Star Citizen 4.8 Covalex Cargo Hauling has been transformed with the introduction of localized inventories, persistent personal hangars and freight elevators. The Covalex Independent Contractors reputation track stands out as one of the most stable, lucrative, and forgiving loops in the game. This guide provides details on how to optimize your Covalex Reputation. You also gain insights into stacking contracts at the planetary hubs, unlocking elite component blueprints, and maximizing your aUEC per hour. So, let’s get started!
Understanding the Covalex Progression Framework
For starters, you need to open your mobiGlas Contract Manager and navigate to the Hauling tab. An introductory contract titled Opportunity for Independent Cargo Hauler will be available. If you accept this contract, you can officially start building your reputation with Covalex Shipping.
The whole system is built around five progressive ranks. As your reputation grows, the size of the cargo units changes and you need different ships to accommodate the Cargo. Here is an overview of the whole system:
| Rank | Size of Cargo Hauls | Ships |
| Rookie or Junior | Small Cargo Boxes | Starter Ships like Titan, Nomad and Hull A |
| Member | Medium SCU Crates | Medium Haulers like Taurus, Zeus CL and Raft |
| Experienced | Large Bulk Freight | Heavy Lifters like C2 Hercules or Hull C |
| Senior or Master | Interstellar Hauling | Capital/System-to-System Logistics |
Note that when you reach a higher rank, Covalex will stop showing contracts of lower rank than yours. For example, once you hit Experienced or Senior rank, Rookie contracts will not show up in the list. This makes the UI less cluttered and easier to operate.
Step-by-Step Cargo Hauling
| Stages | Steps |
| Stage 1 | 1. Head to the Cargo Center at the local station. You can also go to the weapons shop. 2. Buy a MaxLift Tractor Beam or a Pyro Multi-Tool. Make sure it is equipped with a TruHold Tractor Beam Attachment. |
| Stage 2 | 1. Fly to the pickup location and land at the assigned hangar or pad.
2. Interact with the physical Freight Elevator Console inside the hangar. 3. Click the Bring to Elevator option once you find your active Covalex cargo order. 4. The massive platform will lower and rise back up stacked with physical cargo crates. 5. Use the previously purchased tractor beam to load the containers into your ship. |
| Stage 3 | 1. Upon reaching your destination, drop your ramp and use your tractor beam to pull the cargo out of your ship.
2. Stack it neatly onto the freight elevator grid at your final destination. 3. Select Unload Cargo in the terminal and confirm the shipment. |
Once the elevator descends and clears the platform, your contract is marked as complete. The rewarding Star Citizen aUEC will be automatically received in your account.
Ship Selection
The cargo size of the contract influences your ship selection. Below is a table of the cargo capacity of each ship and its suitability with your current Covalex Rank.
| Ship | Cargo Capacity | Covalex Rank Suitability |
| Avenger Titan/Nomad | 8 to 24 SCU | Rookie/Junior |
| MISC Hull A | 64 SCU | Junior/Member |
| Zeus MkII CL | 64 SCU | Junior/Member |
| Constellation Taurus | 174 SCU | Member/Experienced |
| Argo RAFT | 96 SCU | Member |
| Crusader C2 Hercules | 696 SCU | Experienced/Senior |
| MISC Hull C | 4608 SCU | Senior/Master |
The Best Reputation Hub: The Hurston System
Covalex contracts are available across Hubs like ArcCorp, Crusader, and MicroTech. However, the Hurston Reputation Hub is the most popular among all. This is because Hurston features an absolute abundance of local industrial centers, distribution facilities, and corporate outpost networks on the planet and its moons.
Also, Everus Harbor spawns more overlapping Covalex contracts than almost any other orbital station. By staying within Hurston’s orbital shell, you can avoid long quantum jumps and maximize the contract completion speed.
Contract Stacking
Running one contract at a time is highly inefficient. At the Member rank, the system allows you to hold up to 16 active hauling missions simultaneously. This is called contract stacking. You can use this to utilize your ship SCU space efficiently.
To do this, first look at the destination list. If you see three different contracts delivering to the Hurston Dynamics Distribution Center or Lorville Spaceport, accept all of them. If you are flying a ship with a large cargo grid, like a Constellation Taurus or a Crusader C2 Hercules, you can pack these multiple contracts into a single visual stack.
If you have leftover space on your cargo grid after loading your high-tier contracts, you can also fill gaps with lingering Junior or Rookie contracts. While they give less reputation, they fill up the space and increase your aUEC gains.
Fast aUEC Earning Tips
To maximize your revenue per hour, follow these tips:
- Set your medical imprint and spawn point at Everus Harbor.
- Keep your personal inventory clear of heavy armor. Wear a lightweight flight suit to increase your movement speed when loading boxes.
- Grab 5 to 10 Covalex contracts going to the same planetary hemisphere. Load them all onto a single ship. For this, you can use large SCU ships like a Constellation Taurus or C2.
- Look for return contracts at the surface outposts delivering broken components or refined goods back up to Everus Harbor.
- Once your reputation unlocks blueprints, spend on raw materials to craft the components. Then sell them to combat pilots for the extra aUEC.
If you are still running low, you can always buy Star Citizen aUEC and avoid the treacherous grind.
Some Other Tips To Avoid Piracy
As you progress in the reputation ranks, you start using large bulk ships like the C2 Hercules. This can make you a prime target for both NPC and player pirates. Here are some tips to follow in such cases:
- When jumping from Everus Harbor to a planet-side distribution center, do not take a direct route. Drop out of quantum travel halfway through the jump and adjust your alignment. Then manual-jump in from a weird angle. This completely bypasses standard interdiction bubbles set up along the common flight paths.
- If you are interdicted, do not stay and fight in a dedicated industrial freighter. Instead, put 100% of your power triangle into Shields. Then boost straight ahead to break the mass dampener lock and thrust your quantum drive immediately to escape.
Conclusion
Covalex cargo hauling is one of the most rewarding professions in Star Citizen. By establishing your operational base at Hurston, you can turn your fleet into a money-making machine. Do not forget to learn how to use the freight elevator. Also, keep in mind that stacking contracts helps you earn aUEC more efficiently. Keep up with the cargo loading, secure your containers and try to reach the delivery destination as fast as possible!