Part of the series:

No Man's Sky Technology & Upgrades Guide Hub: The category hub for modules, classes, and adjacency.

No Man's Sky Exploration & Endgame Guide (2026): Hub — portals, freighters, the galaxy core, and more.

How to Get More Inventory Slots (Exosuit, Ship & Multi-Tool): Unlock the slots you need before filling them.

No Man's Sky Starships Guide (2026): Finding and upgrading the best ships.

Quick Answer

Supercharged slots (glowing purple) boost any installed technology and scale with equipment class: C-class gear has 1, B has 2, A has 3, and S-class has 4. Exosuits always have exactly 3, in fixed positions that do not touch each other.
Always prioritize placing your core weapon technology (not just upgrade modules) in a supercharged slot for maximum damage output.
Upgrade modules are capped at 3 per technology category per inventory tab. Installing a fourth causes all in that group to overload and stop working.
Adjacency bonuses reward placing related technology families next to each other. Cluster upgrades tightly, a box or L-shape touching as many sides as possible.
S-class upgrade modules bought with Nanite Clusters from space station Technology Merchants offer the strongest consistent stat rolls.
Shields return a relatively weak benefit from supercharging compared to offensive or mobility tech. Spend those purple slots elsewhere if possible.
Use the NMS Optimizer tool (nms-optimizer.app) to calculate the best layout for your specific inventory shape.

Overview

No Man's Sky has two interlocking upgrade systems that reward players who understand them: supercharged slots and adjacency bonuses. Both were introduced in Patch 4.05 (the Waypoint update) and further refined by subsequent updates, and together they represent the highest-impact optimization available to any player outside of hunting for a better class of gear.

Neither system requires grinding rare resources. What it does require is thoughtful placement. A poorly arranged set of S-class upgrade modules can underperform a well-arranged A-class set, which means layout knowledge is genuinely worth your time, especially at endgame, where exploration, portal travel, and pushing toward the galaxy center all depend on how well-tuned your equipment is.

If you're still building up your first gear set, check the No Man's Sky Early Game Checklist first, then return here once you have an S-class or A-class ship and multi-tool to work with.

Understanding Supercharged Slots

What They Are

Supercharged slots are special technology inventory squares highlighted in purple. Any technology installed in one receives a significant stat boost on top of its normal values. The boost applies to whatever numerical stats that technology normally provides: damage, range, fuel efficiency, hyperdrive distance, and so on.

How Many You Get

Equipment	C-Class	B-Class	A-Class	S-Class
Starship	1	2	3	4
Multi-Tool	1	2	3	4
Freighter	1	2	3	4
Exosuit	3 (fixed)	3 (fixed)	3 (fixed)	3 (fixed)
Exocraft	3 (fixed)	3 (fixed)	3 (fixed)	3 (fixed)

The exosuit's three supercharged slots are always in the same positions for all players, and they are specifically arranged so that none of the three touch each other. This is a critical planning detail: you cannot form a tight cluster around all three at once. For ships, multi-tools, and freighters, positions are random within the technology grid and may or may not be adjacent to each other.

Slot Positions Are Fixed

You cannot relocate supercharged slots. For ships and multi-tools, the positions are set when that piece of gear is generated. This is a core reason why hunting S-class equipment is worth the effort: four supercharged slots versus one makes an enormous difference to your ceiling for optimization.

What to Put There

The community consensus, backed by extensive testing, is:

Weapons: Place the base weapon technology itself (e.g., Photon Cannon, Positron Ejector) in a supercharged slot rather than only relying on upgrade modules. The base tech often benefits significantly from the supercharge multiplier, though having well-placed upgrade modules nearby for adjacency is equally important.
Hyperdrive: Placing the Hyperdrive or a high-quality Hyperdrive upgrade module in a supercharged slot meaningfully extends your jump range. Valuable if you're pushing toward the galaxy center or navigating black holes.
Movement (Exosuit): Jetpack tech, Neural Stimulator, and Rocket Boots all respond well to supercharging. Since exosuit slots are fixed and non-adjacent, plan individual clusters around each supercharged position rather than one large group.
Shields: Generally considered a lower-value use of a supercharged slot. The return on shields is smaller compared to offensive or mobility tech, making them a poor use of precious supercharged slot space.

Adjacency Bonuses Explained

Every installed technology belongs to a hidden "family" category. When two technologies from the same family are placed next to each other in the inventory grid, they glow with a colored border. Visual confirmation that the adjacency bonus is active. Diagonal placements do not count; only the four cardinal sides matter.

How the Calculation Works

The bonus is calculated per side. Each edge of a technology module that touches a compatible neighbor adds to the total bonus, calculated additively before the equipment's class multiplier is applied. This means the more sides a module has touching compatible neighbors, the larger the bonus it earns.

Practical implication: A module sitting in the corner of a cluster (touching two neighbors) earns less bonus than one in the middle of a cluster (touching four neighbors). Your strongest module, typically the one with the best S-class stat roll, should be positioned to have the most touching sides.

Optimal Layout Shapes

Box/Square: The most efficient shape. Four modules arranged in a 2×2 square means each module touches two or three others. Every side counts.
L-Shape: Strong for three modules. Better than a straight line.
Straight Line: The weakest option. End modules only touch one neighbor; avoid this if you have flexibility.

If your supercharged slots don't fall neatly inside your planned cluster, you may need to compromise. Sometimes getting a supercharged slot on your best upgrade is worth slightly breaking the cluster shape.

The 3-Module Cap

For each core technology (Photon Cannon, Jetpack, Life Support, Mining Beam, etc.), you can install a maximum of 3 upgrade modules per inventory tab before they overload. An overloaded group stops functioning entirely until you drop back to 3. The game shows this with a warning indicator.

Both your exosuit and your starship have two separate inventory tabs that can each hold technology, and each tab allows its own 3 upgrade modules for the same technology type. This gives an effective ceiling of 6 upgrade modules per technology category on both the exosuit and starships. Multi-tools follow the same structure.

The key distinction:

Blueprinted technology (things you craft directly, like the Photon Cannon itself) does not count toward this cap and never causes overloading.
Upgrade modules (the C/B/A/S/X items purchased with Nanites or found as loot) are subject to the 3-per-tab limit.

Priority Upgrades by Equipment Type

Exosuit

The exosuit's three fixed supercharged slots shape everything. Identify where they are before you start placing tech, then build separate clusters around each of the three positions. Since they never touch each other, you cannot consolidate all three into one large cluster.

Technology	Why It Matters
Movement System Upgrades	Jetpack fuel efficiency, sprint distance, sprint recovery — all stack well
Life Support Upgrades	Extends active time before needing oxygen, crucial on hostile planets
Hazard Protection Upgrades	Required for extreme weather biomes and storm crystal farming
Neural Stimulator	Boosts jetpack range and sprint speed — one of the best single items
Rocket Boots	Higher jumps; pairs well with other movement tech

For more on unlocking the slots themselves, see the Exosuit upgrade guide.

Starship

S-class ships with four supercharged slots have the most room to optimize. General priority:

Primary weapon in a supercharged slot (Photon Cannon and Positron Ejector are popular choices)
Pulse Engine upgrades for in-system speed
Hyperdrive upgrades if you warp frequently
Shields only if all higher-priority slots are filled

The Starships Guide covers how ship type (fighter, explorer, hauler) affects which upgrades are most valuable for your playstyle.

Multi-Tool

For combat-focused multi-tools, the Boltcaster and Scatter Blaster respond well to supercharging. For exploration, the Analysis Visor and Survey Device are worth prioritizing. Boosting scan rewards connects directly to earning Units from fauna and flora discoveries.

For weapon upgrade modules on multi-tools, the S-class variants purchased with Nanites from space station merchants give the highest consistent stat ceilings. See the Multi-Tool Guide for type-specific recommendations.

Acquiring Upgrade Modules

Space Station Technology Merchants: The most reliable source. Purchase S-class upgrade modules for Nanite Clusters. S-class modules cost more than lower-tier equivalents. Budget accordingly.
Pirate/Outlaw Stations (Suspicious Packets): X-class upgrade modules can be obtained by spending Tainted Metal at Scrap Dealers in outlaw systems, or by buying Suspicious Tech/Arms packets at pirate stations and opening them. Stats are random and can range from weak to better than S-class.
Buried Caches: X-class modules occasionally appear as drops from these planetary objects; class and stats are unpredictable.
Operations Centres and Manufacturing Facilities: Can yield upgrade modules as rewards for solving puzzles.
Selling unwanted modules: Technology Merchants buy modules back for Nanites, so re-rolling bad stat rolls by selling and rebuying is a valid strategy.

If you need Nanites to fund your upgrade shopping, derelict freighters are a strong mid-game source. They yield Tainted Metal and scrap that can be refined or sold, alongside direct Nanite rewards.

FAQ

Does the adjacency bonus apply even if a module is also in a supercharged slot?

Yes. A module placed in a supercharged slot still benefits from adjacency bonuses from neighboring technology. The two bonuses stack, making a supercharged slot inside a well-formed cluster significantly stronger than either bonus alone.

Can I move supercharged slots to better positions?

No. Supercharged slot positions are fixed and cannot be relocated through any in-game means. For ships and multi-tools, the positions are set when the equipment is generated. If the positions on your current gear are inconvenient, hunting for a new ship or multi-tool with better slot placement is the only solution.

Is it worth upgrading a C-class ship or should I wait for S-class?

If you're early in the game, moderate investment in a C-class is fine to get you through. However, C-class gear only has one supercharged slot versus four on S-class, so the optimization ceiling is much lower. Once you can reliably get S-class equipment, which the How to Get an S-Class Ship guide covers in detail, it's worth transitioning and rebuilding your upgrade layout.

What happens if I install a 4th upgrade module for the same tech?

All modules in that group overload and stop working until you remove one, bringing the count back to 3. You'll see a visual warning on the affected modules. No permanent damage occurs. Just remove one module to restore function.

Do X-class upgrades follow the same rules as S-class?

Yes. X-class upgrade modules follow the same 3-per-tab cap and benefit from the same adjacency and supercharged slot mechanics. Their stats can range widely, from worse than S-class to occasionally better, making them a gamble. When you land a well-rolled X-class module, it can outperform a standard S-class, but the outcome is not guaranteed. They are primarily obtained from Tainted Metal at Scrap Dealers, Suspicious Packets at pirate stations, and buried caches.

Should I supercharge my shields?

Generally no, unless you've already covered your offensive and mobility priorities. The effective gain from a supercharged slot on shields is smaller relative to a weapon or hyperdrive tech. Save those purple slots for technologies where the multiplier makes a bigger absolute difference.

Key Takeaways

Supercharged slots scale with class: S-class gear has 4 (ships/tools/freighters), while exosuits always have exactly 3 in fixed positions, and those three positions are arranged so that none of them touch each other.
Place your base weapon technology in a supercharged slot and cluster upgrade modules around it for adjacency bonuses; combining both effects delivers the best results.
Keep upgrade module counts at 3 or fewer per technology category per inventory tab to avoid overloading. Both exosuits and ships allow 3 modules per tab across two tabs, for an effective ceiling of 6 per technology.
Arrange same-family technology in tight clusters (2×2 box is ideal) so each module touches as many neighbors as possible, maximizing adjacency bonuses. Diagonal placement does not count.
The strongest upgrade module in any cluster should sit in the center position with the most neighboring sides, not on the edge.
S-class modules bought with Nanites from space station merchants are your best consistent source of high-stat upgrades; X-class modules from pirate stations and buried caches can occasionally surpass them but involve RNG.
Shields are a low-return investment for supercharged slots: prioritize weapons, mobility, and hyperdrive first.

No Man's Sky: Best Technology Upgrades & Supercharged Slots Guide