If you’ve ever trekked 20 minutes across a toxic No Man’s Sky planet just to grab a rare resource, only to get caught in a sudden radiation storm before you make it back to your ship, you know how frustrating on-foot exploration can be. This is exactly why so many players search for how to get a exocraft in No Man's Sky as soon as they finish the first few story missions. These rugged, purpose-built vehicles let you cross even the harshest terrain in seconds, harvest resources faster, and avoid almost all environmental damage as you travel. I’ve spent over 300 hours in the game, and I still rely on my first exocraft for quick resource runs even after I unlocked all the later ship and freighter upgrades.
Prerequisites You Need Before You Learn How to Get a Exocraft in No Man's Sky
You don’t need to get far into the main story to unlock your first exocraft, but there are a few non-negotiable prerequisites you have to tick off first. First, you need to have built a basic base and unlocked the construction terminal at that base, which you’ll get access to during the early Awakening quest line. Next, you need to hire a base scientist from a nearby space station; you can find them hanging out near the mission terminal, and they’ll ask for a small fee of 10,000 units to join your base. You’ll also need at least 50 Ferrite Dust, 20 Carbon, and 10 Sodium Nitrate to build the exocraft terminal once the scientist gives you the blueprint. Many new players skip hiring the base scientist early on, but it’s worth doing as soon as possible, since they also unlock blueprints for useful upgrades like hazard protection boosts and better scanners. You don’t need any rare resources for this step, so you can gather all the required materials on the first few planets you visit without too much hassle.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough to Unlock Your First Exocraft
Once you have all the prerequisites sorted, unlocking your first exocraft (the Pilgrim, a fast all-terrain bike) takes less than 20 minutes if you don’t get distracted by random resource spawns. Many new players are surprised at how simple it is once you know how to get a exocraft in No Man's Sky, since the quest line doesn’t throw any unexpected curveballs at you. Follow these exact steps to get it done without any headaches:
- Head to your base and place the exocraft terminal that your base scientist gave you, then interact with it to start the first exocraft quest.
- Travel to the marked location on your current planet, which will lead you to a crashed exocraft site with a broken Pilgrim.
- Repair the three damaged components on the Pilgrim: you’ll need 40 Metal Plating, 45 Ionised Cobalt, and 20 Wiring Loom to fix all parts.
- Interact with the repaired Pilgrim to claim it, and it will be added to your inventory permanently.
How to Unlock Additional Exocraft Types for Different Use Cases
The Pilgrim is a great starter exocraft, but there are five other exocraft types you can unlock later, each built for a specific purpose. If you’re still learning how to get a exocraft in No Man's Sky beyond the first Pilgrim, you can complete these quests in any order you want, depending on what you need most. I recommend going for the Roamer first if you do a lot of general exploration, or the Colossus if you spend most of your time harvesting large amounts of resources. All additional exocraft blueprints are unlocked from the exocraft terminal at your base, and each requires a small number of resources to build and a short quest to claim. The Nautilon is the only exocraft built for underwater exploration, and it’s a game-changer if you’re hunting for underwater relics or rare resources like Cryo-Pump parts that only spawn deep under ocean surfaces. The Minotaur is the only exocraft that works in extreme weather and even in space, so it’s worth unlocking if you often visit planets with 100+ degree heat or constant acid rain. You don’t have to keep every exocraft you unlock, but most players keep at least three: one for fast travel, one for resource harvesting, and one for underwater exploration. You can swap between any exocraft you own from the quick menu, as long as you’re on the same planet as the vehicle. That means you don’t have to trek back to your base to switch rides if you need a different one for a specific task.
Top Tips to Customize and Improve Your Exocraft
Once you have your exocraft, you can tweak it to fit your playstyle even more with upgrades and cosmetic changes, and most of these upgrades are cheap to craft early on. First, install the advanced mining laser upgrade as soon as you can, it lets you harvest resources 3x faster than the default laser, and you can even mine rare resources like Activated Indium directly from the exocraft without getting out. You can also install storage upgrades that add up to 40 extra inventory slots to your exocraft, which is perfect for long resource runs where you don’t want to make multiple trips back to your base to offload loot. Cosmetic changes don’t affect performance, but you can change the color, decals, and even the tire treads of your exocraft for free at any exocraft terminal, so you can make your ride match your ship or base aesthetic if you want. One common mistake new players make is forgetting to install hazard protection upgrades for their exocraft. Even though exocraft are resistant to most environmental damage, extreme storms or high radiation planets can still damage your vehicle over time if you don’t have the right upgrades installed. I once lost a fully upgraded Pilgrim to a surprise superheated storm on a volcanic planet because I skipped the heat protection upgrade, so I never make that mistake anymore. You can buy all the upgrade blueprints from the exocraft merchant at any space station, or find them in random reward crates across the galaxy.
Getting an exocraft completely changes how you play No Man’s Sky, turning tedious long treks across harsh planets into fun, fast rides that let you focus on exploring and gathering resources instead of surviving the environment. Once you know how to get a exocraft in No Man's Sky, you’ll wonder how you ever played the game without one, even if you prefer to stick to flying your ship between planets most of the time. Take the time to unlock the different exocraft types and install upgrades that fit your playstyle, and you’ll cut down on the time you spend traveling by 70% or more, leaving more time for the fun parts of the game like finding rare planets, building bases, or playing with friends in multiplayer.
