Part of the series:
- No Man's Sky Beginner's Guide Hub: Start here for a full roadmap.
- Early Game Checklist: What to Do First: Your prioritized to-do list right after ship repair.
- Survival Guide: Life Support, Hazard Protection & More: Stay alive while you gather materials.
Quick Answer
- Your ship crashes on the starting planet and needs two systems repaired before you can fly.
- Fix the Pulse Engine first: you need 1x Metal Plating and 1x Hermetic Seal.
- Fix the Launch Thruster second: you need 1x Di-hydrogen Jelly and 50x Pure Ferrite.
- Metal Plating is crafted from Ferrite Dust; Di-hydrogen Jelly is crafted from Di-hydrogen crystals (the blue rocks).
- Pure Ferrite requires a Portable Refiner. Build one early and don't leave it behind.
- The Hermetic Seal is found inside a shelter; follow the quest marker from the Distress Beacon's Planetary Chart.
- Once both systems are repaired, board the ship and launch. You're free.
Overview
No Man's Sky drops you onto a random planet next to your crashed starship with a mining tool, a handful of resources, and no fuel. Before you can explore the galaxy, you have to fix your ship by hand. This opening segment doubles as the game's tutorial: it teaches you how to mine, craft, manage your survival meters, and navigate the environment.
The primary quest is called Awakenings, and within it sits a secondary mission. Starship Repair: Critical Maintenance: that walks you through each repair step. The instructions can feel scattered, especially when a storm rolls in while you're mid-craft. This guide lays everything out in a clear sequence so you can get off the planet without wasted trips.
For the complete new-player roadmap, see the No Man's Sky Beginner's Guide Hub. If you want to know how inventory space affects your gathering efficiency from the start, the Exosuit Upgrades guide is worth a quick read before you begin a long session.
Step 1 — Repair Your Multi-Tool First
Before heading to the ship, take two minutes to repair your Multi-Tool's Scanner and Analysis Visor. The game directs you here for good reason: without the Scanner you can't locate resources on the compass, and without the Analysis Visor you can't mark your ship's position.
- Scanner: requires a small amount of Carbon (harvest by pressing your mining beam against any plant or tree).
- Analysis Visor: requires a Carbon Nanotube: craft one from 50x Carbon in your inventory, then install it in the damaged slot. The game will prompt you through each step.
With both tools working, your HUD compass will display nearby resource icons and your ship's marker the moment you interact with it.
Step 2 — Repair the Pulse Engine
The Pulse Engine is the first major repair. It requires two components:
| Component | How to Get It |
|---|---|
| Metal Plating (×1) | Craft from 50x Ferrite Dust — mine rocks with your mining beam |
| Hermetic Seal (×1) | Retrieve from a nearby shelter (see below) |
Crafting Metal Plating
Open your inventory (the backpack/exosuit menu), select the Crafting tab, and build Metal Plating from 50 Ferrite Dust. Ferrite Dust is the brown/grey powder you get from breaking small rocks. There will be plenty around your crash site.
Getting the Hermetic Seal
The Hermetic Seal blueprint is awarded as part of the Awakenings tutorial, but you won't have it yet at this point. The game first sends you to collect a pre-made one from a shelter:
- Interact with the Distress Beacon near your ship (the quest marks it).
- You'll receive a Planetary Chart in your inventory.
- Open the chart and choose to plot a route. This drops a marker on your compass pointing to a nearby Shelter or Abandoned Building.
- Walk or sprint to that building. If a storm warning appears, step inside the shelter immediately: storms pass quickly, and the building protects you.
- Inside, look for a Holo-Archive (a box mounted on the wall) and interact with it to collect the Hermetic Seal. Interacting with it also awards the blueprint so you can craft more later.
With both components in hand, return to the ship, open the Technology menu, select the damaged Pulse Engine slot, and install the parts.
Step 3 — Repair the Launch Thruster
The Launch Thruster is what actually gets you airborne. It needs:
| Component | How to Get It |
|---|---|
| Di-hydrogen Jelly (×1) | Craft from 40x Di-hydrogen in your inventory |
| Pure Ferrite (×50) | Refine from Ferrite Dust using a Portable Refiner |
Collecting Di-hydrogen
Di-hydrogen appears as blue crystals scattered across the planet surface. Look for glowing blue geometric formations at ground level. Mine them with your beam until you have at least 40, then open your inventory and craft Di-hydrogen Jelly.
Making Pure Ferrite
Pure Ferrite cannot be crafted directly. You need to refine Ferrite Dust in a Portable Refiner:
- Open your build menu and construct the Portable Refiner (it requires 1x Metal Plating and 30x Oxygen).
- Place it on the ground near your ship.
- Add Carbon (or Condensed Carbon, which burns longer) as fuel.
- Add Ferrite Dust as input.
- Collect Pure Ferrite from the output.
Ferrite Dust refines at a 1:1 ratio into Pure Ferrite, so gather at least 50 before you start.
Important: When you're done refining, always collect your output and then pick up the Portable Refiner before moving on. The blueprint is free, but abandoning one wastes your materials. This is among the most common beginner mistakes to avoid.
Step 4 — Fueling and Launching
Once both systems are repaired, you need to add launch fuel. The game will prompt you to charge the Launch Thruster with Di-hydrogen before takeoff. Follow the on-screen prompt and add it from your inventory.
Board the ship, confirm both repaired systems show no red damage indicators in the Technology menu, then hold the launch button. You'll clear the atmosphere and enter space for the first time.
Your next objective, reaching a Space Station, will appear in the mission log. The Hyperdrive Upgrades & Warp Guide explains how to push further once you have a few warps under your belt.
Survival Tips While You Gather
The starting planet can be hostile. Keep these in mind:
- Watch your Hazard Protection bar. In toxic or extreme weather, it drains fast. Step inside any shelter to let it passively recharge, or carry Sodium to top it up manually.
- Life Support drains constantly. Oxygen (from yellow plants) or Carbon in a pinch will recharge it.
- Storms are temporary. When a storm warning appears, sprint to shelter rather than fighting your way through it. Storms last a few minutes and then clear.
- You can't die permanently on Normal mode: you drop your inventory marker on death and respawn. On Survival or Permadeath the stakes are higher, so keep an eye on both bars. See Game Modes & Difficulty Settings Explained for a full breakdown.
FAQ
Why can't I craft the Hermetic Seal myself right away?
The Hermetic Seal blueprint is part of the Awakenings tutorial progression. You receive it when you interact with the Holo-Archive at the shelter. Until then, you don't have the blueprint. Once you collect the seal from the archive, the blueprint is also awarded, and you can craft more from 30x Condensed Carbon whenever you need them going forward.
What if my ship's marker isn't showing on the compass?
Repair the Analysis Visor on your Multi-Tool first. Until it's fixed, ship and resource markers won't appear on your HUD. If it's already repaired, try standing in an open area away from terrain. Some markers disappear if you're underground or inside a building.
Can I leave the planet without repairing everything?
No. The Launch Thruster and Pulse Engine must both be repaired before the ship will fly. You can explore the planet freely, but you cannot leave orbit until those two systems are restored.
What do I do with the Portable Refiner after leaving?
Pick it up and carry it. It fits in your exosuit inventory and is among the most useful early-game tools for crafting and refining resources. You'll use it constantly in the hours ahead.
My first planet is extreme — storms every few minutes. Help.
Use the Analysis Visor to ping a nearby Shelter (it shows as a building icon on your scanner). Extreme worlds are tough but survivable: gather during calm windows, sprint to cover when storms hit, and prioritize getting the Hermetic Seal quickly so you can focus on the thruster materials.
Is there a faster way to get Pure Ferrite?
On the starting planet the Portable Refiner is your most reliable route. Gathering enough Ferrite Dust takes only a few minutes of mining. Sprinting between rock clusters is more efficient than searching for an alternative source. Once you reach a Space Station you can purchase materials from vendors, but for the first launch just mine and refine.
Key Takeaways
- Repair the Pulse Engine first (Metal Plating + Hermetic Seal), then the Launch Thruster (Di-hydrogen Jelly + Pure Ferrite).
- Get your Scanner and Analysis Visor working before anything else. They make every other step faster.
- The Hermetic Seal is collected from a Holo-Archive inside a shelter found via the Distress Beacon's Planetary Chart; the blueprint is awarded at the same time.
- Build a Portable Refiner (1x Metal Plating + 30x Oxygen) to convert Ferrite Dust into Pure Ferrite at a 1:1 ratio, and always pick it back up when done.
- Storms are a timer, not a threat: shelter until they pass, then keep gathering.
- Once airborne, head to the Space Station to meet your first vendor and merchant NPC, beginning the wider game.