‘No Man’s Sky’: How To Buy Starships

There’s a wide variety of starships in “No Man’s Sky,” and avid pilots may want to find a new one to replace the default ship that everyone gets at the beginning of the game.

Better starships offer hefty benefits across many different categories, including flight speed, handling, damage output and storage space. Purchasing a new space-faring vessel works a little differently in this game compared to others, but it’s not as complicated as some players might think.

Purchasing Starships

Buyable ships appear around trading posts, minor settlements, space stations and any other location where ships tend to land. Once one has landed, inspect it with the Analysis Visor to see its stats and other information.

A landed ship’s pilot should be roaming nearby. Talk to them and make an offer on their starship. Here, players can buy the ship outright by spending Units or by trading in their current ship for a discount on the new vessel. Directly purchasing a ship will add it to the player’s fleet if applicable.

Keep in mind that ship skins, models and stats are also procedurally generated much like the rest of the game’s universe. Make sure to purchase wisely as seeing the same ship twice is next to impossible.

The default ship in No Man’s Sky is a reliable companion in the early stages of the game
Photo: No Man’s Sky

How to find ships

Ships are divided into several classifications: Shuttle, Fighter, Explorer, Hauler, Solar, Living, Exotic, Frigate and Freighter. They each have their own specializations, such as fighters being better in combat and haulers being more efficient for mining or transport operations.

The types of ships that land on settlements are completely random, although fighters tend to appear more often in Vy’keen systems. Larger vessels like frigates, freighters and living ships have different acquisition methods.

To make finding specific ships quicker and easier, find a high-traffic spot like a planetary trading post and establish a save point nearby. Then, save the game and keep reloading until a good ship appears.

Take note that even a C-class ship can cost several million Units. Even with the trade-in option, players can expect to spend upwards of seven units’ worth of in-game currency in order to buy a ship that they want.