No Man’s Sky is a vast, procedurally generated universe filled with alien worlds, mysterious anomalies, and endless opportunities for exploration. Since its launch, the game has evolved dramatically, offering players a rich sandbox of survival, crafting, trading, and base-building. But with so much content and so little guidance, new and returning players often feel overwhelmed. This guide breaks down the journey into ten progressive sections, helping you thrive from your first planetary landing to commanding a fleet of freighters.
- Surviving Your First Planet Your journey begins stranded on a hazardous planet with a damaged ship. The first challenge is survival. You must repair your scanner and locate resources to fix your life support and hazard protection systems.
Seek shelter in caves to recharge hazard protection and mine ferrite dust to repair your scanner. Use your visor to locate sodium-rich plants and oxygen sources. Once your systems are stable, head toward your ship and begin repairs.
Checklist:
- Repair scanner with ferrite dust
- Recharge hazard protection with sodium
- Reach and repair your starship
- Understanding the HUD and Controls No Man’s Sky’s interface is dense. Learn to read the bottom-left corner for life support and hazard protection, and the top-right for mission objectives. The quick menu (accessed via D-pad or keyboard) is essential for deploying tools and summoning ships.
Familiarize yourself with scanning, mining, and analyzing. Use the analysis visor to identify resources and fauna. The mining laser is your primary tool—upgrade it as soon as possible for efficiency.
Tips:
- Use the quick menu for fast access
- Scan everything for rewards and data
- Upgrade multitool modules early
- Repairing and Launching Your Ship Once you reach your ship, you’ll need to repair the Launch Thruster and Pulse Engine. This requires crafting items like Metal Plating and Hermetic Seals. Use your inventory to craft and refine materials.
After repairs, fuel the Launch Thruster with Uranium or Launch Fuel. The Pulse Engine allows interplanetary travel, while the Hyperdrive enables interstellar jumps. Your first goal is to reach space and begin exploring.
Required Materials:
- Metal Plating (ferrite dust)
- Hermetic Seal (found via distress beacon)
- Launch Fuel (di-hydrogen and metal plating)
- Exploring Space and Finding a Base Once in space, scan nearby planets and choose one to land on. Look for planets with mild climates and abundant resources. Use your terrain manipulator to flatten land and begin base construction.
Claim a base computer and start building. You’ll unlock blueprints for walls, floors, and terminals. Bases serve as storage hubs, crafting stations, and teleportation points. Expand as you progress.
Base Tips:
- Choose a planet with low hazard levels
- Use terrain manipulator to clear space
- Build storage containers and refiners
- Progressing Through Missions and Milestones The game offers story missions, side quests, and milestones. Follow the Artemis storyline to unlock key technologies and lore. Visit the Space Anomaly to access multiplayer hubs and community missions.
Milestones track your progress in exploration, combat, and trading. Completing them unlocks titles and rewards. Use the log to manage active missions and prioritize objectives.
Mission Tips:
- Focus on Artemis and Atlas paths
- Visit the Anomaly for upgrades
- Track milestones for passive rewards
- Expanding Your Inventory and Upgrading Gear Inventory space is limited early on. Upgrade your exosuit at space stations and drop pods. Your multitool and starship also need upgrades—install modules for mining, combat, and scanning.
Use nanites to buy upgrade modules and salvage data to unlock blueprints. Prioritize storage and efficiency. Organize your inventory into general, technology, and cargo slots for better management.
Upgrade Tips:
- Use nanites for modules
- Salvage data unlocks base parts
- Expand exosuit at every station
- Making Money: Units, Nanites, and Quicksilver There are three currencies in No Man’s Sky: Units (for trading), Nanites (for upgrades), and Quicksilver (for cosmetics). Early money-making methods include scanning flora/fauna, mining valuable resources, and selling trade goods.
Later, you can farm activated indium, run missions, or trade with NPCs. Nanites are earned by uploading discoveries, refining materials, and completing missions. Quicksilver is gained through Anomaly events.
Money Tips:
- Scan everything for units
- Refine living slime into nanites
- Join weekend missions for quicksilver
- Building and Managing a Freighter Fleet Freighters are massive ships that serve as mobile bases. You can acquire one by helping a freighter under attack. Once owned, you can summon it anywhere and store items, build rooms, and launch expeditions.
Frigates are smaller ships that run missions for resources. Build a Fleet Command Room and send them on timed expeditions. Maintain your fleet by repairing damaged ships and upgrading their stats.
Fleet Tips:
- Help freighters in distress to claim one
- Use command rooms to manage expeditions
- Upgrade frigates for better rewards
- Navigating the Galaxy and Portal Travel The galaxy is vast—use your Hyperdrive to jump between systems. Fuel it with Warp Cells crafted from antimatter and housing. Visit black holes for faster travel and anomalies for rare encounters.
Portals allow instant travel between planets. Unlock glyphs by completing story missions and use them to input coordinates. Portals are essential for community events and rare discoveries.
Travel Tips:
- Craft Warp Cells regularly
- Use black holes for shortcuts
- Unlock all glyphs for portal access
- Joining the Community and Multiplayer Features No Man’s Sky supports multiplayer exploration, base sharing, and community missions. Visit the Space Anomaly to meet other players and join events. You can also invite friends to your game and explore together.
Use the Nexus to access missions and earn rewards. Share your base online and visit others. Multiplayer adds depth and creativity to the experience, with no PvP pressure.
Multiplayer Tips:
- Visit the Anomaly often
- Join Nexus missions for rewards
- Share and explore bases with friends
Conclusion No Man’s Sky is a game of infinite possibilities. By mastering survival, exploration, crafting, and community features, you’ll unlock the full potential of the universe. Whether you’re building a megabase, commanding a fleet, or discovering alien life, this guide equips you to thrive across the stars.
