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Starships are one of the most essential parts of in the open-world survival game that is No Man’s Sky. They are required for players to travel between planets, engage in space combat, mine asteroids, and reach space stations and the Nexus. Purchasing new starships and upgrading them is also one of the main areas of progression for players.
So, if you are thinking about playing No Man’s Sky or are just starting, you’ll want to know as much as possible about the Starships available to players throughout the game.
Welcome to a No Man’s Sky Starship Guide.
Key Info Up Front
- Starship Archetypes:Â Shuttle, Fighter, Explorer, Hauler, Exotic, Living Ship, Solar, Freighter
- Starship Uses:Â Storage, Space Travel, Space Combat, Asteroid Mining
- Upgradeable:Â Yes
Starship Overview
As a player progresses through No Man’s Sky, they are exposed to dozens of different ships as they come across various NPCs and fellow players that use their ships of different ranks and customizations. Starship availability is randomly generated from the game’s generation seed, but since the seed doesn’t change if you find a ship somewhere, other players will always be able to find it there. This allows players to share the location of good ships with others who want to get them.
When deciding how good a starship is or how much it is worth, there are various elements to consider. Firstly, each starship has an array of characteristics. These include its inventory slots for technology elements, how much damage it can deal, its fuel efficiency, how far its hyperdrive can jump, how tightly it controls, and how much damage its shield absorbs. These characteristics can each be individually upgraded through various means as well.
Its archetype and its class influence each ship’s characteristics. Classes include C, B, A, and S in ascending order. The higher a ship’s class, the better its characteristics are, but the rarer and more expensive it is. The system’s economic rating also impacts the spawn rate of the ship classes in a particular star system. So, if you’re looking for a specific class of ship that falls within your budget, consult the table below:
Economy | C Class | B Class | A Class | S Class |
Poor | 60% | 30% | 10% | 0% |
Average | 49% | 35% | 15% | 1% |
Wealthy | 30% | 40% | 28% | 2% |
Outlaw | 85% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
How to Purchase a Starship
Starships can only be purchased by traveling to areas where players can shop for resources and other materials like trading posts or space stations. At these, players can shop for starships at shipyard terminals that list all of the various ships held there. When doing so, players can trade in any of their current ships to help cover the cost of the new ship. Trade-in prices equal 70% of the ship’s selling price as long as it isn’t damaged.
In areas with NPCs, players can also talk to any NPCs that have a ship to try and purchase it from them. This can also be a great way to shop for a new ship since it allows the player to look at the ship before purchasing it.
You can also sell your starships to NPCs, but there is currently no way to trade starships with other players. So, if you want to give one of your starships to a friend, the only way to do so is to sell it to an NPC and then have the other player purchase it from them afterward.
Upgrading Starships
Every starship comes with pre-installed components and modules that give it basic functionality. These usually include features like Launch Thruster, Photon Cannon, Hyperdrive, Pulse Engine, and Deflector Shield. However, players can get lucky and find starships that come with additional components like an upgraded component or additional weaponry.
The player can add or upgrade these components once they own the ship. However, the number of components and technologies that a ship can hold at once is determined by its class and archetype. Players are also able to upgrade a starship’s class and size by accessing Starship Outfitting Terminals on space stations.
Doing so costs a lot of units, and how it improves the starship is determined by its original seed. So, if two players purchase the same starship and upgrade them they will always receive the same increases in their characteristics and slots.
Below you can find two tables that include the craftable and purchasable upgrades and how to get them.
Craftable Technology Blueprints
Upgrade | Required Class | Effect | Resources |
Launch System Recharger | S | Charges Landing Thrusters at a rate of 4%/minute | 5x Antimatter
2x Magnetic Resonator 2x Wiring Loom |
Sub-Light Amplifier | Dramatically increases the Pulse Engine speed of your starship | 3x Magnetic Resonator
100x Platinum 200x Tritium |
|
Indium Drive | Allows your Starship to travel to star systems of all colors | 250x Emeril
5x Wiring Loom |
|
Instability Drive | A | Decreases the amount of fuel used while flying your starship | 1x Warp Cell
3x Tritium Hypercluster 100x Chromatic Metal |
Flight Assist Override | Increases your starship’s maneuverability by 11% | 1x Warp Hypercore
60x Platinum 200x Tritium |
|
Photonix Core | Increases your starship’s power by 25%, Boost by 15%, and Maneuverability by 11% | 100x Pure Ferrite
100x Condensed Carbon |
|
Emeril Drive | Allows your starship to travel to Green, Red, and Yellow star systems | 250x Cadmium
4x Wiring Loom |
|
Emergency Warp Unit | Allows your starship to escape combat encounters via warping | 1x Warp Cell
220x Gold 4x Microprocessor |
|
Efficient Thrusters | B | Decreases the fuel cost of launching by 20% | 1x Di-hydrogen Jelly
100x Tritium 2x Wiring Loom |
Cadmium Drive | Allows your starship to travel to Red and Yellow star systems | 250x Chromatic Metal
3x Wiring Loom |
|
Fourier De-Limiter | Improves your phase beam’s heat dispersion by 11% | 1x Solar Mirror
2x Wiring Loom |
|
Fragment Supercharger | Increases your positron ejector’s accuracy by 20% and range by 25% | 3x Magnetic Resonator
2x Wiring Loom |
|
Q-Resonator | Increases the infra-knife accelerator’s volleys from two shots to three | 3x Hydraulic Wiring
1x Quantum Computer 2x Wiring Loom |
|
Dyson Pump | Improves the cyclotron ballista’s heat dispersion by 11% | 3x Amino Chamber
2x Wiring Loom |
|
Large Rocket Tubes | Improves the rocket launcher’s heat recovery by 20% | 2x Wiring Loom
4x Unstable Plasma |
|
Ablative Armour | C | Increases your starship’s shield strength by 7% | 100x Gold
50x Sodium Nitrate 1x Wiring Loom |
Non-Linear Optics | Improves your photon cannon’s heat dispersion by 21% | 2x Hermetic Seal
1x Wiring Loom 100x Tritium |
|
Teleport Receiver | – | Allows you to teleport materials to your starship from 150u away | 1x Antimatter
3x Wiring Loom |
Economy Scanner | Allows your starship to check the economy rank of a star system | 5x Microprocessor
1x Wiring Loom |
|
Conflict Scanner | Allows your starship to check the conflict rank of a star system | 1x Walker Brain
1x Wiring Loom |
Purchasable Upgrade Modules
Module | Improvements | C Class Effect Range | B Class Effect Range | A Class Effect Range | S Class Effect Range |
Launch Thruster | Launch Fuel Usage | -5 to -10 | -10 to -15 | -15 to -20 | -20 |
Boost Improvement | 0 to 1 | 2 to 5 | 5 to 8 | 8 to 10 | |
Pulse Engine | Fuel Efficiency | 5 to 10 | 10 to 15 | 15 to 20 | 20 |
Maneuverability | 0 to 5 | 0 to 10 | 5 to 12 | 5 to 12 | |
Boost | 0 to 5 | 5 to 10 | 5 to 15 | 10 to 15 | |
Deflector Shield | Shield Strenght | 10 to 20 | 10 to 20 | 20 to 30 | 30 |
Hyperdrive | Warp Cell Efficiency | n/a | n/a | 100 | 100 |
Hyperdrive Range | 50 to 100 | 100 to 150 | 150 to 200 | 200 to 250 | |
Photon Cannon | Fire Rate | 0 to 1 | 1 to 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 |
Heat Dispersion | 0 to 1 | 1 to 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 | |
Damage | 8 to 16 | 12 to 20 | 16 to 24 | 20 to 28 | |
Phase Beam | Heat Dispersion | 10 to 35 | 35 to 55 | 55 to 75 | 75 to 95 |
Damage | 30 to 40 | 40 to 50 | 50 to 60 | 60 to 70 | |
Positron | Fire Rate | 5 to 10 | 10 to 14 | 14 to 15 | 15 |
Heat Dispersion | 1 to 5 | 5 to 10 | 10 to 15 | 15 | |
Damage | 2 to 6 | 4 to 10 | 8 to 10 | 10 | |
Infra-Knife | Fire Rate | 1 to 5 | 1 to 5 | 5 to 10 | 5 to 10 |
Heat Dispersion | 1 to 3 | 3 to 5 | 5 to 7 | 7 to 9 | |
Damage | 2 to 6 | 4 to 10 | 8 to 12 | 10 to 12 | |
Cyclotron | Fire Rate | 1 to 5 | 1 to 5 | 5 to 10 | 10 to 15 |
Heat Dispersion | 10 to 20 | 20 to 25 | 25 to 30 | 30 to 35 | |
Damage | 2 to 6 | 4 to 10 | 8 to 12 | 12 to 12 |
Starship Archetypes
Shuttle
Players start with a Shuttle starship when they first start No Man’s Sky. They boast balanced stats that allow them to participate in every activity throughout the game, although they don’t excel at any particular function.
They are the cheapest archetype of starships in the game, making them a great starting place for players early in the game. They tend to look very blocky with rectangular canopies and a T-shape.
- Cargo Upgrade Limit:Â 21
- Maneuverability:Â Medium
Inventory Sizes:
Starship Size | General Inventory | Technology Inventory | Cargo Inventory |
Small | 18 to 23 | 3 to 6 | 3 to 6 |
Medium | 19 to 28 | 5 to 8 | 4 to 8 |
Archetype Bonuses:
Starship Class | Damage Increase | Shield Increase | Hyperdrive Increase |
C Class | 0 | ||
B Class | 0% to 5% | ||
A Class | 5% to 10% | ||
S Class | 15% to 20% |
Fighter
Starships of this archetype are all about combat and are frequently used as the game’s mascots. They have elongated bodies that are usually flanked with symmetrical wings that act as storage units. These ships are mostly seen being used by pirates and guards, but they can be very useful for players who are interested in dogfighting or chasing down bounties.
They put an emphasis on their damage output and how maneuverable they are to give pilots the best chance of getting the drop on their targets. However, they have very limited cargo and weaker hyperdrives that keep them from being useful for trading or exploring. They are also most commonly found in Vy’keen star systems.
- Cargo Upgrade Limit:Â 21
- Maneuverability:Â Very High
Inventory Sizes:
Starship Size | General Inventory | Technology Inventory | Cargo Inventory |
Small | 15 to 19 | 2 to 4 | 2 to 4 |
Medium | 20 to 29 | 3 to 5 | 3 to 6 |
Large | 30 to 38 | 5 to 12 | 4 to 8 |
Archetype Bonuses:
Starship Class | Damage Increase | Shield Increase | Hyperdrive Increase |
C Class | 5% to 10% | 0% | 0 |
B Class | 15% to 30% | 5% to 10% | |
A Class | 35% to 50% | 15% to 20% | |
S Class | 55% to 60% | 15% to 25% |
Explorer
Explorer ships are for pilots that want to jump between star systems to discover what is all out there in the universe. They come with increases to their hyperdrive range to help them cover distance in as little time as possible as well as a boost to their shields to keep them safe. Ships in this archetype can be identified by their insectoid appearances made of thin sections that connect to a slender and uneven main body.
These ships are highly maneuverable so they can operate well in combat, but they don’t get damage bonuses so it will take more effort to kill your targets. If you want to add a nice Explorer starship to your collection you’ll want to head to a Korvax-controlled star system.
- Cargo Upgrade Limit:Â 21
- Maneuverability:Â High
Inventory Sizes:
Starship Size | General Inventory | Technology Inventory | Cargo Inventory |
Small | 15 to 19 | 3 to 5 | 2 to 5 |
Medium | 20 to 29 | 5 to 8 | 3 to 8 |
Large | 30 to 38 | 8 to 12 | 4 to 10 |
Archetype Bonuses:
Starship Class | Damage Increase | Shield Increase | Hyperdrive Increase |
C Class | 0% | 0% | 7% to 15% |
B Class | 0% to 8% | 20% to 30% | |
A Class | 10% to 15% | 35% to 45% | |
S Class | 20% to 25% | 60% to 80% |
Hauler
These starships are a one-stop shop for all pilots interested in trading. They are the largest of the archetypes and usually have a bulky or even rectangular appearance. Their storage space takes up most of the ship’s size and takes either a spherical, wing, or box shape. To allow them to get the most out of their trade routes they have the highest storage capacity, but have very low maneuverability due to their size.
However, the archetype does come with the highest shields and some damage bonuses to help merchants defend themselves. It also increases hyperdrive distance to make routes a bit faster. Hauler ships have the highest chance to spawn in star systems controlled by the Gek.
- Cargo Upgrade Limit: 42
- Maneuverability:Â Low
Inventory Sizes:
Starship Size | General Inventory | Technology Inventory | Cargo Inventory |
Small | 25 to 31 | 2 to 4 | 4 to 6 |
Medium | 32 to 39 | 4 to 6 | 6 to 8 |
Large | 40 to 48 | 6 to 8 | 8 to 12 |
Archetype Bonuses:
Starship Class | Damage Increase | Shield Increase | Hyperdrive Increase |
C Class | 0% | 12% to 20% | 0% to 5% |
B Class | 0% to 5% | 25% to 35% | 5% to 10% |
A Class | 5% to 10% | 40% to 50% | 15% to 25% |
S Class | 10% to 20% | 65% to 85% | 30% to 35% |
Exotic
The exotic archetype only applies to starships that are extremely rare and come with a unique, stand-out feature. They always stand out when they’re in a crowd, but they spawn randomly, so any type of star system has the same chance of having one.
They also tend to have very balanced stats that are high for almost any ship while only spawning with a small size and in S class. This makes them very good for when players want to do a little bit of everything or don’t have a very sharp focus on what activities to do.
- Cargo Upgrade Limit:Â 21
- Maneuverability:Â High
Inventory Sizes:
Starship Size | General Inventory | Technology Inventory | Cargo Inventory |
Small | 15 to 20 | 4 to 6 | 3 to 6 |
Archetype Bonuses:
Starship Class | Damage Increase | Shield Increase | Hyperdrive Increase |
S Class | 35% to 50% | 55% to 60% | 50% to 65% |
Living Ship
Living starships are exactly what their name implies. As organic masses, they feature a unique array of modules for players to purchase and upgrade. Their organic nature also gives a lot of variety to their appearance, from mushroom-like ships to ones that resemble massive squids. Their architecture is very smooth and rounded to imply their organic composition, while many of their pieces move during flight.
To get one of these ships you first have to obtain a Void Egg and embark on a quest to hatch it into the ship. Living ships are also always medium size and S class. They have low shields, but they make up for it by having large inventories for technology and cargo as well as having high damage and hyperdrive bonuses.
- Cargo Upgrade Limit:Â N/A
- Maneuverability:Â Low
Inventory Sizes:
Starship Size | General Inventory | Technology Inventory | Cargo Inventory |
Medium | 22 | 21 | 8 to 14 |
Archetype Bonuses:
Starship Class | Damage Increase | Shield Increase | Hyperdrive Increase |
S Class | 35% to 50% | 10% to 25% | 50% to 65% |
Solar
The Solar archetype is made up of small ships that can deploy solar sails to boost their Pulse Drive and recharge Launch Thrusters with solar energy. They are the only type of starship that has access to the Vesper Sail, making it a strong archetype for explorers.
However, it does come with a lower hyperdrive increase than exotic starships. Solar starships also tend to have a very slender form that allows the Vesper Sail to extend out on either side of it, almost looking like a butterfly.
- Cargo Upgrade Limit:Â 21
- Maneuverability:Â High
Inventory Sizes:
Starship Size | General Inventory | Technology Inventory | Cargo Inventory |
Small | 15 to 19 | 4 to 6 | 3 to 4 |
Archetype Bonuses:
Starship Class | Damage Increase | Shield Increase | Hyperdrive Increase |
C Class | 5% to 10% | ||
B Class | 15% to 30% | 5% to 20% | 10% to 20% |
A Class | 30% to 40% | 15% to 25% | 20% to 30% |
S Class | 40% to 50% | 15% to 35% | 25% to 35% |
Freighter
The final starship archetype is freighters. These are massive ships that are unable to land on planets and instead act as mobile bases for players to take with them. Their interiors can be fully customized and built-in like planet-side bases, as well as being able to house multiple smaller starships at a time.
This allows players to carry their fleet of starships with them as well as taking functions like farming to other star systems as well. However, players can only own a single freighter at a time, but any other players that they invite can use it with them. Players can also get freighters that are part of space fleets so that other NPC-controlled ships travel alongside them.
- Cargo Upgrade Limit:Â N/A
- Maneuverability:Â Low
Inventory Sizes:
Starship Size | General Inventory | Technology Inventory | Cargo Inventory |
Standard | 15 to 19 | 3 to 6 | 2 to 3 |
Capital | 24 to 34 | 5 to 9 | 3 to 4 |
Archetype Bonuses:
Starship Class | Hyperdrive Increase | Fleet Coordination |
C Class | 7% to 15% | 1% to 10% |
B Class | 10% to 19% | 10% to 20% |
A Class | 40% to 60% | 20% to 40% |
S Class | 60% to 80% | 40% to 60% |
Starship Destruction
No matter how carefully you play No Man’s Sky, it is likely that your starship will get destroyed at least once during your playthrough. So, you will want to know how your starship getting destroyed works. The penalties for it happening vary depending on the mode that you’re playing on.
If you’re playing on normal difficulty, the main thing you will lose is all of the resources held in your starship’s storage, which will be dropped at the location where it was destroyed. You can return to that location to retrieve the resources, but there is a chance that pirates will get to it all first if you don’t move quickly enough.
Your ship will then spawn either on a planet nearby or the nearest space station if it was destroyed in space. The majority of its modules and systems will be damaged except for its Pulse Drive so that you can still use it to fly. However, you’ll need to gather or purchase resources to repair the other systems on your ship to complete repairs and get it back in top shape.
If you are playing No Man’s Sky in survival mode your ship being destroyed in space will work a bit differently. Instead of spawning back on a space station, it will crash land on a nearby planet. This causes your ship’s inventory to be permanently lost, so there’s no way to get it back.
You will also land on the planet some distance away from your starship, so you’ll have to try and find it after the crash. The ship will also have damaged components just like in normal mode that will need to be repaired with materials that you harvest from the planet.
Finally, if your ship is destroyed in permadeath mode you’ll be in it, resulting in your death and the end of the run.
FAQs
Question: What is the rarest exotic ship in No Man’s Sky?
Answer: The rarest exotic ship is the yellow and gold Guppy, which took players more than two years to find after the game’s release.
Question: How many starships are in No Man’s Sky?
Answer: Starships are procedurally generated like the majority of content in No Man’s Sky, making it nearly impossible to know the exact number of different ships possible to find in the game.
Question: Are all living ships S class?Â
Answer: Yes, all living ships in No Man’s Sky are S class and are only used by players and not NPCs.
Conclusion
Getting a really cool starship to call my own and show off my achievements with is one of my favorite parts of No Man’s Sky and other similar games. The sheer number of starships available in the game helps each one feel really special and worth chasing, Obtaining a solid fleet of starships so that you have one to use for every occasion can also play a big role in No Man’s Sky‘s late game. So, good luck finding some starships that you think are cool and that are worth adding to your fleet.