executive hangar.

How to survive in Contested Zones?

Contested zones are often visited by some of the best players in the game because of their high payout and action-packed content. However, you can easily survive these zones by keeping track of a few important things, even for relatively newer players. Here are a few important tips to make the most of contested zones:

1. Playing with friends: Being faced with hostility on all sides, having someone to look out for you can be crucial, especially in vulnerable moments. Going in as a duo even offers you the chance to be revived by your friend if you get knocked out.
2. Targeted aggression: Contested zones are some of the worst zones in terms of desync (or desynchronization), offering you opportunities to enter into favorable gunfights.
3. Being Aware: Always look out for corners and camp strategic spots. There are several nooks in these maps, camping these can give you easy kills. You can even use NPC behaviour to track player movement, using them as potential alarms.
4. Managing loot: Do not lose track of the many key cards, as you need to unlock many sections of the map. As soon as you get a few valuable key cards, store them in the space station immediately.

Gearing up for Contested Zones

Contested zones don’t require any fancy or high-tier weapons, just the ones you’re comfortable with. Here are a few combinations to get you started:

• P8 AR with a tweaker and a 4x scope for easy medium to long-range NPC kills.
• P4 with a tweaker and a red-dot sight is a reliable choice for close-quarters combat.

You need to keep a close watch on your supplies as well, as the intense and chaotic nature of the Contested Zones environment will often see you falling back on your supplies. Here are a few essentials to pack:

• Ammo: Bring as much as you can. Make sure to carry at least 15-20 magazines for each weapon you choose to pack.
• Tools & Medical: Make sure to not forget med pens, a med gun and a multi-tool with the tractor attachment.
• Fuses: While fuses can be found on the field as well, it’s always good to have a few fuses in your inventory. This makes sure your ship can’t be disabled easily.

Navigating the Contested Zones

Completing a contested zone is one of the longer but still action-packed and rewarding tasks in Star Citizen. Here is a step-by-step guide to conquering any mission with contested zones:

Acquiring the Red Key Card

To access the comp boards to unlock the executive hangar, you need to first acquire a Red Security Key Card. These cards aren’t found inside the contested zones themselves, but are rather found in one of the two “Supervisor Stations”. These stations are PvP battlegrounds, so you still need to bear caution. Here’s how you can infiltrate such a station:

• You need to fly towards such stations slow and low, avoiding the turrets, and park yourself such that you have easy EVA exit and access.
• Enter the station through the cycle door. Take down any NPCs and open the door, which requires a fuse.
• Through this door would be a printing room, where you can print the card and make your way out to the other supervisor station to get the other key card, or you could just wait for the cooldown on the printer and grab it from the same printer.

Raiding the Contested Zones

Finally, you need to enter the contested zones 1-7 and obtain the comp to unlock the executive hangar, while battling NPCs and other players. Checkmate Station is one of the more complicated areas of the contested zones. Each station also has its own key card to unlock the vaults within which the key cards are stored. You should store these in the space station as soon as you get them.

Unlocking the Executive Hangar

There are three executive hangars, whose activity is identified using the color of the lights, along the pipes. (If a station is powering up, a new light will turn green every 24 minutes; if a station is powering down, a light will turn red every 12 minutes.) You need to wait until all five lights of the hangar turn green and then enter after installing all your looted comp boards. After unlocking a hangar, you have 12 minutes before the hangar closes again.

Exclusive ships of the Executive Hangar

The executive hangar can award you the following ships:

• F8C Lightning
• F7A Mark II Hornet
• Cutlass Black
• Corsair

Any ship you claim from the executive hangar remains owned and will remain in your account, until the next wipe. Only the player who claims the ship gets to keep it. Additionally, the executive hangar is also a great source of high-end components.

Conclusion

Star Citizen Contested Zones are some of the most challenging and brutal locations, which put the players’ skills to their absolute test like never before, attacking them from every side. The stakes are very real, too, with the looming possibility of losing all your hard-earned gear, you take with you. However, it’s this high-stakes and fast-paced gameplay loop, with high rewards for experienced duos and awesome ships. Conquer them easily by bringing your best strategy and plays to the table.