Vanduul Metal
Harvesting
- Category
- Flora
- Sub-type
- Not a plant — it is an alien-manufactured material / crafting loot, a Size 1 one-handed carryable.
Required by contracts(5)
- InterSec Defense Solutionscollect 5
- Wikelocollect 15
- Wikelocollect 2
- Wikelocollect 10–30
- Wikelocollect 10
AI Overview
Compiled by AI from community sources — may be incomplete or inaccurate; verify before relying on it.
A salvaged scrap of alien alloy stripped from dead Vanduul pilots — an S1 carryable harvestable crafting material used to buy modified weapons and armour from the Banu trader Wikelo.
What it is
Despite our catalog tagging it as "Flora / plant," Vanduul Metal is not a plant or fungus at all. It is a manufactured-alien-material harvestable: a small piece of metal of Vanduul origin, described in-game simply as "A piece of metal of Vanduul origin." It is a one-handed carryable (Size 1) item that drops as loot. Its base/parent variant in the item database is the rarer "Vanduul Plating." Sources list it as an S1 harvestable crafting item introduced in Alpha 4.4, with the entity flagged as stackable, lootable, and "legendary" rarity in its tags.
Sources:starcitizen.toolsapi.star-citizen.wikifinder.cstone.spaceexpcarry.com
Physical details
- Classification: Miscellaneous / carryable (one-handed), Size 1 - Cargo dimensions: 0.24 m x 0.09 m x 0.03 m - Occupancy/volume: roughly 650-700 µSCU (the star-citizen.wiki API lists 652 µSCU; some guides round to 700 µSCU) - Mass: effectively negligible (API reports 0 kg; some guides cite ~0.25 kg) - Item UUID: 9889fb6f-5ab7-4b8e-b553-8ad7e233741d
Sources:api.star-citizen.wikifinder.cstone.spaceexpcarry.com
Gameplay use
Vanduul Metal is a crafting/turn-in ingredient, not a consumable or a straight trade commodity. Its main purpose is fulfilling collection contracts for Wikelo, the Banu trader who runs the Wikelo Emporium. The headline turn-in is the Boomtube "Clanguard" — a modified rocket launcher — which costs 2x Vanduul Metal + 2x Vanduul Plating + 1 standard Boomtube. Community trackers also list it in other Wikelo contracts (for example a "Curious Weapon" contract needing 2x Vanduul Metal, and armour contracts needing larger quantities such as 15x). Players have also reported turning Vanduul materials in toward alien-styled armour sets (e.g. a "Clang Guard"/"Tudo Clang Guard" set with unique alien design touches like a helmet-mounted light). Contracts are physically accepted inside the Emporium bazaar and the required items are deposited via the on-site freight elevator; Alpha 4.5 added a reputation-based progression that unlocks higher-tier contracts as you complete trades.
Sources:starcitizen.toolsundisputednoobs.comexpcarry.comstarzen.space
Value & where to sell
There is no standard NPC vendor buy/sell price; the cstone database explicitly marks it "not sold directly or at all," and UEX shows no NPC commodity price. Its value is realised by turning it in to Wikelo for gear rather than selling it for aUEC. On player-run marketplaces the related Vanduul Plating has been listed around 2.5M UEC per unit, indicating Vanduul materials command very high player prices because of their utility and rarity; Vanduul Metal itself trades player-to-player (UEX has a Vanduul Metal marketplace listing) but lacks a stable official price. Third-party carry services price-anchor it loosely (one lists ~0.36 EUR per unit as a real-money delivery fee, not an in-game value). Treat all of these as volatile and player-driven.
Where to harvest
Vanduul Metal is looted, not gathered from the environment. The primary route (as of 4.4) is the Vanduul-Tech Smugglers mission chain (offered by Intersect Defense Solutions, requiring roughly Junior Contractor rank) in the Nyx system. The chain has you clear derelict/auxiliary stations and fighter waves; you collect access keys from QV-style wreckages to enter the auxiliary stations, then loot the Vanduul pilot corpses inside, which carry the Metal (and the rarer Plating). A widely-shared tip: ride a bike between the main and auxiliary station — the Vanduul reportedly won't attack a player on a bike, allowing relatively peaceful looting. Plating is rarer than Metal, so prioritise Plating when both drop. The item's entity tags even reference a "Nyx action area," matching the smuggler-mission location.
Sources:starzen.spaceexpcarry.comapi.star-citizen.wikiapi.star-citizen.wiki
Source
The "source creature" here is effectively the Vanduul themselves — Vanduul pilots/corpses found at the derelict and auxiliary stations in the Vanduul-Tech Smugglers content. It is alien-manufactured material salvaged off enemy bodies and wreckage rather than a body part of a wild creature or a plant.
Sources:starzen.spacestarcitizen.tools
Grades & variants
There is no published A/AA/AAA-style grade ladder for Vanduul Metal. The meaningful variant relationship is between Vanduul Metal and its parent item Vanduul Plating: both come from the same Vanduul corpse/wreck loot, but Plating is the rarer, higher-value tier and is requested in smaller proportions by Wikelo contracts. If you can only carry a limited amount, Plating is the one to prioritise.
Lore
The Vanduul are Star Citizen's principal alien antagonists — a nomadic, clan-based warrior species locked in a long war with humanity. "Vanduul Metal" represents scavenged fragments of their distinctive metallurgy, which is why the in-universe value is tied to alien craftsmanship and why a Banu trader like Wikelo is interested in it for building exotic, alien-flavoured gear.
Trivia
- It was added with the Alpha 4.4 crafting/Wikelo content loop and ties directly into the Boomtube "Clanguard" rocket launcher. - Its database tags humorously include developer flags like "welcome to Nyx," pinning it to the Nyx-system smuggler activity. - Although tiny and near-weightless, it can fetch enormous player-market prices because it gates desirable Wikelo rewards.
Some data from starcitizen.tools (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).