The “Clearing The Air” priority mission event in Star Citizen Alpha 4.6 introduces time-limited missions centered around combating a fungal infection in the Stanton system, involving tasks like hauling, combat, and resource gathering to support treatment efforts. While offering engaging gameplay and cooperative opportunities, the event currently faces some bugs and mission design issues that are being refined during PTU testing before full release.
In the upcoming Star Citizen Alpha 4.6 patch, a new type of time-limited priority missions called “Clearing The Air” has been introduced and is currently being tested in the PTU. The event revolves around a mysterious fungal infection known as the “Co Molina Mode” that has been affecting inhabitants of Lavski and neighboring Stanton system, causing severe illness and death. The UEE has intervened, with Cure Life developing treatments and GIS Inc. manufacturing replacement air filters. Players are enlisted as contractors to assist by delivering biological samples, resources, and finished treatments, while also acting as mercenaries to protect shipments from criminals hijacking delivery ships.
The event features multiple mission types including hauling, courier, resource gathering, ship combat, cargo recovery, escort, and defense missions. These missions contribute to milestone objectives tracked in the player’s mobiGlas journal under the “Alliance 8” event, with progress bars for transport, collection, and defense categories, each requiring 10,000 points for completion and a total of 30,000 points overall. Although official rewards have not been confirmed, data-mined images suggest new ship paint schemes themed around the “Clean Air” initiative, offering unique and appealing liveries for various ships like the Asgard, Paladin, Perseus, and RSI Apollo.
Players can find these priority missions under the “Priority” tab in contracts, with collection missions typically offered by Schuben Interstellar, transport missions by Riari Inc. and Ling Family Hauling, and defense missions by Acura Securities. The video demonstrates gameplay examples of each mission type, including purchasing and delivering manufacturing resources like Larinite and Pressured Ice, and defending shipments from hostile NPCs. Some bugs and mission design issues were encountered, such as problems delivering resources through freight elevators and difficulties with mission completion if cargo boxes bounce off delivery pads.
The defense missions involve neutralizing enemy ships hijacking cargo and recovering the stolen shipments. Players can steal the hijacked ships once enemies are defeated, adding an interesting gameplay dynamic where players may need to repair or restart damaged ships to complete deliveries. However, mission payout and progress tracking require careful attention, as missing even a single cargo box can prevent mission completion and rewards. Sharing missions with other players splits the payout but not the reputation points, encouraging cooperative play for faster progression.
Overall, the “Clearing The Air” priority mission event introduces a rich, multi-faceted gameplay experience tied to an engaging in-game story. While promising, some mission mechanics still require refinement to ensure smooth and fair completion. The event offers players a variety of roles from resource gathering to combat and delivery, enhancing immersion and community cooperation in the persistent universe. Further testing and updates are expected to improve the event before its full release.