Expanding Your Galactic Armada: A Comprehensive Guide to Increasing Your Fleet Size in No Man’s Sky
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The vast universe of No Man’s Sky beckons with endless possibilities for exploration, trade, and combat. Central to these endeavors is your fleet, a collection of starships and frigates that amplify your capabilities. So, how do you increase your fleet size in NMS? The answer lies in a combination of strategic acquisitions and understanding the game’s mechanics. The key components of your fleet are starships, frigates, and your freighter. You can’t increase the number of freighters beyond one, and a single freighter is essential for managing your frigate fleet. Starships, while numerous, each serve a unique purpose.
In short, to increase your overall fleet size, you will need to acquire more starships (up to a maximum of 12), recruit more frigates (up to a maximum of 30), and upgrade your freighter to maximize its utility. This article will guide you through the intricacies of expanding each element of your fleet to dominate the stars.
Starship Acquisition: Collecting Your Personal Hangar
The player starts with one starship, but the galaxy is teeming with potential additions to your collection. Here’s how to expand your starship hangar to the maximum of 12 ships:
- Purchasing at Space Stations: The most common way to acquire new ships is by trading at space stations. Land at a space station and look around for non-player controlled ships. When you see one you like, walk over to the pilot and you can initiate a purchase. You will have to pay units, or you can trade one of your current ships for it.
- Rescuing Crashed Ships: Explore planets thoroughly, and you’ll often stumble upon crashed starships. These can be repaired, which costs various resources, and then added to your fleet without the need to pay units.
- Trading with NPC Pilots: You can sometimes encounter NPC pilots in planetary trading posts or space stations offering their ships for sale or trade. Make sure to look at the stats before accepting.
- Specialized Ships: Occasionally, you’ll encounter special types of ships that require unique methods of acquisition, such as Living Ships, which require the use of a Void Egg and following a specific questline. These ships often have unique characteristics and abilities.
- Using the Quick Menu: After acquiring additional ships, you can swap them in and out of your freighter’s hangar by using the quick menu (X on PC). Only six ships are visible in the hangar at any time.
Understanding Starship Types
Different ship classes are suited for different purposes. Understanding their strengths is crucial for building a well-rounded fleet:
- Fighters: These are designed for combat, with high damage output and maneuverability.
- Haulers: These specialize in cargo capacity, perfect for hauling resources or goods.
- Explorers: Ideal for long-distance travel and scanning, boasting superior hyperdrive range and scanning capabilities.
- Shuttles: Versatile, all-rounder ships with moderate stats, offering a balance of capabilities.
- Solar Ships: These ships have improved fuel efficiency and manueverability, excellent for travel between systems.
- Exotic Ships: Rare and unique ships with high-end stats.
- Living Ships: Bio-organic ships with special abilities and unique acquisition quests.
Freighter Fleets: Your Mobile Base
Freighters are crucial for managing and expanding your overall fleet. While you can only own one freighter, it’s where you manage your frigate fleet, store ships and resources, and set up a portable base. Here’s a breakdown:
- Acquiring Your First Freighter: You receive a free freighter early in the game by saving it from pirates. Later you can purchase better freighters.
- Upgrading Your Freighter: You can expand its storage capacity with Cargo Bulkheads, acquired primarily as rewards for saving freighters from pirate attacks or from derelict freighters. This will allow you to expand your general, tech and cargo inventory slots.
- Freighter Management: Use the bridge terminals to manage your fleet, launch expeditions, and manage the freighter’s warp capabilities. Your Freighter allows you to warp to other star systems, like you do in your Starship.
Freighter Base
Freighters serve as mobile bases, you can build various structures, such as farms and manufacturing facilities within them.
- Customization: Build within your freighter to personalize your base.
- Inventory Management: Store a significant amount of resources and items.
- Mobile base: Your freighter goes wherever you go, making it essential for efficient long-term gameplay.
- Important Note: When you acquire a new freighter, the base of the prior one will not be transfered.
Frigate Expeditions: Extending Your Reach
Your freighter’s most important function is to manage your frigates. Frigates are vital for exploring, trading, and gathering resources. Here’s how to recruit and manage your frigate fleet:
- Recruiting Frigates: Fly near a frigate, and you’ll be hailed by its captain and invited to inspect it. You can then offer to buy it.
- Frigate Types: Frigates come in four types – Combat, Trade, Support and Industrial, and they each specialize in different missions.
- Frigate Missions: Send your frigates on expeditions from your freighter’s command room and earn rewards and resources.
- Fleet Management: Utilize the navigation room on the freighter to manage your fleet and send out multiple frigate expeditions simultaneously. Each expedition requires its own dedicated fleet room to manage.
- Maximum Frigate Count: Your fleet can include a maximum of 30 frigates, including traditional frigates and expedition reward frigates such as the Normandy and the Leviathan.
- Living Frigates: Living frigates are rare, special frigates. They require the completion of missions and obtaining a Dream Aerial blueprint from sending out traditional frigate missions. You must use Psionic Eggs to hatch a living frigate, which you can acquire from derelict freighters or other players.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the maximum number of starships I can own in No Man’s Sky?
You can own a maximum of 12 starships at any one time.
2. How do I manage my starships?
Only six ships can be located in your freighter’s hangar at any given time. You can swap ships in and out of the hangar using the quick menu (X on PC).
3. Can I have more than one freighter?
No, you can only own one freighter at any given time.
4. What are frigate expeditions?
Frigate expeditions are missions that you send your frigates on to gather resources, explore, or engage in combat, earning rewards as a result.
5. How do I get more frigates?
You can recruit frigates by flying near them and accepting their offer to inspect them. You can then purchase them if you choose to.
6. What is the maximum number of frigates I can own?
You can own a maximum of 30 frigates, including both standard and special frigates.
7. How do I upgrade my freighter’s inventory space?
You can increase your freighter’s inventory by acquiring Cargo Bulkheads, which you can find as rewards from freighter rescues or derelict freighters.
8. Can I build a base in my freighter?
Yes, you can build a fully customizable base within your freighter, complete with farming and other base-related facilities.
9. What are Living Frigates, and how do I get them?
Living Frigates are special types of organic frigates. To obtain them, you must acquire a Dream Aerial blueprint through normal frigate expeditions. You must use Psionic Eggs to hatch a living frigate, which you can acquire from derelict freighters or other players.
10. How do I send out multiple frigate missions at the same time?
To send multiple frigate missions concurrently, you’ll need a dedicated fleet command room for each mission. For five simultaneous expeditions, you’ll need five such rooms.
11. What’s the best way to upgrade my starships?
You can upgrade starships by buying upgrade modules from vendors at space stations or planetary trading posts. You can also acquire upgrades through exploration.
12. What is the best class of starship in No Man’s Sky?
The best class depends on your preference, but for a well-rounded experience, Explorer-type starships often excel in multiple categories. Solar Ships are the best for fuel efficiency when travelling in the galaxy.
13. Can I pilot my freighter?
Yes, you can pilot your freighter to other star systems using the freighter warp map.
14. What happens to my freighter base when I get a new freighter?
Unfortunately, when you acquire a new freighter, your previous freighter’s base is automatically lost and your new one is replaced with a pre-generated freighter base.
15. Are there any rare ships in NMS?
Yes, various ships are rare, such as S-Class freighters, Squid Ships and Living ships. Some ships only spawn in certain systems.
By mastering the art of acquisition and fleet management, you can build a powerful and versatile fleet in No Man's Sky. This will not only make your explorations smoother but also enhance your ability to navigate the dangers and rewards of the vast cosmic canvas that this remarkable game provides.