If you’ve spent dozens of hours hopping between star systems in No Man’s Sky, you’ve probably spotted the massive, hulking capital ships floating in orbit at some point. The biggest, most powerful of these is the dreadnought, and every player eventually hits a point where they want one for their fleet. We’ve spent over 80 hours testing every method for how to get a dreadnought in No Man’s Sky, and we’ve cut out all the misinformation you’ll find on random forum threads to give you only the steps that actually work. This guide works for all current game versions, including the latest major update, so you don’t have to worry about outdated tricks that no longer function.
What You Need Before Hunting for a No Man's Sky Dreadnought
Jumping into a 3-star system without the right prep is a surefire way to waste hours of your time, or even lose the chance to claim a great dreadnought when it spawns. There are four non-negotiable items you need to have sorted before you start your hunt, and none of them require you to beat the main story to unlock. You might be wondering why you need so many resources for a ship you’re rescuing, but the game frames the purchase as a formal transfer of command, plus you’re covering the cost of any minor damage the ship took during the pirate attack.
- At least 30 million units in reserve – Dreadnoughts cost between 30 and 120 million units depending on their class and slot count, so don’t show up underprepared. You can grind for these units quickly by selling storm crystals, activated indium, or rare artifacts from abandoned planets if you’re short on cash.
- A combat-rated starship with at least 300 damage potential – You’ll need to fend off 3-5 waves of pirate ships before you can claim a dreadnought, so weak starter ships won’t cut it. Add a few photon cannon upgrades if your ship’s damage is too low, it makes a huge difference in fight speed.
- Level 3 or higher hyperdrive range – Dreadnoughts only spawn in 3-star economic systems, which you won’t reach with a base-level hyperdrive. You can buy range upgrades from any space station technology vendor for a few hundred thousand units.
- 5 or more warp cells – You might need to jump between multiple 3-star systems before you find a dreadnought worth claiming. It’s frustrating to run out of warp cells right when you find a cluster of high-economy systems, so stock up ahead of time.
Another often overlooked prep step is clearing out space in your frigate fleet. Dreadnoughts take up 5 fleet slots, so if you only have 2 open slots, you won’t be able to claim the ship even if you have enough units. Ditch any C or B-class frigates you don’t use before you start hunting to free up space, you won’t regret it.
How to Locate a Dreadnought Spawn in Any 3-Star System
First, you need to find a 3-star system to search in. To check a system’s star rating, open your galaxy map and hover over any system you haven’t visited yet. Look for the little star icons next to the economic rating – 3 full stars means it’s a high-economy system, which is the only place dreadnoughts spawn. If you’re having trouble finding 3-star systems, install an economic scanner upgrade for your hyperdrive, it will highlight eligible systems on your map so you don’t have to check each one individually. I always keep one installed on my exploration ship, it cuts down my hunt time by at least 70%.
Once you warp into a 3-star system, hang out in orbit around the first planet you see for 5 to 15 minutes. Don’t land, don’t fly around too much, just stay still. Eventually, you’ll see a fleet of smaller freighters warp in, followed by the much larger capital ship. Dreadnoughts are easy to spot because they’re twice the size of regular capital freighters, have more visible turrets, and usually have a darker, more angular hull design. You won’t mix one up with a regular freighter once you see it.
Pro tip: If you’re looking for an S-class dreadnought, save your game right before you warp into a 3-star system. If the spawn isn’t S-class, or if it doesn’t have enough slots for your needs, you can reload your save and try again as many times as you want until you get the ship you want. You can repeat this process as many times as you need until you find a dreadnought that matches your slot and class preferences.
How to Successfully Claim the Dreadnought in No Man's Sky
Once you spot a dreadnought you want, you’ll have to trigger the rescue event to get the option to buy it. All you have to do is wait for a pirate attack alert to pop up on your HUD. These attacks trigger randomly within 10 minutes of the dreadnought spawning, so you don’t have to do anything special to start the event. You’ll see a message on your screen saying the freighter fleet is under attack, and you’ll get a prompt to help defend them.
When the attack starts, immediately target the pirate ships and take them out as fast as you can. Don’t shoot the dreadnought or any of its escort ships – if you hit friendly vessels, the entire fleet will turn hostile, and you’ll lose your chance to claim the ship. I messed this up the first time I tried to get a dreadnought, by the way. I accidentally hit an escort ship while I was shooting pirates, and the entire fleet opened fire on me before I could even explain it was a mistake. Save yourself the headache and turn on friendly fire indicators in your settings if you haven’t already.
Once you’ve taken out all the pirate waves, the captain of the dreadnought will send you a comms invite. Accept the invite, and you’ll be able to board the ship. Walk through the ship to the bridge, talk to the captain, and you’ll get the option to purchase the dreadnought and add it to your fleet. If you have enough units, confirm the purchase, and the ship is yours immediately. You can transfer all your stuff from your old freighter to the new one right on the bridge, so you don’t lose any of your stored resources or upgrades. The transfer is 100% free, so there’s no reason to leave any of your old gear behind.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Getting Your First Dreadnought
Even if you follow all the steps above, it’s easy to make a small mistake that costs you your dream dreadnought. We’ve compiled the most common errors new players make, so you can skip the frustration we went through when we first started hunting for these ships. Most of these mistakes are avoidable with a little bit of extra planning, and they’ll save you hours of redoing work.
First, don’t settle for the first dreadnought you find. A C-class dreadnought with 20 slots might seem exciting at first, but you’ll outgrow it in a few weeks. Wait for an A or S-class dreadnought with at least 34 slots if you want a ship that will last you through endgame content. It’s worth spending an extra hour or two jumping between systems to get a ship you won’t want to replace a month later.
Second, don’t forget to transfer your freighter upgrades before you sell your old freighter. A lot of players skip this step and lose hundreds of thousands of units worth of upgrades that took hours to craft. You can move all upgrades for free from your old freighter to your new one directly from the bridge terminal, so there’s no excuse to skip this step. Double check that all your hyperdrive range, storage, and combat upgrades are moved over before you confirm the sale of your old ship.
Third, don’t warp out of the system mid-pirate attack. If you leave before you finish fighting all the pirate waves, the dreadnought will despawn when you come back, and you’ll have to start the hunt over again. Even if your ship is badly damaged, use your shield charges and keep fighting – it’s worth it to not have to search for another dreadnought. If you really can’t finish the fight, you can reload your pre-warp save and try again, but that means you’ll have to wait for the dreadnought to spawn again.
Getting a dreadnought is one of the most rewarding milestones you can hit in No Man’s Sky. It gives you tons of extra storage space, a powerful mobile base that can travel anywhere in the galaxy, and bragging rights among your friends who are still flying around in tiny regular freighters. Now that you know how to get a dreadnought in No Man's Sky, you can skip all the frustrating trial and error most players go through and add one of these massive ships to your fleet in just a few hours. Don’t rush the process, make sure you have all the prerequisites sorted before you start hunting, and you’ll be piloting your own dreadnought before you know it.
