If you’ve ever been mid-exploration on a radioactive planet, staring down a horde of angry sentinels while holding a multi tool optimized only for mining, you know how frustrating it is to fumble through menus to switch gear. Figuring out how to change multi tool in No Man’s Sky quickly can be the difference between escaping with a cache of activated indium and losing all your gathered resources to an unexpected attack. I’ve spent hundreds of hours bouncing across star systems, testing every multi tool build from high-powered mining rigs to sentinel-slaying combat tools, and I’ve broken down everything you need to know to swap tools without breaking your exploration flow.
How to Change Multi Tool in No Man’s Sky: Core Controls for All Platforms
The fastest way to swap between tools doesn’t require opening your full inventory at all, which is a game-changer when you’re in a tight spot. Quick menu access is the fastest method for on-the-go swaps, and it works across every platform the game is available on. On PC, hold the X key to pull up the circular quick menu, scroll to the multi tool icon on the bottom row, and select the tool you want to equip from the pop-out list. On PlayStation and Xbox consoles, hold left on the D-pad to pull up the same quick menu, then use the thumbstick to navigate to your preferred tool.
If you’re already in your inventory menu sorting resources or upgrades, you can also swap multi tools directly from there. Navigate to the multi tool tab on the top right of the inventory screen, scroll through your available tools, and select the one you want to equip. This method is useful if you want to check upgrade levels or make tweaks to a build before equipping it, but it’s far slower than the quick menu for urgent swaps. You can only swap between multi tools you’ve already purchased or claimed and stored in your personal inventory, so you won’t see options for tools you left in your freighter or ship storage.
How to Unlock Additional Multi Tool Slots to Carry More Builds
You don’t start the game with space for multiple multi tools, so you’ll need to unlock extra slots before you can swap between different builds. The first extra slot unlocks automatically the first time you visit the Space Anomaly, so you can start carrying two tools very early in your playthrough. After that, you can purchase additional slots from the multi tool merchant standing near the upgrade terminal in the Space Anomaly, with each subsequent slot costing more nanites than the last.
The cost and unlock requirements for each slot are consistent across all game modes, including survival and permadeath:
- First extra slot: Free, unlocked automatically upon your first visit to the Space Anomaly
- Slots 3 and 4: Purchase from the multi tool merchant in the Space Anomaly for 10,000 and 25,000 nanites respectively
- Slots 5 and 6: Unlocked via main story progression and later expedition rewards, or purchased for 50,000 and 100,000 nanites if you want to skip progression gates
If you find a new multi tool you want to keep at a space station, crashed site, or sentinel outpost, you’ll either need an empty slot to add it to your loadout or replace one of your existing tools. Nanites are the only currency accepted for extra multi tool slots, so save up excess upgrade modules you don’t need to scrap for fast nanite gains. I usually scrap all S-class upgrades that don’t fit my current builds, and that gives me more than enough nanites to unlock new slots within a few hours of gameplay.
Tips for Optimizing Your Multi Tool Loadout for Every Scenario
Once you have multiple slots unlocked, you can stop wasting time swapping upgrades on a single tool and create dedicated builds for every task you do regularly. Most veteran players stick to 3 to 4 core builds that cover all common exploration needs, and you can adjust these based on your personal playstyle. A dedicated mining multi tool will cut your resource farming time by 70% compared to a generalist build, so it’s worth prioritizing this as your second tool after your default all-purpose starter build.
For mining builds, focus on stacking terrain damage upgrades, advanced mining laser upgrades, and bonus yield modules for rare resources like activated metals and storm crystals. For combat builds, stack projectile damage, scatter blast upgrades, and sentinel damage resistance bonuses to make raiding sentinel camps and fighting pirates far easier. For scanning builds, stack scanning range, creature scan bonus, and resource scan bonus modules to find rare materials and hidden ruins from much further away. I also keep a fourth build specifically for base building, with a maxed out terrain manipulator and no extra combat or mining upgrades cluttering the slot.
One small hack that makes swapping far faster is renaming each of your multi tools in the inventory menu to match their purpose. Instead of scrolling past generic names like “S-Class Rifle” in the quick menu, you can name them “Mining Rig”, “Sentinel Killer” or “Scan Build” so you know exactly which one to select at a glance. Renaming your multi tools is a small change that saves a surprising amount of time during high-stakes encounters, especially when you’re panicking trying to switch to a combat tool mid-sentinel attack.
Common Issues When Changing Multi Tools and How to Fix Them
Even if you have the controls memorized, you might run into a few common bugs or user errors that stop you from swapping tools when you need to. The most common issue is the quick menu only showing one of your multi tools, even if you know you have multiple in your loadout. This almost always happens when you accidentally store a multi tool in your freighter or starship storage instead of your personal inventory. Always keep all your active multi tools in your personal inventory, not your ship or freighter storage, if you want them to show up in the quick menu.
Another common issue is being unable to claim a new multi tool even when you have an empty slot available. This usually happens if you’re standing too far away from the multi tool display terminal, or if you don’t have enough units or nanites to purchase the tool if it’s not a free crashed one. Move closer to the terminal and double check you have enough currency before trying again, and it should work as expected.
Some new players also panic when they swap tools and their upgrades “disappear”, but this is not a bug. All upgrades are attached to the individual multi tool you install them on, so they’ll stay on that tool even when you swap to a different one. You don’t have to reapply upgrades every time you swap, which is why having dedicated builds is so much more efficient than using a single generalist tool. If you do want to move an upgrade from one tool to another, you can dismantle it from the original tool and reinstall it on the new one for no extra cost.
At the end of the day, learning how to change multi tool in No Man’s Sky is a small skill that makes a huge difference to your overall gameplay experience. You don’t have to waste time fumbling through menus mid-fight or mid-mining run once you memorize the quick menu controls and set up your loadout properly. Take 10 minutes after your next gaming session to organize your multi tools, rename each build for clarity, and unlock any extra slots you can afford, and you’ll be ready for whatever the galaxy throws at you next.
