Antiquarianism
Artifact hunting is an emerging exploration-based gameplay loop in Star Citizen, where players search for rare, ancient, or alien items hidden throughout the ‘verse. While not a fully fleshed-out profession yet, it ties into missions, lore, and environmental storytelling—and is expected to become a major career path in the future.
🧭 What Is Artifact Hunting?
Artifact hunting is all about exploration, investigation, and discovery. You explore ancient ruins, derelicts, remote planetary sites, or deep-space wrecks in search of valuable relics or mysterious objects tied to the game’s universe and alien races—especially the Xi’an, Tevarin, and ancient human civilizations.
Right now, it’s mostly mission-driven or emergent gameplay, with more depth planned in future updates.
🛠️ What You’ll Need
⚙️ Gear & Tools:
Multi-Tool (for traversal, extraction, or loot access).
Tractor Beam Attachment (for moving heavy artifacts).
Backpack (for carrying loot and artifacts).
Flashlight or Helmet Light (especially in dark ruins or wrecks).
Medical Supplies (many sites have hazards).
🚀 Recommended Ships:
Nomad, Cutlass Black, or Pisces – Small, mobile, with enough room to land near rough terrain and store loot.
Carrack or MSR (for advanced players) – Great for deep-space expeditions or long-term exploration.
🔍 How It Works (Currently)
Find a Site: Through missions (e.g., investigation or delivery), player intel, or sheer exploration.
Search the Area: Look for hidden chambers, terminals, crates, or visual clues. Some artifacts are embedded in the environment.
Recover the Artifact: Use your Multi-Tool or tractor beam to retrieve and store it.
Extract and Deliver: Some missions ask you to return the artifact to a client or terminal. Others just reward you for finding them.
🌍 Where to Look
Caves and Ruins: Scattered across planets like MicroTech, Daymar, or Hurston.
Derelict Ships: Abandoned wrecks often hide rare tech and alien remnants.
New Outposts and Frontier Settlements: Some mission givers reference ancient structures or unknown tech nearby.
Future Locations (likely): Pyro system, alien planets, or uncharted star systems.
💰 Why Artifact Hunt?
Unique Rewards: Some artifacts fetch high value or unlock lore-rich missions.
Lore Exploration: A great way to experience Star Citizen’s deeper universe.
Low Combat Pressure: Focuses more on traversal and discovery.
Great for Solo Players: You can go at your own pace and explore how you want.
Emerging Career Path: Expected to expand with mechanics like scanning, decoding, and museum delivery.
⚠️ Key Considerations
Not Fully Supported Yet: Gameplay is limited to side missions and emergent exploration—for now.
Environmental Hazards: Dangerous drops, toxic gas, creatures, or failing wreckage may pose threats.
No Dedicated UI or Tools Yet: Unlike mining or bounty hunting, artifact hunting doesn’t have a full gameplay system—yet.
Value Varies: Some loot may be purely collectible or lore-based, not all is worth money.