Part of the series:

Quick Answer

  • S-Class is the highest ship tier and offers the best base stats and the most supercharged technology slots.
  • Every Exotic ship (including squid and royal designs) always spawns as S-Class. One per inhabited system.
  • Living Ships also always spawn as S-Class, so you never need to upgrade one for class.
  • The fastest route for most players is waiting at a trading post or space station in a wealthy system where S-Class spawn rates are notably higher.
  • You can also upgrade any standard ship you already own straight to S-Class at the Starship Outfitting Terminal inside any space station using Nanites, no hunting required.
  • Community-shared portal glyph coordinates let you travel directly to confirmed S-Class ship locations.
  • Outlaw stations have higher S-Class spawn rates than standard stations.
  • Turn off multiplayer before using shared coordinates so another player doesn't claim the ship first.

Overview

S-Class is the top tier in No Man's Sky's four-class ranking system (C, B, A, S). An S-Class ship delivers better base stat bonuses, access to more supercharged technology slots, and, depending on ship type, substantially higher combat, hyperdrive, or hauling efficiency compared to its C-Class equivalent. If you're investing serious time in the game, hunting or upgrading to S-Class is one of the highest-impact goals you can set.

There's no single "correct" method. Some players prefer the hunt. Cycling through a rich system's space station until a golden S-Class lands. Others would rather spend the Nanites they've stockpiled and instantly upgrade a ship they already love. And if patience isn't your style, community-shared coordinates can cut the whole process down to a portal trip and a few minutes on foot.

For context on what makes each ship type worth targeting, check the No Man's Sky Starships Guide hub before committing to a specific class.

Method 1: Wait at a Trading Post or Space Station in a Wealthy System

This is the classic approach and it still works well in 2026.

How it works: Ships land at trading posts and space stations on a rolling cycle. Each ship that lands has a class assigned procedurally based on the system's economy tier. In wealthy, opulent, affluent, or advanced economy systems, the chance of an S-Class ship landing is meaningfully higher than in poor or low-supply systems.

Step-by-step:

  1. Use your Economy Scanner (a hyperdrive upgrade) to identify wealthy systems before you warp. Look for three-star or high-tier economy icons on the galaxy map.
  2. Land at a trading post on a planet rather than the space station if you want variety. Trading posts pull from a separate rotation and can sometimes yield S-Class ships faster.
  3. Wait and observe each ship that lands. The class icon appears when you target the ship or speak with the pilot.
  4. If nothing good shows after a full rotation, reload your manual save and try again. The pool resets.

Tips:

  • Outlaw stations (in pirate-controlled systems) have notably higher S-Class spawn rates than standard stations. If you encounter one, it's worth spending time there.
  • Take a manual save before committing to a long session at any station so you can reload if needed without losing progress.

Method 2: Upgrade Your Current Ship with Nanites

If you already have a ship with a design or layout you love, you don't have to abandon it. You can push it all the way to S-Class at the Starship Outfitting Terminal found inside every space station.

Upgrading costs Nanites and must be done one tier at a time. The cost rises with each tier, and the A-to-S jump is the most expensive single step. Taking a C-Class ship all the way to S-Class in sequence costs a substantial number of Nanites in total: exact figures vary based on your difficulty settings, but expect to spend tens of thousands per step and well over 80,000 Nanites for the full journey from C to S.

This method is especially useful for standard ships you've acquired through quests or crashed salvage. Note that Living Ships do not need class upgrading here, since they always spawn as S-Class. If you're farming Nanites to afford the upgrade, the No Man's Sky: How to Get Nanites Fast guide covers the most efficient current routes.

Method 3: Target Exotic Ships (Always S-Class)

Every inhabited star system in No Man's Sky contains exactly one Exotic ship, and Exotic ships are always S-Class: no exceptions. This makes them the most reliable target if you want guaranteed S-Class without any RNG on the class tier itself.

The tradeoff: Exotic ships have unique, distinctive designs (squid shapes, royal/sentinel configurations) but relatively small inventory sizes compared to haulers or even explorers. They're exceptional combat and exploration tools, but not cargo carriers.

Living Ships are also always S-Class, obtained via the Starbirth questline rather than random system spawns. If you're interested in that route specifically, see How to Get a Living Ship (Starbirth Questline).

To hunt Exotic ships efficiently:

  • Travel to a wealthy or high-population system.
  • Wait at the space station and cycle through arriving ships. Exotics typically appear less frequently than other types.
  • The No Man's Sky: How to Find Exotic Ships (Squid & Royal) guide covers this process in much greater detail, including community-shared coordinates for specific designs.

Method 4: Use Community Coordinates (Fastest Option)

The No Man's Sky community maintains extensive databases of confirmed S-Class ship locations: catalogued by portal glyph address, ship type, and appearance. If you know which type of S-Class ship you want, someone has almost certainly already found it and published the coordinates.

Our own portal glyph reference explains how to read an address before you commit sixteen glyph presses to it, and how to tell a verified one from a stale one. Hunting a high wealth rating locally is usually faster than chasing a shared address anyway.

Before you go:

  • Turn off multiplayer in the settings menu before warping to the target system. This prevents another online player from purchasing the ship before you reach it.
  • Confirm the post is relatively recent: Hello Games updates can occasionally shuffle ship seeds, though most coordinates remain stable across patches.
  • Portal travel requires all 16 glyphs. If you haven't unlocked them yet, the No Man's Sky: How to Use Portals & Get All 16 Glyphs guide explains the full process.

Method 5: Crashed Ship Salvage

Crashed ships found on planetary surfaces have a fixed class tied to their location seed, meaning a crashed S-Class ship will always be S-Class at that location, every time. These can be repaired on-site or scrapped for parts and units.

To find crashed ships:

  • Purchase Planetary Charts (specifically the distress signal type) from space station cartographers using Navigation Data.
  • Activate the chart on a planet surface to receive coordinates for a nearby point of interest, which may include a crash site. Note that the chart result is random within its category. You may need to use several charts before landing on a crashed ship rather than another type of distress signal.
  • Not every crashed ship will be S-Class; class is fixed per location, so finding a specific S-Class crash site typically relies on community-shared coordinates.

For a detailed breakdown of salvage mechanics and what crashed ships are worth, see the No Man's Sky: How to Get Free Ships (Crashed Ship Salvage) guide. Scrapping ships you don't want is also covered in How to Scrap Ships for Units & Modules.

Which Method Should You Use?

Situation Best Method
You want the fastest result Community coordinates (Method 4)
You love a ship you already own Nanite upgrade at Outfitting Terminal (Method 2)
You want a specific ship type Space station camping in a wealthy system (Method 1)
You want guaranteed S-Class with no RNG on class Exotic or Living Ship hunt (Method 3)
You're on a budget and like exploring Crashed ship salvage (Method 5)

FAQ

Do I need to be in a wealthy system to find S-Class ships?

No, but it helps significantly. S-Class ships can technically spawn in any inhabited system, but the probability is much lower in poor or standard economies. Wealthy, opulent, and advanced economy systems, identifiable via the Economy Scanner, produce S-Class ships more frequently at trading posts and space stations. Outlaw systems also have elevated S-Class rates despite their non-standard economy type.

Can I upgrade a Living Ship or Sentinel Interceptor to S-Class?

Living Ships always spawn as S-Class to begin with, so there is no class upgrade needed at the Outfitting Terminal. Their technology upgrades (weapons, shields, and similar systems) use a separate organic upgrade path via Psychonic Eggs rather than the standard nanite module system. Sentinel Interceptors can be upgraded to S-Class via the Starship Outfitting Terminal using Nanites in the same way as any other standard ship. For full details on Interceptors, see the Sentinel Interceptor Guide.

How many Nanites does it cost to upgrade a C-Class ship all the way to S-Class?

Upgrading a C-Class ship through all three tiers (C→B→A→S) costs a significant number of Nanites: expect well over 80,000 in total, though exact figures vary based on your difficulty settings. The A-to-S jump is the most expensive single step. If you need Nanites fast, scrapping unwanted ships and refining certain materials are among the most efficient methods currently available. See the No Man's Sky: How to Get Nanites Fast guide for current strategies.

Is the ship class locked to a system, or does it change every visit?

Ships in No Man's Sky use static seeds tied to a system. The sequence of ships that land at a space station or trading post in a given system is consistent across visits and reloads. If you see an S-Class ship land during one session, that ship (and the rotation it belongs to) will still be there if you return later. This is what makes community-shared coordinates reliable.

What's the difference between S-Class and A-Class in terms of performance?

S-Class ships have higher base stat multipliers and access to more supercharged technology slots than A-Class equivalents of the same ship type and size. The gap is meaningful for min-maxing combat damage or hyperdrive range, but an A-Class ship with good technology installed will outperform a bare S-Class in most practical situations. If you're early in the game, don't stress too much about class. Focus on upgrading your technology first.

Do Exotic ships always spawn as S-Class?

Yes. Every Exotic ship in the game (including squid variants, royal configurations, and any other unique Exotic design) spawns exclusively as S-Class. There are no C, B, or A-Class Exotics. Living Ships are similarly always S-Class. This makes both ship types among the most reliable paths to S-Class for players who prefer unique aesthetics.

Key Takeaways

  • S-Class ships have the best base stats and access to more supercharged slots. They're worth pursuing once you're past the early game.
  • Wealthy economy systems and outlaw stations offer higher S-Class spawn rates at trading posts and space stations.
  • The Starship Outfitting Terminal lets you upgrade any standard ship to S-Class with Nanites. Ideal if you already have a ship you like.
  • All Exotic ships and Living Ships are guaranteed S-Class; targeting them removes the class-tier RNG entirely.
  • A published portal address is the fastest route to one specific S-Class design, because it skips the class RNG entirely.
  • Turn off multiplayer before using shared coordinates to avoid losing the ship to another player.
  • Crashed ships at fixed coordinates always retain their original class. A confirmed crashed S-Class will always be S-Class at that location.