Welcome to Part 1 of the ultimate Hardspace: Shipbreaker guide. In this installment, we’ll cover everything you need to know to efficiently complete your first few standard career mode work orders. Even if you’ve completed the tutorial or logged some play time, the complexity of systems can be overwhelming. This guide highlights essential tips, tricks, and mechanics—excluding the obvious—to set you up for success.

Salvage Bay Overview

Understanding your work environment is critical. Here are the six key components:

1. Master Jack – Contains your habitation module, a platform, and a computer terminal for purchasing consumables.
2. Ship – The vessel you’re currently working on. It remains until you complete or discard the job.
3. Barge – The green rectangular repository below the ship. Used for reusable elements like seats, terminals, and reactors. Limited slots, so aim items carefully.
4. Processor – Blue portal surrounding the ship for raw materials like nano-carbon panels.
5. Furnace – Red portal for damaged or junk materials. Both Processor and Furnace pay based on object mass.
6. Jacks – Yellow anchor points for grappling and tethering. Useful for controlling object movement in zero-G.

Starting a Workday

Each shift begins with:

• A 15-minute timer (top right UI).
• Ship info summary (top left UI) with name, type, and salvage progress.

Press TAB to view your work order and objectives.

Salvaging Objects

Start with accessible tasks—like removing external antennas. Items that show a crosshair animation are removable without cutting. Simply grapple and toss them to the correct location.

• Grapple Mechanics:
  • Moving while grappling transfers your momentum.
  • Mass difference affects push/pull dynamics.
  • Right-click to reel in.
  • F to force push (physics-based based on mass).

Check mass on the bottom-right HUD:

• Bracketed number = item mass.
• Upper number = connected object mass.

Color indicators help determine correct salvage destination (Processor, Furnace, Barge).

Important Warnings

• Items can collide and damage each other or you.
• Wrong disposal means lost value.
• You can die if pulled into portals.

Coming Next

Part 2 will delve into:

• Salvage job strategies
• Depressurization techniques
• Safe and efficient ship disassembly

Future parts will explore advanced strategies, ship selection, certification levels, upgrade evaluations, and optimization tactics for maximum profit.

Stay tuned—and good luck, Cutter!