Recycling is important even in the futuristic world of System Shock, and players have a lot to gain for turning in the random junk they find (or make) all over Citadel Station. With very limited resources to work with, the Hacker will have to use everything they can get their hands on if they want to survive.
Turning trash into useful materials in System Shock is relatively straightforward, but it's a feature that's easy to miss. Learning how to do it is crucial for players who are running the game on max difficulty. Here's how to do it.
How to Recycle Items in System Shock
There are technically two ways to recycle items; the main one is by using specific Recycle Stations scattered around the cyberpunk space station. They appear as bulky machines with big labels on top of them, and there's at least one on almost every level.
To use them, interact with the receptacle in the middle of the machine to open the inventory screen and place any recyclable object into the item box on the left. Exit the menu, then right-click on the green button on the machine to start the recycling process. All inserted items will be scrapped and turned into Tri-Credit coins, which will physically fall from the coin slot on the right of the station. Don't forget to pick these up every time an item is recycled.
The second way to recycle items is directly via the inventory. Click on a piece of junk to open the contextual menu, then select the "Vaporize" option. This will turn the item into a cube of scrap that occupies only a single inventory slot, making it a great way to manage space. Scrap can then be turned in to Recycle Stations and exchanged for Tri-Credits. Players will need 10 Scrap to earn a single coin.
In the spirit of a true Immersive Sim, each item has different Scrap and Recycle values—these can be seen by inspecting them in the inventory screen. Keep the conversion rate mentioned above in mind when deciding whether to scrap or recycle an item.
Credits can be spent on various vending machines all over Citadel Station to buy supplies like food, ammo, and healing items. However, since money is fairly rare, players will want to keep a mental note of where the Recycle Station is on their level in case they need a quick Credit injection. Feel free to backtrack to earlier levels if needed.
System Shock is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
