Part of the series:
- No Man's Sky Beginner's Guide (2026): Start here for a complete overview of your first hours.
- How to Upgrade Your Exosuit (Slots & Technology): Deep dive into exosuit-specific upgrades.
- How to Expand Ship Inventory & Storage: Everything about growing your ship's cargo capacity.
Quick Answer
- Exosuit: Buy slots at the Exosuit Upgrade Station on any space station or the Space Anomaly; find free upgrades at planetary Drop Pods.
- Drop Pods are located using Exosuit Upgrade Charts, bought from Cartographers on space stations.
- Ships: Add slots at the Starship Outfitting Terminal using units, or use Storage Augmentation modules for free slot additions.
- Storage Augmentations drop when you scrap ships. Higher-class ships yield more of them.
- Multi-tool: Use the Multi-Tool Upgrade Station on space stations; pay with units or use Multi-Tool Expansion Slots.
- Multi-Tool Expansion Slots come from scrapping multi-tools, completing Nexus or pirate missions, or donating Pirate Transponders to the Mercenary Guild.
- Inventory caps exist for each equipment type, so plan which slots matter most to you first.
Overview
Running out of inventory space is among the most common frustrations in No Man's Sky, especially early on when every material feels essential. The game gives you several ways to expand each inventory type (your exosuit, your starship, and your multi-tool) using a mix of units, rare items, and free planetary structures. Understanding which method suits your play stage saves you time and credits.
Exosuit Inventory Slots
Your exosuit has three separate slot pools: General (standard items), Cargo (high-stack capacity), and Technology (upgrades and modules). Each is expanded independently.
Method 1: Exosuit Upgrade Station (Space Stations & Anomaly)
The fastest and most reliable method is the Exosuit Upgrade Station, found on the left side of the interior of every regulated space station, near the Exosuit merchant. The Space Anomaly also has one. Each station visit grants one slot purchase, and you can visit a new station in a new system for another purchase immediately. Only one upgrade is available per star system. Using either the space station terminal or the Anomaly terminal counts for that system.
- The first upgrade at each new station is free. Always collect it when visiting a new system.
- Each subsequent purchase increases in cost, starting low and scaling up progressively, though costs are capped per slot type.
- You choose which pool (General, Cargo, or Technology) receives the new slot each time.
Visiting new star systems frequently is one of the best passive ways to accumulate slots without spending much. This pairs naturally with the hyperdrive progression covered in our beginner's guide.
Method 2: Drop Pods (Free Upgrades)
Drop Pods are planetary structures that each grant a free exosuit slot upgrade after you repair their damaged components. Repairing typically requires a small number of common materials, all easy to source early on.
How to find Drop Pods:
- Purchase an Exosuit Upgrade Chart from a Cartographer NPC on any space station (they can also be obtained from Ancient Data Structures on planets or from vendors at Minor Settlements and Colossal Archives).
- Activate the chart from your inventory to receive coordinates to a Drop Pod on a nearby planet.
- Fly to the pod, repair its damaged components using whatever materials are specified, and collect your free slot.
Each Drop Pod can only be used once, but you can chain multiple charts to visit many pods across different planets. Because these are free, prioritizing Drop Pods over paid station upgrades early in the game saves significant units for other purchases.
Exosuit Slot Maximums
The exosuit has generous slot maximums across all three pools. The exact figures have expanded through updates, so treat these as approximate, but all three categories support far more than you will need in the early or mid game.
| Slot Type | Notes |
|---|---|
| General (Inventory) | High maximum; shared with Cargo in terms of total suit capacity |
| Cargo | The largest pool; supports very high stack counts per slot |
| Technology | Smaller pool; sufficient for a full suite of suit upgrade modules |
Ship Inventory Slots
Your starship has General and Technology slot pools. Ships cannot be upgraded through drop pods. You use the Starship Outfitting Terminal or Storage Augmentation modules.
Method 1: Starship Outfitting Terminal
Found at regulated space stations, this terminal lets you purchase additional General or Technology slots for your active ship using units. Costs start in the low millions per slot and scale up significantly for the higher slot counts, eventually reaching very large sums for the final slots. This is a significant investment, so it is best approached once you have a solid income stream. The best money-making methods guide covers how to build that up efficiently.
Method 2: Storage Augmentation Modules (Free Slots)
Storage Augmentation is a consumable item that adds one slot to your ship's inventory for free. This is often the most cost-effective method in the mid game.
How to get Storage Augmentations:
- Scrap any starship at the Starship Outfitting Terminal. The terminal pays out scrap including a chance at Storage Augmentation modules.
- Higher ship class (A or S rank) and hauler-type ships tend to yield more augmentations per scrapped ship.
- Scrapping a low-slot S-class ship can be surprisingly affordable since you recoup a significant portion of its value in scrap materials.
- They also drop from freighter crash site containers, frigate expeditions, and Wheelbarrows found at Harmonic Camps on Dissonant planets.
- Guild Envoys of the Explorer and Merchant Guilds may offer them as rewards at high renown levels.
Once you have Storage Augmentations in your inventory, apply them at the Starship Outfitting Terminal to add slots at no unit cost.
Ship Slot Maximums
Ship slot limits vary by ship type and class. A-class and S-class ships of hauler type generally offer the most general inventory slots. Refer to our starship types comparison guide for a full breakdown by ship category.
Multi-Tool Inventory Slots
Your multi-tool uses a single slot grid for both items and technology. You can expand it at the Multi-Tool Upgrade Station or by applying Multi-Tool Expansion Slots.
Method 1: Multi-Tool Upgrade Station
Located at inhabited space stations near the Multi-Tool Technology Merchant, this terminal lets you buy additional slots with units. Costs start modestly and scale up sharply as you approach the cap. You can reach a maximum of 60 slots on a multi-tool, though the final slots become extremely expensive: late-slot purchases can cost hundreds of millions of units each, making free expansion slots particularly valuable near the cap.
Method 2: Multi-Tool Expansion Slots
These are consumable items that add a slot for free when applied at the Multi-Tool Upgrade Station.
How to get Multi-Tool Expansion Slots:
- Scrap multi-tools at the Space Anomaly. Higher-tier multi-tools yield more expansion slots.
- Donate Pirate Transponders to the Mercenary Guild to earn renown and receive expansion slots as rewards.
- Complete challenging Nexus missions or pirate-related missions that list an expansion slot as a reward.
- Rare containers at crashed freighters can occasionally yield them, though the drop chance is low.
If you are actively hunting for a better multi-tool, check our guide to getting an S-Class Multi-Tool. Upgrading to a better base weapon and then expanding its slots is often more efficient than maxing out a lower-class tool.
Multi-Tool Slot Maximum
| Equipment | Maximum Slots |
|---|---|
| Multi-Tool | 60 slots |
Prioritizing Your Upgrades
Not all slot types carry equal value at every stage of the game. Here is a general priority order for new players:
- Exosuit General and Cargo slots first: raw storage for materials is the most immediate pain point.
- Drop Pods before paid upgrades: free slots are always more efficient.
- Ship slots via Storage Augmentations: avoid spending millions at the terminal until your units income is strong.
- Multi-tool last: unless you are actively fighting or scanning, a mid-size multi-tool covers most needs.
- Exosuit Technology slots: useful once you start stacking upgrade modules for your suit systems.
Keeping your early game checklist in mind helps you decide when to spend resources on slots versus other priorities like your first base or hyperdrive upgrades.
FAQ
Where is the Exosuit Upgrade Station on a space station?
It is on the left side of the station interior, near the Exosuit merchant. No special access item is required. You can walk straight to it. The Space Anomaly also has one, located across from the Exosuit vendor between the Starship and Multi-Tool research areas.
Can I get exosuit slots for free?
Yes. The first slot from each Exosuit Upgrade Station (one per star system) is free. Drop Pods also provide free slots after a simple repair job. Using Exosuit Upgrade Charts from Cartographers and chaining Drop Pod visits is the most efficient free method early on.
Do I need to scrap ships I want to keep in order to get Storage Augmentations?
No. You can buy cheap low-slot ships that land at a space station specifically to scrap them for augmentations. Higher-class ships tend to yield more, so some players buy and scrap S-class ships repeatedly when they can afford them. Because you recover a significant portion of the ship's value in scrap, the net cost per augmentation can be quite low.
What is the fastest way to expand ship inventory?
The fastest method is applying Storage Augmentation modules, which are free once you have them. Building up a stock through scrapping allows you to add several slots in a single session without spending units on terminal upgrades. Buying slots directly at the Starship Outfitting Terminal is faster in absolute time but much more expensive.
Is there a point of diminishing returns on slot upgrades?
Yes. The cost per slot at upgrade stations scales up significantly as you approach the maximum. In the late game, the final slots on a ship or multi-tool can cost tens or hundreds of millions of units each. It is worth deciding whether those last few slots are truly necessary given your playstyle.
Can I expand slots on a Living Ship?
Living Ships use a different upgrade system based on Biological technology and cannot be expanded at standard Upgrade Stations. See our Living Ship guide for full details on their unique progression.
Key Takeaways
- Visit the Exosuit Upgrade Station at every new space station: one purchase per system, first one is always free.
- Buy Exosuit Upgrade Charts from Cartographers and chain Drop Pod visits for free exosuit slots early on.
- Use Storage Augmentation modules (from scrapping ships) to grow ship inventory without spending units.
- Expand multi-tool slots at the Multi-Tool Upgrade Station using units, or use Multi-Tool Expansion Slots from scrapping multi-tools or Mercenary Guild rewards.
- Higher-class equipment scrapped at terminals yields more augmentation modules per scrapping session.
- Focus on exosuit General and Cargo first, then ship inventory, then multi-tool. This order minimizes wasted spending early.
- All equipment types have slot maximums; units spent near the cap are significantly more expensive per slot.