Overview
Unmarked cargo meant to stay off the books.
Contraband is a Rare Trade Goods crate in Windrose. A handwritten tag scratched into the wood reads "Open it and you're out of the cut," warning captains that cracking the seal destroys the crate's resale value. Every Trade Goods Merchant on Tortuga pays a flat base rate for the crate, but the Smugglers of Port Royal post a dedicated Buyer who pays the premium rate listed below.
The dedicated Smugglers of Port Royal Buyer is not available from the start. The Buyer only appears once you have pushed the main story far enough to open the smugglers' hideout, after which contraband becomes a reliable income stream. Contraband itself pays out in Piastre, the common currency. The same Buyer also takes ancient and legendary treasures that pay in Guinea, the higher-denomination currency, but a standard Contraband crate is a Piastre sale, not a Guinea one.
Item Info
Property | Value |
|---|---|
Category | Misc |
Rarity | Rare |
Item Level | 1 |
Stack Size | 3 |
Craftable | No |
Tooltip Note | Could be sold to Smugglers. |
Vendors and Pricing
Trade Goods Merchants at every faction post buy Contraband from the player at the same flat rate. The Smugglers of Port Royal Buyer lists the crate at a higher premium, which is the intended preferred-buyer route for this crate line.
Vendor | Type | Quantity | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Brethren of the Coast Trade Goods Merchant | Buy | 1 | 100 Piastre |
People of Tortuga Trade Goods Merchant | Buy | 1 | 100 Piastre |
Rogue Buccaneers Trade Goods Merchant | Buy | 1 | 100 Piastre |
Smugglers of Port Royal Trade Goods Merchant | Buy | 1 | 100 Piastre |
Smugglers of Port Royal Buyer | Sell | 1 | 150 Piastre |
What Counts as Contraband
Contraband is a sealed Trade Goods crate, one of the smuggling-cargo items the Smugglers of Port Royal deal in alongside Luxuries and higher-tier treasures. It is loot, not a crafted good (the item is flagged Craftable: No), so the only way to get more is to find sealed crates in the world. The crate sells as-is; its value comes entirely from delivering it unopened to a buyer.
Loot Sources
Contraband drops from Smuggler-aligned loot tables and from higher-tier ship encounters. Because the crate stacks to 3, even a small cargo hold can move a handful of Contraband to the Smugglers Buyer for a clean resale run.
Smuggler camp loot chests along the Coastal Jungle.
Destroyed Ship Containers and Boarding loot on mid-tier Blackbeard vessels.
Buried Treasure drops when a Treasure Maps trail leads into Smuggler territory.
How to Cash Out
The practical route is to stockpile Contraband in a ship hold, sail to the Smugglers of Port Royal base on Tortuga, and sell to their Buyer NPC at 150 Piastre per crate. Every other Trade Goods Merchant pays the flat 100 Piastre rate, so taking Contraband to the wrong faction leaves 50 Piastre per unit on the table.
Contraband rises in value during active Smugglers of Port Royal reputation grinds. Pair a smuggling run with a trip to the Smugglers Provisioner to burn the Piastre on the Conquistador or Pikeman armor plan lines, both of which are exclusive to that faction.
Tips
Do not open the crate. The tooltip warning is literal: opening destroys the trade value and the crate becomes worthless to every merchant.
Contraband stacks with other Trade Goods crates in cargo runs. The Buyer also pays a premium for Luxuries, which sell for a higher rate per crate, so a single docking can clear both stacks at once and is the fastest way to bank a smuggling haul.
Reputation items like Newhand Insignia do not affect Contraband pricing. Insignia hand-ins route through the Bounty Agent, not the Trade Goods Merchant.
See Also
Details
Properties
Property | Value |
|---|---|
Stack | 3 |
Where Found
Where Found | Detail |
|---|---|
1 | |
100 | |
1 | |
100 | |
1 | |
100 | |
1 | |
100 | |
1 | |
150 |