"This video tells you everything you need to know about the salvage mechanics in Star Citizen, including a full guide and tutorial and details of each of the salvage ships.
Component Stripping & Cargo
Hull Scraping
Structural Salvage
Drake Vulture
Aegis Reclaimer
Hand Salvage"
Salvaging in Star Citizen is a rewarding gameplay loop that offers a great way to earn credits in the game. There are two main categories of salvaging: hand salvaging and ship-based salvaging. For hand salvaging, you need a multi-tool with a Cambol light SRT attachment, while for ship-based salvaging, you can use ships like the Drake Vulture or the Aegis Reclaimer. The Vulture is a solo salvage ship, while the Reclaimer is a multicrew salvage ship. To get started, you need something to salvage, such as derelict ships, salvaged panels, or by taking out a salvage contract.
The first salvaging mechanic is component stripping, where you use a multi-tool with a tractor beam to pick up valuable items from a wreck. The main aspect of salvaging is whole scraping, where you use a salvage beam from your ship to strip materials from a wreck’s surface, giving you recycled material composite (RMC) that can be sold. There are cues on the HUD to indicate the progress of the salvage beam, such as a percentage of material left and a color indicator showing the amount of salvage remaining.
Structural salvage is the next step in the salvage process, involving breaking up the hull into smaller chunks and then dissolving those chunks into construction materials that can be sold. This phase requires using fracture and disintegrate modes to break up the target and then dissolve it into construction materials. The Vulture and Reclaimer have different functions for structural salvage, with the Vulture being a solo platform and the Reclaimer being a multicrew ship. The internal hopper size matters for structural salvage, as you need to empty it to generate boxes for sale.
The Vulture is controlled from the pilot seat and features two sets of salvage heads that can be swapped between for different functions. The Reclaimer, on the other hand, is a multicrew ship with salvaging functions split across different stations. The ship has Salvage turrets with tractor beams, a claw for fracturing and disintegrating, and hoppers for ejecting RMC or construction material crates. Both ships have similar functions for salvaging, but the Reclaimer is more suited for larger contracts and multicrew operations. Hand salvaging using a multi-tool is also an option, although it is less common compared to ship-based salvaging methods.