If you’ve spent any time bouncing between star systems in No Man’s Sky, you’ve probably spotted massive, glowing capital ships lingering in orbit and wondered how to get a frigate in No Man's Sky for your own fleet. These huge vessels aren’t just for show—they can bring you millions of units, rare crafting materials, and even exclusive upgrades you won’t find anywhere else. I remember staring at my first frigate as a new player, convinced I’d need 100 hours of grind to afford one, but the process is way simpler than most guides make it sound. We’ll walk you through every step, from unlocking the right tech to picking the best frigates for your playstyle, no unnecessary grind required.
Prerequisites You Need to Get a Frigate in No Man's Sky
First off, you can’t own a frigate if you don’t already have a freighter to dock it to. You’ll get your first freighter for free after you warp to your 3rd star system—you’ll see a distress call from a freighter under attack by pirates, and all you have to do is fight off 3-4 small pirate ships to get the captain to offer you the freighter as a thank you. Don’t turn that offer down, even if the freighter looks small or low-tier. It’s enough to get your fleet started, and you can upgrade to a larger freighter later when you have more units.
You’ll also need at least 500,000 units saved up for your first frigate, though specialty S-tier frigates can cost 5 million or more. The last prerequisite is the freighter command room upgrade, which you can build once you have 10 metal plating, 4 quantum computers, and 80 chromatic metal. This room lets you manage your fleet, send ships on expeditions, and check frigate stats at a glance. You don’t need any other special upgrades to start recruiting frigates, so you can get your first ship within a few hours of starting a new save if you prioritize the right tasks.
How to Find and Recruit Frigates for Your Fleet
Once you have your freighter and command room set up, it’s time to start hunting for frigates. Frigates spawn randomly in every star system, but you’ll find more of them in higher-economy systems marked with 3 stars in your galaxy map. Systems with conflict levels marked as “high” also tend to have more combat frigates, while peaceful, high-trade systems have more trade and support variants. To flag down a frigate, fly close to it in your starship and use your communication scanner to hail the captain. If the frigate is available for recruitment, the captain will tell you their price, their specialty, and their stats.
It’s normal for captains to refuse to join you if your fleet is too small or you don’t have enough units, so don’t get discouraged if the first few you hail turn you down. You can also get frigates as rewards for completing high-level expeditions, or from rescuing frigates under attack by pirates in any system. Rescued frigates will join your fleet for free, which is a great way to build out your fleet fast if you’re short on units. Let's break down the frigate types you’ll run into:
I usually aim for a balanced mix of 2 combat, 2 exploration, 2 trade, and 1 support frigate for my early fleet, so I can take on any expedition type without high failure risk. You can hold up to 30 frigates total once you upgrade your freighter, so you can specialize more once you have a large enough roster.
How to Pick the Best Frigates for Your Playstyle
Not all frigates are created equal, and picking the wrong one can waste hundreds of thousands of units on a ship that never pulls its weight. First, check the frigate’s tier: C-tier is the lowest, then B, A, and S-tier as the highest. S-tier frigates have the best stat growth, so they’ll get far stronger as they complete expeditions, even if their starting stats are only slightly better than A-tier options. You also want to check the frigate’s traits before you buy. Positive traits like “Fuel Efficient” or “Expert Navigator” reduce expedition costs and failure rates, while negative traits like “Clumsy Crew” or “Mechanical Faults” increase the chance of expeditions going wrong.
If a frigate has more than 2 negative traits, skip it, even if it’s cheap. For new players, I recommend starting with B or A-tier trade frigates first. They pay for themselves within 2-3 expeditions, so you’ll earn back the units you spent on them fast, then have extra cash to buy more specialized ships later. Don’t blow all your saved units on an S-tier combat frigate as your first purchase—you won’t have enough ships to send on high-reward expeditions to make that cost worth it for dozens of hours. If you mainly play to build bases and craft, prioritize industrial and support frigates to cut down on resource grinding time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Building Your Frigate Fleet
I’ve messed up my first frigate fleet so many times, so I can save you a lot of wasted time and units with these quick tips. First, don’t forget to fuel your frigates before sending them on expeditions. Expeditions use liquid hydrogen as fuel, and if you don’t put enough in, your fleet will get stranded halfway and you’ll have to travel to their location to rescue them, which can take hours. You can make liquid hydrogen easily by refining di-hydrogen with a refiner, so keep a stack of 1000 or so on your freighter at all times to avoid this hassle.
Second, don’t send frigates on expeditions that are way above their level. Each expedition has a recommended rank, and if your fleet’s total stats are 20% or more below that rank, you’re almost guaranteed to have ships get damaged or fail the mission entirely. Start with 1-star expeditions first to level up your ships, then work your way up to 5-star runs that bring in millions of units in rewards. Third, don’t ignore frigate damage when they return from expeditions. Damaged frigates have higher failure rates on future missions, and can be destroyed permanently if you send them out too many times without repairing them. Repairs only cost a few common resources, so it’s always worth taking 30 seconds to fix them before sending them out again. One last thing: you don’t have to keep every frigate you recruit. If you get a better ship later, you can dismiss old frigates from your fleet management menu at any time, no penalty involved.
Learning how to get a frigate in No Man's Sky completely changes the game, turning you from a lone traveler bouncing between planets into the commander of a profitable fleet that earns you resources while you focus on exploring, building, or fighting pirates. You don’t need to grind for dozens of hours to get your first fleet started—just follow the steps we laid out, pick balanced ships that fit your playstyle, and avoid the common mistakes that waste new players’ units. Before you know it, you’ll have a fleet of S-tier frigates bringing you millions of units and rare resources every time you log in.
