How to Survive the Beginning of No Man’s Sky: A Comprehensive Guide
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The beginning of No Man’s Sky can feel overwhelming. You’re dropped onto a hostile planet with a broken ship and a whole galaxy to explore. Survival, in these initial hours, is a dance between resource gathering, understanding game mechanics, and following the tutorial prompts. Here’s how to not only survive but thrive in your first few hours of No Man’s Sky:
First and foremost, prioritize your immediate needs. This means focusing on repairing your Scanner and your Analysis Visor, which is crucial for locating essential resources. Look for ferrite dust, which is easily obtained by mining the small, grey rocks scattered around you. You’ll need this to repair your scanner. Don’t stray too far from your ship initially, as you’ll need to repair it later.
Next, you’ll need to recharge your hazard protection. This is the bar on the bottom left of your screen. Caves are your best friend at this stage, providing shelter and allowing your shields to recharge. While inside, gather oxygen and sodium—both vital resources—by scanning and interacting with nearby plants. You will spot them by their “O2” and “Na” symbols when you use your analysis visor.
Your next critical task is to repair your ship. This will require di-hydrogen for fuel and chromatic metal for the repair itself. Di-hydrogen is abundant in crystals, so scan the area with your analysis visor and look out for a symbol that looks like two small joined blue molecules. For chromatic metal, you’ll need to refine other metals (e.g., copper, which can be mined from larger metallic rocks). Refine them in your portable refiner, which you will be prompted to craft as part of the tutorial.
Remember to use your scanner (C on PC, R3 on PlayStation, L-Stick on Xbox and Switch) frequently. Scanning plants, rocks, and animals not only provides you with more information about your environment but also nets you valuable nanites later on.
Finally, follow the tutorial prompts. They may seem tedious at times, but they guide you through the essential steps of the game and provide you with crucial blueprints and resources. Focus on completing these early quests, especially those related to repairing your ship and getting to space. Once you’re airborne, the game truly opens up.
Essential Early Game Actions
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of actions to prioritize:
- Repair Your Scanner and Analysis Visor: This should be your very first action upon starting. You won’t get far without scanning for resources. Ferrite dust is your starting friend for these repairs.
- Locate and Recharge Your Hazard Protection: Find a cave or other sheltered area as quickly as possible. Make sure you know how to recharge with oxygen and sodium (look for O2 and Na symbols with your scanner).
- Repair Your Ship: Gather di-hydrogen and mine or refine the necessary metals for your ship repairs. This is a longer process, but essential for progress.
- Craft a Portable Refiner: This will allow you to refine raw materials into more usable resources, such as chromatic metal.
- Gather Basic Resources: Carbon, oxygen, sodium, ferrite dust, and di-hydrogen are the most crucial in the beginning. Make sure you always have some on hand.
- Use Your Analysis Visor: Scan everything! You’ll be surprised at how many resources and rewards you can discover.
- Complete the Tutorial Quests: Pay close attention to the tutorial and complete the tasks it sets. They will reward you and guide you towards building your first base and warping.
Things to Remember
- Your starting planet is always hazardous: Don’t waste time trying to find a peaceful start.
- Explore Underground: Caves not only offer shelter, but also valuable resources.
- Use your Ship to Save Often: Your ship is your mobile save point.
- Expand Your Inventory: Upgrade your exosuit, multi-tool, and ship inventory as early as possible.
- Always Have Fuel: Make sure you have di-hydrogen fuel for your launch thrusters at all times.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the beginning of No Man’s Sky:
1. Can I skip the tutorial in No Man’s Sky?
You can’t skip the initial tutorial entirely, but after you’ve installed the warp drive, crafted warp cells, and can summon the Anomaly, you’re free to diverge. This means you can abandon the tutorial quests and explore the universe as you see fit.
2. Is the first planet always hazardous?
Yes, your initial planet will always be hostile, either being hot, cold, toxic, or irradiated. Don’t try to reset the game, hoping for a more peaceful start, as it is not possible.
3. How do I find settlements in No Man’s Sky?
Finding settlements is mostly random. Using a Signal Booster on a habitable planet can help pinpoint new settlements, but there’s no guarantee every planet will have one.
4. What’s the safest planet type to live on?
Paradise Planets are considered the safest, with mild weather, low sentinel activity, and lush environments. They are an offshoot of Lush Planets and are ideal for establishing a permanent base.
5. How many settlements can I manage?
You can only oversee one settlement at a time. If you discover another settlement you prefer, you’ll have to abandon your current one.
6. What is a “Paradise Planet” exactly?
A Paradise Planet usually has mild weather, non-extreme temperatures, and chill or non-existent sentinels. However, some Paradise Planets can have steaming rainstorms while others have perfect weather.
7. Is No Man’s Sky enjoyable alone?
Yes! While multiplayer enhances the experience, No Man’s Sky is still enjoyable when played alone. The game’s strength lies in exploring a vast, procedurally generated universe.
8. Can you “beat” No Man’s Sky?
No, No Man’s Sky doesn’t have an ending. There’s a path you can follow to the center of the galaxy, but the game doesn’t have a final boss or credits.
9. Can you be a pirate in No Man’s Sky?
Yes! You can become an outlaw by interacting with Outlaw Stations. These stations offer the same services as regular stations and can be accessed on pirate systems.
10. What is the best game mode for beginners?
Relaxed Mode is excellent for beginners as it reduces danger, minimizes grind, and disables life support management.
11. What can you actually do in No Man’s Sky?
You can explore planets, gather resources, build bases, complete missions, discover new species, upgrade your gear, and engage in combat with pirates and sentinels.
12. Is there a limit to how much I can build?
Yes, there is a limit of 16,000 base objects per save file and a 3,000 component upload limit per base. Bases exceeding this cannot be uploaded.
13. Can you abandon a settlement?
Yes, you can abandon a settlement to take over another. You just need to find a new settlement and accept its ownership.
14. How many planets can I visit?
There are over 18 quintillion possible planets to visit. Exploring them all would take billions of years.
15. What items should I avoid selling?
You should avoid selling carbon, condensed carbon, oxygen, sodium, sodium nitrate, copper, salvaged data, navigation data, and especially salvaged frigate modules, as these are very useful.
By following this guide and understanding these FAQs, you’ll be well-equipped to survive and thrive in the vast universe of No Man’s Sky. Good luck, traveler!