SALVAGE / VISUAL FIELD GUIDE
Structural salvage and cargo handling
Separate hull scraping, structural processing and the job of moving cargo.
01
STEP 1 OF 13
Identify the controls and the output path
Walk from the pilot position to the salvage controls and cargo machinery before accepting a job. Identify where output appears and how you will move it into usable storage.
Our crew plan: assign flight, salvage operation and cargo handling explicitly. A pilot and one operator can begin learning, but unattended cargo work can still stop production.
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Check the whole processing chain first
Walk from the salvage station to the output machine and cargo grid. Decide who operates each position and how produced boxes will be moved before starting.
What you should seeThe crew has a route from collected material to free buffer capacity and transport.
CIG Salvage and Repair GuideThat did not happen
A solo Reclaimer operator must leave the pilot or salvage station for other tasks. Do not plan continuous operation of several occupied stations by one person.
Read the complete guide as text
The same published instructions in one readable view. Use the steps above for controls and practice panels.
Identify the controls and the output path
Walk from the pilot position to the salvage controls and cargo machinery before accepting a job. Identify where output appears and how you will move it into usable storage.
Our crew plan: assign flight, salvage operation and cargo handling explicitly. A pilot and one operator can begin learning, but unattended cargo work can still stop production.
Check the whole processing chain first
Walk from the salvage station to the output machine and cargo grid. Decide who operates each position and how produced boxes will be moved before starting.
Expected result: The crew has a route from collected material to free buffer capacity and transport.
If it did not work: A solo Reclaimer operator must leave the pilot or salvage station for other tasks. Do not plan continuous operation of several occupied stations by one person.
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.
Rehearse the Reclaimer handoff while everyone is safe
SC Nomads crew exercise: ask each person to name their station, the next person who depends on them, and the reason they would call stop. A crew role is useful only when someone is actually available to do it.
Give the pilot a stop and reposition call
Agree a short stop call all operators will obey. The pilot announces any repositioning before moving, and operators report tools stopped before the move begins.
Expected result: Changing the working distance is a coordinated transition.
If it did not work: If the target moves unexpectedly, anyone calls stop. Resume only when operators can identify their mode, range and intended target again.
Give the cargo handler an output limit
Walk the route from each filler to the intended cargo positions. Keep one clear box-handling area and an exit path. The handler calls pause before either is lost.
Expected result: A full buffer becomes a planned pause, not a blocked passage discovered afterward.
If it did not work: If you are solo, use the same pause points for yourself. Large storage numbers do not remove the need to move boxes or return to the bridge.
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.
Choose what to recover before destroying the structure
Inspect a legitimate target and decide whether you want removable items, hull material or structural output. Structural processing changes what remains available.
Do not start a destructive stage while a friend is inside the target. Ask for a clear “everyone out” confirmation and move the crew away from the work area.
Scrape and inspect before destroying the target
Enter salvage mode at the appropriate station. Read the target and scraper mode, then scrape usable hull before structural destruction if you want that RMC. Recover accessible valuables first.
Expected result: RMC enters the buffer and the hull surface becomes visibly stripped.
If it did not work: Stop if the buffer is full or the target is unsuitable. Structural destruction can remove the chance to collect intact items.
Finish item recovery before the irreversible stage
Decide the order before anyone operates the structural equipment: recover wanted accessible items, scrape the hull if desired, export the RMC, clear people from the target, then fracture. The target cannot remain a safe walkthrough location while the crew destroys it.
Account for every person and wanted item
Ask each boarding player to confirm they are back aboard transport. Check the recovered cargo and equipment are where intended. The operator repeats the target name before beginning structural work.
Expected result: No one depends on retrieving an item from the target after fracture starts.
If it did not work: If a player does not answer or an important item is still inside, hold the structural stage. A visually empty cockpit does not prove the whole wreck is clear.
Export the previous RMC batch
Before structural collection, use the filler to export the RMC and clear the output. Read the buffer afterward instead of assuming moving one box emptied it.
Expected result: The shared filler is ready for the next material stream.
If it did not work: If RMC remains, finish that batch and inspect the machine again. An empty cargo square is not proof of an empty processing 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.
Watch the buffer and the cargo floor
Follow the ship’s current fracture and disintegration controls. Clear RMC from the shared filler buffer before switching to structural output.
When the buffer fills, stop and handle the boxes. Keep walking space around the machinery and count the actual output before planning the next stage.
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.
- Authorized target
- Crew clear
- RMC cleared from buffer
- Structural output moved and counted
Read what you produced before choosing a refinery
Current CIG guidance distinguishes Rubble, Pieces and Salvage as structural input categories with different refinement tradeoffs. Record the actual cargo label. RMC from hull scraping is a separate stream.
Keep a material and container count
After one production batch note its exact material, total quantity and physical boxes. Check that the cargo handler can still reach the machine and the return route.
Expected result: Your refinery plan is based on actual output rather than the wreck size.
If it did not work: If the material name differs from an older guide, use the current label and quote. Do not treat old direct-sale Construction Materials instructions as universal.
Prove the station unload before taking a larger load
Choose a refinery location that can accommodate the ship. Unload the structural containers through its freight elevator into station storage, then inspect the refinery input list.
Expected result: The correct station inventory is visible to the refinery before you submit a job.
If it did not work: If the ship cannot use the chosen landing facilities, arrange a suitable hauler or another location before the trip. A refinery marker alone does not prove convenient access for a Reclaimer.
- RMC kept separate
- Structural output identified
- Station can accommodate transport
- Freight unloaded to station storage
Refine structural output before selling it
The current CIG salvage guide distinguishes Rubble, Pieces and Salvage, with processing time and yield differing by ship class. These structural materials need refining. Unload through the freight elevator to station inventory before starting the job.
Compare the offered cost, yield and completion time, then plan the hauler needed for the finished output. Hull-scraped RMC follows a different sale path; do not combine both into an assumed immediate payout.
Refine structural output where required
At the receiving station move the structural salvage through the freight elevator into the required inventory. Inspect the refinery job for its material class, cost and output before submitting.
Expected result: The station recognises the actual structural resource and offers its applicable processing job.
If it did not work: Older guides may treat all structural output as immediately sellable Construction Materials. Follow the current material and refinery interface.
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.
Before you commit
The original 3.22 structural-salvage rules are historical. Target limits, conversion rates and buffer sizes need checking against your current ship and build.
A Reclaimer requires movement between control stations when operated alone. Plan the return to the bridge before using a distant station, and use a dedicated pilot when position must be maintained.
- RMC
- Recycled Material Composite recovered through hull scraping and used in repair. It is distinct from the structural material obtained after fracture and disintegration.
- Buffer
- The machine's intermediate storage before producing boxes. Free cargo floor space does not automatically empty that buffer.
The beam worked, but processing has stopped.: Inspect the shared buffer, box dispenser and cargo grid. Produce and move boxes, then confirm the output is clear before firing again.
I broke the wreck, but received nothing.: Fracture makes pieces. Disintegration processes suitable pieces into the structural resource. Check the current mode and storage while completing that separate step.
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 2026CIG Alpha 3.22 structural salvage introductionCIG Cargo Guide, checked 17 October 2026CIG defaultProfile.xml extraction comparison: 4.9 LIVE versus 4.10 PTU, 22 August 2026, checked 17 OctoberCIG 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 2026RSI Alpha 4.10.2 Known Issues, updated 9 October 2026CIG Alpha 4.3.2 structural salvage patch watch, historical mechanics changeCIG Vulture Q&A, 2018 design reference, not current operating instructions