The Cartel

Black market network spanning all six regions. The Cartel is one of four factions that shape the political landscape of CONTRABAND, and your reputation with them affects which dialogue lines fire, which missions appear, and which endings remain reachable.

What The Cartel wants

The Cartel wants profit. They are not aligned with anyone, but their networks span all six regions, and they will trade with anyone who pays. Their broker is one of the most consistently useful NPCs in the game.

How reputation works

Your standing with The Cartel ranges from -100 (enemy) to +100 (sworn ally). Most actions that move it are explicit: completing missions for them grants reputation, attacking their ships costs it. Some actions move it indirectly — a Cartel deal that hurts the Scourge raises your Cartel rep and lowers your Scourge rep simultaneously.

What changes at high reputation

At +50 with The Cartel, NPCs aligned with them treat you familiarly and discounts begin. At +80, you unlock unique side missions. At +100, a faction-specific epilogue path opens at the end of the game.

What changes at low reputation

At -50, The Cartel ships will attack on sight in their territory. At -80, bounty hunters from the faction will hunt you in neutral space. At -100, a unique 'enemy of the faction' achievement and dialogue line is unlocked.

Strategy notes

Most successful runs pick two factions to ally and one to oppose. Trying to keep all three at neutral is mechanically possible but narratively flat — the game's writing rewards taking sides, even if the side is an unconventional one.