Confused about junk

[joefitts63]

Is the "space junk" rewarded by tinhead space station missions the same as the "junk" you pick up in space, or is it something else?

[MrPurple33]

Junk is Junk- It's exactly the same- I usually Save Up 40-50 Junk in a Fleet Ship
just for when I come across Tinhead Workshops






FYI also, if you don't know, the Perk 'The Real Space Janitor'- I can't Tout this Perk enough, either a Player doesn't know about it at all, or it becomes one of the more useful Perks
in the Game and you can get it Easily for every Save Profile

I'll continue in case you (joefitts) DO Know about it,
but other Newer Players who may read this Do Not Know-






How it works is you simply Find, Pick Up, and then Destroy 200 Pieces of Junk- You then Activate 'The Real Space Janitor' Perk- You also Never have to waste a Starting Perk Slot
with it either, as it's always able to be gotten, it just takes a small amount of time to
Collect and Destroy 200 Pieces of Junk

Afterwards, whenever you Collect and Destroy Junk, there is a Random Chance that
Scrap Metal, Refined Metal, or a Weapon or Piece of Equipment will Drop, just Like you would get from Debris Fields- I usually wait and Destroy 20-25 Units of Junk, that seems to be a Good Generator, but I've Destroyed just 1 Unit of Junk and it's given me stuff- I've also waited and Destroyed 50+ Units of Junk and gotten Nothing, so over time I've gone with 20-25 Units of Junk- You don't waste too much, and it gives you at Least 1 Scrap Metal roughly 75% of the time, but there will be Random 'Drop Droughts' where you get Nothing 2-4 times in a row,
but those Rarely happen past just Nothing Once, then stuff Drops- You sometimes get
Blue Tier Equipment, some of it pretty Good Like say a Blue Tier Shield Generator III

And 'The Real Space Janitor' is Secretly a very good Source for Scrap Metal, and Refined Metal- Refined Metal in particular I get more from 'The Real Space Janitor' than from
Debris Fields- Mining and then Refining Ores is still the Best Way to get Larger Quantities of Scrap and Refined Metal, but 'The Real Space Janitor' is a Nice Supplement, especially as there are always at Least 2-3 Random Quantities of Junk in Every Sector

Far in the Past, before Laious Created 'The Real Space Janitor' Perk, Junk was worthless,
and you would just Collect it and Sell it for a very minor Profit- To all New Players,
DO NOT Sell Junk in the Very Early Game- Destroy it instead, when you Destroy 200 you'll Activate 'The Real Space Janitor' Perk and then Destroy more Junk after that for Scrap and Refined Metal and sometimes get Loot Drops as well

Now Junk has some Value as well with the Technomancers at the Tinhead Workshops, both
to gain Blueprints for Ships, and to build up Reputation with the Technomancers- So Far there Isn't much Benefit from having a Good Rep with the Technomancers, beyond Better Blueprints for Better Ships you can then Build- But even just getting to 'Friendly' with the Technomancers turns all those Knight Patrols 'Green' and 'Friendly' so if you also have 'Friendly Fire Off' in the Settings, you won't ever experience again those moments when you are Shooting at a Pirate, barely hit a Knight Ship, and then you have 5 Knights Turn and Attack you

So what I do, every Playthrough, is Destroy that 200 Units of Junk to Activate 'The Real Space Janitor'- Store Up 20-50 Units of Junk either on my Main, Player Ship, or Usually one of my Fleet Ships- And then Destroy Junk when I Collect Up 20-25 Units, obviously also Storing Up 20-50 Units of Junk again before Destroying more if I Use some Junk at a Tinhead Workshop for Blueprints




Sorry if this was Lengthy, but as a Veteran Player I Like to Inform New Players
who often don't even Know that 'The Real Space Janitor' Perk even exists

[joefitts63]

Thanks for the in-depth response. I did already know about space janitor, but I was looking at the (new to me) quests at tinhead workshops. They want your valuable components in exchange for junk, and I don't think the space janitor return on that junk will come even close to being as valuable to me as the components. Please feel free to explain the economics of it to me if I am wrong.

[MrPurple33]

Yeah, If the Components are 'simple' Like when the Tinheads ask for Green Upgrade Kits, or a Fine Component when you have more than 5-10 of them (Fine Components can be Mined and Refined easily from 2 Lithium and 2 Aluminum) - Then Trade those In for Junk- Otherwise just Wait and Collect Junk to Trade in for Blueprints- It's Everywhere, in every Sector

The Only Exceptions would be if a Tinhead Workshop offers you a Blueprint for Rare-ish
Blue Tier Ships Like the Dragon, Warlock, Wolf, Isilo, etc- Or Faction Ships Like Rebel Furys or Phantoms that are sometimes not that Numerous, or Red Skull Maulers if you are Enemies with them as a Miner, Trader, or White Collar, or Enemy Faction Ships in General but you want 1-4 of them, Like say Venghi 2Fs

For some Blueprints I MIGHT Trade in a Superior Component, but never an Ardonian Component, those are too valuable just for T3 Ship Enhancements alone- Unless I was
Later In on a Save Profile and had built up an Abundance of Ardonian Components

[joefitts63]

Thanks for the input. Guess I am too early in the run to worry about the tinheads. I'll just take them junk I pick up rather than do their quests. And even that will have to wait, since I am still running around in a yacht, so I don't HAVE 40+ cargo space. :)

[MrPurple33]

Groovy

Here's another Tip-

When you Store Up some Extra Scrap Metal Later On, Like 40-100 Extra Scrap Metal, that will be Stored in your Inventory, which Magically 'Follows' You and can be Accessed when you are Docked at Any Station, Including the Tinhead Workshops

Once you have 40-100 Extra Scrap Metal, and some Extra Cash, say 20K or so, Go to a Tinhead Woekshop, even one you've previously been to, and then 'Sell' all of your Scrap Metal to them, but Immediately Buy It Back- That will get you anywhere between +50 to +150 Reputation with the Technomancers each time you do that 'Sell/Buy' Action- So simply do
8-15 Sell/Buys with Scrap Metal, whatever the +Rep Rate is, and you'll Immediately reach 1000 Rep and be Friendly with the Technomancers- The Knights won't be Neutral and accidentally attack you, and the Blueprints and Requirements from the Technomancers which Require Friendly Status are now available, at a faster rate because you do 8-15 Sell/Buys with 40-100 Scrap Metal- Just be sure to Buy Back all your Scrap Metal at the end, and you WILL slightly Lose some Money with all the Sell/Buying, but that's a Fast way to Earn Friendly Status with the Technomancers- Past that it goes Slower to Reach Honored

There's a Similar Method Like that for Any Faction you want to get Friendly with- Up to
1000 Rep if you Buy and or Sell with any Faction at their Stations- You more Easily see it
with the Syndicate as they are into Trading, so it's not just their Stations you see Lots of
'+1 with the Syndicate' but any Station, except for maybe the Red Skull Stations as the Syndicate is always Enemies with them

[joefitts63]

Thanks for all the input.

[MrPurple33]

Groovy