Part of the handbook:

Quick Answer

  • There are nine starship types: Fighter, Explorer, Hauler, Shuttle, Exotic, Solar, Interceptor, Living Ship, and Corvette.
  • Ships come in four quality classes: C, B, A, and S, with S being the rarest and most powerful.
  • Exotic ships are always S-class, making them a reliable path to top-tier quality without the class-hunting grind.
  • You can acquire ships by purchasing them at trading posts or space stations, claiming crashed wrecks for free, or earning unique types through specific questlines.
  • Scrapping unwanted ships at a space station returns upgrade modules and materials you can sell for Units.
  • Each ship type has a built-in class bonus: Fighters deal extra damage, Explorers get hyperdrive range, Haulers carry more cargo and have a shield absorb bonus.
  • Upgrading supercharged slots and stacking compatible modules is the key to maximizing any ship's performance.

Overview

Your starship is the most important piece of equipment in No Man's Sky. It carries you between planets, keeps you safe in combat, and defines how much you can haul on any given run. Unlike your exosuit, which is a single persistent piece of gear, you can own up to twelve ships simultaneously and swap between them freely, with even more ships storable in cold storage via the Starship Archive on your freighter. That fleet flexibility means there's no single "best" ship. The right ship depends entirely on what you're doing.

This hub covers everything you need to know: what each ship type does well, how the class system works, and where to go for the in-depth hunt guides for each ship category. Whether you're a new Traveller trying to understand your starter ship or a veteran chasing the perfect S-class squid exotic, this is your starting point.

For a side-by-side look at how the types compare, see the dedicated No Man's Sky starship types comparison guide.

The Nine Starship Types

Fighter

Fighters are the combat specialists of the galaxy. They carry a built-in damage potential class bonus, making their weapons hit harder than equivalent-class ships of other types. Their high maneuverability rating also makes them the natural choice for dogfights against pirates and Sentinel patrols. Fighters are common enough that finding an S-class fighter at a trading post through patient camping is very achievable. See the full space combat and dogfighting guide for how to kit one out.

Explorer

Explorers are built for range. Their class bonus applies to hyperdrive efficiency, and an S-class Explorer can push hyperdrive bonuses to nearly 80%. Essential for crossing galaxy arms or hunting for rare system types. If your goal is reaching the galaxy center or farming portal glyphs across distant systems, an Explorer is the tool for the job.

Hauler

Haulers win on raw inventory capacity. Top-tier variants reach the highest cargo slot counts of any standard ship type, making them the preferred choice for trading runs, bulk resource hauling, or anyone who hates juggling inventory. Haulers also carry a shield absorb class bonus, giving them extra staying power in combat, though they sacrifice maneuverability for their bulk.

Shuttle

Shuttles are the jack-of-all-trades, master of none. They don't excel at combat, range, or cargo the way specialized ships do, but they're common, affordable, and often the first ships new players encounter. They make a solid early-game workhorse while you save up for something better. If you're just getting started, the best starter ship guide has specific recommendations.

Exotic

Exotics are the most visually distinctive ships in the game, and the most immediately powerful in one key way: every Exotic is automatically S-class. No class hunting required. They come in two broad designs: the iconic squid shape and various ball-cockpit variants (including the sought-after Royal). Exotics carry high class bonuses across damage, shield, and hyperdrive range. The trade-off is that each star system has only one Exotic, it appears rarely at trading posts, and you may wait a long time for one to land. The Exotic ship hunting guide covers the fastest strategies.

Solar Ship

Solar Ships carry a Vesper Sail: a unique piece of technology that unfolds when the ship is in flight. The Vesper Sail increases Pulse Drive fuel efficiency by approximately 80%, buffs boost and maneuverability, and passively recharges launch thrusters while docked. This makes Solars the best ships in the game for in-system travel: hopping between planets, asteroid fields, and your freighter costs almost nothing. They're harder to find in standard systems but more common in pirate-controlled (Outlaw) stations.

Interceptor (Sentinel Ship)

The Interceptor is a repurposed Sentinel combat vessel with a unique aesthetic and acquisition method. You don't buy them. You claim them. Finding one requires traveling to a Dissonant planet, locating Echo Locators dropped by Dissonance Resonators, and following those leads through Harmonic Camps to a crashed Interceptor site. From there, you craft and install a Pilot Interface to meld with the ship. The full acquisition process is covered in the Sentinel Interceptor guide.

Living Ship

Living Ships are organic vessels grown from a Void Egg rather than built from metal and wiring. The Void Egg costs 3,200 Quicksilver from the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion aboard the Space Anomaly. Once purchased, carrying it in your ship while pulse-driving triggers the Starbirth questline: a multi-step journey spanning several real-world days. The reward is a unique sentient ship that upgrades through biological rather than technological modules. Full walkthrough in the Living Ship guide.

Corvette

The Corvette, introduced in the Voyagers update, is unlike every other ship type: you don't find or buy one, you build one from scratch. Visit any space station, pass through the warp points on the left side to reach the Corvette platforms, and interact with the Corvette Workshop console to purchase modules and assemble your vessel. Corvettes are larger than standard ships but smaller than freighters, and their interiors are fully customizable. You can furnish cabins, add refiners, and ferry other players as passengers. Three design styles are available: Titan, Thunderbird, and Ambassador. The Corvette's part-based stat bonuses are modest; its appeal lies in customization, passenger capacity, and acting as a mobile base.

The Class System: C, B, A, and S

Every ship (except Exotics, which are always S) spawns in one of four quality classes:

Class Relative Rarity Base Stat Level Tech Upgrade Bonus
C Very common Lowest Lowest
B Common Moderate Moderate
A Uncommon Good Good
S Rare Best Highest

S-class ships deliver the best possible base stats and the largest bonuses from installed upgrade modules. They're the rarest spawns at any trading post or space station, but with the right techniques (save-reloading, pirate system camping, and knowing which ship types to target) you can land one reliably. The complete playbook is in the S-class ship hunting guide.

A tip on pirate systems: S-class ships spawn at a higher rate in Outlaw (pirate) system trading posts than in standard economy systems. If you're hunting, this is where to set up camp.

How to Acquire Ships

Purchase at Trading Posts and Space Stations

The standard acquisition method. Land at a trading post on any planet or visit a space station, then wait for ships to cycle through the landing pads. Each ship that lands can be inspected and purchased. You can trade in your current ship to offset the cost. For tips on getting ships without spending Units, see the crashed ship salvage guide.

Claim Crashed Ships

Crashed ships appear on planet surfaces and can be located using Planetary Charts, Signal Boosters scanning for distress frequencies, or Transmission Towers as navigation aids. You claim these ships for free and only need to repair the essential flight systems to fly them away. This is one of the best early-game money-making methods. Claim cheap wrecks and scrap them for upgrade modules.

Build a Corvette

Corvettes are assembled at the Corvette Workshop inside any space station. Purchase modules from the workshop console or collect them from frigate expeditions, pirate battles, derelict freighters, and salvaged scrap sites. Unlike every other ship type, a Corvette cannot be found in the world. It must be built.

Questlines and Special Methods

Living Ships require the Starbirth quest. Sentinel Interceptors require the Dissonant planet process. These unique acquisition paths are worth the effort for players who want ships that stand apart from standard spawns.

Expanding and Upgrading Your Ship

Once you have a ship you like, your next priority is filling its inventory and technology slots with the right upgrades. You can expand cargo and technology slots at the Starship Outfitting Terminal found at most space stations, using either Units or Storage Augmentations. Costs scale up with each slot added, so prioritize the slots you need most first.

The biggest multiplier to ship performance comes from stacking compatible upgrade modules in supercharged slots: special golden inventory tiles that amplify the bonus of any module placed in them. See the best technology upgrades and supercharged slots guide for how to maximize these.

For the full breakdown of how to grow your ship's capacity, see the ship inventory expansion guide.

Scrapping Ships for Profit

Any ship you own can be scrapped at a space station's Outfitting Terminal. Scrapping returns materials and upgrade modules worth a significant portion of the ship's value. Items you then sell for Units. Higher-class ships yield better modules. This mechanic turns the crashed-ship farming loop into a reliable income stream: find wrecks, claim them, scrap them at the station, sell the modules. The ship scrapping guide covers the process in detail, including how to avoid the "not enough inventory space" error that blocks the scrap action.

Managing Your Fleet

You can own up to twelve active ships simultaneously and switch between them at any time from your quick menu. Beyond that, the Starship Archive, accessible from the fleet management terminal on your freighter's bridge, lets you place ships into cold storage, freeing active fleet slots while preserving the ship and its installed technology. This allows a total collection of many more ships across active and archived status, so building a specialized fleet over time is a realistic long-term goal.

For guidance on getting your first free freighter (which provides the hangar for your fleet), see the free freighter guide.

Planetary Vehicles: Exocraft

Starships own the skies, but ground and ocean travel belong to the Exocraft. From the mining-focused Colossus to the submarine Nautilon, these vehicles change how you cover a planet's surface. The full lineup, how to unlock each geobay, and the upgrade priorities are in the Exocraft guide.

Build Your Own: Corvettes

The Voyagers update let players assemble a starship from parts instead of buying one off a landing pad. The Corvette and ship customization guide covers the builder and how part choices shape the finished ship.

Arming the Ship

Picking a hull is half the job. The starship weapons and loadouts guide compares every weapon and explains why layout in supercharged slots matters more than which gun you bolt on.

If you have grown an organic ship, its technology works differently from everything else in the hangar. See the Living Ship upgrades guide.

FAQ

What is the best ship type in No Man's Sky?

There isn't one universal "best". It depends on your playstyle. Fighters win in combat. Explorers cover the most warp distance per jump. Haulers carry the most cargo and have a shield absorb bonus. Exotics are always S-class with high bonuses across damage, shield, and hyperdrive range. Many experienced players keep a fleet of two or three types to cover different activities.

Are Exotic ships always S-class?

Yes. Every Exotic ship that spawns is automatically S-class with no exceptions. This makes them a reliable way to guarantee maximum quality, though you still need to find one in the first place. Each star system has exactly one Exotic, and it appears infrequently at trading posts.

How do I find an S-class ship without spending hours waiting?

The most efficient method is to target Outlaw (pirate) system trading posts, where S-class spawn rates are higher than in standard systems. Save your game at the trading post, watch ships land, and reload if the class isn't what you want. The S-class hunting guide covers system selection and reload strategies in detail.

Can I upgrade a C-class ship to S-class?

No. A ship's class is fixed at the time it spawns. You can add slots and install upgrade modules to any class of ship, but the underlying class bonus and base stats do not change. To get S-class performance, you need an S-class ship.

How many ships can I own at once?

You can own up to twelve active starships and switch between them freely. Additional ships can be placed into the Starship Archive on your freighter's bridge, where they're held in cold storage and can be reactivated whenever you have a free active slot.

What happens if I claim a crashed ship — do I lose my old one?

When you claim a crashed ship, you choose whether to swap it for one of your existing ships or add it to your fleet (up to the twelve-ship active limit). Your old ship is not destroyed. It either stays in your fleet or gets traded away if you choose to swap. You can always retrieve fleet ships by summoning them.

How is a Corvette different from other ship types?

A Corvette is built from parts at the Corvette Workshop inside any space station, rather than found or purchased as a complete vessel. It functions as a mobile base. You can customize its interior with furnishings and appliances, carry passengers, and use it for storage. Its combat and travel stats are secondary to its role as a customizable, multi-crew ship.

Key Takeaways

  • Nine ship types exist, each with a distinct role and class bonus. Match the ship to the activity.
  • The S-class tier delivers the best stats and the highest upgrade module bonuses; Exotics are always S-class as a shortcut.
  • Outlaw system trading posts have higher S-class spawn rates than standard systems.
  • Crashed ships are a fast route to a free vessel: claim, repair minimally, then scrap for modules and Units.
  • You can own twelve active ships simultaneously, with more held in the Starship Archive on your freighter.
  • The Corvette is the only ship type you build from scratch, not find or buy. Visit the Corvette Workshop at any space station.
  • Expand slots at the Starship Outfitting Terminal and prioritize supercharged slots for maximum upgrade impact.
  • Unique ship types (Living Ships, Sentinel Interceptors) require specific questlines or planet types rather than standard purchasing.