Profiteering Off of Derelicts - Revision history

Hev: made change to title, redirects old page

2024-11-22T19:13:16Z

made change to title, redirects old page

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:13, 22 November 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Derelict ships are worth a lot. Even a K37 with mediocre gear once patched up can sell for over 200 grand. Obviously this leads to the question of "how can you maximize profit using derelicts?" This guide hopes to cover the main aspects of derelict hunting, and how to make a living off of it.		#REDIRECT [[Profit Strategy - Derelicts]]

	~~== Basics to Gathering Derelicts ==~~
	~~This section will be a brief description of the bare minimum to pick up derelicts. This guide here goes into more depth about the process.~~

	~~There are two way to capture derelicts: sending a crewmember out to try to board pilot the ship, or grab it with a manipulator arm.~~

	* Boarding a ship has a chance to fail.
	** A successful salvage with crew will have the ship appear in dock, but you lose that crewmember for the rest of the dive.
	** A failed salvage causes the ship to damage itself in the reactor, and potentially injure the crewmate in the process, and will have to be put on leave.
	** A failed piloting salvage will need a manipulator arm to re-attempt salvaging.
	* Using a manipulator is a way to guarantee one derelict per dive (up to two on the OCP, as it has two high-stress hardpoints)
	** The manipulator arm isn't particularly strong, and the derelict can be flung from fast enough maneuvers
	*** You can mitigate this by rotating the ship slowly, and disabling autopilot for astrogation.

	* Thrusters can still affect the derelict and cause it to be pushed out of the arm's grip, made to rotate fast, and will apply thermal heat too.
	** Too much thermal heat on the reactor can cause it to undergo meltdown, and causing it to detonate. You can still collect the lifepod.
	** Thrusters can be individually disabled through the Mechanic tab to prevent them from firing.
	** The Vulture Prospector and the EIME are the two ships that have no thrusters that can easily interfere with a captured derelict, and can make salvage particularly easy. Reminder that sharp maneuvers can still free the derelict from the arms, and the ships do have the downside of low morale and expensive repairs for the respective ships, as well as being decently pricey for early-game.

	If you fail to salvage a ship, and your arm is either full, or you don't have one on the current ship, you can always attempt to blow the reactor and capture the lifepod instead. This won't be possible with all tools, as it requires mainly thermal damage to cause meltdown. The EIME is a particularly hard case, as although the meltdown threshold is only 5 000 K, it's iron droplet radiator is extremely effective at cooling the reactor down.

	~~== Finding and Collecting Derelicts ==~~

	~~==== Finding Derelicts in the Wild ====~~
	Each hull type has a chance at failing the event spawn entirely when it is set to happen. The chance is based on an initial chance (the default when you have 0 E$ in the bank), and scales linearly as the amount of money in the bank increases up until it reaches a maximum money threshold, where it rounds off at a 10% spawn chance, where any more money past that value stops negatively affecting the chances. Each hull has a money threshold they're assigned, but these numbers will be different from the actual threshold to meet the 10% floor due to the set default chance. A table offers the chance and money requirement values below:
	~~{\| class="wikitable"~~
	~~!Derelict Hull~~
	~~!Default Chance at 0 E$~~
	~~!Valued Money Threshold~~
	~~!Actual Money Threshold~~
	\|-
	~~\|K37 TNTRL~~
	~~\|80%~~
	~~\|5,000,000 E$~~
	~~\|4,375,000 E$~~
	\|-
	~~\|K44 MHFTR~~
	~~\|40%~~
	~~\|5,000,000 E$~~
	~~\|3,750,000 E$~~
	\|-
	~~\|Cothon-212~~
	~~\|80%~~
	~~\|10,000,000 E$~~
	~~\|8,750,000 E$~~
	\|-
	~~\|Eagle Prospector~~
	~~\|100%~~
	~~\|10,000,000 E$~~
	~~\|9,000,000 E$~~
	\|-
	~~\|Elon Interstellar Model E~~
	~~\|50%~~
	~~\|2,000,000 E$~~
	~~\|1,600,000 E$~~
	\|}
	~~A visualization of the chance rates in relation to bank balance is displayed here:~~[[~~File:Derelict Spawn Chances Graph.svg\|1080x1080px]]~~

	~~The chance is calculated by taking one, and take the division of your current balance and the valued threshold, and then multiplying it by the default chance<sup>[[Profiteering Off of~~ Derelicts~~#Footnote\|1]~~]~~</sup>~~
	The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.

	~~This method can be decently frustrating, as you're reliant on the random chance for a derelict event to be chosen, and then another random chance for it to actually spawn.~~

	~~Do note that although the modified AT-K225 is found in derelict condition, it is exempt from anywhere in this guide as it is a guaranteed find from a questline astrogation marker.~~

	~~==== Ganymedian Pirates (Part 1) ====~~
	The pirates are a fierce sight to many within the rings, and frequently attack civilian ships as well as the Vilcy. However, like everything else in the rings, they can be used to profit from in some way or another. In the case of derelict hunting, you can easily hunt them for their lifepods, or if you manage to incapacitate a ship without blowing the reactor, it then becomes legitimate salvage to be taken home to Enceladus Prime. You need a manipulator arm to salvage a derelict made of a pirate, as the ship likely won't be flyable anyway.

	If you have a bounty hunting license, you can bring the lifepod and/or derelict to the Big Bad Wolf to collect an extra bounty. Bounty from lifepods can be collected while they are anywhere attached to the ship (in the cargo bay, attached to a cradle arm, and/or attached to a manipulator arm). Derelicts will need a constant hold from a manipulator arm, which may be difficult with the nature of the BBW.

	Bounties from the BBW can range from 50k E$ to 150K E$, compared to the 25k E$ extra you get for lifepods only on Enceladus Prime. Being able to submit to BBW will require you to have access to it's location.

	Doing any of these activities, regardless of whether you were the aggressor or not, will lower the relations with the Ganymedians. It also requires combat to happen to succeed with, which requires at least appropriate equipment and willingness to fight.

	~~==== Civilian and Vilcy Ships ====~~
	You are given free reign over what you can do in the rings, and this can include attacking civilian and Vilcy ships. You will not be able to get legitimate salvage off of any of these ships, regardless of how they were knocked out, as they hold residency on Enceladus Prime, and the ship will be returned to them. However, this is not true of lifepods, being safety devices in an emergency. The 50k E$ reward is given to any lifepod regardless of source.

	Depending on which faction you attack, your relation will loosen with either, and fees will be incurred that, depending on faction, can be paid out to reps in the rings, or straight from the services menu at Enceladus Prime. Any miner using the EIME is also only going to incur fees, and as satated earlier, the reactor is hardy against meltdown, and worst case for them only shuts down the ship.

	~~==== Ganymedian Pirates (Part 2) ====~~
	The pirates have a knack for being profitable regardless of the side you take in their faction war. If you are particularly popular with the ganymedians, they can offer you certain drop points in return for a hefty sum. Any pirate will be able to make offers, and unlike their base (the Ganymedian Anarchy Station), they can offer both THICC and derelict drop points, instead of only the THICCs that the station provides.

	While not technically being derelicts, rogue THICCs at least deserve a mention. They are cargo containers filled and left alone by the pirates, as they are unable to return to EP. Upon spotting you, they will boot up and attempt to flee at speeds up to 100 m/s. They can spawn randomly, or be purchased from pirates for 100k E$, and contain a random mixture of all 6 minerals.

	Back to the main point, the pirates' offer for derelicts are a more reliable way to collect salvage, albeit they aren't always as kitted as generously as a derelict found at random. They will be offered at 200k E$ regardless of hull, and will offer either a K37, Cothon-212, or Eagle Prospector. Despite being sourced from civilian miners, these derelicts are guaranteed to be legitimate salvage.

	~~All drop points bought from Ganymedians will appear in the geologist menu.~~

	~~== Repairing and Reequipping Derelicts ==~~
	Most derelicts that you will find will end up being damaged and unable to fly safely. Regardless of whether you seek to use the derelict, or to sell for profit, it is almost required to properly repair the derelict.

	~~==== Repair Optimisations ====~~
	Repairs work on a system where every repair made halves the damage to each damage type. This leads to an exponential decline in cost efficiency to repair. For cost efficiency, It's generally a good idea to repair until the total durability is in the range of 80-90% total, which is just before the cost efficiency to the equipment value really drops off. If you are moving on to outfitting the ship for flying, this is good enough for use, however if you are looking to sell, there is another thing you can do to get a little extra cash out of the ship.

	~~==== Stripping Parts ====~~
	Once you have made the appropriate repairs, you should strip down the parts to the cheapest equipment for everything. This can net you easily an extra 20-30 thousand if it's fitted with decent equipment compared to selling straight, but does take a little extra time to setup.

	~~====== Footnote ======~~

	# Formula used in-game: <code>clamp(randomChance * (1 - CurrentGame.getMoney() / moneyCeiling), minimumChance, 1)</code> where <code>randomChance</code> is the derelict's spawn chance, <code>CurrentGame.getMoney</code> is your current bank balance, <code>moneyCeiling</code> is the valued money threshold, and <code>minimumChance</code> is <code>0.1</code> (10%) [Taken from <code>res://story/RescueOperation.gd</code>]

Hev: improved guide and provided a graph depicting the relative thresholds to bank balances

2024-11-22T07:32:08Z

improved guide and provided a graph depicting the relative thresholds to bank balances

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ==== Finding Derelicts in the Wild ====
-Derelicts can have a chance at spawning at random in the rings. The derelicts that can be found do have specific conditions that they can be found in. Derelicts are less likely to spawn when rolled with the more money you currently have on hand, down to a 10% chance at worst, however each derelict has a ceiling money, which when above prevents it from spawning altogether. This does not mean that you should go out with basically no money, but it means that you should at least artificially keep it lower by putting some in the mineral market. Each ship's ceiling is listed here:
+Each hull type has a chance at failing the event spawn entirely when it is set to happen. The chance is based on an initial chance (the default when you have 0 E$ in the bank), and scales linearly as the amount of money in the bank increases up until it reaches a maximum money threshold, where it rounds off at a 10% spawn chance, where any more money past that value stops negatively affecting the chances. Each hull has a money threshold they're assigned, but these numbers will be different from the actual threshold to meet the 10% floor due to the set default chance. A table offers the chance and money requirement values below:
 {| class="wikitable"
 !Derelict Hull
 !Default Chance at 0 E$
@@ Line 72: / Line 56: @@
 |1,600,000 E$
 |}
 The chance is calculated by taking one, and take the division of your current balance and the valued threshold, and then multiplying it by the default chance<sup>[[Profiteering Off of Derelicts#Footnote|1]]</sup>
 The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.

Hev: added extra note for EIME cases

2024-11-09T19:26:24Z

added extra note for EIME cases

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:26, 9 November 2024
Line 19:		Line 19:
	** The Vulture Prospector and the EIME are the two ships that have no thrusters that can easily interfere with a captured derelict, and can make salvage particularly easy. Reminder that sharp maneuvers can still free the derelict from the arms, and the ships do have the downside of low morale and expensive repairs for the respective ships, as well as being decently pricey for early-game.		** The Vulture Prospector and the EIME are the two ships that have no thrusters that can easily interfere with a captured derelict, and can make salvage particularly easy. Reminder that sharp maneuvers can still free the derelict from the arms, and the ships do have the downside of low morale and expensive repairs for the respective ships, as well as being decently pricey for early-game.

	If you fail to salvage a ship, and your arm is either full, or you don't have one on the current ship, you can always attempt to blow the reactor and capture the lifepod instead. This won't be possible with all tools, as it requires mainly thermal damage to cause meltdown, ~~and some ships are resilient to~~ it ~~(namely~~ the ~~EIME, being unable to go through meltdown whatsoever~~.)		If you fail to salvage a ship, and your arm is either full, or you don't have one on the current ship, you can always attempt to blow the reactor and capture the lifepod instead. This won't be possible with all tools, as it requires mainly thermal damage to cause meltdown. The EIME is a particularly hard case, as although the meltdown threshold is only 5 000 K, it's iron droplet radiator is extremely effective at cooling the reactor down.

	== Finding and Collecting Derelicts ==		== Finding and Collecting Derelicts ==

Hev: fixed incorrect info

2024-08-18T23:07:16Z

fixed incorrect info

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:07, 18 August 2024
Line 28:		Line 28:
	\|+		\|+
	!Derelict Hull		!Derelict Hull
	~~!Notes~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|K37 TNTRL		\|K37 TNTRL
	\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|K44 MHFTR		\|K44 MHFTR
	~~\|spawns in propellers~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|Cothon-212		\|Cothon-212
	\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|Eagle Prospector		\|Eagle Prospector
	\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|Elon Interstellar Model E		\|Elon Interstellar Model E
	\|
	\|}		\|}
	Each hull type has a chance at failing the event spawn entirely when it is set to happen. The chance is based on an initial chance, and scales linearly with the amount of money in the bank. The minimum chance of success is fixed at a 10% absolute floor. Each hull has a set maximum value to limit chances with, but these numbers will be different from the actual threshold to meet the 10% floor. A table offers the chance and money requirement values below:		Each hull type has a chance at failing the event spawn entirely when it is set to happen. The chance is based on an initial chance, and scales linearly with the amount of money in the bank. The minimum chance of success is fixed at a 10% absolute floor. Each hull has a set maximum value to limit chances with, but these numbers will be different from the actual threshold to meet the 10% floor. A table offers the chance and money requirement values below:

Hev: updated formatting

2024-08-15T02:51:22Z

updated formatting

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:51, 15 August 2024
Line 78:		Line 78:
	\|1,600,000 E$		\|1,600,000 E$
	\|}		\|}
	The chance is calculated by taking one, and take the division of your current balance and the valued threshold, and then multiplying it by the default chance<sup>[[Profiteering Off of Derelicts#Footnote\|1]]</sup>		The chance is calculated by taking one, and take the division of your current balance and the valued threshold, and then multiplying it by the default chance<sup>[[Profiteering Off of Derelicts#Footnote\|1]]</sup>
	The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.		The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.

Hev: added link to footnote

2024-08-15T02:50:27Z

added link to footnote

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:50, 15 August 2024
Line 78:		Line 78:
	\|1,600,000 E$		\|1,600,000 E$
	\|}		\|}
	The chance is calculated by taking one, and take the division of your current balance and the valued threshold, and then multiplying it by the default chance<sup>1</sup>		The chance is calculated by taking one, and take the division of your current balance and the valued threshold, and then multiplying it by the default chance<sup>[[Profiteering Off of Derelicts#Footnote\|1]]</sup>
	The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.		The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.

Hev: added note to equation used

2024-08-15T02:49:17Z

added note to equation used

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:49, 15 August 2024
Line 78:		Line 78:
	\|1,600,000 E$		\|1,600,000 E$
	\|}		\|}
			The chance is calculated by taking one, and take the division of your current balance and the valued threshold, and then multiplying it by the default chance<sup>1</sup>
	The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.		The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.

Line 115:		Line 116:
	==== Stripping Parts ====		==== Stripping Parts ====
	Once you have made the appropriate repairs, you should strip down the parts to the cheapest equipment for everything. This can net you easily an extra 20-30 thousand if it's fitted with decent equipment compared to selling straight, but does take a little extra time to setup.		Once you have made the appropriate repairs, you should strip down the parts to the cheapest equipment for everything. This can net you easily an extra 20-30 thousand if it's fitted with decent equipment compared to selling straight, but does take a little extra time to setup.

			====== Footnote ======

			# Formula used in-game: <code>clamp(randomChance * (1 - CurrentGame.getMoney() / moneyCeiling), minimumChance, 1)</code> where <code>randomChance</code> is the derelict's spawn chance, <code>CurrentGame.getMoney</code> is your current bank balance, <code>moneyCeiling</code> is the valued money threshold, and <code>minimumChance</code> is <code>0.1</code> (10%) [Taken from <code>res://story/RescueOperation.gd</code>]

SecruoseR: adds minor caveat to thruster behaviors

2024-08-05T00:04:29Z

adds minor caveat to thruster behaviors

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:04, 5 August 2024
Line 12:		Line 12:
	* Using a manipulator is a way to guarantee one derelict per dive (up to two on the OCP, as it has two high-stress hardpoints)		* Using a manipulator is a way to guarantee one derelict per dive (up to two on the OCP, as it has two high-stress hardpoints)
	** The manipulator arm isn't particularly strong, and the derelict can be flung from fast enough maneuvers		** The manipulator arm isn't particularly strong, and the derelict can be flung from fast enough maneuvers
	*** You can mitigate this by rotating the ship slowly, and disabling autopilot for astrogation		*** You can mitigate this by rotating the ship slowly, and disabling autopilot for astrogation.
	** Thrusters can still affect the derelict and cause it to be pushed out of the arm's grip, made to rotate fast, and will apply thermal heat too.
	*** Too much thermal heat on the reactor can cause it to undergo meltdown, and causing it to detonate. You can still collect the lifepod.		* Thrusters can still affect the derelict and cause it to be pushed out of the arm's grip, made to rotate fast, and will apply thermal heat too.
			** Too much thermal heat on the reactor can cause it to undergo meltdown, and causing it to detonate. You can still collect the lifepod.
			** Thrusters can be individually disabled through the Mechanic tab to prevent them from firing.
	** The Vulture Prospector and the EIME are the two ships that have no thrusters that can easily interfere with a captured derelict, and can make salvage particularly easy. Reminder that sharp maneuvers can still free the derelict from the arms, and the ships do have the downside of low morale and expensive repairs for the respective ships, as well as being decently pricey for early-game.		** The Vulture Prospector and the EIME are the two ships that have no thrusters that can easily interfere with a captured derelict, and can make salvage particularly easy. Reminder that sharp maneuvers can still free the derelict from the arms, and the ships do have the downside of low morale and expensive repairs for the respective ships, as well as being decently pricey for early-game.

Hev: changed way that chance info is displayed in tables currently. removed the modified titan from tables and made into sidenote as it isn't a random vessel to find

2024-08-04T05:15:41Z

changed way that chance info is displayed in tables currently. removed the modified titan from tables and made into sidenote as it isn't a random vessel to find

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:15, 4 August 2024
Line 26:		Line 26:
	\|+		\|+
	!Derelict Hull		!Derelict Hull
	~~!Max money~~
	~~!Chance to appear when~~
	~~attempting to spawn~~
	!Notes		!Notes
	\|-		\|-
	\|~~K3 TNTRL7~~		\|K37 TNTRL
	~~\|5 million E$~~
	~~\|80%~~
	\|		\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|K44 MHFTR		\|K44 MHFTR
	\|~~5 million E$~~		\|spawns in propellers
	~~\|40%~~
	~~\|Requires balanced difficulty, heightened~~ spawns in propellers
	\|-		\|-
	\|Cothon-212		\|Cothon-212
	~~\|10 million E$~~
	~~\|80%~~
	\|		\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|Eagle Prospector		\|Eagle Prospector
	~~\|10 million E$~~
	~~\|100%~~
	\|		\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|Elon Interstellar Model E		\|Elon Interstellar Model E
	~~\|2 million E$~~
	~~\|50%~~
	\|		\|
			\|}
			Each hull type has a chance at failing the event spawn entirely when it is set to happen. The chance is based on an initial chance, and scales linearly with the amount of money in the bank. The minimum chance of success is fixed at a 10% absolute floor. Each hull has a set maximum value to limit chances with, but these numbers will be different from the actual threshold to meet the 10% floor. A table offers the chance and money requirement values below:
			{\| class="wikitable"
			\|+
			!Derelict Hull
			!Default Chance at 0 E$
			!Valued Money Threshold
			!Actual Money Threshold
	\|-		\|-
	\|AT-~~K225 (modified)~~		\|K37 TNTRL
	\|~~N/A~~		\|80%
			\|5,000,000 E$
			\|4,375,000 E$
			\|-
			\|K44 MHFTR
			\|40%
			\|5,000,000 E$
			\|3,750,000 E$
			\|-
			\|Cothon-212
			\|80%
			\|10,000,000 E$
			\|8,750,000 E$
			\|-
			\|Eagle Prospector
	\|100%		\|100%
	\|~~Crew storyline event ending ship~~, ~~spawns under special~~		\|10,000,000 E$
	~~conditions~~, ~~therefore doesn't have limiters~~		\|9,000,000 E$
			\|-
			\|Elon Interstellar Model E
			\|50%
			\|2,000,000 E$
			\|1,600,000 E$
	\|}		\|}
	The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.		The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.

	This method can be decently frustrating, as you're reliant on the random chance for a derelict event to be chosen, and then another random chance for it to actually spawn.		This method can be decently frustrating, as you're reliant on the random chance for a derelict event to be chosen, and then another random chance for it to actually spawn.

			Do note that although the modified AT-K225 is found in derelict condition, it is exempt from anywhere in this guide as it is a guaranteed find from a questline astrogation marker.

	==== Ganymedian Pirates (Part 1) ====		==== Ganymedian Pirates (Part 1) ====

Hev: created guide page

2024-07-28T17:51:29Z

created guide page

New page

Derelict ships are worth a lot. Even a K37 with mediocre gear once patched up can sell for over 200 grand. Obviously this leads to the question of "how can you maximize profit using derelicts?" This guide hopes to cover the main aspects of derelict hunting, and how to make a living off of it.

== Basics to Gathering Derelicts ==
This section will be a brief description of the bare minimum to pick up derelicts. This guide here goes into more depth about the process.

There are two way to capture derelicts: sending a crewmember out to try to board pilot the ship, or grab it with a manipulator arm.

* Boarding a ship has a chance to fail.
** A successful salvage with crew will have the ship appear in dock, but you lose that crewmember for the rest of the dive.
** A failed salvage causes the ship to damage itself in the reactor, and potentially injure the crewmate in the process, and will have to be put on leave.
** A failed piloting salvage will need a manipulator arm to re-attempt salvaging.
* Using a manipulator is a way to guarantee one derelict per dive (up to two on the OCP, as it has two high-stress hardpoints)
** The manipulator arm isn't particularly strong, and the derelict can be flung from fast enough maneuvers
*** You can mitigate this by rotating the ship slowly, and disabling autopilot for astrogation
** Thrusters can still affect the derelict and cause it to be pushed out of the arm's grip, made to rotate fast, and will apply thermal heat too.
*** Too much thermal heat on the reactor can cause it to undergo meltdown, and causing it to detonate. You can still collect the lifepod.
** The Vulture Prospector and the EIME are the two ships that have no thrusters that can easily interfere with a captured derelict, and can make salvage particularly easy. Reminder that sharp maneuvers can still free the derelict from the arms, and the ships do have the downside of low morale and expensive repairs for the respective ships, as well as being decently pricey for early-game.

If you fail to salvage a ship, and your arm is either full, or you don't have one on the current ship, you can always attempt to blow the reactor and capture the lifepod instead. This won't be possible with all tools, as it requires mainly thermal damage to cause meltdown, and some ships are resilient to it (namely the EIME, being unable to go through meltdown whatsoever.)

== Finding and Collecting Derelicts ==

==== Finding Derelicts in the Wild ====
Derelicts can have a chance at spawning at random in the rings. The derelicts that can be found do have specific conditions that they can be found in. Derelicts are less likely to spawn when rolled with the more money you currently have on hand, down to a 10% chance at worst, however each derelict has a ceiling money, which when above prevents it from spawning altogether. This does not mean that you should go out with basically no money, but it means that you should at least artificially keep it lower by putting some in the mineral market. Each ship's ceiling is listed here:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Derelict Hull
!Max money
!Chance to appear when
attempting to spawn
!Notes
|-
|K3 TNTRL7
|5 million E$
|80%
|
|-
|K44 MHFTR
|5 million E$
|40%
|Requires balanced difficulty, heightened spawns in propellers
|-
|Cothon-212
|10 million E$
|80%
|
|-
|Eagle Prospector
|10 million E$
|100%
|
|-
|Elon Interstellar Model E
|2 million E$
|50%
|
|-
|AT-K225 (modified)
|N/A
|100%
|Crew storyline event ending ship, spawns under special
conditions, therefore doesn't have limiters
|}
The search and rescue MAD-CERF ships will also spawn a K37 the event spawn cycle after it spawns, although do note that these usually are claimed by the S&R ship, and crew will refuse to board most of the time. You can still successfully salvage with a manipulator.

This method can be decently frustrating, as you're reliant on the random chance for a derelict event to be chosen, and then another random chance for it to actually spawn.

==== Ganymedian Pirates (Part 1) ====
The pirates are a fierce sight to many within the rings, and frequently attack civilian ships as well as the Vilcy. However, like everything else in the rings, they can be used to profit from in some way or another. In the case of derelict hunting, you can easily hunt them for their lifepods, or if you manage to incapacitate a ship without blowing the reactor, it then becomes legitimate salvage to be taken home to Enceladus Prime. You need a manipulator arm to salvage a derelict made of a pirate, as the ship likely won't be flyable anyway.

If you have a bounty hunting license, you can bring the lifepod and/or derelict to the Big Bad Wolf to collect an extra bounty. Bounty from lifepods can be collected while they are anywhere attached to the ship (in the cargo bay, attached to a cradle arm, and/or attached to a manipulator arm). Derelicts will need a constant hold from a manipulator arm, which may be difficult with the nature of the BBW.

Bounties from the BBW can range from 50k E$ to 150K E$, compared to the 25k E$ extra you get for lifepods only on Enceladus Prime. Being able to submit to BBW will require you to have access to it's location.

Doing any of these activities, regardless of whether you were the aggressor or not, will lower the relations with the Ganymedians. It also requires combat to happen to succeed with, which requires at least appropriate equipment and willingness to fight.

==== Civilian and Vilcy Ships ====
You are given free reign over what you can do in the rings, and this can include attacking civilian and Vilcy ships. You will not be able to get legitimate salvage off of any of these ships, regardless of how they were knocked out, as they hold residency on Enceladus Prime, and the ship will be returned to them. However, this is not true of lifepods, being safety devices in an emergency. The 50k E$ reward is given to any lifepod regardless of source.

Depending on which faction you attack, your relation will loosen with either, and fees will be incurred that, depending on faction, can be paid out to reps in the rings, or straight from the services menu at Enceladus Prime. Any miner using the EIME is also only going to incur fees, and as satated earlier, the reactor is hardy against meltdown, and worst case for them only shuts down the ship.

==== Ganymedian Pirates (Part 2) ====
The pirates have a knack for being profitable regardless of the side you take in their faction war. If you are particularly popular with the ganymedians, they can offer you certain drop points in return for a hefty sum. Any pirate will be able to make offers, and unlike their base (the Ganymedian Anarchy Station), they can offer both THICC and derelict drop points, instead of only the THICCs that the station provides.

While not technically being derelicts, rogue THICCs at least deserve a mention. They are cargo containers filled and left alone by the pirates, as they are unable to return to EP. Upon spotting you, they will boot up and attempt to flee at speeds up to 100 m/s. They can spawn randomly, or be purchased from pirates for 100k E$, and contain a random mixture of all 6 minerals.

Back to the main point, the pirates' offer for derelicts are a more reliable way to collect salvage, albeit they aren't always as kitted as generously as a derelict found at random. They will be offered at 200k E$ regardless of hull, and will offer either a K37, Cothon-212, or Eagle Prospector. Despite being sourced from civilian miners, these derelicts are guaranteed to be legitimate salvage.

All drop points bought from Ganymedians will appear in the geologist menu.

== Repairing and Reequipping Derelicts ==
Most derelicts that you will find will end up being damaged and unable to fly safely. Regardless of whether you seek to use the derelict, or to sell for profit, it is almost required to properly repair the derelict.

==== Repair Optimisations ====
Repairs work on a system where every repair made halves the damage to each damage type. This leads to an exponential decline in cost efficiency to repair. For cost efficiency, It's generally a good idea to repair until the total durability is in the range of 80-90% total, which is just before the cost efficiency to the equipment value really drops off. If you are moving on to outfitting the ship for flying, this is good enough for use, however if you are looking to sell, there is another thing you can do to get a little extra cash out of the ship.

==== Stripping Parts ====
Once you have made the appropriate repairs, you should strip down the parts to the cheapest equipment for everything. This can net you easily an extra 20-30 thousand if it's fitted with decent equipment compared to selling straight, but does take a little extra time to setup.