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The subject of this article is from the Echoes update.
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 13 February, 2024.
NsmMisc BeginnersGuide
Disambig01 This article is about the current version of the Beginner's guide. For the Atlas Rises version, see Beginner's Guide (Atlas).

Beginner's guide is a guide for No Man's Sky.

Summary[ | ]

Beginner's Guide is a series of tips for new players in No Man's Sky.

Controls and display[ | ]

It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the game controls and Heads-Up Display before proceeding. You can access the controls scheme by pressing menu on PS4 and PS5, menu on Xbox series X|S, esc on PC, or + on Switch, and then select the 'Controls' menu.

Surviving the First Day[ | ]

You spawn far from your ship in a hazardous environment. You must make it to your ship in order to save the game and survive the first day!

  1. Take shelter in caves to recharge hazard protection (top bar on the bottom left). Don't stand outdoors for long.
  2. Use mining laser on ferrite rocks to get Scanner repair material.
  3. Press C (R3 on Playstation) (L-Stick on Xbox and Switch) to scan and look out for "Na" and "O2"!
    • Collect (press E, Square on Playstation, X on Xbox, Y on Switch) yellow flowers, and recharge (press X, D-pad down on consoles) hazard protection.
    • Collect (press E) red flowers, and recharge (press X) life support.
  4. Run towards your ship symbol. It might not show up right away.
  5. If you find damaged crates, press R3 (middle mouse on PC, R-Stick on Switch) to get rid of the material instead of adding to your inventory. Keep your inventory clear. (Alternately, keep and refine that material. Rusted metal refines to ferrite dust, living slime eventually refines to nanites.)

Once in the ship, the ship recharges hazard protection; keep recharging your life support (bottom bar in the lower left corner) manually with Oxygen or Life Support Gel. Make sure to request assistance when repairing and you can quickly find the materials you need. Now you can explore the vicinity and repair some tools. Gather minerals to repair your starship's Launch Thruster and Pulse Engine before you can lift off.

  1. Analyse rocks and plants to detect elements (press F, or L2/LT/ZL).
  2. Mine rocks and plants to collect resources (use mining laser (toggle G, LMB, R2/RT/ZR) or press E (X/Square/Y) on flowers).
  3. Sit in your ship and craft repair materials in your inventory. Usually, you need Carbon Nanotubes and a Hermetic Seal. The ship will ask if you need assistance.
  4. Travel to the next planet in your system once you fully repair your ship. (Console: R2/RT/ZR to thrust, Circle/B/A to boost. Press both bumper buttons RB+LB, R1+L1, or L+R to engage Pulse Engine. This is the fastest you can travel within a Star system)

Claim Pre-order bonuses[ | ]

For players that pre-ordered the game for PlayStation 4, the bonus content is Alpha Vector and Rezosu Z65 beginner ship. For PC pre-orders, the bonus content is Horizon Omega beginner ship. For Xbox it's Xbox Booster Pack.

Claim your bonus content via the Options menu. Under Extras, select Redeem Bonus Content. The redeemed bonus ship replaces your current ship. You can redeem the bonus content once per newly started game.

Better mining[ | ]

Craft Haz-Mat Gauntlet for your Exosuit and an Advanced Mining Laser for your Multi-tool.

Building your first base[ | ]

NsmMisc WoodenHouse

The basic wooden shed

After you head to the planet marked on your quest, you will need to craft a Base Computer, which requires a Portable Refiner. Then you'll need to build a basic wooden shed and find a Buried Technology Module to discover new technologies. Later you'll be able to craft a Construction Research Unit and get new technology blueprints. It is highly recommended that one of the first technologies a player buys at this point is the Teleporter blueprint, which will be very useful for interstellar travel.

Entering interstellar space[ | ]

At this point you will receive the recipe for a Hyperdrive, and need to craft an Antimatter and an Antimatter Housing in order to craft a Warp Cell and leave your first system. In the second system you will locate a monolith. You will answer a few questions at the monolith and then you have to fly into space again, where Nada will contact you and introduce you to the anomaly. At this point the basic tutorial stage is mostly over.

Getting your first Freighter[ | ]

Once you warp to another system again, you will arrive in the middle of a space battle and need to take down 5-6 pirates. Use sodium to recharge your shields and try to engage with the pirates one at a time. Do not damage the freighter or allies. After this battle, you can land on the freighter and talk to the captain, who will offer the ship's services to you for free, as well as one frigate. The first freighter you accept will be free, upgrades can be bought later. You can decline it and wait for another as you travel.

Progression Beyond the tutorial[ | ]

  • Storyline or Artemis Path - unlocks the recipe for Remembrance and allows the player a chance to jump directly to other Galaxies. Following this will also unlock many blueprints.
  • Space Anomaly - Provides the player with many useful blueprints, and is the main multiplayer hub. Iteration Ares will give rewards for Journey Milestones; Iteration Helios gives rewards for scanned planets, flora, fauna and minerals.
  • Atlas Path - Provides the player with the ability to see Black Holes.
  • Base building - Unlocks building parts and vehicles. Craft the Construction Research Unit and scan planets for Salvaged Data. Dig up and analyse Salvage until you unlock the Round Room blueprint, that's the entry point.
  • Factions - Enables the player to purchase new blueprints.

External links[ | ]

See also[ | ]

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