Read the action before collecting the items
Cartel work can ask you to do the opposite of a clean customs inspection. For Airport Contraband cartel tasks, start by reading the telegram's action, target category, quantity, and deadline. A request to confiscate and deliver possessions is different from a request to let specified goods or passengers through.
Player experience in the collected Prologue and prerelease tutorials shows why this distinction matters. The early delivery assignment asks for toys, while later requests can require a contraband item to pass control or a particular kind of passenger to be arrested. Following yesterday's action without reading today's request can fail the assignment.
The official Airport Contraband Steam description presents cartel cooperation as part of the game's choice between enforcing procedures and profiting by breaking them.
Complete delivery tasks with the courier
A delivery request has two stages: obtain qualifying items, then hand them over. Confiscating the right number does not finish the delivery by itself.
The recorded early tutorial follows this sequence:
- Read the assignment and identify the requested item category.
- Use the item index when an object's category is unclear.
- Collect the required quantity during inspections.
- Keep those task items until the handover.
- Visit the courier at the bus stop and deliver the requested items.
In that player experience, the handover interface allows the items to be given to the courier, and completion follows the delivery. Reaching the collection quantity is therefore a reason to prepare the handover, not proof that it has already happened.
Be careful when making inventory space. Discarding the requested possessions before the courier receives them undermines the delivery you were trying to finish.
Let-through and arrest requests use different checks
A let-through task requires the specified goods or passenger to get through control. Confiscating the item or arresting its owner can work against that objective.
Read any qualifier closely. The recorded player experience includes a request tied to a male passenger and contraband, and another tied to an item found during a body search. An unrelated restricted object does not become contraband simply because the cartel wants something illegal to pass.
Arrest assignments work differently again: identify the passenger type requested and carry out the arrest. If that person also has a genuine arrestable violation, the situation differs from deliberately arresting an innocent passenger. Do not assume a cartel instruction makes either action acceptable to the airport.
Balance the task reward against inspection penalties
The airport and cartel judge different outcomes. Player experience shows a completed cartel task alongside reduced inspection scores when the officer steals legal possessions or lets contraband pass.
In an August Prologue discussion, a developer explained that these conflicts are part of the roguelike design. Not every run is intended to be flawless, and permanent upgrades are meant to give later employees more room to handle difficult shifts. That explanation does not turn a penalized action into a clean inspection.
Look at the current assignment's deadline and consequences instead of assuming every task has the same duration. Steam achievements distinguish Daily, Multi-Day, and Unlimited Cartel tasks, but their names alone do not establish every mission's exact rules.
Track completion instead of assuming it
After acting, check whether the task is marked complete. A request can require a full quantity or a completed passage through control rather than partial progress.
Use the end-of-day results to understand the trade-off you actually made. A reward can confirm that the cartel objective was satisfied even while the airport records a violation. Those outcomes can coexist.
The Prologue demonstrations provide practical examples, not a universal current-version list of mission rewards, prices, or penalties. Read the values shown in your own task before committing to a risky choice.
FAQ
Why is my delivery task incomplete after I collect the items?
The recorded tutorial requires a courier handover at the bus stop. Collection and delivery are separate steps.
Can I confiscate contraband for a let-through task?
That may prevent the requested item from passing control. Follow the assignment's action and qualifiers rather than treating every task as a confiscation request.
Can a successful cartel task damage airport reputation?
Yes. The player demonstrations show that fulfilling cartel demands can involve inspection violations and reduced scores.