Star Citizen guide #28: piracy and counter-piracy (interdiction, CrimeStat, Klescher)

In Star Citizen you can be a pirate… or a pirate hunter. Whichever side you’re on, here’s how it works, and what it costs.

Quantum interdiction

• Some ships, like the RSI Mantis, can pull a ship out of quantum travel and stop it from jumping away for a while.
• It’s the pirate’s basic weapon: the target is stranded in empty space, far from help.
• Pirates need friends: the Mantis pins the target down, other ships attack or board.

CrimeStat

• Attacking, stealing from or boarding a ship in Stanton earns you a CrimeStat (1 to 5). Security forces and bounty hunters then come after you.
• In Pyro, there’s no official security: no CrimeStat, but the factions and other players take care of things.
• Dying with a high CrimeStat, or getting arrested, sends you to prison.

Klescher: the prison

• At the Klescher Rehabilitation Facility, your sentence is measured in time. You can reduce it by working: mostly by mining in the prison caves to earn “merits.”
• Careful: the caves are outside the armistice zone, and other inmates can attack you there.
• There’s an escape route through a ventilation shaft, with a code to find in the security office. Once outside, you need a ship… and your CrimeStat still follows you.

Protecting yourself (counter-piracy)

• Vary your routes and avoid the most predictable runs with a full hold.
• Travel in a group or with an escort: pirates look for easy targets.
• If you get interdicted, don’t panic: boost your shields, get away from the Mantis and jump again as soon as the field drops.
• If the fight is lost from the start, giving up the cargo may save your ship… your call.

💡 Beacon tip: piracy is part of the game, and so is respect: no harassment, no spawn killing. A good pirate lets the victim go… and robs them again another day.

Read next: CrimeStat and rookie mistakes · Freight hauling · Bounty hunting

Written for Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.2 (October 2026). The game changes with every patch: if something has moved, tell us in a reply and we’ll update the guide.