No Man's Sky Beginner's Tips - How to Get Started

[₩ăřņîñĞ]

No Man's Sky is an intimidating game at first glance. It's easy to get the hang of, however, especially if you're familiar with Minecraft, Terraria, or Starbound. Here are some useful tips for beginners that will assist you with the first couple of hours of your strange new life. 

Collect the supplies from around your crash site -- When you first wake up, you'll find some supplies scattered around your ship. Don't leave them behind!  

Your ship is a haven -- Your ship is a handy-dandy save point. It also protects you against extreme temperatures and other hostilities. Retreat there for a safe place to think and craft.  

Stay close to your ship until you're familiar with the game's controls -- Hiding out in your ship for a short time restores your thermal protection without needing to spend isotopes or other consumables. Stay close to "home" for a bit until you get an idea of how to move. There should be plenty of useful isotopes within range.  

Remember to replenish your thermal protection and life support when you're far from "home" -- Your life support and thermal protection drains when you're in hostile territory, but you can recharge it using easy-to-find isotopes like zinc, plutonium, and carbon. You'll get warnings when your level drops, so heed them when you're on a long trip.  

Caves offer environmental protection -- If you need to warm up or cool off in a hurry, caves can give you respite from the cruel world.  

Know your plants: They contain health and isotopes -- Much of the florae in No Man's Sky contain healing and restorative properties that can recharge your thermal protection and your life support. Many also contain isotopes. It's unclear why platinum grows in flowers, but don't question your good fortune.  

Use your jetpack to save you from big falls -- Long falls hurt! Use your jetpack to soften landings. In fact, early on, your jetpack is far better suited for assisting jumps than for rocketing around to and fro.  

Do minor repair work as soon as possible -- Whenever you're ready, enter your personal inventory (press the touch pad on the PlayStation 4) and flip through the tabs to get a bead on what needs to be repaired. Your Scanner and Analysis Visor should be the first things you repair: They let you identify the species around you, and make it easier to zoom in on deposits of rare minerals.  

Repair your mining beam -- One more repair job you should prioritize is your mining beam. It's the only way to chip at larger deposits of rare elements.  

Make a weapon! -- Your spawn-planet may never put you face-to-face with hostile life forms. On the other hand, it might. It's not a bad idea to have a weapon on-hand. In your personal inventory, flip to the "Multi-tool" tab, place your cursor on an empty spot, and see what weapons you can craft. If you don't have the necessary elements, get them. You should at least make sure you have a simple bolt caster on you at all times.  

Be wary around sentinels -- Sentinels are robots that occupy some planets. They're more plentiful on some worlds than others. They'll leave you alone for the most part, but if you mine for resources while they're looking, they might disapprove and attack you. Sentinels are tough enemies early in the game; it's best to avoid provoking their wrath, period. If some are whizzing around, go mine somewhere else.  

Find and activate beacons -- Beacons let you upload your findings, discover new territory, and sometimes advance story missions. Here's more information about finding and activating beacons. 

Enjoy, and take your time! -- Ultimately, there's no wrong way to play No Man's Sky. Sit back, don't stress, and explore the vast, vast universe before you!