Part of the Units & Nanites series:

How to Make Units Fast Hub: Start here for the full economy overview.

Trading Guide: Buy Low, Sell High: The legal side of the economy.

Quick Answer

Outlaw systems are pirate-controlled star systems with no Sentinels in space, a black-market station instead of a standard one, and their own faction reputation track.
Find them by buying an Outlaw System Chart from the Cartographer aboard any space station, then following the marker on the Galaxy Map.
The Contraband Agent on an outlaw station sells Suspicious Packets (arms, booze, and cargo packets) that you crack open, then resell the loose smuggling goods back to outlaw traders for profit.
Carry contraband through a normal, Sentinel-controlled system and you get scanned on station approach; refuse or fail the scan and system security opens fire.
The Mercenaries Guild envoy on outlaw stations hands out bounties, timed hunts for named pirate targets that pay Units and Guild standing.
Pirate raids on NPC freighters and haulers drop cargo pods you shoot loose and scoop, giving free trade goods without buying anything.
Outlaw activity ties into the wider game through Void Eggs, the Living Ship questline, and Autophage camps hidden in these lawless regions.

Overview

The Outlaws update reworked space into two parallel economies. Standard systems run on Galactic Trade Terminals, Sentinel patrols, and honest freight, and that legal side is covered in the buy low, sell high trading guide. Outlaw systems run on everything the Sentinels would arrest you for: contraband, stolen cargo, bounty contracts, and reputation with a pirate faction.

The pirate loop rewards a specific playstyle. You need a ship built for combat and enough cargo space to haul loot, and you need to accept that customs scans and hostile security are part of the cost of doing business. What you get back is a self-contained income stream where your fighting skill converts directly into Units, plus access to items and NPCs you cannot reach any other way.

What Outlaw Systems Are and How to Find Them

An outlaw system looks normal on the Galaxy Map until you arrive. The tells are immediate: no Sentinel interceptors patrol the space, wanted-level warnings do not trigger for combat, and the system's space station is a battered black-market station rather than the usual polished hub. Pirate ships fly openly, and the resident population is a criminal faction rather than Gek, Korvax, or Vy'keen.

The reliable way to locate one is the Cartographer, the NPC beside the galactic map terminal on most space stations. Buy an Outlaw System Chart from them (they cost Navigation Data, which you farm from damaged machinery and buildings), then open the chart from your inventory to drop a marker. The marker points to the nearest outlaw system, which you then set as a waypoint and warp to. You can stockpile several charts and chain markers to build a route of pirate systems.

Once docked, an outlaw station gives you three things a normal station does not: a Contraband Agent, a Mercenaries Guild envoy, and traders who buy smuggling goods at inflated prices. The Galactic Trade Terminal is still present, but the real money is in the NPCs standing around it.

The Contraband Agent and the Smuggling Loop

The Contraband Agent is the heart of pirate commerce. This NPC sells Suspicious Packets in several flavors, most commonly Suspicious Arms, Suspicious Booze, and Suspicious Cargo Packets. Each packet is a sealed mystery box: you buy it, then open it from your inventory, and it bursts into a random spread of smuggling commodities.

The core loop works like this:

Buy Suspicious Packets from the Contraband Agent using Units.
Open them to reveal the loose smuggling goods inside.
Sell those goods back to outlaw traders and terminals, where black-market demand pushes prices above what you paid.

Prices swing hard, so treat packets like any speculative buy: sample a few, note which packet type is running a surplus at that station, and scale up when the margin looks good. Because packet contents are randomized, individual boxes can disappoint, but volume smooths the average into a reliable profit. It helps to visit several outlaw stations in a chain of charted systems, since each one restocks its own packet supply and prices its smuggling goods differently, letting you buy where a box is cheap and sell where the loose goods are scarce. Keep a dedicated cargo slot free for opened contents so a single haul does not overflow into your tech inventory.

The catch appears the moment you leave. Carrying contraband into a normal, Sentinel-controlled system flags you for a customs scan on station approach. A dialog demands to inspect your cargo. Pay the bribe or dump the goods and you walk; refuse or fail and system security turns hostile, forcing you into a fight or a fast exit. The safe play is to buy, open, and sell contraband entirely within outlaw space, only running it through legal systems when you have a specific buyer and a combat ship that can handle the heat. Pilots who invest in stealth and evasion here will want the maneuvers from the space combat and dogfighting guide.

Bounties from the Mercenaries Guild

The Mercenaries Guild envoy on outlaw stations posts bounty contracts. Accept one and you get a timed hunt for a named pirate captain somewhere in a nearby system. Track the target, destroy their ship (they usually travel with escorts), and return or auto-complete for a payout in Units plus Mercenaries Guild reputation.

Bounties are the cleanest fighting income in outlaw space because the targets are already flagged hostile, so there is no wanted level to manage. Rank up your standing with the Guild and better contracts and rewards unlock, including tech and blueprints. Stacking bounties with pirate raids in the same system lets you clear one area for maximum value per warp. A combat-tuned ship and solid weapon upgrades matter here; the combat guide hub collects the loadout advice.

Pirate Raids on Freighters and Haulers

Beyond structured contracts, outlaw systems let you play the pirate directly. NPC freighters and cargo haulers drift through the system carrying cargo pods bolted to their hulls. Shoot a pod loose and it ejects a container of trade goods that you scoop up, no purchase required.

Attacking freight in a normal system triggers Sentinel starships and a rising wanted level, but in outlaw space there is no Sentinel response, so you can strip haulers freely. Larger freighters mount defensive turrets and launch fighters, turning a raid into a real dogfight, so bring a ship that can survive the return fire. The reward is pure loot: raw materials, trade commodities, and occasionally valuable goods you would otherwise pay for. This pairs naturally with the contraband loop, since raided goods sell to the same outlaw traders.

Activity Reference Table

Activity	How it works	Reward
Buy Outlaw System Chart	Purchase from the Cartographer with Navigation Data, open to mark nearest outlaw system	Access to a pirate system
Suspicious Packets	Buy from the Contraband Agent, open to reveal smuggling goods, resell to outlaw traders	Units from black-market margins
Contraband run	Carry smuggling goods through a normal system, pass or bribe the customs scan	High resale value, risk of security combat
Mercenaries Guild bounty	Accept a timed contract from the envoy, hunt and destroy the named pirate	Units and Guild reputation
Freighter and hauler raids	Shoot cargo pods off NPC freight in outlaw space, scoop the containers	Free trade goods and materials
Outlaw reputation grind	Complete pirate activities to raise faction standing	Unlocks better contracts, tech, and traders

Reputation, Void Eggs, and Autophage Ties

Every bounty, raid, and smuggling sale nudges your Outlaws faction reputation. Higher standing improves how pirate NPCs treat you and expands what the Contraband Agent and Guild envoy will offer. Reputation is faction-specific, so time spent in outlaw space builds a track separate from the Gek, Korvax, and Vy'keen guilds.

Outlaw systems also intersect with two of the game's stranger progression paths. The Void Egg, bought from the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion, hatches into a Living Ship through a questline whose steps run through anomalous and lawless space; the full walkthrough lives in the how to get a Living Ship guide. Separately, the robotic Autophage often hide their camps in remote and outlaw-adjacent systems, and exploring pirate regions is one way to stumble onto them and their Staff and glyph rewards. For pilots who prefer the lawful path, the Sentinels combat guide covers the opposite side of that coin.

If you would rather convert loot into upgrade currency than raw Units, remember that scrapping ships and refining certain smuggling goods feeds into the nanite economy detailed in the nanites farming guide.

FAQ

How do I know if a system is an outlaw system before I warp?

You do not always get advance warning from the map alone, which is why the Outlaw System Chart matters. Buying and opening a chart drops a marker specifically on the nearest pirate system, so you warp there deliberately rather than hoping. Once in-system, the absence of Sentinels and the black-market station confirm it instantly.

What happens if I get caught smuggling contraband?

Carrying smuggling goods into a Sentinel-controlled system triggers a customs scan as you approach the station. You can pay a bribe to pass, dump the flagged cargo, or refuse. Refusing or failing turns system security hostile and starts a fight. Selling and holding contraband inside outlaw systems avoids scans entirely.

Do I need a combat ship to profit from piracy?

For bounties and freighter raids, yes; both put you against escorts and turrets. The smuggling loop is gentler because you can buy, open, and resell Suspicious Packets without firing a shot, as long as you stay in outlaw space. A capable fighter widens every option and lets you run contraband through hostile systems when the price is right.

Is pirate income better than legal trading?

They serve different players. Legal trading through the Economy Scanner scales into millions per run with no combat, while piracy converts fighting skill into Units and unlocks faction-locked content. Many players run both, raiding and smuggling for variety while a trade route or mining base provides steady baseline income.

Can I lose my own reputation with normal factions by going pirate?

Committing crimes and smuggling in guild-controlled space damages standing with those factions and provokes Sentinels, but activity confined to outlaw systems builds Outlaws reputation without wrecking your standing elsewhere. Keeping the two economies geographically separate is the practical way to enjoy both.

Key Takeaways

Work the pirate economy in this order. First, buy and open an Outlaw System Chart from the Cartographer and warp to a marked system to confirm it has no Sentinels and a black-market station. Second, run the low-risk smuggling loop on repeat: buy Suspicious Packets from the Contraband Agent, open them, and resell the goods to outlaw traders while you learn which packet types pay best.

Once you have a combat-ready ship, layer in the higher-reward activities. Take Mercenaries Guild bounties for clean, wanted-free kills, and strip cargo pods off freighters in the same system to double up on loot per warp. Only run contraband into Sentinel-controlled systems once you can survive a failed customs scan. Every one of these steps raises Outlaws reputation, which unlocks better contracts and traders, and it puts you in the right corner of the galaxy to chase Void Eggs and Autophage camps when you want a break from the grind.

No Man's Sky Piracy & Outlaw Systems Guide: Smuggling, Contraband & Bounties