Galactic Life Hacks

We all know the galaxy of No Man's Sky can be a dangerous, unforgiving place. Planets that rain fire, alien life forms that think you're lunch and the nearest bathroom is usually half a planet away. Luckily there are a few tricks we can share to help you make it to the next planet in one piece.

1) Beacons

I know you've seen these laying around, and perhaps you've ignored them. Perhaps you've used them to help find monoliths or command centers. Or maybe you mostly ignore them like I used to. Yet I've discovered something that now makes me leap for joy whenever I see that orange beam stabbing the sky! If you ask it to find shelter, eight out of ten times it will find you a Drop Pod containing an exosuit inventory space upgrade! No more choosing between life saving Plutonium or that shield upgrade, just find a bunch of Drop Pods and have both!

2) Running

I had explored three solar systems, at a Aadiybe Snail's pace, before a kindly trader told me how to activate my exosuit's "sprint" feature. Simply press R3 and you'll be able to run like the wind, or at least normal human speed, until you run out of breath. This is great for speeding up exploration, but even better for reaching safety before a fire storm melts you into a puddle of goo!

3) Surviving Harsh Conditions

Speaking of firestorms, are you afraid to wander far from your ship in case the planet itself tries to vaporize you? Well guess what, you can use the planet against itself! If a bad storm is incoming, find yourself a nice deep cave and wait it out in comfort. In fact, even if you can't find a cave a small cul-de-sac sheltered from the wind will work in a pinch! You'll know you're safe when your exosuit tells you temperatures are stabilizing, so go ahead and brew yourself some tea... and then let me know how you drink it through an exosuit.

4) Learn the Language(s)

Each of the three "superior" races in the galaxy has settled on using magic rocks to teach kindergarten. I feel sorry for their children having to wander the countryside of multiple planets in order to learn basic Gek, but it seems to work for them. The good news is that it also works for you! Keep an eye out for these stones and you'll be speaking Gek, Korvax and Vy'Keen in no time! This is especially handy because they always want help before they'll offer anything in return, and it's a guessing game unless you can understand what they're asking for. Some of their monolith's will even punish you if you guess wrong!

5) Landing Pads

This isn't the most exciting tip in our little lifehack list, however it can be very useful. Have you ever noticed that some shelters have a landing pad attached? These shelters also have galactic terminals so you can sell all those relics you're dragging around. Better yet, if you actually land on the landing pad you can directly access your ships inventory through the terminal. No more walking back and forth to get everything sold!

6) Whistle for your Ship

Ever wander a little too far when exploring, and now you can see a shelter or settlement far closer than your ship? Take the lazy way out by going to the settlement, then using a bypass on this terminal. Your ship will come and pick you up, like a well-trained horse from those old westerns!

7) Buy a new Ship

Is your ship a little worse for wear? The inventory isn't quite big enough? Get a new one! How, you ask? Just ask. Anyone, really. If you see a ship dock at a space station or trading post, simply go up to the ship and interact with it. Turns out pretty much everyone hates their ship and is more than willing to sell! The only catch is you need all the money up front. Probably so they can buy something to get home in...

8) Asteroid Mining

Here's another that every newbie space explorer should be told, but isn't. (Right after that thing with the Athrakan Tentacle Beast. Just, don't go there. Ever.) You can mine asteroids! You don't even need to sit around waiting for a slow, wimpy mining beam. Just blast the asteroid with your photon cannons and your ship will pull in the resulting Thamium9.

Also keep a look out for asteroids that look different. While most asteroids are Thamium9, you can also find larger asteroids comprised of other elements that are usually rare to find on planets!

9) Vortex Cubes

You want that new ship, and you want to keep buying those exosuit inventory upgrades I mentioned? They get pricey! So you need a way to make money. Now sure, you can craft things and keep track of the galactic market prices and eventually build a pretty good income. But there's a better way, and these guys are it. If you're lucky...

Vortex cubes are worth 25k a piece. You might think with such a high price they're quite rare, and they are... sort of. I've only seen them on two planets out of the dozens I've explored... but when you do find one, it won't be alone. Look around and you'll find another, and another, and another. Especially if you're underground these things breed like Tribbles. Or at least they would if this were a different space-based franchise!

So there you have it, our best tips for surviving your journey to the galactic center. Do you have any tricks of your own? Share them below for everyone to see. Together we'll rule the galaxy... right after I see what's over that next ridge.