Expand cargo when you cannot carry what you need; expand technology when you cannot install the equipment you need. Choose the job for your next slot, then follow the Drop Pod route below to add it.
You will need a working ship for the trip, recharge supplies for the planet you visit, and room to carry the pod's repair materials. If you are still repairing your first ship, finish that part of the beginner guide first.
Choose what the next slot should do
Cargo holds items; installed upgrades belong in technology. You can choose which slot to unlock.
Before travelling, decide which of these describes your last interrupted trip:
| What stopped you? | A useful next step |
|---|---|
| You could not collect mission materials | Put the next expansion into cargo. |
| An upgrade is waiting with nowhere to install it | Reserve a technology slot for that upgrade. |
| Supplies are buried among items for several projects | Store the projects you are not working on today. |
| You run out of protection with plenty of free space | Review the installed protection and its recharge supplies. |
For example, suppose you want to gather building materials but are carrying ingredients for three unfinished technologies. Write down which project comes next, put the other two projects' ingredients into accessible storage, and then count the remaining free cargo slots. That gives you a useful expansion target without making a full inventory the goal of the session.
Follow one Drop Pod through to an upgrade
Buy an Exosuit Upgrade Chart from a station cartographer to locate a Drop Pod directly. Interacting with the damaged pod creates a repair mission and return marker.
Use this order for your first run:
- Get one chart and use its inventory prompt to locate a pod.
- Land nearby and inspect the damaged unit. Read each repair requirement before gathering anything.
- Keep the repair mission selected if you leave for supplies.
- Complete the repairs, then select the cargo or technology slot you intended to add.
- Check the new space in your Exosuit before using another chart.
Use the quantities in the repair screen as your shopping list. For supported components, the crafting-material calculator can subtract supplies you already own; it does not provide a preset Drop Pod repair bill.
If you are already at a station, inspect its Exosuit Upgrade Terminal before making a separate planetary trip. Expansion rewards can also be redeemed there when their item instructions direct you to it. Compare the option actually offered with the supplies and travel needed for a pod, then choose the job you would rather do today.
Move technology in small groups
Installed technology can be moved, and an unfinished installation can be completed in stages. Use the move prompt when rearranging your suit; dismantling an upgrade is unnecessary for a layout change.
Start somewhere sheltered. Take a screenshot of the current arrangement, then choose one system to work on: movement, life support, or protection against the environment you intend to visit. Keeping that system's upgrades together makes their descriptions easier to compare and leaves the rest of your suit familiar.
Check that each intended installation is finished. A reserved technology cell with missing ingredients is another task to complete before departure. If you need to find an ingredient, pin its instructions and finish that job before buying more equipment.
Waypoint also added technology packaging for storage and later installation. Use the packaging option offered by the item when you want to keep it for later. Leave essential survival systems ready while deciding which optional equipment belongs in today's loadout.
Give a supercharged slot a specific job
Supercharged technology slots boost the technology placed in them. If you have one available, choose what you want it to improve before moving equipment around it.
For a movement-focused session, our suggested comparison is:
- Record the relevant displayed values with your current movement technology installed.
- Move one candidate into the available supercharged slot, keeping the same equipment installed elsewhere.
- Read the changed values and item descriptions. Keep the arrangement that improves the property you care about.
- Try a short, familiar route near your ship before committing to a long journey.
Change one thing at a time. Replacing several modules while rearranging everything makes it hard to tell which change helped. This comparison is a way to make a decision with your own equipment; it does not require chasing a particular screenshot or buying an entirely new set of upgrades.
Prepare the suit for a Cosmos spacewalk
Spacewalking drains Exosuit cold protection, although nearby hazards can change the conditions. For a first salvage outing, prioritise protection you can recharge and a return route you understand.
Imagine that you have one available expansion and an uninstalled protection upgrade. If carrying capacity is adequate for the trip, use the expansion for that technology, finish its installation, and put its accepted recharge supplies somewhere easy to find. If the technology already fits but supplies do not, address cargo instead. The decision follows the missing part of the trip, rather than a fixed cargo-to-technology ratio.
A larger suit does not replace the ship equipment needed for physical salvage. Continue with the space-hulk salvaging guide when you are ready to prepare that journey.
When the inventory still looks wrong
If a large inventory seems cut off, use its expanded view; if an item is hard to locate, clear an active filter by selecting it again. Both controls are documented in Waypoint 4.05.
For a crash while opening or viewing inventory, check the installed game version before repeating the same rearrangement. Cosmos 7.01 addressed an inventory-rendering crash. Persistent problems belong in a bug report with your platform, version, and the action that triggers them.