In Starfield, having a bounty put on your head is quite annoying. Don't worry if that has already happened to you, we'll help you get rid of your bounty in a jiffy.
Just because you can commit crimes in Starfield, doesn't mean you won't have to face the consequences for them eventually.
If you're ever caught committing some kind of crime, like stealing from others, or you get caught trying to smuggle some contraband, you might end up behind bars.
Don't worry, there are plenty of ways you can avoid ending up in jail, and the first step to avoiding that is by getting rid of your bounty.
Starfield: How You Can Remove Your Bounty
If you've been lucky enough to have avoided getting a bounty, here's what happens when you get a bounty, just so everyone is up to speed:
As soon as you get caught doing a crime, a bounty will be put on your head by that specific region's faction.
This means that security from that region will start chasing you down and attack you, as soon as they spot you, as long as you have that bounty on your head. As long as you have a bounty on your head, you will not be able to travel to other settlements from that faction without being arrested.
Also, if security are already chasing you, then you will also no longer be able to fast travel. Depending on the crime you committed and how many crimes you got caught in the act of, your bounty will increase.
While you can choose to just do the time behind bars, you can also opt out of jail time by either paying the fine, or even fight the guards.
You can choose to fight the guards if they try to chase you down, but depending on where you are there might be a bunch of guards that you'll have to beat up, and it's honestly probably not worth your while. But, if you die while beating the guards up, that'll also get rid of your bounty, so maybe it's not that bad of an idea.
Besides beating others up, the only other way to avoid being chased down and shot at by security before being thrown in jail is by paying up. But, depending on who you pay, you'll still be able to keep your illegal goods in your pockets.
Pay The Fine
The easiest way to avoid going to prison is by immediately paying the fine from your bounty. This is the cheapest option you can take, but you also have to give up all of your contraband and stolen items.
If you want to keep your illegal possessions, then you're going to have to pay a bit more than just the initial fine, but depending on what's in your inventory, it might be worth it.
Bribery
The probably quickest way to get rid of your bounty while keeping your things is by bribing the guards. This won't always work, and if it doesn't, your bounty fee will increase significantly and the guards will also immediately arrest you. Oops.
You won't be able to bribe the guards if your bounty exceeds 10,000 credits, though.
But, if you're still willing to try and bribe them, you can lower the amount that you'll have to pay for a bribe by unlocking the Negotiation skill and increasing its rank. The higher your Negotiation skill rank is, the less you'll have to pay to bribe the security.
Bounty Clearance Kiosk
Another way to get rid of your bounty is by using a Trackers Alliance Self-Service Bounty Clearance Kiosk. They can be found in pretty much every major settlement in Starfield. You should be able to find them near where your ship lands on a planet or at the bar.
All you have to do is go up to the kiosk and interact with it in order to select "clear bounty". After that, you'll automatically pay the fee and the bounty will be removed. How much you have to pay as a fee at the kiosk depends on the bounty put on your head.
It's important to note that you won't be able to use the Self-Service Kiosks in regions that belong to the faction that put the bounty on you. So if the United Colonies put a bounty on you, you'll have to travel all the way to a planet that isn't controlled by the UC.
Jail Time
Of course, if you don't have enough money on you, or you just don't think that all of these ideas are worth the hassle, you can always just let the guards slap on some handcuffs on your wrists and go straight to jail, just like in Monopoly.
The downside to going to jail is a) dude, you're going to jail b) you'll spend quite a few days in jail, depending on the size of your bounty and c) you'll also lose XP.
Both the length of your stay behind bars and the amount of XP that'll be deducted depend on your bounty. But don't worry, you can only lose XP, not levels.
So maybe try to avoid getting caught whenever you decide to do another crime, and if not, at least now you know a few ways to get rid of your bounty in Starfield!