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I have hundreds of pieces of junk that would weigh less if they were scrapped. I know I can drop and scrap them while in Workshop mode, but the quantity of items makes this impractical.

Is there an efficient way of breaking down junk items into their scrap components?

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  • Items are automatically scrapped for the component you need when you go to build something, just store all junk in the workshop and call it a day
    – Robotnik ♦
    Dec 4, 2015 at 7:48
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    I am trying to transfer a large collection of junk from one settlement to another. My overarching goal is to reduce weight.
    – fbrereto
    Dec 4, 2015 at 8:21
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    Have you considered setting up a supply line between settlements instead?
    – kalina
    Dec 4, 2015 at 8:44
  • There really isn't. There are less inefficient ways, but as with a lot of things in the Bethesda Fallout games, the same system needs to work well for console gamers, with their 6 or 8 (or whatever) button input devices. That means Bethesda doesn't spend any developer time on UI elements that would only work on PCs. The result is a lack of even some of simple, "standard" UI elements PC users have had forever - like the ability to Shift+Click or Ctrl+Click one a list of things and apply an action (like, I dunno, scrapping, for example) to the selected list.
    – HopelessN00b
    Dec 4, 2015 at 16:14
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    @HopelessN00b. To be fair, scrapping items from your (workshop) inventory directly could be as simple as scrapping weapons or armor from appropriate workbenches. There are also plenty of other sub-optimal things to complain about in Fallout 4. Blaming it all on consoles is just scapegoating.
    – Nolonar
    Dec 4, 2015 at 18:36

4 Answers 4

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As mentioned by @Y U NO WORK, you can not scrap junk without dropping it and scrapping it through the workshop.

There are however a few ways to render this process less painful:

  • You can scrap entire stacks of items. That way, for each type of item you want to carry, you only need to scrap once.

  • You just leave the items in your workshop. They'll be scrapped automatically as needed.

Since your goal is to transport scrap from one place to the next, here are a few relevant solutions that aren't directly related to the question:

  • Establish a Supply Line. Doing so allows you to auto-scrap junk from other workshops without needing to transport them yourself.

  • Invest in the Strong Back perk. It requires 6 Strength and you'll need level 30 to master it, but once mastered you can fast travel even while overencumbered. Thus, item weight becomes essentially irrelevant.

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  • Note: Just before mastery, there's a level that allows you to spend AP to run when overencumbered. Both features are really handy, and very much mitigate the normal costs of overencumberment, but you still really don't wanna be fully loaded when you go into combat.
    – Iszi
    Dec 4, 2015 at 17:34
  • I would note that having an item in your workshop will result in the loss of the other parts of the breakdown if not fully consumed. e.g. if you use an alarm cock for its Aluminum x2, you will lose Glass, Spring, and Nuclear material
    – SeanC
    Dec 4, 2015 at 18:15
  • @SeanC You have any evidence of that? I have no reason to think as much.
    – DCShannon
    Dec 4, 2015 at 18:54
  • @DCShannon, my error - I am too hasty it seems in using my junk. It takes time for the extra items to appear in the workshop: gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/242936/…
    – SeanC
    Dec 4, 2015 at 23:52
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The only way to scrap junk is to destroy it in workshop mode. You can't scrap them in your inventory. But basically, you don't have to scrap items. You can simply place the junk in your workshop. Once you build something, the junk will be scrapped automatically if there is no actual component available.

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    You can drop items in stacks of 5+ and it will drop a single stack of that item which will still give you all the materials when scrapped.
    – VanBuzzKill
    Dec 4, 2015 at 7:48
  • Which still is a pain to do if you have 100 of a certain item. And it's not something unusual for me to run around with 100 aluminium cans.
    – Realitätsverlust
    Dec 4, 2015 at 7:50
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    Dropping a single stack and scrapping it is a pain? I always have tons of tin cans from can chimes and it takes a second to do.
    – VanBuzzKill
    Dec 4, 2015 at 7:52
  • @VanBuzzKill Yeah, dropping all the junk items I have 5+ of in my workshop would be a massive pain, and mean having to manually scrap dozens or hundreds of stacks.
    – HopelessN00b
    Dec 4, 2015 at 16:04
  • @HopelessN00b I prefer having everything scrapped instead of sitting around cluttering the junk inventory. That way I can scroll through just the components and see if I'm low on anything particular, or see that I definitely don't need more toy cars to break down into screws.
    – VanBuzzKill
    Dec 4, 2015 at 16:58
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There is no "efficient" way to bulk scrap junk. It's a generally tedious process, especially if you have lots to scrap. You can drop items or stacks of items on the ground and scrap them but this will also be relatively time consuming.

It should be noted that unscrapped junk stored in your workshop will be scrapped automatically as it is needed so manually scrapping large quantities of items shouldn't be needed.

Since you've said that your primary goal is transferring scrap from one settlement to another, you could set up a supply line between your two settlements - that's pretty much what they're designed for.

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  • One unintuitive thing about supply lines: junk from another settlement won't be visible when you're transferring items to a workstation, but they will used when you build something through the workshop building interface.
    – Valdimar
    Dec 5, 2015 at 2:25
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Assuming you are on PC there is an additional option, at a settlement you don't particularly care about or are just about to start building up: Drop everything you want to scrap, then use console (~), type scrapall

This will scrap EVERYTHING except the base workshop. You probably don't want to use it in The Castle because it can potentially bug a quest, and apparently Red Rocket is close enough to Sanctuary that it can cause problems there too ...

Definitely save before you do this, just in case!

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