The Star Citizen 4.9 update introduces Recco Battaglia, a returning mission giver in Nyx with around 30 varied repeatable contracts, including the only way to obtain the CQ7 rifle blueprint. Recco has undergone a contract and visual facelift, bringing together faction-aligned contracts under one NPC. While the update does not introduce groundbreaking new content, it enhances the new player experience by offering contracts that reward clothing, medium utility armor, ship weapons, and eventually pimped-out ships like the Golem, Prospector, and Mole with prestige liveries as players increase their reputation with Recco.
A new contract type involves scanning asteroids for the People’s Alliance, which doesn’t require a mining ship and offers quick cash and reputation gains. There are six scanning contracts and six new mining contracts, allowing players to stack these for efficient progression. Once players reach the Associate rank with Recco, more contracts unlock, including missing persons investigations and salvage jobs, which involve simple objectives like locating bodies in wrecks and retrieving data from black boxes, often rewarding useful blueprints and gear.
One of the highlight contracts is the “ship in distress” boarding action, which tasks players with rescuing a Caterpillar ship’s crew from pirates. This mission rewards 300 reputation and, upon first completion, grants a Falston jumpsuit and hat with People’s Alliance badging. The update also features multiple weapon racks scattered around locations like the poached cousins’ base, where players can find different CQ7 rifle variants and new Bellator combat clothing, though these areas may attract other players, adding an element of risk.
At higher reputation levels, contracts become more challenging and rewarding. Salvage contracts require delivering refined materials to Levski, while black box retrieval missions offer the only current method to obtain the CQ7 bullpup rifle blueprint. These contracts escalate in difficulty, with some requiring combat against light fighters, but can be managed with ships like the Avenger Titan. Completing these contracts also grants blueprints for various weapons and ships, enhancing player progression and customization.
Overall, the Recco Battaglia contracts feel tailored more toward new players and reputation grinding rather than veteran players seeking groundbreaking content. The update emphasizes faction loyalty and steady progression with rewards that gradually unlock better gear and ships. The community is also looking forward to future story missions in the upcoming 4.10 update, which may connect to the municipal works narrative. Feedback from players is encouraged through official channels as the game continues to evolve.
