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Quick Answer

  • Scan and upload discoveries on new planets for an immediate, zero-cost Nanite trickle that works from day one.
  • Scrap crashed or purchased ships at space stations. The upgrade modules they yield sell to the Technology Merchant for Nanites. The sell option sits inside the merchant's buy interface, which catches a lot of people out; see how to sell upgrade modules.
  • Build a Runaway Mould refinery around a Curious Deposit cluster for a repeatable passive farm (5 Mould = 1 Nanite Cluster).
  • Run Derelict Freighters and hand Crew Manifests to the Scrap Dealer for Tainted Metal, which refines into Nanites at a 1:2 ratio.
  • Buy Suspicious Packets from the Salvage Dealer at Outlaw (pirate) stations, open them for upgrade modules, then sell the rejects to a Technology Merchant. The Salvage Dealer sells modules to you and does not buy them back, so the loop ends at a technology vendor. The fastest method if you already have Units to spend.
  • Release caught fish into water for Nanite rewards scaled to the fish's rarity.
  • Complete Nexus missions in the Space Anomaly for reliable, no-setup Nanite income at any stage of the game.

Overview

Nanite Clusters are No Man's Sky's premium upgrade currency. You spend them at Technology Merchants to buy upgrade modules for your exosuit, multi-tool, ship, and exocraft, and the best S-Class modules cost thousands each. Unlike Units, you cannot simply trade your way to a Nanite fortune; you have to earn them through specific activities.

There are methods suited to every playstyle and progression stage. A brand-new traveller can start banking Nanites within the first hour through exploration and discovery uploads. An endgame player with a stack of Units and a freighter can pull in tens of thousands of Nanites per hour by running efficient farming loops. This guide ranks and explains every reliable method.

Beginner Methods (No Setup Required)

Upload Your Discoveries

Every planet has fauna, flora, and minerals waiting to be scanned with your Analysis Visor. Upload the data via the Discoveries menu (hold Options/Start, navigate to Discoveries, then upload all). You earn Nanites for each new species and a bonus for completing a full planet's fauna catalogue.

This is the single best passive habit in the early game. New planets = new species = free Nanites every time you land. Pair this with the No Man's Sky: How to Scan for Units with the Analysis Visor guide to squeeze Units out of the same scans.

Tips:

  • Prioritise planets with varied biomes. More creature types means a larger fauna bonus.
  • After uploading, check the Space Anomaly's Helios and Ares NPCs. Helios exchanges different categories of discovery data for Nanites each day; Ares exchanges milestone progress and specific products for Nanites on a daily rotation.

Collect Damaged Machinery

Damaged Machinery units (the smoking, sparking boxes found on planet surfaces) often contain Nanites or upgrade modules directly. They require no combat and are plentiful on most planets. Keep an eye out while doing anything else outdoors; they are free currency that costs only a moment to open.

Fishing

Since the Aquarius update, fishing is a surprisingly solid Nanite source available to anyone near water. Equip a Fishing Rig to your Multi-Tool, cast a line, catch fish, then wade into the water and release the fish back. You receive Nanites scaled to the fish's rarity. Rare and legendary catches yield meaningfully more. It is relaxing, accessible early, and stacks up quickly during dedicated fishing sessions.

Mid-Game Methods (Some Progression Required)

Scrap Ships for Upgrade Modules

This is among the most reliable Nanite methods in the game and scales with your Unit income.

How it works:

  1. Travel to a high-economy star system (look for "Wealthy" or "Opulent" classifications in the Galactic Map).
  2. Buy B-Class or higher ships from NPCs landing at the space station.
  3. Scrap those ships at the Starship Scrapping terminal on the station.
  4. Keep the upgrade modules the scrapping produces. Discard the raw resources.
  5. Sell the modules to the Technology Merchant at the same station.

Higher-class ships yield more and better modules, which sell for more Nanites apiece. This method converts Units into Nanites efficiently, so pair it with a solid units-farming strategy to fund the purchases. You can also use crashed ships found on planets. See the No Man's Sky: How to Get Free Ships (Crashed Ship Salvage) guide for a zero-cost version of this loop.

Larval Cores from Whispering Eggs

Abandoned buildings (found via Distress Signal charts purchased from the Cartographer on any space station) are guarded by Whispering Eggs. Mine the eggs to collect Larval Cores. Note that refining Larval Cores directly into Nanites is flagged as "not recommended" by the game itself. Each Core sells for a substantial sum in Units instead, making them more valuable as a Units source. If you specifically need Nanites, however, they can be refined. Whichever path you choose, bring strong shields and move fast, as Biological Horrors spawn immediately when eggs are broken.

Derelict Freighters

Obtain an Emergency Signal Scanner: Iteration: Helios on the Space Anomaly offers one free per week, or you can buy additional scanners from the Scrap Dealer at any space station for Units (price increases per purchase but resets daily). Use one in open space, then pulse-drive until a Derelict Freighter signal appears. Fight through the interior to collect upgrade modules and Crew Manifests. Hand the manifests to the Scrap Dealer at any space station to receive Tainted Metal, which refines into Nanite Clusters at a 1:2 ratio (1 Tainted Metal = 2 Nanites). The upgrade modules found inside can be sold to the Technology Merchant for additional Nanites. For the full interior walkthrough and reward table, see the derelict freighters guide.

Derelicts are a great all-in-one source: Nanites, Units, and high-value alien words all in one run.

Advanced & Passive Methods (Endgame)

Runaway Mould Refinery (Best Passive Farm)

Curious Deposits, pulsing nodes found on certain planet surfaces, harvest directly into Runaway Mould. Refine that mould into Nanite Clusters at a 5:1 ratio (5 Mould = 1 Nanite Cluster). The trick is finding a planet with a dense cluster of deposits, building a base there, and loading up multiple refiners.

Setup steps:

  1. Fly low over planets using your ship scanner to spot Curious Deposits (they appear as resource hotspots).
  2. Once you find a cluster, build a Base Computer, set up multiple Large Refiners nearby, and place a Teleporter for easy access.
  3. Harvest the deposits, load the mould into refiners, and return after some time to collect Nanites. Flying far enough away causes deposits to respawn, allowing repeated harvests.

A well-positioned farm with a good cluster of deposits can produce thousands of Nanites per harvest cycle with minimal active time.

Outlaw Suspicious Packets (Fastest Active Method)

If you have a large Unit reserve, this is the fastest Nanite-per-hour method in the game.

How it works:

  1. Jump to an Outlaw (pirate-controlled) star system. Find one via the Galactic Map or purchase an Outlaw System Chart from the Cartographer.
  2. At the outlaw station, speak to the Contraband Agent and buy all available Suspicious Packets (Tech and Arms).
  3. Open them. Most contain upgrade modules including X-Class and S-Class variants.
  4. Sell the modules to the Salvage Dealer at the same station for Nanites.
  5. Stock refreshes on a timer. Teleport between outlaw systems to chain runs.

This converts Units to Nanites at an excellent rate. The main requirement is having enough Units to fund the purchases. Build that bankroll first with a passive Activated Indium mining base or similar.

Sentinel Farming

On extreme-sentinel planets near a Sentinel Pillar, you can trigger and sustain high-level sentinel waves. Defeating sentinels drops Salvaged Glass, which contains upgrade modules you can sell for Nanites. This is combat-intensive but can generate substantial Nanites per hour for players with well-upgraded weapons and shields. The No Man's Sky Sentinels Guide covers combat tactics in detail.

Method Comparison

Method Nanite Rate Setup Required Best For
Discovery Uploads Low–Medium None All stages
Damaged Machinery Low None Early game
Fishing Low–Medium None Casual farming
Ship Scrapping Medium–High Units to spend Mid-game
Larval Cores Medium Charts needed Mid-game burst (Units)
Derelict Freighters Medium–High Emergency Scanner Mid-game
Runaway Mould Farm High Base building Endgame passive
Suspicious Packets Very High Large unit reserve Endgame active

FAQ

How do you get Nanites early in No Man's Sky?

The best zero-cost early method is scanning and uploading discoveries. Land on any unexplored planet, use the Analysis Visor to tag fauna, flora, and minerals, then upload them all from the Discoveries menu. You also earn Nanites from damaged machinery, which is common across all planet types. These methods require no specific gear beyond what you start with.

What is the fastest Nanite farm in No Man's Sky?

The Suspicious Packets method at Outlaw stations is widely considered the fastest active farm: buy packets from the Contraband Agent, open them, and sell the modules to the Salvage Dealer, then repeat across multiple outlaw systems as stock refreshes. For passive income, a Runaway Mould refinery built near a dense Curious Deposit cluster is the top choice since it produces Nanites with minimal active time. The right answer depends on whether you have Units to invest or prefer a setup-and-forget approach.

What is the Runaway Mould refining ratio?

Runaway Mould refines at 5:1, meaning 5 units of Runaway Mould produce 1 Nanite Cluster. Harvest Runaway Mould from Curious Deposits found on planet surfaces, load it into a Large Refiner, and collect Nanites when the cycle completes.

Can you refine other things into Nanites?

Yes. Tainted Metal (from Derelict Freighters via the Scrap Dealer) refines at a 1:2 ratio into Nanites. Larval Cores (from Whispering Eggs) can be refined directly, though the game itself marks this as suboptimal. Selling them for Units is usually more profitable. Residual Goop converts into Nanites through a multi-step chain (Goop → Viscous Fluids → Living Slime → Runaway Mould → Nanites), but this chain is time-intensive and generally less efficient than farming Curious Deposits directly.

Do Nexus missions give Nanites?

Yes. The Nexus board inside the Space Anomaly lists multiplayer community missions that reward Nanites among other currencies. Mission boards refresh regularly, and you can skip unwanted tasks. This is a solid supplemental source at any game stage, especially useful while you are already visiting the Anomaly for other reasons.

Are Nanites shared across your save or game modes?

Nanites belong to your character (exosuit wallet) and carry over between sessions within the same save. If you play across multiple game modes using the same save slot, your Nanite count persists. They are not shared across separate save files.

Key Takeaways

  • Start scanning immediately: discovery uploads are the easiest Nanite source from the first minutes of a new save.
  • Scrap ships (crashed or purchased) and sell the upgrade modules to a Technology Merchant; scales with your Unit income.
  • Build a Runaway Mould refinery near Curious Deposits for a hands-off passive farm once you have basic base building unlocked.
  • Run Derelict Freighters for a combined Nanite + Units source. Get your free Emergency Signal Scanner from Helios on the Anomaly once per week.
  • Use Suspicious Packets at Outlaw stations once you have a strong Unit reserve: buy from the Contraband Agent, sell to the Salvage Dealer for the highest active Nanite rate in the game.
  • Fish and release for a relaxing bonus Nanite source; rarer fish yield more Nanites on release.
  • Every Nanite you earn should be spent on technology upgrades in supercharged slots. That is where the biggest performance gains live.