Space Salvage

Space Salvage

PandaWorks AutoLoot supports selected space salvage sources in Starfield.

This is one of the major framework upgrades added in version 1.1.2.

PWAL can now handle supported space-based loot sources and send recovered salvage directly into Player Ship Cargo.

Supported Space Salvage

Confirmed working in version 1.1.2:

• Asteroid deposits
• Space cargo
• Destroyed hostile ship debris

These are handled by PWAL as supported salvage sources, not normal ground containers.

Why This Matters

Before this, players often needed separate solutions for different parts of Starfield’s loot cleanup.

That usually meant something like:

• One auto-looter for normal ground loot
• One asteroid looter
• One ship debris looter
• Extra overlap between mods
• Extra chances for conflicts
• Extra chances for loot to be drained by the wrong system

PWAL brings supported ground loot and supported space salvage together under one player-facing framework.

One framework. One setup. One place to check. Less mod stacking. Less overlap. Less space trash.

How Space Salvage Works

Space salvage does not use the same exact backend path as normal ground looting.

Ground loot and space salvage are part of the same overall PWAL framework, but space salvage uses its own isolated backend pipeline.

That pipeline is designed to:

• Detect supported space salvage sources
• Submit them for processing
• Validate the salvage target
• Resolve the player ship cargo destination
• Transfer supported inventory into ship cargo

This keeps space salvage separate from normal ground-loot scanning while still letting PWAL behave like one unified loot framework from the player’s point of view.

Where Space Salvage Goes

Supported space salvage is sent to:

Player Ship Cargo

Space salvage does not normally appear in your player inventory.

If you mine an asteroid, collect supported space cargo, or destroy a hostile ship and PWAL processes the salvage, check your ship cargo.

Do not check only your player inventory and assume the loot vanished.

The panda put it in the ship.

Asteroid Deposits

Asteroid deposit support allows PWAL to process supported asteroid deposit inventory sources.

When a supported asteroid deposit is detected and processed, recovered inventory is transferred to Player Ship Cargo.

Not every object that looks like a rock is a supported asteroid deposit.

Some space objects are scenery, markers, activators, quest objects, or Bethesda nonsense wearing a rock costume.

Space Cargo

Space cargo support allows PWAL to process supported cargo-style space loot sources.

When a supported space cargo source is detected and processed, recovered inventory is transferred to Player Ship Cargo.

As with all space salvage, this only applies to supported sources. PWAL does not magically convert every floating object into loot.

Destroyed Hostile Ship Debris

Destroyed hostile ship debris support allows PWAL to process inventory from destroyed hostile ships when that inventory becomes available.

When a supported destroyed hostile ship debris source is detected and processed, recovered inventory is transferred to Player Ship Cargo.

PWAL does not delete, disable, or mutate ship debris refs.

It only transfers supported inventory.

This is important because ship debris and space combat cleanup can be weird, timing-sensitive, and easy to break if handled badly.

What Space Salvage Is Not

Space salvage does not mean PWAL can loot every object floating in space.

It does not mean every asteroid, wreck, marker, activator, quest object, visual object, or random Bethesda thing is lootable.

Supported means PWAL has a working, tested path for that source.

Unsupported means the object may:

• Not expose usable inventory
• Not be safe to process
• Be quest-controlled
• Be scenery only
• Be handled by the engine in a completely different way
• Be Bethesda nonsense wearing a convincing costume

Requirements

For space salvage to work correctly:

• PWAL must be installed and enabled
• Looting must be enabled
• You must be using a version that supports the space salvage source
• The source must be a supported space salvage type
• The player must have a valid home ship / ship cargo target
• You must check Player Ship Cargo for recovered salvage

Version 1.1.2 confirms working support for:

• Asteroid deposits to ship cargo
• Space cargo to ship cargo
• Destroyed hostile ship debris to ship cargo

Testing Space Salvage

Recommended test:

1. Enable PWAL looting.
2. Enter space with a valid home ship.
3. Mine one supported asteroid deposit, collect one supported space cargo source, or destroy one hostile ship.
4. Wait briefly for PWAL to process the salvage.
5. Open Player Ship Cargo.
6. Confirm the recovered items were transferred there.

Test one thing at a time.

Do not start by blowing up half a system, stacking three space looters, and then asking why space loot got weird.

Compatibility Warning

Do not blindly stack PWAL with other auto-looters, asteroid looters, or ship debris looters.

If two mods try to process the same inventory source, whichever one runs first may drain the loot before the other one sees it.

This can make it look like one mod failed when another mod already consumed the inventory.

If space salvage acts weird, test PWAL by itself before reporting a bug.

Troubleshooting

If space salvage does not appear where expected, check:

• Are you using PWAL version 1.1.2 or newer?
• Is looting enabled?
• Are you checking Player Ship Cargo?
• Do you have a valid home ship?
• Was the source actually one of the supported space salvage types?
• Are you using another asteroid looter or ship debris looter at the same time?
• Did the source have inventory available?
• Are you expecting PWAL to loot an unsupported object?

Most space salvage issues come down to one of three things:

1. The source was not actually supported.
2. The loot went to ship cargo and the player checked the wrong inventory.
3. Another mod touched the same inventory first.

Summary

PWAL space salvage support means:

• Asteroid deposits can be recovered into ship cargo.
• Space cargo can be recovered into ship cargo.
• Destroyed hostile ship debris can be recovered into ship cargo.
• Ground loot and space salvage are handled under one framework.
• Space salvage uses its own backend pipeline for safety.
• PWAL does not delete or mutate ship debris refs.
• The player should check ship cargo for recovered salvage.

Space looting in Starfield is weird.

The panda handles the trash anyway.