There are two main ways to join the Crimson Fleet faction in Starfield:
- The quickest way is to get caught stealing, carrying contraband, or committing illegal activities in United Colonies (UC) space. When caught, you get taken to the UC Vigilance ship where Commander Ikande assigns you the "Rook Meets King" mission. Completing this mission officially joins you to the Crimson Fleet.
- The legal way is to join the UC Vanguard faction and progress through their missions to a point where Commander Tuala assigns you the "Deep Cover" mission, which involves going undercover with the Crimson Fleet. This also leads to joining them officially.
Once you talk to Delgado at the end of the "Rook Meets King" mission, you become a member of the Crimson Fleet. Note that joining the Crimson Fleet comes with consequences such as accruing bounties when fighting its members, but you also gain access to a special Crimson Fleet mission board with smuggling and piracy missions. The Crimson Fleet's base is a repurposed prison and space station called The Key, located in the Kryx System. In summary:
- Get caught with contraband or commit crimes in UC space → "Rook Meets King" mission → join Crimson Fleet
- Join UC Vanguard → Deep Cover mission → join Crimson Fleet
These are the main methods to join Crimson Fleet as pirates in Starfield.
