Salvage & mining — feed the forge
Asteroids refill reactors while wrecks hide guns, bodies, and furniture — treat pods like conveyor belts and wrecks like dungeon raids.
Mining priorities
| Priority | Resource | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyperium | Fuel bottlenecks end runs. |
| 2 | Energium | Rods trade & power everything. |
| 3 | Ice | Water/O₂ backbone. |
| 4 | Raw chemicals | Meds & enzymes. |
| 5 | Raw metals | Common plating filler. |
Pod operations
- Parallel pods across separate rocks accelerate throughput.
- Mining L3+ reduces accident RNG.
- Spacefarer miners ignore vacuum slowdown entirely.
- Recall pods before cargo overflows mid-flight.
- Advanced pod research pays for itself quickly.
Derelict boarding playbook
- Peek airlocks with a scout.
- Clear bots/xenos room-by-room.
- Wake cryo survivors before teardown orders.
- Tag valuable machines first.
- Funnel scrap through recyclers.
- Decide whether hulls sell better intact or stripped.
Interior hazards
- Rogue drones — calm lasers, no morale breaks.
- Crawler nests — kill pods before looting walls.
- Toxic vacuum — suits mandatory.
- Unstable tiles — avoid chain breaches trapping squads.
- Parasite slime — disinfect returning crew.
Claim vs strip
- Repair & pilot intact hulls packed with labs.
- Strip shattered shells when downtime beats logistics.
- Merchant brokers buy pristine ships for jackpot payouts.
Recycler essentials
Without recyclers, salvaged tiles evaporate — plant one before celebrating huge wrecks. Same machine digests obsolete base junk during remodels.
Why Spacefarer miners rock
Most wrecks spend half their lifetime unbreathable — Spacefarer crews keep strip speeds competitive vs suited rookies who crawl at penalties.
Raw materials table
| Resource | Source | Primary use |
|---|---|---|
| Energium | Asteroids | Refined into Energy Rods via Energy Refinery |
| Hyperium | Asteroids | Refined into Hyperfuel for hyperspace jumps |
| Ice | Asteroids | Processed into Water for oxygen generation and food |
| Raw Metals | Asteroids / Salvage | Building materials, hull expansion |
| Raw Chemicals | Asteroids / Derelicts | Chemical Refinery input, alien enzyme production |
Related guides
Ship Building
Slot salvaged gear cleanly.
Trading & Economy
Flip scrap into credits.
Combat Guide
Clear hostile wrecks.
Crew Management
Miner traits & schedules.
Frequently asked questions
How do I salvage a derelict ship?
Approach the derelict ship on the galaxy map and dock. Draft a team of 3-4 crew members (prioritize Construct skill L3+) and enter through airlocks or breach the hull. Clear any enemies (rogue robots, aliens), then mark tiles for deconstruction. Your crew will strip usable materials which get transported back to your ship.
What is the difference between a Derelict and a Claimable Ship?
A Claimable Ship is in repairable condition — you can move your crew aboard and pilot it as a second vessel or sell it. A Derelict is too damaged to operate and is only good for salvage materials. Both can contain valuable cargo and cryogenic survivors.
Which asteroids are worth mining?
Priority order: (1) Hyperium asteroids for Hyperfuel production, (2) Energium asteroids for Energy Rod trade income, (3) Ice asteroids for water and fertilizer. Raw Metals are abundant and lower priority unless you are expanding your ship significantly.
How does the Recycler facility work?
The Recycler processes salvaged junk tiles and broken facility components into usable raw materials. It is essential for salvage runs — without it, deconstructed material simply disappears. Build your Recycler before embarking on heavy salvage operations.
Is the Spacefarer trait good for salvage crews?
Extremely good. The Spacefarer trait removes the 50% work penalty and 6% accident penalty when working in vacuum (space suits required environment). Since salvage work often occurs in unpressurized derelict ships, Spacefarer crew members work at full efficiency throughout the operation.