SALVAGE / VISUAL FIELD GUIDE

Hand salvage and small repairs

Learn the difference between collecting material and spending it on repairs.

Getting startedSolo or a partner watching the area7 min read

STEP 1 OF 8

Assemble the small repair kit before leaving the shop

For this lesson, use a Pyro RYT Multi-Tool, a Cambio-Lite SRT attachment and its matching canister. A bare Multi-Tool cannot scrape. Start by collecting a little RMC, then spend some repairing permitted damage.

1
Buy the three matching parts
Separate controls: F
Shop kiosk > item details > Choose Destination
Search the full tool, attachment and canister names. Check the quantity and destination before each purchase. A dedicated Cambio SRT is an alternative tool with its own canister, not an attachment for the Multi-Tool.
What you should see
Your purchase list contains a usable combination.
That did not happen
Check the complete name when two canisters look similar. Items bought into local storage still need to be collected.
CIG Shopping in the Verse, updated 22 Jun 2025; checked 14 Oct 2026

What do these words mean?

RMC: Recycled Material Composite: material collected from hull plating and consumed by repair tools.
Canister: The hand tool’s small material container. It is distinct from an SCU cargo box produced by a salvage ship.

Pyro RYT Multi-ToolCambio-Lite SRT attachmentMatching Cambio-Lite RMC canisterUndersuit, helmet and leg armorTransport, food, water and a return route

Read the complete guide as text

The same published instructions in one readable view. Use the steps above for controls and practice panels.

Assemble the small repair kit before leaving the shop

Buy the three matching parts

Separate controls: F

Shop kiosk > item details > Choose Destination

Search the full tool, attachment and canister names. Check the quantity and destination before each purchase. A dedicated Cambio SRT is an alternative tool with its own canister, not an attachment for the Multi-Tool.

Expected result: Your purchase list contains a usable combination.

If it did not work: Check the complete name when two canisters look similar. Items bought into local storage still need to be collected.

RMC: Recycled Material Composite: material collected from hull plating and consumed by repair tools.
Canister: The hand tool’s small material container. It is distinct from an SCU cargo box produced by a salvage ship.

Equip it, then recognize what is in your hand

Buying and equipping are different steps. Do the fit check while storage and replacement supplies are still close.

Fit the body, attachment and canister

Separate controls: F

Storage Access > equipment

Open Storage Access, equip the undersuit and leg armor, then equip the Multi-Tool. Fit the Cambio-Lite attachment and matching canister using the available inventory slot interaction; inspect the resulting tool rather than leaving parts loose in storage.

Expected result: The equipped tool has the intended attachment and canister.

If it did not work: If the utility slot is unavailable, check leg armor. If an item refuses its slot, check the full name and compatible tool instead of forcing the fit.

Draw the utility gadget

Separate controls: Tap 5

On Foot > Select Gadget. Latest inspected CIG default: 4.9 LIVE, compared with 4.10 PTU. Your saved input may differ.

Close inventory and draw the equipped gadget where use is allowed. Identify the attachment and material/capacity indicator before touching a hull.

Expected result: You recognize the salvage tool and can read its material state.

If it did not work: A different gadget appeared? Inspect the equipped utility item. Check Select Gadget in your current bindings if the key produces no result.

Choose a work site you can leave again

SC Nomads first drill: one permitted patch, one canister and a clear return to transport. A friend can watch the area while you concentrate on the tool.

Agree permission and the return point

Preparation drill

Confirm which wreck or damaged ship you may work on. Park or stop safely, identify the way back aboard, and agree who watches for movement and other ships.

Expected result: You can point to the work area and your exit.

If it did not work: If the ship or wreck moves out of safe reach, stop working and re-establish the route. An unattended ship is not automatic permission to strip it.

Check carried essentials

Separate controls: I

Personal Inventory

Inspect your carried canister, spare supplies and sealed suit before leaving the ship. Keep the reserve canister distinct from the one in the tool.

Expected result: The required supplies are on your character rather than back at the station.

If it did not work: Local inventory belongs to its location. Transfer missing supplies before departure; a purchase receipt does not make them available in space.

Collect a little RMC and prove it entered the tool

Use an authorized wreck or debris surface. Start with one small patch so you can see the difference between an active beam and successful collection.

Scrape, stop, compare

Separate controls: Left mouse

Hand salvage > primary fire

Aim at intact salvageable plating within the tool’s indicated reach. Apply the beam briefly, release it, and compare the surface and canister readout with their starting state.

Expected result: The worked patch changes and the canister gains material.

If it did not work: No increase? Check free capacity, the fitted salvage attachment and whether this patch still contains material. Move to adjacent intact plating before blaming the tool.

Available material: What can still be recovered from the surface under the beam. Bare structure is not an unlimited supply.
Free capacity: Space remaining in the attached canister. A full container can stop collection even while useful hull remains.

Empty and full canisters solve opposite problems

A container with room helps scraping. Material already inside it enables repair. Before changing one, stop the beam and get somewhere stable.

Inspect before replacing

Separate controls: I

Inventory > fitted tool and carried canisters

Compare the fitted canister with the spare. Use the matching inventory interaction to replace it when appropriate, then draw the tool and read the new state. Keep both containers in inventory while organizing them.

Expected result: You know which canister contains RMC and which has room.

If it did not work: If the replacement is absent from carried inventory or the slot rejects it, do not drop components to experiment. Recheck compatibility and free storage.

Field note: A filling station on a suitable salvage ship or a supported commodity kiosk provides another RMC supply route. Inspect the actual canister/material offer; this lesson makes no universal shop-stock or hand-canister sale-price promise.

Repair with right mouse and watch the cost

Use a damaged, repairable area that you have permission to work on. Know its condition before starting. The current CIG salvage guide specifies right mouse for repair; do not follow an old B-to-switch instruction blindly.

Run a short repair test

Separate controls: Right mouse

Hand salvage > repair input, CIG updated salvage guide

Aim at the damaged area and apply a short repair burst. Release, inspect the improvement and compare the remaining RMC.

Expected result: Condition improves while the canister’s available RMC decreases.

If it did not work: An empty canister cannot repair. If nothing changes, check reach and target condition. A missing wing is not the same as a damaged component you can reach.

Material was collected
Repair target was identified
Repair effect was observed
Remaining RMC was checked

Know when the field fix is finished

The aim is a useful repair with enough reserve to get home. Full restoration and repeated destruction can exceed a hand tool’s capability.

Recheck the system with the pilot

Engineering readout / affected component

Ask the pilot to check whether the repaired system works. For a component restored after destruction, record that it has already needed a field revival.

Expected result: The crew knows what works and what still needs service.

If it did not work: CIG limits full health to service or replacement and warns that a revived component destroyed again cannot receive another onboard revival. Stop spending RMC on an exhausted repair option.

Finish at services when needed

Separate controls: F1

Landed pilot seat > Landing Services

At a supported landing site, open Landing Services, inspect the repair offer and confirm the service you need. Check the ship afterward.

Expected result: The service finishes or gives a clear remaining problem.

If it did not work: If there is no usable service offer, check the landed state and location. Do not treat a field patch as proof every missing or damaged part is restored.

Before you commit

Hand salvage is a small-scale tool workflow, not structural disintegration of an entire ship. Do not expect it to replace a dedicated salvager’s machinery.

Check ownership and authorization before stripping a ship. An unattended ship is not automatically free salvage.

The beam appears, but collection stays at zero.: Compare canister capacity, attachment and surface separately. Test one nearby intact patch. Do not assume every part of a wreck is scrapeable.

The tool will not draw.: Check the utility slot, leg armor and local restrictions. Leave an armistice area only when your travel plan is ready; do not repeatedly buy replacement tools.

The canister disappears after handling it.: Stop repeating the same transfer. Record build, item and container. The 9 October 4.10.2 advisory includes attachment and inventory-loss problems; inspect the current issue before risking the spare.

Field note: Different input? Open Options > Keybindings, choose your device, then Advanced Controls Customization. Read the named action before changing it. Submit corrections through this guide’s normal edit proposal.

Version history

Sources & guide information

Sources checked 14 Oct 2026; dated latest-known controls. Submit build-specific corrections through peer review.. Reference information, not a claim of current-patch playtesting.

CIG Salvage and Repair Guide, Alpha 4.4 revision; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG Engineering Gameplay Guide, current field-repair limits; checked 14 Oct 2026 RSI Daily Life in the Verse, updated 27 Jul 2026 CIG Equipping Your Character, updated 10 Jun 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG Shopping in the Verse, updated 22 Jun 2025; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG Personal Inventory, updated 10 Jun 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG default input data via Subliminal: 4.9 LIVE cl12248363, compared with 4.10 PTU; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG Set up keybindings for your peripherals, updated 17 Feb 2026 CIG Alpha 4.10.2 Known Issues, updated 9 Oct 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG Vehicle Maintenance Services, updated 28 Jul 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026