Welcome everyone! This guide walks through essential tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your playtime in Hardspace: Shipbreaker. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your efficiency, these tips are divided into categories to streamline your salvaging career.

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General Tips

1. Have a Plan
When beginning a shift, have a clear goal. Whether it’s salvaging reactors or clearing a specific ship section, focus helps make the most of your 15-minute shifts. Always check the salvage value left to see if finishing the ship is worth another shift.

2. Take Your Time
Rushing can lead to mistakes, from damaging valuable items to explosive decompression. Outside of reactor extraction, there’s rarely a reason to rush.

3. Use and Refill Resources
Resources like oxygen, fuel, and tethers are vital. Always start a shift full, and don’t hesitate to refill mid-shift. Use scavenged oxygen/fuel tanks—there’s no penalty apart from being called a “bad employee.”

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Equipment Tips

Grapple Tips:

• Movement Aid: Grapple walls or parts of the ship to slingshot yourself around the bay.
• Tethers Are Essential: They save time, cost very little, and let you multitask. Don’t be afraid to use several at once.

Upgrades Overview:

• Laser Cutter: Prioritize heat capacity. It unlocks tougher cut points. Skip range and cooldown.
• Grapple: Get strength for moving heavier parts. Force push can replace tethers in a pinch.
• Tethers: Upgrade count and strength. Ignore lifetime unless you notice early breaks.
• Thrusters: Focus on top speed and braking. Fuel capacity is rarely a priority.
• Scanner: Upgrade modes for visibility. Extra range helps but can clutter your view.
• Helmet: Get oxygen capacity 4 ASAP at rank 13. Skip level 5 and oxygen recharge.
• Suit: Only upgrade for specific hazard resistance if needed.
• Demo Charges: The cleanup upgrade reduces collateral damage. Skip throw/pickup unless role-playing.

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Practical Gameplay Tips

1. Depressurization First
Always depressurize the ship early. Use airlocks and control units. If needed, open a door near a wall and hold on. For difficult layouts, manually crack open small sections.

2. Power Generator Fuses
Before removing a ship’s main power generator, eject fuses when the lights blink off. They blink faster with each fuse removed, so time carefully.

3. Handling AI Nodes
AI nodes scramble systems and make salvaging chaotic. Highlight them using object scan and destroy them early. If needed, crack the hull to make the interior unpressurizable.

4. Tether Efficiency
Always tether large components early and let them drift while you focus on other tasks. Multiple tethers help with angle or speed.

5. Salvage Pathing
Start with antennas and external parts, then move to internal systems. Always verify what’s connected before sending a large panel to the furnace or processor.

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Final Advice: Play How You Like

Don’t stress over perfection. Hate AI ships? Skip them. Prefer brute force over careful cuts? Do it. This game rewards creativity and experimentation. Fly around, break things, tether yourself to the sky—just have fun.

Let us know in the comments what tips helped you most or what other guides you want to see next. Until then, happy salvaging!