Spending dozens of hours hopping between star systems only to end up stuck with a clunky hauler that can barely outrun pirate patrols? I’ve been there, and I know how frustrating it is to waste hard-earned units on a ship that doesn’t fit your playstyle. This guide breaks down exactly how to buy new ships in No Man's Sky, from where to find the best models to how to negotiate the lowest price so you don’t throw away hours of grinding. Whether you’re looking for a fast fighter to take down fleets, a massive hauler to carry all your mining loot, or a sleek explorer to jump to distant galaxies, we’ve got you covered with tips I’ve picked up over 300+ hours of gameplay.
Common Places to Find Ships for Sale Across the Galaxy
You don’t have to hunt for hidden outposts or complete long quest lines to find ships for sale. Most of the time, you’ll stumble on viable options during regular gameplay if you know where to look. Space stations are the most reliable spot, since every station spawns a rotating selection of 5 to 10 ships every 10 to 15 minutes as pilots land to trade or refuel. You can access any landed ship’s purchase screen by walking up to the pilot and interacting with them, no special items or reputation required.
Trading posts on planet surfaces are another great spot, especially if you’re looking for lower-priced haulers or shuttles that local pilots use for transporting goods. Planetary settlements also sometimes have ship owners looking to sell, though the selection is usually smaller than what you’ll find at a space station. If you’re chasing higher-end models, head to systems with a high economy rating—these systems spawn far more S-class and A-class ships than poorer, low-economy systems.
One trick I use to speed up spawns is to hop in and out of my ship at a space station landing pad. Each time you exit your ship, the game rolls for new ship spawns, so you can cycle through options way faster than waiting for them to land on their own. Just don’t leave the system, or you’ll reset the spawn pool entirely.
How to Buy New Ships in No Man's Sky Without Overspending
Once you find a ship you like, the last thing you want to do is pay full price if you don’t have to. There are a few simple hacks to cut costs that most new players don’t know about, and they can save you millions of units over time. First, always check the ship’s damaged slots before agreeing to buy. Ships with damaged components sell for 30% to 50% less than their fully repaired value, and most damaged slots only require common materials like ferrite dust or tritium to fix. If you have a stockpile of basic resources, buying a damaged ship and repairing it yourself is far cheaper than buying a fully intact one.
You can also lower the price by building up reputation with the system’s dominant alien race. Every 2 levels of reputation you earn with a race gives you a 5% discount on all ship purchases from that race, up to a maximum 25% discount. You can earn reputation by completing missions for NPCs at the space station, giving gifts of rare resources, or helping pilots fend off pirate attacks when you see them being chased in space.
Don’t forget to trade in your old ship, too. The game automatically applies the full value of your current ship to the purchase price of the new one, so you don’t have to go through the hassle of selling it separately. If you’re not ready to get rid of your old ship permanently, you can also claim it later from any space station’s ship collection terminal for a small fee, so you don’t have to worry about losing access to it if you regret the trade-in.
Here are a few quick cost-cutting tips to keep in mind when you’re ready to buy:
- Prioritize buying ships in T3 economy systems for the lowest base prices across all ship classes
- Wait for community weekend events, which often include 20% off all ship purchases for all players
- Avoid buying ships from NPCs that approach you on planet surfaces, as their prices are almost always 10% higher than space station rates
- Save up for A-class ships instead of jumping for lower B or C class models, since they have better stat growth and hold their value far longer
What to Look for When Evaluating a Ship Before Buying
Price isn’t the only thing that matters when you’re shopping for a new ship. You also need to make sure its specs and layout fit what you actually use your ship for. The first thing I check is the total number of inventory slots, split between general storage, technology slots, and cargo slots for haulers. If you’re a miner or trader, you’ll want as many cargo slots as possible to carry large loads of resources. If you’re a combat player, prioritize extra technology slots to fit shield upgrades, weapon damage boosts, and warp drive improvements.
Next, check the ship’s base stats. Fighters have the highest base damage and maneuverability, explorers have the longest warp range, and haulers have the highest shield strength and cargo capacity. Shuttles are all-around average ships, good for new players who haven’t settled on a playstyle yet, but they don’t excel at any one thing. Exotic ships are rare, high-end models that have top-tier stats across the board, but they’re also extremely expensive.
Don’t ignore the ship’s supercharged slots, either. These are special glowing slots that give a 30% to 50% bonus to any technology installed in them. Ships with supercharged slots grouped close together are far more valuable than ones with scattered slots, since you can stack adjacent technology bonuses for even bigger stat boosts. I once passed up an S-class fighter with scattered supercharged slots for an A-class one with four grouped slots, and the A-class ended up performing 20% better once I installed all my upgrades.
How to Unlock Rare and Exotic Ships for Purchase
If you’re tired of generic shuttles and basic fighters, you can hunt for rare ships that stand out and perform better than standard models. The first step is to focus your search on T3 economy systems, as these have the highest spawn rate for S-class ships, exotic models, and limited-edition ship designs. You can check a system’s economy rating by scanning it with your galaxy map before you warp in.
Exotic ships have a 0.2% spawn rate in most systems, but you can boost that rate by camping at a space station and cycling spawns as we mentioned earlier. Some players report that they can find an exotic ship within 30 to 60 minutes of cycling spawns in a T3 system, which is way faster than hopping between systems randomly. Exotic ships always spawn as S-class, so you don’t have to worry about getting a lower class version if you find one.
You can also unlock special ships by completing main story quests or community expeditions. These ships are usually only available for a limited time, so make sure you log in during expedition events if you want to collect rare, limited-edition models that other players won’t have. Some expedition rewards even include free ships, so you don’t have to spend any units at all to get a top-tier model.
At the end of the day, finding and buying the perfect ship doesn’t have to be a confusing, expensive grind. Once you know where to look, how to negotiate lower prices, and what specs to prioritize, you can build a fleet of ships that fits every part of your playstyle without wasting hours of grinding for units. Next time you’re exploring a new star system, take a few minutes to check the ships landing at the local space station—you never know when you’ll stumble on the exact model you’ve been looking for. Now that you know how to buy new ships in No Man's Sky, you can stop settling for that clunky starter ship and start flying something that actually works for you.
