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I'm a stand-up comic by night and write for HGG by day. Most of my gaming happens at an improvised desk at the Days Inn right outside whatever small town I'm in for the night.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Hsu
No Man’s Sky is a truly massive sandbox game set in an endless universe full of exotic planets, bizarre creatures, and scientifically-based resources waiting to be discovered by curious explorers. But to explore these worlds efficiently in No Man’s Sky, players will need to get and utilize a wide variety of tools and vehicles, such as an Exocraft.
Exocrafts are land-based vehicles that allow players to traverse the surface of planets more quickly and efficiently than on foot. They come in several different types, each with its own unique set of features and capabilities, ranging from sheer speed to combat readiness.
Today we’ll break down how to get an Exocraft quickly, and which ones you might want to prioritize in No Man’s Sky.
How to Get an Exocraft in No Man’s Sky
In order to get an Exocraft in No Man’s Sky, you’ll have to gain access to and craft its respective geobay.
There are two ways to unlock said Exocraft geobays. The first one just requires you to follow the main storyline, and the second has you go out of your way to exercise the power of capitalism.
Method 1: Finish The Base Missions
The easiest way to get access to Exocraft geobays is by progressing through the storyline that requires you to build a base and hire a series of advisors. You’ll need to construct a planetside residence and follow a series of quests from all kinds of alien professions. Eventually, you will be able to build an Exocraft Terminal and hire a Vy’Keen to work the counter.
This Vy’Keen technician will give you missions to unlock the first three kinds of Exocraft geobays without having to spend any salvaged data. Once you’ve built the geobays, you’ll be able to summon your Exocraft to you using the quick menu.
Method 2: Salvaged Data & The Anomaly
The second, less linear method to unlocking the Exocrafts is to simply buy the blueprints for their geobays from “The Anomaly” once it’s unlocked during the main questline.
After summoning the anomaly to yourself, enter it and head to the construction research area. One of these computers will be devoted entirely to Exocraft, and you can spend a hefty amount of salvaged data to unlock each one.
Additionally, this will be the computer where you can unlock most of the upgrades for your Exocraft. Upgrades are very important for making the most of your Exocraft once you’ve spent so many resources bringing them into being.
How to Summon Your Exocraft in No Man’s Sky
There are six kinds of Exocraft in No Man’s Sky, and they can all be unlocked by building their respective geobays. Rare resources might go into unlocking these geobays, and not every kind of Exocraft will be useful on each planet.
While you could build a new geobay on every planet if you wanted to make sure you have access to your Exocraft, the easier way is to construct an Exocraft Summoning Station (one per system) in order to summon your Exocraft onto any planet in the system.
Even easier than this is developing and constructing an Orbital Exocraft Materializer on your Freighter. This will allow you to summon your Exocraft onto any planet as long as your Freighter is orbiting above, saving you from the need to construct an entirely new base each time you start harvesting resources in a new system.
Every Exocraft Type in No Man’s Sky
As mentioned above, there are 6 different types of Exocraft you can get in No Man’s Sky.
Roamer
The Roamer is the first Exocraft you’ll have access to, and it’s fairly well-rounded while lacking any particular specialization. Shaped and driving similar to a dune buggy from Grand Theft Auto, it will speed up your planetary explorations considerably, while also providing you with a bit more shielding from extremely harsh environments.
Overall, the Roamer is a great way to learn how Exocrafts function in No Man’s Sky, but don’t invest too much in upgrading yours since you’ll likely have a fleet of more specialized vehicles soon anyway.
Nomad
The Nomad is a small hovercraft that is an excellent choice for water-bound planets, or planets with very difficult terrain.
Although it can only hold 16 items, it is the best vehicle for planets with difficult terrain or if you’re spending a lot of time using portal travel with its unpredictable outcomes.
Pilgrim
The Pilgrim is a motorcycle-style Exocraft that might be one of the most valuable selections, solely because of its extremely high max speeds, which allow you to get across the vast open spaces of many planets in No Man’s Sky.
Simply getting from one location to another can be one of the most tedious tasks in the game, so upgrading the Nomad’s speed and engine efficiency should be one of your top priorities once you’ve unlocked exocraft geobays.
Nautilon
Unlike the other vehicles, the Nautilon can only be unlocked through a specific quest called “Dreams of the Deep,” which becomes available after completing a sufficient number of quests in the main storyline.
The Nautilon, a deep-water submarine, is essential for any long-term underwater exploration. It has a unique tree of upgrades that differs from other types of Exocraft, but Subnautica fans should definitely consider getting one.
Colossus
This vehicle resembles the intimidating police vehicles from Cyberpunk 2077 and is primarily used for transporting large quantities of resources across planetary surfaces. If your ship and freighter are unavailable for any reason and you lack the resources to send out another trade rocket, the Colossus works well as a mobile storage for your excess resources.
Minotaur
Arguably the most important Exocraft in No Man’s Sky, the Minotaur exosuit serves as power armor for your traveler and allows you to effectively survive against the elements with its built-in environmental shielding. It is equipped with an upgradable mining laser, and you can attach various sentinel-origin weapons to its limbs, providing you with a range of stun weapons and the immensely powerful Minotaur-mounted cannon.
The Minotaur can also be upgraded to follow you autonomously, similar in vein of the bots from Titanfall. However, the coding on this upgrade isn’t quite up to par with the beloved Titans as of yet, so you may want to skip that upgrade for now. Other upgrades include boosting the power of your jump jets.
Join the High Ground!
With this guide you should have no trouble getting your first (and eventually all) Exocraft in No Man’s Sky. You’ll be ready to stand tall on top of the highest mountains and the deepest oceans, armed with your expertly-crafted Exocraft to brave the dangerous worlds of the galaxy.
If you have any more questions, let us know in the comments. And make sure to take the high ground by subscribing to our weekly newsletter and following us on our social media to stay up to date with the latest gaming news.
Happy exploring traveler!
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