The recent Star Citizen Live highlighted upcoming improvements to industrial gameplay, including enhanced mining, crafting, refining, and new mission types like salvage and refueling, with plans to integrate reputation rewards and dynamic contracts throughout 2026. Developers emphasized a gradual approach to expanding gameplay depth, focusing on risk-reward mechanics, improved cargo handling, and revitalizing underused ships to create a richer and more engaging industrial experience.
The recent Star Citizen Live focused on industrial gameplay and featured discussions with developers Elliot and Thorston. They acknowledged that while mining has a strong fan base, there is room for improvement in various industrial gameplay aspects such as refueling, crafting, and base building. The developers emphasized that all industrial gameplay loops will eventually be tied to crafting, creating a complete gameplay experience. They also highlighted plans to introduce scalable and fun industrial missions, including mining and salvage tasks, with a return of mission giver Reco Betaglia expected later this year.
New missions introduced in the first content package of 2026 include mining tasks that require players to retrieve specific materials and salvage missions that may involve on-foot component collection. There are also plans for a ship cargo manifest MFD to help players manage ship inventories better, although this feature is not currently in development. Ship-based refining will differ somewhat from station refining, with players performing refining in ships while AI handles it at stations. However, refining mechanics are set for a rework to improve the overall system.
The developers are taking a gradual approach to enhancing reputation and progression systems. While currently, mission variety and quality improve with reputation, future updates aim to introduce blueprints, paints, and potentially new ships as rewards. Dynamic salvage contracts are also planned, allowing players to salvage abandoned ships, though the game will automatically clean up some debris to maintain performance. Additionally, missions involving towing the SRV (Rex) have been prototyped but require further refinement to prevent abuse.
Security and risk will play a significant role in industrial gameplay, with high-security systems offering safer but slower operations, while lawless systems provide faster but more dangerous gameplay. The developers are also planning improvements to cargo handling, including the ability to pack and unpack contracted cargo into various container sizes, addressing current mission limitations that use small boxes to accommodate players with smaller ships. New delivery missions, including Cora missions with backpack-sized packages, will diversify industrial tasks and improve gameplay variety.
Finally, refueling and towing missions are confirmed for this year, bringing new life to the Starfare ship, which has been underutilized. These missions will include AI-controlled refueling and potentially dangerous contracts where players must defend their fuel. Salvage gameplay will not currently include siphoning fuel or oxygen from derelict ships, as the team has yet to find a meaningful implementation. Overall, the developers are committed to evolving industrial gameplay step-by-step, aiming to make this year a significant one for industry-focused players in Star Citizen.