Most Salvage-class Heavy Freighters are unique, one-off, Ugly-type variants cobbled together from available componentry without the use of a standardized starship schematic and are thus limited only by ingenuity of the shipwright. Build quality and ship capabilities vary wildly from ship to ship and from shipwright to shipwright, with some vessels being fielded in barely space worthy condition. Typically, no sane or rational pilot would seek out and purchase a Salvage-class Heavy Freighter willingly, and therefore usually only use them out of necessity.

Salvage-class Heavy Freighters are typically assembled from surplus commercial or military vessels that have been scuttled or salvaged and are found primarily in the hands of desperate pilots escaping their homeworld for the first time or in the hands of desperate deep space pirate gangs that rely on hauling basic resources and equipment into dangerous territory. With their individual building process, most Salvage-class Freighters are purpose built for a very specific task and only when absolutely required, putting nothing more into the vessel than necessary. This can include even normally vital functions, like a life support and gravity generator. For space faring races, like the Diathim and other non-organic sentients, such systems are unnecessary and add cost and complications.

The lack of standardization imparts a swath of further negative attributes to the vessel. Armor plating, weaponry, engine configuration and speeds, cargo volumes and passenger capacities are not regulated, measured or guaranteed in any fashion. Purchasing a second hand Salvage-class Freighter without actually seeing it is known as one of the largest gambles the galaxy has to offer, with many spacers having horror stories about their poor life choices. However, for those without the means to purchase a more reliable starship, or those who find themselves in a situation of horrible, dire need - the Salvage-class Heavy Freighter may be the only single, tenuous strand between life and death.