SALVAGE / VISUAL FIELD GUIDE
Operate the Reclaimer: stations, cargo and refinery
Separate pilot, scraper, claw and cargo work, then follow one batch through output and the correct refinery handoff.
01
STEP 1 OF 15
Assign the Reclaimer jobs before the first wreck
CIG describes manual material handling. A firsthand 2026 Reclaimer discussion describes separate pilot, claw and scraper stations. Its exact publication date was not established; treat it as player observation, not a control manual.
SC Nomads practice arrangement: identify the pilot, scraper operator, structural operator and cargo handler. People can alternate these jobs. This is not a fixed required headcount, a claim that every job is continuous, or a promise of a particular earning rate.
Ask for the actual route between your work seat, output and flight controls while parked. No door-by-door route, compass-side seat location or current pressure boundary has been verified for this guide.
- 1
Identify the control station for your assigned job
Visit the pilot position, the seat operating your assigned scraper or structural system, and the cargo output. Inspect the work station’s actual selected tool before accepting a paid wreck.
What you should seeYou can identify the job you control and the next place the material must go.
Firsthand Reclaimer station discussion, 2026; exact publication date unconfirmed, checked 15 October 2026That did not happen
If the seat does not expose the expected function, stop and confirm the station with the ship owner. Do not assume the pilot controls the claw or every scraper.
Read the complete guide as text
The same published instructions in one readable view. Use the steps above for controls and practice panels.
Assign the Reclaimer jobs before the first wreck
CIG describes manual material handling. A firsthand 2026 Reclaimer discussion describes separate pilot, claw and scraper stations. Its exact publication date was not established; treat it as player observation, not a control manual.
SC Nomads practice arrangement: identify the pilot, scraper operator, structural operator and cargo handler. People can alternate these jobs. This is not a fixed required headcount, a claim that every job is continuous, or a promise of a particular earning rate.
Ask for the actual route between your work seat, output and flight controls while parked. No door-by-door route, compass-side seat location or current pressure boundary has been verified for this guide.
Identify the control station for your assigned job
Visit the pilot position, the seat operating your assigned scraper or structural system, and the cargo output. Inspect the work station’s actual selected tool before accepting a paid wreck.
Expected result: You can identify the job you control and the next place the material must go.
If it did not work: If the seat does not expose the expected function, stop and confirm the station with the ship owner. Do not assume the pilot controls the claw or every scraper.
Rehearse each Reclaimer job before the first wreck
The bridge pilot positions the ship. Hull-scraping operators work the salvage turrets. Structural fracture and disintegration use the claw operation station. The cargo handler works the filler and physical boxes. Sitting in the pilot seat does not put every salvage tool under pilot control.
SC Nomads parked rehearsal: identify the pilot seat, intended scraping station, claw station and salvage-processing output by their interaction labels and displays. Walk the route back to flight controls. This is a workstation checklist, not a verified current interior deck map; ask an experienced operator to show a station you cannot positively identify.
Solo operation means pausing to change jobs and walking between them. Two people can divide flight/structural work and scraping/cargo work in turns; this is a suggested teaching arrangement, not a minimum crew rule. Add occupied scraper stations only when the pilot and cargo handler can support their output.
Before any movement the pilot calls reposition; working operators stop and acknowledge. Once stable, the working operator confirms target, range and clearance, then the handler confirms buffer/output capacity. Anyone can call stop if a person, loose box or unexpected motion enters the work area.
Demonstrate the station rather than only naming it
While safely parked, have each learner enter their assigned work station, identify its selected tool and explain the stop control. Then physically visit the filler and return to the pilot route.
Expected result: Every role has a known occupied station and a return path.
If it did not work: If the display cannot control the intended tool, resolve the station identity before accepting a contract. A shortcut for tool focus cannot substitute for the correct seat.
Run one announced handoff
On a small permitted target, have the operator stop, the handler package and clear one batch, then have flight and output capacity confirmed before resuming. Solo, perform these stages sequentially.
Expected result: The handoff includes an observed result and a named person taking the next job.
If it did not work: If nobody is watching flight or nobody can clear output, hold collection. More active beams do not solve a missing crew job.
Check the binding and the station before the beam
Source review: 17 October 2026. The official patch index identifies Alpha 4.10.2. The current salvage page describes Alpha 4.4 onward, and its structural-material refinery instructions are used here. SC Nomads has not played this procedure on 4.10.2.
The latest extracted CIG control comparison inspected here is 4.9.0-LIVE.12344265 against 4.10.0-PTU.12479687 on 22 August 2026. It reports unchanged actions. That comparison does not establish 4.10.2 defaults. The existing lesson cards retain these latest known keyboard defaults; your saved bindings and the current Options screen take precedence.
Controls to identify: Toggle Salvage Operator Mode, Focus All Salvage Heads, Focus Left/Right Salvage Head, Toggle Fire Focused, Cycle Focused Salvage Modifiers, Salvage Gimbal, Relative Beam Spacing, Toggle Fire Fracture and Toggle Fire Disintegrate. Head focus selects what a later command affects. It does not move you into a different physical station.
Read your active device and named action
Open Options > Keybindings, choose the device you actually use, then Advanced Controls Customization. Find each named action above and note its assigned input. Check both left and right Alt when comparing keyboard bindings. Keep your existing working profile.
Expected result: You can name the input for selecting the tool, firing it and stopping it at this station.
If it did not work: If a combination performs a different action, compare that binding and any conflict before changing anything. Do not repeatedly try a remembered shortcut beside the wreck.
Field note: Current gameplay verification remains outstanding. The guide does not label an older extracted binding as a tested 4.10.2 control.
Prove one small complete cycle
SC Nomads exercise: use a permitted target and a small batch. The aim is to observe collection, produce a box, clear it and regain a usable work station. Do this before trying to fill the ship.
With two people, say which task is unattended while one person changes stations. Solo, stop the current tool before walking, check the ship’s position again on returning, and count that walking and cargo work as part of the session.
Agree stop and resume calls
Choose one short stop call that all operators obey. Before repositioning or leaving a station, announce what is stopping and who will confirm that work can resume.
Expected result: Each handoff has a named person and a visible result to check.
If it did not work: If everyone believes someone else is watching flight or output, pause the run and reassign the jobs.
Trace one batch through the output
SC Nomads drill: have the handler perform one output stage and describe the result before work resumes. Use the shared lesson below for the machine procedure.
Expected result: The crew agrees which stage completed and who handles the next one.
If it did not work: If observations disagree, repeat a smaller trial before continuing into an unexplained failure.
Make the work seat position stable
SC Nomads operating rule: stop relative motion and keep clearance from the wreck before working. A zero speed indication alone is not a guarantee of fixed separation from a moving target. Compare distance and the target position against your reticle for a short observation before starting.
In atmosphere, wind, gravity and ship behavior can change your position while you walk away. Do not assume unattended hover, decoupled flight or switching engines off will hold a Vulture or Reclaimer safely. There is no verified universal wind threshold or automatic station-keeping promise in this guide.
For a first solo station-change lesson use open space with generous clearance. If the work requires continuous flight correction, keep a pilot at the controls or postpone that target. With crew, the operator calls beam stopped before the pilot moves, then confirms range and aim again.
Observe position before leaving the controls
Stop the tool. Check relative distance, closing motion and nearby obstacles. Before a solo cargo trip, ensure you can return to flight controls and that the ship is not relying on your continued input to avoid collision.
Expected result: Separation stays usable during your observation and the next station change has a clear return route.
If it did not work: If drift returns, remain at flight controls and reposition. Do not walk farther into the ship to solve a cargo problem while flight is already deteriorating.
Separate scraping feedback from station choice
The control cards below reuse the existing mining and salvage lessons. Latest extracted keyboard data is 4.9 LIVE with a 22 August 2026 comparison against 4.10 PTU, not an SC Nomads test of 4.10.2. Your own saved bindings take precedence. Use the normal guide improvement action for inaccurate controls.
Use a salvage-capable work station and read its current tool/mode. A focused tool control does not transfer the pilot’s job or another operator’s station to you. These shared scraping cards assume you have already selected the intended scraper.
Check surface removal and RMC increase using the shared lesson below.
Start scraping a small patch
Aim the focused scraper at usable surface within the displayed range and start the beam. Move deliberately across the hull while observing the surface and recovered-material readout.
Expected result: The worked surface becomes stripped and RMC increases in the buffer.
If it did not work: If the surface is already bare, move to unworked hull. If no material enters storage, check range, target suitability and available buffer space.
Compare scraper settings on a controlled patch
Stop and read the current scraper modifier. Cycle modifiers only when you can observe the new selection, then compare how it works on a similar nearby area.
Expected result: The displayed modifier changes and you can compare its behavior without losing track of the active mode.
If it did not work: Do not treat a modifier name as universally best. Check the installed equipment and current operating feedback.
Stop before changing jobs or leaving the station
Stop the beam and confirm it is inactive before getting up to handle cargo or investigate a problem.
Expected result: The salvage system is no longer collecting while the operator is away.
If it did not work: A low yield or empty surface does not prove the beam is off. Check its visible firing state.
Clear people, wanted items and RMC first
Plan wanted recovery and confirm everyone has left the target. CIG instructs exporting RMC before structural collection because both share filler storage.
SC Nomads crew check: have the cargo handler read back the machine’s remaining contents before the structural operator resumes. Resolve disagreement before continuing.
Confirm the wreck is clear
Ask each boarding player to confirm they are back aboard transport, then repeat the intended target. Account for wanted recovered items before starting fracture.
Expected result: No player or planned recovery task remains inside the target.
If it did not work: If someone has not answered, hold the structural stage. A vacant cockpit is not proof the rest of the wreck is clear.
Inspect the buffer after exporting RMC
Have the cargo handler read back the remaining material before the structural operator continues.
Expected result: Both operators confirm the earlier RMC batch is cleared.
If it did not work: If readings disagree, stop and resolve the earlier stage.
- Target authorized
- All people clear
- Wanted items recovered
- Earlier RMC batch exported
- Output and walking route clear
Fracture is a stage, not the collected cargo
Fracture separates the hull; disintegration collects the resulting material. Follow the shared lesson below, checking each result before continuing.
These inputs are reused from the structural-salvage lesson. They are latest known defaults with the snapshot limits explained earlier. Follow actual tool, range and storage feedback rather than an old tutorial’s fixed distance or target-size promise.
Fracture the prepared wreck
Aim the structural system at a permitted target within its capability and range. Use the fracture control and monitor the actual progress until the wreck separates.
Expected result: The intact wreck becomes smaller structural pieces.
If it did not work: If the target is too large or progress cannot start, reposition or choose a suitable wreck. A spinning effect alone is not a completed fracture.
Disintegrate the resulting pieces
Select a compatible fractured piece and activate disintegration. Watch the processing buffer while the piece is consumed.
Expected result: Structural salvage accumulates in the buffer rather than remaining only as a broken wreck.
If it did not work: Check range, target state and free capacity if nothing enters storage. Stop processing before investigating a blocked output machine.
Clear the output, then resume
At the output machine, produce the available boxes and tractor them onto usable cargo-grid positions. Check the buffer and output path again before returning to the salvage station.
Expected result: The output opening is clear and processing capacity is available.
If it did not work: RMC and structural materials share processing space. Export the relevant stored material instead of assuming a second material has a separate unlimited buffer.
Recognize fracture, alignment and collection
Recover wanted components and cargo before destructive processing. Get a spoken confirmation from every boarding player that they are out and clear. Export earlier RMC from the shared filler buffer before starting the structural batch.
Fracture breaks a suitable hull into pieces. Disintegration consumes suitable pieces and adds structural material to storage. Check the current tool, target eligibility, displayed range and progress. Do not reuse a historical fixed range or ship-size list as a current capability guarantee.
The 4.3.2 change introduced off-center alignment sweet spots and percentage feedback. Treat that as the reason to inspect current alignment feedback, not a promise of a fixed bonus in 4.10.2. Make small positioning changes, compare the indicated result and retain collision clearance. A tractor-equipped crew can manipulate a permitted wreck only within its actual tractor capability.
Prove fracture before selecting the next job
Toggle Fire Fracture
At the correct structural station, identify the fracture function in your active bindings. Aim at a permitted and eligible target, activate it and watch actual progress until the hull separates.
Expected result: The previously intact target has become separate pieces.
If it did not work: If progress does not start, inspect eligibility, range, alignment and tool state. A rotating field animation alone does not confirm a successful fracture.
Prove disintegration with one piece
Toggle Fire Disintegrate
Select an eligible piece, identify the disintegration function, then process a small amount while watching its consumption and the structural-material buffer. Pause before output handling.
Expected result: The piece is consumed and the named structural resource increases.
If it did not work: If nothing enters storage, stop and inspect the first missing state: target, range, selected tool or free buffer. Fracture by itself produces no boxed cargo.
Choose a refinery route before filling the ship
CIG calls Heavy Salvage output Salvage; it needs refining. Checkmate, Orbituary, Ruin Station and Levski have refinery access and extra-large hangars. Unload through a freight elevator into station inventory before placing the refinery job.
SC Nomads return checklist: verify your actual destination and material, inspect the offered order, then assign responsibility for the later collection. Compare the complete trip before choosing another target.
Check the accepted next stage
SC Nomads return drill: explain the next destination and inspect the offered order before committing. Assign the later collection to a named person.
Expected result: The crew agrees the input, destination and responsibility for the next stage.
If it did not work: If the offered result differs from your plan, stop and investigate the discrepancy before committing. Use the detailed refinery lesson for its procedure.
Trace one batch from buffer to buyer
SC Nomads batch drill: read the stored material name and amount before producing a box. Use an available output option, wait for the physical container, then move it clear. Check the material readout changed and that the dispenser is ready before producing the next one.
Use valid cargo-grid positions and preserve the access aisle, ladder, doors and output clearance. Loose overstacking is not the ship's advertised cargo capacity and can obstruct people or machinery. This guide deliberately gives no unofficial maximum box count.
Before departure account for both boxed cargo and remaining buffer material. A selling terminal cannot be assumed to sell unboxed buffer contents. Plan where you can produce any remainder and keep enough physical space to do it.
Clear the output without creating a new blockage
Stop collection before cargo work. Produce one box, tractor it to a clear grid position, release it and check it stays placed. Return to inspect the output and remaining buffer.
Expected result: There is one accounted-for box, a clear output and usable intermediate capacity.
If it did not work: If output is blocked, stop production and move the obstruction first. If no box appears, inspect the available amount and current production option before another click.
Confirm the sale and remainder
At a buyer that accepts the actual material, select the correct accessible inventory and inspect quantity, price and total. Confirm only the intended transaction, then compare remaining cargo and balance.
Expected result: The sold quantity is accounted for and the remaining batch has a known location.
If it did not work: If the material is missing, check selected storage, ownership/access, unloading requirements and buyer acceptance. Do not claim the ship as a refresh for a cargo problem.
Field note: A partial sale is a completed transaction for that quantity. Record the remainder instead of treating a successful terminal click as proof the whole load sold.
Finish the raw material, then finish the sale
The current CIG guide distinguishes Rubble from light salvage ships, Pieces from medium ships and Salvage from heavy ships. These raw structural materials need refining. Read the actual container label instead of calling every output ready-to-sell Construction Materials.
Unload raw material via the receiving freight elevator into station inventory before creating its refinery job. Check ship access separately from refinery availability: a station having a refinery does not establish that your Reclaimer can use an ordinary small hangar.
SC Nomads return drill: inspect the recognized input, method, cost, predicted output and completion time before submitting. Record the station and order. Arrange a suitable hauler and a later collection window. After collection, confirm the finished commodity at the selling terminal and account for any unsold portion.
Test recognition before unloading the whole operation
Transfer a manageable batch through the freight elevator and confirm the station inventory and refinery interface recognize its exact material. Inspect the offered job before committing the larger batch.
Expected result: The next stage is established for the resource actually collected.
If it did not work: If the job does not recognize it, compare inventory location, actual material and accepted input. Do not submit an unrelated job simply because an older video called the output CM.
Record a handoff that survives the session
Keep the order location, completion time, collection responsibility and intended hauler with your run notes. When collecting, verify the finished amount before flying to sell.
Expected result: The crew knows who returns for the refined output and what cargo capacity is needed.
If it did not work: If the session ends before completion, report it as a pending work order, not a realized sale.
Field note: Historical 3.22 tutorials that sell structural output immediately describe an earlier loop. Preserve their dates when using them as background.
A damaged Reclaimer: prove one small repair, or stop
Source checked 20 October 2026, not played on 4.10.2. CIG lists Reclaimer as Stage 2 partial engineering for Alpha 4.8: not every component or relay is accessible. Read the actual damaged item before leaving flight controls.
Cambio SRT or a MultiTool with Cambio-Lite SRT uses finite RMC canisters. Boxed salvage does not mean a loaded compatible handheld canister. Field repair is limited; station servicing or replacement is needed for full component health.
Stop collection and name who watches flight
Use the identified station stop control. Before walking away, confirm a stable flight situation and the route back. With crew, name the pilot and repair operator.
Expected result: Collection is stopped and somebody owns the flight task.
If it did not work: If clearance needs continuous correction, keep piloting; solo, abandon this work attempt and return safely instead.
Identify the item and prepare the supplied tool
Read the damaged item and its health on the available engineering screen or MFD. Inspect physical access only where supported. Equip the Cambio tool or correctly fitted Cambio-Lite and a compatible RMC canister.
Expected result: You can identify the target and supplied tool before applying it.
If it did not work: An inaccessible item requires another supported interface or station help. Stage 2 does not promise that every panel opens.
Prove repair mode and one short result
Inspect the tool mode. If controls are unfamiliar, use Options > Keybindings, select your device and Advanced Controls Customization to identify its action and stop input. Apply one short repair attempt, stop, and compare target health and remaining RMC.
Expected result: The damaged target improves and supply changes consistently with work.
If it did not work: Stop if mode, target, access or supply is wrong. A beam effect alone is not success; do not accidentally scrape the intended repair target.
Choose return instead of repeating a failed repair
Read the item again and agree the return destination. CIG says a component destroyed again after field repair cannot be repaired aboard a second time. Record which item was repaired before resuming.
Expected result: The crew knows the limited result and next destination.
If it did not work: Continuing failure or inaccessible damage means stop and seek station help. Do not assume automatic repair service for other craft.
Field note: Authored SC Nomads drill, not a current-patch test. Submit exact build, item, tool mode and before/after result for independent guide review. No new default repair hotkey is asserted.
Diagnose the stopped stage before repeating inputs
Use the first missing result to locate the problem: no surface change, no material increase, no box, blocked output, or material not recognized at the destination. Each is a different stage of the run.
CIG’s known-issues page, updated 9 October 2026, says salvage audio can loop even after ship power is off and lists restarting the game as its solution. Sound alone therefore does not prove the tool is still collecting. Stabilize the session before deciding how to end it; restarting is not a promise of cargo persistence.
The fracture animation ran, but no cargo appeared.: Use the structural lesson’s expected results to identify the first unconfirmed stage. Repeat that check with a small trial rather than guessing from the animation.
Collection stopped despite unused space in the ship.: Have the handler explain the first missing result using the output drill above. Compare observations before another attempt, and keep a clear route back to the controls.
Solo station changes dominate the session.: Try a shorter batch or combine the jobs with a friend using explicit handoffs. Compare the complete return-and-unload trip with a smaller salvage ship before choosing only by hold size.
Field note: Propose corrections through this guide with the build, station and observed feedback. Player reports are useful context and remain distinct from a current CIG instruction or an SC Nomads gameplay test.
Recover the first missing result
Stop the active tool before troubleshooting. Work forward through the chain: eligible target, correct occupied station, correct tool, useful range/alignment, visible target change, material increase, physical output, cargo placement, receiving inventory, refinery or buyer acceptance. Find where evidence first stops.
Record the build, ship, occupied station, selected tool, target, buffer state and exact missing result when reporting a fault. Change one condition at a time and repeat a small trial. A later box problem should not be diagnosed by repeatedly firing the beam.
Close the run with evidence
Write the boxed quantity, buffer remainder, sold amount and any station inventory or unfinished order. Note any failed stage and what recovered it.
Expected result: The next session starts with a known batch and a specific lesson to repeat.
If it did not work: If a loss cannot be verified, record the uncertainty. Do not convert a missing terminal entry into a claimed successful sale.
Scraper effect is visible, but RMC does not rise.: Check fresh surface, selected scraper, displayed effective range and free buffer. Compare a short test on an unworked patch. Stop if the ship is moving out of position.
Scraping or disintegration stops despite empty cargo floor.: Inspect intermediate storage and the filler. Produce the stored material and clear the physical output. Free grid space and free buffer space are different states.
A fractured wreck remains outside and the hold is empty.: Fracture is the breakup stage. Verify eligible pieces and disintegration, then verify material collection and box production separately.
The ship drifts while I handle cargo or use a distant seat.: Stop work and return to flight controls. Reposition with clearance; use a dedicated pilot when continuous correction is necessary. Do not assume unattended hover is safe in wind.
Salvage audio continues after shutdown.: CIG lists looping salvage audio in 4.10.2 Known Issues and recommends restarting the game. Sound alone cannot confirm collection. First stabilize the ship and account for cargo; a restart is not a cargo-persistence guarantee.
Raw structural output will not sell as finished CM.: Read the actual material label and follow the refinery stage. Verify the receiving inventory and offered order before transporting another full load.
A station change or UI failure threatens the trip.: Stop collection, preserve recoverable cargo and choose a safe return. Avoid Claim, destructive resets or unsupported persistence tricks as an initial cargo recovery step.
Sources & guide information
Checked 17 October 2026. Bindings: 4.9 LIVE versus 4.10 PTU; not gameplay tested on Alpha 4.10.2.. Reference information, not a claim of current-patch playtesting.
CIG Salvage Gameplay Guide, Alpha 4.4 onward, current page checked 17 October 2026Firsthand Reclaimer station discussion, 2026; exact publication date unconfirmed, checked 15 October 2026CIG defaultProfile.xml extraction comparison: 4.9 LIVE versus 4.10 PTU, 22 August 2026, checked 17 OctoberRSI Alpha 4.10.2 Known Issues, updated 9 October 2026CIG Engineering Gameplay Guide, Alpha4.8 availability reference; checked20October2026, not gameplay testedCIG Alpha 4.10.2 release notes, checked 17 October 2026RSI: Set up keybindings for your peripherals, updated 17 February 2026CIG Cargo Guide, checked 17 October 2026CIG Alpha 4.3.2 structural salvage patch watch, historical mechanics changeCIG Vulture Q&A, 2018 design reference, not current operating instructions