That Wreck Is Not Decor
You are flying between asteroids and you see it: a half-destroyed ship hull drifting in space. Debris field around it. Looks like a battle remnant. You assume it is empty and fly past.
Do not fly past. Wrecks in Outworld Station are loot pinatas. Every wreck contains salvageable components, materials, and sometimes entire intact modules. A good salvage run can yield 200-500 units of advanced materials that would take an hour to produce.
The Short Version
Equip the Salvage Laser on your ship. Fly to any wreck within 500m of your station. Shoot the wreck to break it into debris chunks. Collect chunks with your cargo beam. Unload at station. A Salvage Processor turns wreck chunks into components and materials. 10 minutes of salvage = 30 minutes of saved production time.
Finding Wrecks[+]
Where Wrecks Spawn
| Location | Wreck Type | Avg. Yield | Danger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asteroid belt (50-200m) | Small fighters | 50-100 units | None |
| Deep belt (200-400m) | Medium freighters | 100-300 units | Low (debris collision) |
| Near gas giants (300-500m) | Large haulers | 200-500 units | Medium (radiation) |
| Battle zones (400-800m) | Capital ship remnants | 500-2000 units | High (active mines) |
Visual Indicators:
- Grey/black hull fragments with visible damage
- Debris field of small rocks around the main wreck
- Faint distress beacon signal (range: 200m)
- Sometimes: active emergency lights (flashing red)
Salvage Equipment Requirements[+]
What You Need
| Equipment | Purpose | Where to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Salvage Laser | Breaks wrecks into chunks | Ship equipment fabricator (10 Iron + 5 Copper) |
| Cargo Beam | Collects floating chunks | Default ship equipment |
| Salvage Processor (station) | Turns chunks into materials | Station building (50 Iron + 20 Electronics) |
| Tractor Beam (optional) | Tows small wrecks to station | Ship upgrade (Station Level 5 research) |
Chunk Types and Processing Results:
| Chunk Type | Appearance | Processor Output | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull Fragment | Grey metal chunks | 3-5 Iron, 1-2 Copper | Low |
| Engine Component | Glowing metal | 2-3 Titanium, 1 Electronics | Medium |
| Weapon Module | Dark cylinders | 1-2 Tungsten, 1 Weapon Part | High |
| Core Fragment | Central sphere | 5-10 Superalloy, 1 Quantum Crystal (rare) | Very High |
| Data Core | Blue glowing cube | 2 Advanced Circuits, 1 Data Chip | Priceless |
Towing vs. On-Site Salvage[+]
Two Approaches
On-Site Salvage (Faster, Riskier):
- Fly to the wreck
- Shoot with Salvage Laser (5-10 shots per wreck)
- Collect chunks with Cargo Beam
- Fly back to station
- Feed chunks into Salvage Processor
Towing (Slower, Safer, Higher Yield):
- Equip Tractor Beam
- Lock onto wreck (must be smaller than your ship)
- Tow wreck to station (speed reduced by 50%)
- Park wreck next to Salvage Processor
- Process directly (no chunk loss, yields 25% more)
When to Tow vs. On-Site:
| Scenario | On-Site Salvage | Towing |
|---|---|---|
| Small wreck, far from station | Best | Too slow |
| Large wreck, close to station | Skips 25% bonus | Best |
| Hazardous zone (radiation/mines) | Quick in and out | Too dangerous |
| Multiple wrecks in one area | Salvage all, tow back later | Tow one at a time |
Salvage Priority
Best salvage targets (ranked by materials per minute):
- Capital ship remnants (mid-to-late game)
- Large freighters near gas giants
- Medium haulers in deep belt
- Small fighters (only if very close to station)
What to keep vs. sell:
- Always keep: Quantum Crystals, Electronics, Data Cores
- Usually keep: Superalloy, Titanium
- Sell/Recycle: Basic Iron/Copper (you have plenty)
v1.1: Ship-Drop Salvage – A New Loot Source
Before v1.1, salvage came only from static derelict wrecks. v1.1 adds a second source: ships and wrecks now drop recoverable loot when destroyed. That includes enemy raiders you shoot down and your own downed ships – so every combat loss is also a recovery opportunity.
Treat fresh combat wrecks like the static ones above: break them with the Salvage Laser, collect chunks, and feed the Salvage Processor. Expect similar chunk types (Hull Fragments, Engine Components, Core Fragments, etc.) from ship drops.
v1.1: Automate the grind with a CPU-controlled salvage ship. Allocate CPU points to a ship’s auto-salvage role (see the Ship CPU Control Guide) and it will loop known wreck fields or patrol recent combat zones on its own. Keep its patrol lane out of your turret fire zones – see the v1.1 defense notes in the Weapons and Turret Placement Guide.