No Man’s Sky Beginner’s Guide: Tips & Tricks for New Players 2022
No Man’s Sky was originally released in 2016. In its early state, it felt like an overly ambitious game that wasn’t able to reach any of the goals it had been advertised with. Thankfully, that initial failure didn’t stop Hello Games from continuing to work on the game, and they have been releasing regular content updates and improvements to the game for the past 6 years. Now, in 2022, No Man’s Sky is an incredibly popular survival game with a ton of features and a vast universe to explore full of mystery and adventure.
If you’re a new No Man’s Sky fan just getting into the game now, congratulations! There has never been a better time to jump into this incredible universe-spanning journey. However, there are several things the game doesn’t tell you that you should know before you get too deep. In No Man’s Sky Tips & Tricks: Things I Wish I Knew, you will learn some of those things and hopefully avoid many rookie mistakes people make when they first start No Man’s Sky. If you’re ready to jump into adventure, prime your hyperdrive, and let’s get started!
-
Excavating for Resources
You’ll spend a lot of time in No Man’s Sky mining for things like copper, cobalt, and iron, among others. All of these metals can be found in deposits on most planet surfaces. Your mining laser and excavating tools are going to be your primary method of extracting the goods, but the default size of their effects is fairly limited. Thankfully, you are able to change the size of the effect on your terrain tool for excavation. Cycle between small, medium, and large areas of effect to cut down on mining time significantly.
-
Get More Expansion Slots
Your inventory is a crucially important aspect of No Man’s Sky. At the beginning of the game, it will be severely limited, but it is possible to find or purchase more expansion slots. These expansions make it possible to hold more items and equip more technology to your character. You can find expansion slots scattered around planets, though they are pretty rare. The more efficient way of collecting expansion slots is to purchase them every time you enter a new system. It is possible to purchase 2 expansion slots in each new system, one from one of the customization traders in the space station, and the other from the backroom of the anomaly.
-
Module Placement Matters
As you progress through the game, you will gain access to new technologies and equipment in the form of mods. These mods can be installed to your inventory, but don’t just place them willy-nilly. Installing modules of the same type and group adjacent to each other will net you an additional bonus that affects each of those mods. The more you have in a group, the more potent the bonus. This mechanic is another reason why you’ll want to expand that inventory with expansion slots as quickly as possible.
-
Faster Movement
After a certain point in the game, you will be able to pilot vehicles and crafts that make traversing the massive planets you land on much faster. But in the early game, you are stuck with walking and using your jetpack. However, there is a trick to covering ground much more quickly than by just walking. It is possible to zip over large distances by sprinting, pressing the melee button, and immediately activating your jetpack. This will send your character zooming in the direction they attacked in for as long as the charge of your jetpack lasts. If you need to get to a location in a hurry and don’t have a rover yet, this is going to be your best option.
-
How to Get Money Fast
The best multitools and ships in No Man’s Sky are crazy expensive. If you want to buy those awesome items as soon as possible, you’re going to want to upgrade your scanner as quickly as you can. Upgrading your multitool’s scanner can get you hundreds of thousands of credits for a single scan, regardless of what planet you are on. Upgrading the scanner will be expensive on its own, especially to reach S class, but the monetary benefit of having a maxed-out scanner far outweighs the cost. With an S class scanner, you can possibly become a millionaire in just a few minutes by visiting a planet and scanning all of the flora and fauna you come across. Don’t sleep on this method, it can make you a super-wealthy space adventurer.