Inventory Management

Effective inventory management is crucial for survival and success in the Halcyon colony. With limited carrying capacity and a vast array of items to collect, knowing what to keep, what to sell, and what to break down can make all the difference. This section will guide you through optimizing your inventory for maximum efficiency and profit.

Understanding Your Inventory Screen

Access your inventory via the main menu. Here, you'll find several categories:

Weapons: All firearms, melee weapons, and their modifications.
Armor: Headgear, body armor, and their modifications.
Consumables: Healing items (Adreno), food, drinks, and chems that provide temporary buffs.
Quest Items: Items essential for ongoing quests. These cannot be dropped or sold.
Junk: Miscellaneous items primarily for selling to vendors for bits.
Mods: Weapon and armor modifications that can be applied at workbenches.
Key Items: Unique items that might not be quest-specific but are important for progression or lore.

Weight and Carrying Capacity

Your carrying capacity is a critical factor. Exceeding it will significantly slow your movement speed, making combat and exploration much more difficult. Keep an eye on the weight indicator in your inventory screen.

Increase Capacity:
- Strength Attribute: Investing points into Strength during character creation and leveling directly increases your base carrying capacity.
- Perks: Several perks can boost your carrying capacity. Consider taking "Pack Mule" early on for a significant +50kg bonus. "Hoarder" also provides a smaller, but still useful, bonus.
- Armor: Certain armor pieces, particularly heavy armor, can sometimes come with bonuses to carrying capacity. Check the stats carefully.
Managing Overload: If you find yourself overloaded in the field, prioritize. Drop low-value junk, excess common weapons/armor, or consumables you have in abundance. Remember, you can always return to your ship, The Unreliable, to offload items into its storage.

What to Keep, What to Sell, What to Break Down

Weapons and Armor

This is where most of your inventory weight will come from. Be discerning.

Keep:
- Your Equipped Gear: Obviously, keep your primary and secondary weapons, and your chosen armor set.
- Unique/Named Items: Weapons like "The Vermin" (found in Edgewater) or unique armor pieces often have special effects or higher base stats. These are almost always worth keeping, even if just for display on The Unreliable.
- High-Tier Weapons/Armor: As you progress, you'll find "Mk. 2" or "Ult. Mk. 3" versions of weapons and armor. These are significantly better than their base counterparts and should replace older gear.
- Modded Gear: If you've invested resources into modifying a weapon or armor piece, it's likely worth keeping until you find a superior replacement.
Sell:
- Common Duplicates: If you have multiple "Light Machine Guns" or "Heavy Armor" pieces that aren't unique or high-tier, sell the extras. Vendors like Gladys in Groundbreaker or the various merchants in Byzantium will offer good prices.
- Low-Tier Gear: Once you start finding Mk. 2 or Ult. Mk. 3 gear, most base-level weapons and armor become obsolete. Sell them for bits.
- Damaged Gear (High Repair Cost): Sometimes, repairing a heavily damaged low-tier item costs more than its worth. Sell it as-is.
Break Down:
- Unwanted Mods: If you have weapon or armor mods you don't plan to use, break them down at a workbench for parts.
- Low-Value Weapons/Armor (for parts): If you're short on weapon or armor parts for repairs or modifications, breaking down common, low-value items can be more efficient than selling them for a few bits. This is especially useful early game when bits are scarce, but parts are always needed.

Consumables

Don't hoard too many of any single consumable.

Adreno: Always keep a healthy supply (10-15 is usually sufficient for most encounters). More than 20 is often overkill unless you're heading into a particularly tough area.
Food/Drink: These provide minor buffs in addition to healing. Keep a varied selection (5-10 of each type you prefer) to maximize their utility. Excess can be sold.
Chems: Items like "Auntie-Biotics" or "Stimpaks" offer powerful, temporary boosts. Keep a few of each type that complements your playstyle. Sell any you don't foresee using.

Junk

Junk items like "Empty Canisters," "Pre-Sliced Bread," or "Used Fuses" are purely for selling. They have no other use. Always pick them up if you have the carrying capacity, as they add up to a decent amount of bits over time. Sell all junk whenever you visit a vendor.

Mods

Keep mods that enhance your preferred weapon types (e.g., "Mag-2-Power" for energy weapons, "Sure-Shot" for accuracy). If you find mods for weapon types you never use, consider breaking them down for parts or selling them if you're desperate for bits.

Utilizing The Unreliable's Storage

Your ship, The Unreliable, has an infinite storage container located in your captain's quarters. This is invaluable for:

Hoarding Unique Items: Store any unique weapons, armor, or decorative items you want to keep but don't actively use.
Stockpiling Resources: Keep excess weapon parts, armor parts, and mods here for future use.
Quest Item Overflow: While most quest items are automatically managed, some might take up inventory space. If you're holding onto something for a quest you haven't started yet, store it.
"Just in Case" Gear: Store alternative weapon loadouts or armor sets you might want to switch to later.

Make a habit of returning to The Unreliable after major expeditions to offload loot and manage your inventory. This prevents you from being constantly overloaded and ensures you're always prepared for the next adventure.