Starfield features a mechanism of punishment or a bounty system for criminal offenders. These bounties are in the control of different factions. When you commit a crime in the region of a particular faction, they will mobilize their security and place a bounty on your head. Consequently, you will be considered wanted in the control system of that faction, prone to being arrested and jailed.
For newbies, it can be hard to know what these bounties are and how they work. Moreover, you may not know how to check and clear them if you were being naughty. Thankfully, the process is rather simple and easily done.
How to check bounties in Starfield
Different factions govern their relevant systems in the Starfield galaxy. As such, they have their own set of laws and regulations. To see the faction that controls the system of your current position, you simply need to look at the top right corner of the System Map.
As soon as you commit a crime in a certain faction’s solar system, you will see that a bounty is placed on you. You will see that a specific amount of credits is added to the Bounty section of the System map (right below the faction’s name). If there are no credits mentioned against bounty, it means that you are not wanted by the faction of your current system. But if there is a number there, that will be your bounty.
How to clear bounties in Starfield
A bounty is effectively your wanted meter in Starfield. It means law enforcement is actively searching for you and will apprehend you when found. In some cases, they will resort to lethal action. You can either serve your sentence for your crime or pay off your bounty yourself. Think of it as paying a fine.
When clearing bounties in Starfield, you have a few options depending on your financial position. No matter how heinous the crime you may have committed, there is always a chance to redeem yourself. Below are the ways you can try to clear your bounties and make peace with the corresponding factions.
Pay off your bounties to the Faction Security
The quickest method to clear your bounties is by paying a certain amount of money to the faction guards of the current system. There is a catch here: you will also need to hand over any stolen goods in your inventory. You will pay off your bounty but also lose any stolen goods you would have in your inventory.
So ensure you stash these goods elsewhere before paying off your bounty if you value these goods.
Spend some time in Jail
The second way to clear bounties for your crimes is by peacefully going to jail in Starfield. The consequence of this choice will be that you will lose a substantial amount of XP, besides losing the stolen items in your possession.
This option is preferable when you do not have enough resources to pay off the bounties. Wait in your jail for a while, and you will have served your sentence.
Self-Service Bounty Clearance Kiosk
The best way to remove bounties in Starfield is to access the Self-Service Bounty Clearance Kiosk. They will be kind enough to contact the relevant faction and ensure your bounty is cleared. Of course, you will have to pay the credits. However, you will not have to lose the stolen goods in your inventory. On top of that, you will retain your XP points and will not have to talk to people.
One thing to remember is that Self-Service Bounty Kiosks do take some fee for their services. The catch is that you cannot pay this fee while staying in the same system in which you have committed the crime. You must find Kiosks in another system and then pay off your credits to clear the bounties.
