Clearing the Air in Star Citizen Alpha 4.6 (the Alliance Aid journal entry) is a points-driven event with multiple reward tracks, mission-type reputation, and a surprisingly big gap between “fast points” and “good payouts.” This guide breaks down how the tracks work, the quickest contracts for each category (collection, cargo, defense), and practical routes so you can unlock all rewards without wasting hours in quantum or grinding the wrong missions.

Confirming the event context: what “Alliance Aid” actually is

This is a Star Citizen Persistent Universe event tracked in your Journal under Alliance Aid. You’ll see four progress bars:

• Overall reward track (top): totals points from all mission types.
• Collection track: turn-in materials and biological items for points and aUEC payouts.
• Cargo track: small hauling loops and milestone deliveries.
• Defense track: combat/escort/intercept style contracts for points.

Unlike some past events where any mission advanced all rewards, Clearing the Air is structured so you’ll want progress in each mission category to unlock everything. The good news: you can still earn the overall threshold rewards by pushing points in a single track if you prefer, but full completion typically means touching all three.

How points, reputation, and unlocks work

Each mission completed grants aUEC and a fixed amount of event points. As you complete more of a specific mission type, you gain event reputation for that category and unlock larger variants. In practice, “bigger” doesn’t always mean “better” for points-per-minute.

Track unlock thresholds (what to expect)

• Collection: medium contracts unlock around 600 points; large around 1,200 points.
• Cargo: larger contracts unlock around 500 points and 1,000 points.
• Defense: doing an Attempted Cargo Theft style contract can rapidly open up more options.

For efficiency, treat unlocks as a way to access specific “best” missions—not as a requirement to always run the biggest contract available.

Preparation checklist (saves the most time)

• Set your home and storage smartly: many runs touch New Babbage (microTech) and Lorville (Hurston). Storing turn-ins where the track requires them prevents wasted ferry trips.
• Bring a practical hauler: a Nomad-class cargo capacity or better makes small cargo stacks painless; larger ships help but aren’t mandatory.
• Use a fast quantum drive if possible: cargo loops are dominated by travel time. Upgrading drives is a classic case of aUEC for component upgrades paying back quickly.
• Plan for risk in Pyro: some materials and pods are easier there, but PvP and interdiction risk can spike. Don’t over-invest in cargo you can’t afford to lose.

If you’re short on playtime, it’s worth thinking in terms of “time-to-rewards” versus pure grinding. Some players choose to buy Star Citizen aUEC to skip early-game bottlenecks like quantum drive upgrades and cargo seed money, then focus their limited sessions on event points and rewards instead of pure income loops.

Collection track: fastest way to finish (and why small missions win)

Collection missions revolve around turning in specific materials and items. The event asks for five key turn-in categories:

• Lonite
• Boray
• Beexalite
• Pressurized Ice
• Dari Pods

These can be sourced by mining/harvesting, buying from terminals (often low stock during events), or looting. Expect demand spikes—terminal buying can feel like a limited-stock rush.

Where turn-ins go (important for staging)

• New Babbage (microTech): Beexalite, Pressurized Ice, and Dari Pods turn-ins.
• Lorville (Hurston): Lonite and Boray turn-ins.

Small collection contracts typically require fewer units per turn-in while still awarding strong points. Large missions can look tempting, but they often demand huge quantities for only modest point gains relative to time spent mining/refining or harvesting.

Also note the refining reality: refining output has been reduced significantly compared to older expectations (players have reported drops from roughly the mid-80% range down to the mid-40% range), which means you need substantially more raw ore to hit refined turn-in targets. That makes “mine and refine for turn-ins” slower than it appears on paper.

Dari Pods: the fastest collection option for pure points

If your goal is to finish the collection track quickly, Dari Pods are often the most time-efficient because they are ready to turn in immediately after harvesting—no refinery wait. They’re identifiable as white bulb-like growths surrounded by red grass, and they commonly spawn in pairs.

Reliable acquisition methods include:

• Farms: Weeping Cove (Hurston) and Moreland Hills (microTech). Pods spawn in greenhouses and can be harvested in large batches, then respawn after roughly an hour.
• Looting: blue loot boxes across the PU can contain pods.
• Pyro surface harvesting: some areas can produce large group spawns, which may be preferable to competing at the farms.

Routing tip: farm locations are popular during events. If you want less competition, consider surface harvesting in Pyro where spawns can be denser and fewer players camp the same greenhouse loops.

Mining materials: useful, but plan around refining delays

Mining can still be worthwhile if you enjoy it or already have a mining setup, but you’ll be gated by refinery timers. If your schedule is tight, pods are typically the “finish now” route while refined minerals are more of a “queue and turn in later” plan.

Suggested approach to complete the collection track efficiently

• Prioritize small collection missions for better points-per-unit requirements.
• Stage items at the correct city (New Babbage vs Lorville) so you can spam turn-ins without extra hauling.
• Use Dari Pods to push points quickly, and treat mining/refining as supplemental progress.

Collection contracts also tend to be the best for pure income during this event. In many cases, the mission payout for turning in materials can exceed what you’d earn by selling the same resources directly. That makes collection a strong option for Star Citizen money making while you chase rewards.

Cargo track: build a repeatable loop (and avoid unreliable routes)

Cargo missions in this event reward consistent points for short-haul deliveries. The key is stacking multiple small contracts into one circuit instead of flying single deliveries one at a time.

Why small cargo missions are the sweet spot

• Simple loads: typically a small number of 1 SCU boxes.
• Solid points without the time sink of larger contracts.
• Stackable: you can accept several at once and route them efficiently.

Larger cargo contracts unlock as you earn points, but the point gain often doesn’t scale enough to justify the additional handling and travel time.

Recommended staging: New Babbage as your hub

Many cargo contracts originate from New Babbage. If you plan to grind the cargo track, using New Babbage as your primary base reduces setup friction (claiming ships, storing boxes, reloading quickly after mistakes).

• Accept every small cargo mission originating from New Babbage that fits your risk tolerance.
• When a mission sends you to another major hub (for example Area18), immediately pick up a small mission that originates from that destination too.
• Organize your cargo by drop-off order so you aren’t digging through stacks at each stop.
• Finish the “spaceport-heavy” drop last to avoid juggling existing cargo while you pick up the final leg.

Reliability tip: if certain inter-system cargo halls or destinations have been unstable for you, skip them. A slower but reliable loop beats a faster route that fails one out of every three runs.

Defense track: fastest points come from the “small” intercepts

Defense missions look like the obvious “combat track,” but points-per-minute varies wildly. Some high-payout contracts award surprisingly low points, while some smaller missions award excellent points for short completion times.

What to run for speed: Attempted Cargo Theft

For pure point farming, the standout tends to be Attempted Cargo Theft-style missions. They commonly involve small ships (often light craft like a Cutter or Avenger), quick engagement, and minimal cargo handling (for example, delivering only a couple boxes). The key advantage is completion speed: you can often finish in under five minutes for strong points.

This is one of the best options if you’re treating defense as “get to 10,000 points and stop,” especially since defense payouts can lag behind collection payouts for the time invested.

Best “large” defense option when you want variety: Hauler Hunters

If you prefer a more traditional combat loop, Hauler Hunters is often a consistent choice. It can be completed quickly with a capable combat ship and a clean approach. It may pay less than some marquee missions, but it tends to be efficient on points and repeatability.

Ship note: faster kills mean more wear and repair cycles. Factor repair and restock time into your route so you don’t lose your gains to downtime.

Defense missions to deprioritize

Escort-style missions can be deceptively slow for their point awards. If your goal is reward-track completion rather than roleplay, consider skipping low-point escorts and prioritizing intercept/quick-clear contracts instead.

Milestone contracts: do them, but don’t rely on them

Milestone contracts unlock at specific point thresholds (commonly around 5,000 points per track). They’re one-time jobs that add variety and can provide a decent point bump, but they usually aren’t the best repeatable farming method.

Collection milestone: mold sample gathering

This mission sends you into a tunnel area to collect mold samples. Visibility can be tricky; look for flatter, distinct growth shapes that are interactable. Because travel can be long, set your respawn at a convenient location (such as Port Tressler or New Babbage) before heading out so you can minimize return travel if you need to reset quickly.

This mission is straightforward hauling with bigger quantities. Treat it like a planned freight run: bring a ship that makes box handling painless, and don’t rush the loading/unloading steps.

Defense milestone: urgent rescue with cryopods

This contract typically mixes combat pressure with recovery objectives. Bring a ship you can fight in confidently, and prioritize survival over loot—dying mid-run can erase the time advantage of doing the milestone at all.

Rewards: what you’re grinding for

The event reward pool includes a mix of cosmetics and utility items. Expect items like clothing, armor pieces, ship liveries, gadget skins, and a notable long-term reward: an item fabricator with a custom skin that becomes more relevant once crafting is fully live. If you care about account-bound cosmetics and future crafting utility, this event is worth completing even if you don’t love the grind.

Group play tip: points scale well with friends

Running Alliance Aid missions in a party can dramatically speed up progress. Event points are generally awarded to each participant upon completion (rather than being split), while aUEC payouts may be shared. Since rewards are gated by points, group play is one of the best ways to compress total time.

If your goal is both rewards and ship progression, this is also where budgeting matters: mission splits, repairs, fuel, and occasional losses add up. Some players cover those costs through Star Citizen aUEC farming, while others prefer to reduce downtime by using a trusted Star Citizen aUEC site to fund upgrades and keep sessions focused on event completion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to complete all three tracks to get every reward?

To unlock everything tied to each mission-specific bar, yes—you’ll want progress in collection, cargo, and defense. The overall track can be advanced by any points, but the category rewards are tied to their own bars.

What’s the fastest way to finish the collection track?

Focus on small collection missions and prioritize Dari Pods because they don’t require refinery time. Stage pods at New Babbage so you can chain turn-ins quickly.

A small hauler with practical cargo space (Nomad-class or better) makes stacking multiple contracts easy. Faster quantum travel helps more than raw cargo capacity for these small-box routes.

How do I avoid losing cargo or wasting time to PvP during this event?

Avoid over-stacking expensive loads, skip high-risk routes when servers are busy, and don’t linger at popular farms/outposts. If you must go to Pyro, travel light and plan a quick exit route.

Is this event good for earning credits compared to other activities?

Collection missions can pay exceptionally well because turn-in mission payouts may exceed selling the same materials. If you’re following an aUEC making guide approach, collection is often the best “profit plus points” option during Clearing the Air.