If you’ve spent any time wandering the residential district of New Atlantis in Starfield, you’ve probably walked past dozens of unmarked apartment doors without a second thought. That’s exactly what I did during my first playthrough, until I stumbled on 6833 Desert Crimson St while tracking a Crimson Fleet courier for a side job. I thought it would be a boring, empty apartment with a few loose credits at most, but it turned out to be one of the most rewarding hidden locations in the entire game. I wasted a master lockpick to get in my first time, so I wrote this guide to help you skip the hassle and grab every hidden reward this spot has to offer.
What Makes 6833 Desert Crimson St Worth Exploring?
This unassuming apartment is a secret Crimson Fleet safe house, used by low-ranking fleet members to lay low when UC security is cracking down on smuggling operations. It’s not marked on any official map, so most players never find it unless they’re specifically looking for Crimson Fleet related content. The front door has a master level lock if you don’t have the access code, but the rewards inside are more than worth the small effort it takes to get in.
On my first run, I walked away with enough rare crafting materials to build my first outpost, plus a unique weapon that I used for almost 10 levels. Even if you’re not aligned with the Crimson Fleet, you can still grab all the loot without ruining your standing with other factions, as long as you’re careful. The only catch is that if you’ve already declared war on the Crimson Fleet, you’ll find two armed guards inside the apartment instead of the usual two non-hostile residents.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the basic rewards you can grab on your first visit, even if you only spend 10 minutes exploring:
- 1 unique short-barrel shotgun that deals 15% extra damage against UC security and Vanguard personnel
- 3,200 unmarked credits stored in a hidden floor safe under the kitchen rug
- 8 pieces of rare adaptive framing, one of the hardest materials to find for early outpost building
- 2 encrypted data logs that unlock a hidden smuggling side mission with 2,500 credits and Crimson Fleet reputation as a reward
Don’t bring any UC security or Vanguard followers with you when you visit. They will immediately recognize the Crimson Fleet markings inside the apartment and attack the residents, which will trigger a full New Atlantis security alert and leave you with a 1,000 credit fine if you get caught. I made this mistake on my second playthrough, and I had to reload a 30 minute old save to fix the mess.
How to Unlock 6833 Desert Crimson St Without Lockpicking
You don’t have to waste a valuable master lockpick to get through the front door, no matter what faction you’re playing as. There are three easy ways to get the access code for free, and none of them require you to fight anyone or complete a long quest first. The first and easiest method is available as soon as you reach New Atlantis for the first time.
If you head to the Resolute Bar in the residential district, you can talk to the bartender, Mia, and ask her if she knows anything about Crimson Fleet activity in the area. She’ll ask for 500 credits in exchange for the intel, which is way cheaper than a master lockpick, and she’ll give you the access code right away. If you don’t want to spend the credits, you can find the code on a dead Crimson Fleet courier lying in the alley behind the apartment building. Just search his pockets, and you’ll find a data slate with the code written on it.
If you’re playing through the Crimson Fleet quest line, you’ll get the code automatically during the third mission of the arc, “Deep Cover”. Your fleet contact will hand you the data slate with the code as part of the quest objective, so you won’t have to look for it at all. The default access code for the front door is 7249, if you just want to skip all the extra steps and walk right in. Just don’t enter the wrong code more than twice, or the door will lock you out for 10 minutes and trigger a nearby security alert.
Hidden Secrets Most Players Miss at This Location
Most players grab the obvious loot in the living room and kitchen, then leave and never come back, but there are three big hidden secrets that almost no one finds. The first is a hidden storage compartment behind the couch in the living room. You can hold the interact button to move the couch out of the way, and you’ll find a vent cover you can pry off. Inside the vent, there’s a storage box with the Crimson Scavenger Spacesuit, a rare light armor set that gives you 20% extra energy resistance and 10% extra carry weight. I still use this suit for smuggling runs 40 hours into my playthrough.
The second secret is in the bedroom nightstand. You’ll find an encrypted data log that marks another hidden Crimson Fleet safe house in the commercial district of New Atlantis. That second safe house has even more rare loot, including a unique sniper rifle, so it’s well worth tracking down once you grab the log. The data log also has details about a UC security mole working for the Crimson Fleet, which you can use for multiple different quest lines.
You can choose to turn in the location to UC security or keep it for your own use. If you’re playing through the Vanguard quest line, you can take the data logs you find in the apartment to the UC security office, and you’ll get 5,000 credits and 1,000 Vanguard reputation as a reward. The downside is that the security team will raid the apartment, so you won’t be able to use it as a free storage spot later. If you keep the location secret, the storage boxes inside the apartment don’t reset, so you can store as much extra gear as you want there for free, and it’s way closer to the commercial district than the official bank storage boxes.
Tips to Avoid Getting in Trouble During Your Visit
Even if you have the access code, it’s easy to make a mistake that gets you fined or chased by UC security, so there are a few simple rules you should follow to make your visit go smoothly. First, always enter the apartment when there are no other NPCs walking down the hallway outside. If a resident sees you entering a random apartment that isn’t yours, they’ll call security, and you’ll get a trespassing fine even if you have the access code.
Always use stealth mode when looting to avoid detection. The two residents inside the apartment usually stay in the kitchen or the bedroom, so you can sneak around the living room and grab most of the loot without them noticing. If they do catch you stealing, they’ll attack you, and you’ll have to either knock them out or run away. Knocking them out won’t hurt your Crimson Fleet reputation, but killing them will make all low-ranking fleet members hostile to you for the rest of your playthrough.
If you’re already hostile to the Crimson Fleet, you should take out the two guards inside the apartment before you enter. You can use a silenced sniper rifle to shoot them through the front window, and no one will notice, as long as there are no other NPCs around. Don’t run in guns blazing, because the guards will trigger a security alarm as soon as they see you, and half the New Atlantis security force will show up before you can grab any loot. When you’re done looting, make sure to close the front door behind you, so passing NPCs don’t see the mess inside and call security.
There are hundreds of hidden locations scattered across Starfield’s settled systems, but few offer as much valuable loot for as little effort as 6833 Desert Crimson St. Whether you’re aligned with the Crimson Fleet, the UC Vanguard, or no faction at all, you’ll find something useful here, from rare crafting materials to extra credits to a free permanent storage spot right in the middle of New Atlantis. Next time you’re wandering the residential district looking for extra side content, make sure to stop by and grab everything this hidden safe house has to offer.