In Star Citizen Alpha 4.9, a major bug breaks the usual method of earning merits by selling mined ores in the Klescher jail, so players are advised to avoid it or instead loot NPC prisoners and complete maintenance missions inside the mining caves to quickly accumulate merits and reduce their sentence. Despite ongoing bugs like losing equipped gear upon release, these alternative strategies allow new players to efficiently get out of jail without jailbreaking.
In Star Citizen Alpha 4.9, a major bug affects the Klescher Rehabilitation Center, the in-game jail system. Normally, players can get out of jail by mining ores and selling them for merits, but in this update, selling mined ores is completely broken. Players find that some ores appear blank and cannot be dropped or sold, making the usual method ineffective. The best advice given is to avoid going to Klescher if possible, but if unavoidable, there are alternative ways to earn merits and get out of jail quickly without resorting to jailbreaking.
Upon being sent to Klescher, players spawn in a low-gravity environment and can view their sentence details, including time served and merits required for release. The sentence continues to run even when offline, allowing players to serve time passively. However, to accelerate release, the video suggests looting NPC prisoners inside the mining caves of Klescher. Players can knock out NPC prisoners, loot valuable items such as mining attachments, multitools, and sometimes rare items like the Tigerclaw, which can be sold for merits. Killing NPCs beyond a certain cave boundary does not extend the sentence, allowing players to farm loot without penalty.
The mining caves contain several loot spots and NPC prisoners, but the ores themselves are often depleted or bugged. Players are encouraged to explore the caves thoroughly, collecting loot boxes and items dropped by NPC prisoners. The looted items can be sold at kiosks located near the ore deposits, with mining attachments and tractor beams yielding the highest merits. The video demonstrates how repeated looting and selling can quickly accumulate thousands of merits, significantly reducing the prison sentence.
Players can also accept inmate maintenance missions, such as repairing oxygen kiosks, which reward additional merits. Managing oxygen levels is important, as running out inside the caves can be fatal and cause loss of loot. Players can log out to preserve their oxygen and loot safely. Additionally, merits can be sent between players to help friends get out of jail faster, but there are strict caps on the amount and frequency of merit transfers, including a 5% service fee and a daily transaction limit.
A significant bug remains where players lose most of their equipped gear upon release from Klescher, retaining only the undersuit. The suggested workaround is to strip gear before release, but this is not always effective. Overall, the video highlights the current bugs in the jail system in Alpha 4.9 and offers practical strategies for new players to efficiently earn merits and exit jail despite these issues. The key takeaway is to avoid Klescher if possible, but if trapped, looting NPC prisoners and completing maintenance missions provide the best path to freedom.