Part of the handbook:

Quick Answer

  • Portals let you teleport anywhere in the galaxy using 16-glyph addresses: unlock all glyphs fastest by completing the Artemis Path storyline, or one at a time by visiting Travellers at space stations.
  • Freighters are your mobile base and fleet command center; you can claim your first one for free by rescuing it from pirates.
  • Frigates sent on expeditions earn resources and upgrade modules passively while you play.
  • The galaxy center transitions you to a new galaxy; your inventory and units stay intact, but all your technology upgrades break on arrival.
  • Black holes jump you roughly 7,000 light-years closer to the core each use: the fastest route without a portal, and they no longer damage your technology.
  • Scanning fauna and flora with upgraded scanner modules earns substantial units per planet, making exploration one of the best money methods.
  • Expeditions (limited-time community events) earn exclusive cosmetics redeemable on any save via the Quicksilver Merchant.

Overview

No Man's Sky is, at its heart, a game about moving outward: through planets, systems, and eventually galaxies. The exploration loop starts the moment you leave your first planet, but the endgame systems that reward dedicated travelers only open up once you've made progress through the main storyline and built a solid foundation.

This hub guide covers the full arc: from unlocking your first portal glyph and claiming a free freighter, all the way to jumping through the galaxy center into an entirely new universe. Each section links to a dedicated deep-dive guide so you can go as far as you want on any topic.

If you haven't yet repaired your ship and gotten off the starting planet, head to the No Man's Sky repair ship guide first. Already established? Read on.

Portals: Instant Travel Across the Galaxy

Portals are ancient monolith structures found on planets throughout every galaxy. Enter a valid 16-glyph address and you'll teleport to the corresponding planet instantly, no warp fuel, no distance limit.

How to Find a Portal

  1. Locate a Monolith on any planet (use the Analysis Visor or buy a planetary chart from cartographers on space stations).
  2. Interact with it and select the option to search for a nearby portal.
  3. Travel to the marked portal location.

Charging the Portal

Each of the 16 portal glyphs requires specific resources to charge. The slots draw from three categories of material: a catalyst (such as Sodium or Sodium Nitrate), a stellar metal (such as Copper, Cadmium, Emeril, or Indium), and a fuel (such as Carbon, Condensed Carbon, or Oxygen). The exact costs per glyph are shown at the portal interface. Always check before traveling so you arrive with enough of each material.

Unlocking All 16 Glyphs

The fastest method is to complete the main Artemis Path storyline. During the final mission (The Purge), each hyperdrive warp rewards one glyph; by the 16th warp you have the full set.

If you'd prefer to unlock glyphs at your own pace outside the main quest, visit Travellers at space stations. Travellers are distinct alien figures; speak to one and ask where they came from. They'll mark a Traveller grave on your map for a unit fee. Interacting with the grave rewards one glyph. Repeat until you have all 16.

With a complete set, you can enter any community-published portal address, including coordinates for exotic ships, S-class multi-tools, and rare resources.

Our dedicated portal and glyph guide walks through both methods step by step, and the portal glyph reference breaks down what each glyph in an address means and how to collect all 16.

Freighters: Your Mobile Command Center

A freighter is the single most impactful acquisition in the late game. It serves as a mobile base, a storage hub, a fleet command center, and a fast-travel anchor all at once.

Getting Your First Freighter Free

The game offers you a chance to claim a freighter at no cost by rescuing a fleet under pirate attack. This scripted event triggers after a set amount of gameplay and warps; you'll warp into a system to find a freighter being attacked by pirates. Defeat the attackers, board the freighter, and the captain will offer it to you free of charge.

The class and layout of the free freighter are random. If you want an S-class freighter with a specific hull type, you'll need to reload saves and repeat the event. See the how to get a free freighter guide for the exact reload method.

Upgrading Your Freighter

Freighter upgrades (covering hyperdrive range, shield strength, and fleet management) are installed via upgrade modules. You can equip up to three modules of the same type; installing a fourth triggers a "Technology Overloaded" state that disables all modules of that type until the excess is removed. Place modules of the same category adjacent to each other to gain synergy bonuses.

S-class freighter upgrade modules drop from derelict freighters, which you locate using an Emergency Signal Scanner. The freighter upgrades and S-class guide covers every upgrade category and how to farm the best modules efficiently.

Building on Your Freighter

Your freighter has an interior you can fully customize, including research stations, refiners, and a landing bay for your collected ships. See the freighter base building guide for layout tips and must-have rooms.

Frigates & Fleet Expeditions

Once you own a freighter, you can recruit frigates: smaller vessels that form your fleet. Send them on expeditions lasting real-world hours and they return with resources, upgrade modules, and sometimes rare items.

Frigates come in five specializations (Combat, Exploration, Trade, Industrial, Support), and the type you assign to an expedition determines the potential rewards. Building a balanced fleet of high-grade frigates is a reliable source of passive income and technology upgrades.

Our frigate fleet and expeditions guide explains how to recruit the best frigates, manage expedition risk, and maximize the quality of your returns.

Hyperdrive & Warp: Reaching Distant Systems

Standard hyperdrive range starts at around 100 light-years per jump. That's fine for neighboring systems but slow for crossing a galaxy. Stacking three S-class Hyperdrive Upgrade modules raises jump range dramatically: an optimized loadout on an explorer-class ship can push well beyond 2,000 light-years per jump.

Installing upgrades also unlocks access to colored star systems. Cadmium, Emeril, and Indium Drive upgrades grant entry to red, green, and blue star systems respectively, each of which contains unique resources and better ship and technology spawns.

The hyperdrive upgrades and warp guide breaks down every module type, synergy stacking rules, and the fastest route to full warp unlock.

Reaching the Galaxy Center

The galaxy center is the endgame destination that transitions your character into a new galaxy. There are 255 unique galaxies in No Man's Sky, each with different environmental conditions and naming conventions.

What to Expect When You Arrive

  • Your units and inventory contents survive the transition intact.
  • All ship, multi-tool, and exosuit technology upgrades break on entry. Mirroring the game's opening scenario. Basic systems are unaffected and nothing in cargo slots is lost.
  • You keep all your blueprints and can rebuild your technology quickly if you have the materials.
  • You can still teleport back to your bases in previous galaxies once you've registered a portal location in the new galaxy.

Getting There Faster

The two main routes are warping directly (slow without a maxed hyperdrive) and chaining black holes. Each black hole jump moves you approximately 7,000 light-years closer to the core. Nada and Polo aboard the Space Anomaly will mark a nearby black hole on your galactic map if you ask them. Black hole travel no longer damages your technology. It is a free shortcut with no downside.

The full walkthrough lives in our how to reach the galaxy center guide. Before you decide whether to make that jump, read what it means for the narrative in the Atlas Path, story, and endings guide.

For where you land afterwards, the galaxy list and best galaxies guide covers all 256 galaxies, the Lush/Harsh/Abandoned split, and why most players stop at Eissentam. And if you want the fiction underneath all of it — what the Atlas is, who Telamon is, and why the Sentinels exist — the lore explainer assembles the whole story.

Scanning & Discovery Rewards

Exploration isn't just a hobby in No Man's Sky. It's a reliable source of units and nanites. Every fauna and flora species you scan with the Analysis Visor earns units on the spot and nanites when uploaded from the Discovery menu.

The multiplier comes from Scanner Upgrade modules installed in your multi-tool. Stacking high-quality scanner modules can push per-scan rewards for rare, large fauna into the hundreds of thousands of units. Scanning every fauna species on a planet also earns a nanite bonus on completion.

This makes planets with many undiscovered species genuinely valuable to visit. Our fauna and flora discovery rewards guide explains scanner module stacking, upload timing, and which planet types tend to have the most species. For a practical look at scanning income relative to other methods, see the best money-making methods by game stage guide.

Technology: Supercharged Slots

Whether you're optimizing for exploration range, combat, or scanning income, supercharged slots are the single biggest multiplier in your loadout. These golden-bordered slots appear in fixed positions on your exosuit, ships, and multi-tool, and any upgrade module placed in one receives a significant bonus. Even before adjacency bonuses are applied.

Understanding which slots to prioritize and which upgrades belong in them is the difference between a capable loadout and a fully optimized one. Our best technology upgrades and supercharged slots guide covers the meta for every equipment type.

Expeditions: Limited-Time Community Events

Hello Games regularly runs Expeditions: time-limited community events where everyone starts a fresh save and works through a shared set of milestones. Each expedition has a unique theme, starting conditions, and a set of exclusive cosmetic rewards.

Past expeditions have featured living ship variants, robotic companions, and unique freighter skins unavailable any other way. Rewards you earn transfer to your main save via the Quicksilver Merchant aboard the Space Anomaly, and they remain claimable on future saves too.

You don't need to complete every milestone to get value from an expedition. Partial completion still earns earlier rewards. Learn the structure, how to access expedition mode, and what to prioritize in our expeditions guide, then check the expedition rewards and redemption guide for claiming your cosmetics.

Every expedition crosses dozens of biomes, each with its own hazards. The planet types, biomes, and hazards reference explains what every world throws at you and how to survive it. As you specialize, branch into the Freighters Guide Hub, the Expeditions Guide Hub, and the Combat Guide Hub.

Fossil Hunting

The Relics update added fossil excavation to planetary exploration, giving surface sweeps a collectible payoff. See the paleontology and fossil hunting guide.

Reading the Galaxy and Its Places

Exploration gets faster once you can read what you are looking at before you commit to a jump or a landing.

What you want to understand Guide
Which system to warp to, and why Star Systems, Economy & Conflict
How to reach purple systems and what is in them Purple Systems & the Atlantid Drive
What every structure on a planet holds Planetary Points of Interest
Whispering Eggs, Horrors and abandoned systems Abandoned Buildings & Whispering Eggs
What the aliens are actually saying Alien Languages & Knowledge Stones
Standing with the Gek, Korvax and Vy'keen Factions & Reputation
The hub every traveller returns to Space Anomaly Guide
What to do at every docking Space Station Guide
Everything below the waterline Underwater Exploration

FAQ

How many glyphs do I need to use a portal?

You need all 16 glyphs to enter a full community-shared portal address. However, you can use a portal with fewer glyphs if you're entering a shorter address. The remaining slots default to the first glyph. Collecting all 16 opens up the full range of community coordinates.

Does reaching the galaxy center delete my progress?

No. Your units, resources, and inventory contents carry over. Your base network remains accessible via portals. What breaks are all the technology modules installed in your ship, multi-tool, and exosuit, not the slots or blueprints themselves, just the installed upgrades.

Can my freighter warp to the galaxy center?

Freighters use their own hyperdrive and can warp between systems, but they cannot enter black holes or cross the galaxy center boundary. You travel to the center in your personal starship; your freighter catches up when you summon it in the new galaxy.

What's the fastest way to reach the galaxy center from a new game?

Complete the Artemis Path storyline to unlock portal use, then use Nada and Polo aboard the Space Anomaly to chain black hole jumps. Each jump covers roughly 7,000 light-years and causes no technology damage. With a maxed hyperdrive handling the remaining distance, an experienced player can reach the core in a few hours of play.

Are expedition rewards worth the time investment?

Yes, especially for cosmetics not available any other way. If an active expedition is running when you play, even a few hours of participation typically unlocks the early milestone rewards, which are claimable permanently through the Quicksilver Merchant afterward.

What are supercharged slots and why do they matter?

Supercharged slots are special inventory positions that amplify the bonus of any upgrade module placed in them. They're fixed in position and limited in number per piece of equipment. Placing the right upgrades in supercharged slots, especially when adjacent to related modules, produces the highest possible performance from your technology.

What resources do I need to charge a portal?

Portals draw from three resource categories per glyph: a catalyst (Sodium or Sodium Nitrate), a stellar metal (Copper, Cadmium, Emeril, or Indium), and a fuel (Carbon, Condensed Carbon, or Oxygen). The exact quantities are shown at the portal interface before you commit to traveling.

Key Takeaways

  • Portals require all 16 glyphs for full community addresses: unlock them fastest by completing the Artemis Path, or one at a time via Traveller graves at space stations.
  • Portal glyphs require Sodium, stellar metals (Copper/Cadmium/Emeril/Indium), and Carbon-type fuel to charge, not Ferrite Dust or Di-hydrogen.
  • Your first freighter can be claimed for free by rescuing a fleet under pirate attack; reload saves to target an S-class hull.
  • You can install up to three upgrade modules of the same type. A fourth triggers "Technology Overloaded" and disables all of that type.
  • Frigate expeditions run in the background and are a strong source of passive upgrade modules.
  • Reach the galaxy center via black holes (roughly 7,000 light-years each, no tech damage) or a fully upgraded hyperdrive.
  • Reaching the core resets all installed technology upgrades but preserves your inventory, units, blueprints, and base network.
  • S-class scanner upgrade modules turn routine planet exploration into a strong units-per-hour income stream.
  • Expeditions offer exclusive cosmetics that transfer to your main save. Participate whenever one is active.
  • Supercharged slots are the single biggest multiplier for any equipment build; learn their positions before installing upgrades.
  • Rare space encounters (rogue black holes, living frigates and stranger things) are rolled while pulsing, and ignoring a detection rerolls another about twenty seconds later.
  • A paradise planet is lush plus calm plus passive Sentinels, and all three are readable from orbit before you ever land.