Finding Claimed Crashed Ships in No Man’s Sky: A Comprehensive Guide
Finding a crashed ship in No Man’s Sky can be a thrilling experience, a chance to add a new vessel to your collection or simply scavenge for valuable resources. While locating abandoned crashed ships is relatively straightforward, finding ships that have already been claimed by another player presents a unique challenge. The short answer is: you generally cannot directly locate a specific crashed ship that has already been claimed by another player. Once a player claims a ship, it is permanently removed from the pool of available crashed ships at that location for all players in that universe.
However, there are still nuances and related information players should know about locating ships in this vast universe. This article delves into those details, explaining how crashed ships appear, what happens when they’re claimed, and provides advice for finding fresh, unclaimed crash sites. We’ll also address some related Frequently Asked Questions to ensure you have a complete understanding of this game mechanic.
Understanding Crashed Ships in No Man’s Sky
Before we explore the complexities of locating claimed crashed ships, it’s important to understand the basic mechanics of crashed ships in No Man’s Sky. These ships are randomly generated Points of Interest (POIs) on the surfaces of planets and moons. Each crashed ship typically has some degree of damage, requiring repairs before becoming fully functional. The type of ship, its class, and its appearance vary greatly, offering a sense of discovery each time one is found.
Generating and Claiming Crashed Ships
When a new game is generated or an area is explored that hasn’t been visited previously, the game places a certain number of crashed ships within planetary systems. These sites are generally available for anyone in the same game instance to find. However, when a player interacts with a crashed ship and claims it (either by repairing it enough to fly or by adding it to their fleet), that ship is then removed from the world for other players in the same universe. It’s no longer considered a crashed ship and won’t show up as one on the planet for other players.
It’s important to note that this isn’t a multiplayer-specific problem. Even if you’re playing offline, once you claim a crashed ship, it’s no longer there for you to find again. The game doesn’t retain a record of claimed ship locations for reuse in future saves.
The Role of Beacons and Transmission Towers
You might have heard about using Transmission Towers to locate crashed ships, or the use of a distress beacon ping. While this is a valid method to find unclaimed crashed ships, it will not work for ships that have already been claimed. These towers send out distress signals that can reveal the locations of any nearby crashed ships, but this is only if they haven’t been claimed by another player yet. If the closest crashed ship to that transmission tower has been claimed, you may find the tower not providing any further locations, until a different player arrives to the region with a new undiscovered crashed ship.
The Interceptor Exception
The exception to the above rules are Crashed Sentinel Interceptors. These ships are located on Corrupted planets and are found at Harmonic Camps after completing the camp’s puzzle. These Interceptors are also unique in that there may be multiple of the same ship available on the same planet in the same instance, or available to different players at the same time. Therefore, it is possible to find the same Interceptor that another player has already found, although the class and upgrades will still be random for each player.
Finding Unclaimed Crashed Ships
Since locating a previously claimed crashed ship is essentially impossible, the focus should shift to finding unclaimed ones. Here are some methods you can employ:
- Utilize Transmission Towers: Locate these structures on planets and solve the puzzle inside to reveal the location of a nearby crashed ship.
- Use the Analysis Visor: While exploring, scan the terrain with your Analysis Visor. Crashed ships sometimes appear as distant POIs.
- Explore Randomly: Sometimes, simply flying low over the surface of a planet can reveal crashed ships that are otherwise hidden from view.
- Check Cartographer Charts: Space stations often have a cartographer that will sell charts that will reveal various points of interest, sometimes including crashed ships.
- Ask for Coordinates: The No Man’s Sky community is very active, and players often share coordinates for crashed ships on various forums and community sites. This is one of the more reliable ways to find specific ship types.
Related FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about finding claimed and unclaimed crashed ships in No Man’s Sky:
1. Can I revisit a claimed crashed ship location?
No, once a ship is claimed, the location will no longer have a crashed ship for you to interact with, regardless if you revisit it yourself, with friends, or other players.
2. Do crashed ships respawn?
No, once a crashed ship is claimed, it doesn’t respawn in the same location for you or other players. If you are in single player, new crashed ship locations may appear over time.
3. Can I find the same crashed ship another player found?
No. Once another player claims a crashed ship, it’s removed from the world for all players in that instance. Interceptors are an exception as the same Interceptor can exist for multiple players in the same instance.
4. How do Harmonic Camps work?
These camps, found on Corrupted Planets, provide the locations for crashed Interceptor ships after you solve the simple camp puzzle. Destroying Corrupted Sentinels will also grant you Echo Locators to reveal Harmonic Camps.
5. Can I claim more than one crashed ship?
Yes, you can own up to 12 starships at one time. However, you need to repair the launcher and the pulse engine to fly each ship back to your freighter or a space station.
6. What happens to my old ship when I claim a crashed one?
When you claim a crashed ship, it’s added to your collection, and your currently used ship will automatically transfer to your fleet. You can switch between ships in your freighter.
7. Do crashed ships have varying rarities?
Yes, ships vary in class (C, B, A, and S) and appearance. Some ships are far rarer than others, with more unique designs.
8. Can I scrap a claimed crashed ship?
Yes, you can fly it to a space station and scrap it to recover tech modules and resources.
9. What is the best early-game ship?
Generally, Hauler ships are recommended due to their high inventory space and shield bonuses.
10. How do I repair a damaged ship?
You will need to gather resources to repair broken components of the ship. The necessary components will be indicated in your ship inventory panel.
11. Can I trade a crashed ship for another?
Yes, you can trade in claimed ships at trading posts or space stations for a new ship.
12. What happens if my ship is destroyed?
You keep the ship, but some technology might be damaged. You also drop your ship’s inventory, which will have to be retrieved at the location of your death.
13. How do I save the game without a ship?
Activate a Beacon at any planetary structure to save your game.
14. Can you steal ships in No Man’s Sky?
Yes, using a bypass chip to hack a landing pad console, you can steal a landed starship.
15. Can I find freighters that are crashed?
Yes, but they are found by using a signal scanner, talking to aliens in space stations, or using your analysis visor if they are nearby.
Conclusion
While the concept of finding a previously claimed crashed ship is not possible in No Man’s Sky, there are always new crashed ships for you to discover. Understanding the game’s mechanics, using transmission towers, and exploring uncharted areas are the best strategies for finding your next crashed ship. The vastness of No Man’s Sky means that, despite the potential for a lot of players, there are more ships out there for you to find!