We’ve all been there: you’re 20 minutes into a resource run on a frozen toxic planet, your oxygen is running low, you’re carrying 300 units of rare activated indium, and a sudden storm hits that drains your hazard protection in 10 seconds flat. You could sprint back to your ship, but you’ll lose half your load before you get there. That’s the exact problem exocrafts solve. If you’re wondering how to get an exocraft in No Man’s Sky, this guide breaks down every step without the confusing jargon that plagues most game wikis. We’ll cover prerequisites for new players, step-by-step unlock instructions for every exocraft variant, and common mistakes to avoid so you can start exploring further, faster, with zero unnecessary headaches.
Prerequisites You Need Before Unlocking Your First Exocraft
The best part about unlocking exocrafts is that you don’t need to beat any main story quests or reach a certain player level to get one. You can unlock your first exocraft as early as 5 hours into your playthrough, as long as you have a few core items unlocked first.
First, you’ll need a Construction Research Unit (CRU) or access to the Construction Research Terminal in the Space Anomaly. You’ll unlock the Space Anomaly within the first 2 hours of play, so it’s usually easier to use the terminal there instead of building a CRU on your base. You’ll also need Salvaged Data, which you get by digging up Buried Technology modules scattered across every planet using your Terrain Manipulator. You’ll need 10 Salvaged Data for your first exocraft blueprint, so dig up 15 to be safe in case you want to grab a basic upgrade at the same time.
You’ll also need a small stock of core building materials: 5 Metal Plating, 4 Ion Batteries, and 100 Ferrite Dust. You can craft all of these from raw resources you collect on any starting planet, so you don’t need to hunt for rare materials to get your first vehicle. If you’re playing in Survival or Permadeath mode, stock up on extra sodium and oxygen before you start building, since you’ll be working outdoors for 10 to 15 minutes and may get caught in a random storm.
Step-by-Step Process: How to Get an Exocraft in No Man’s Sky
Once you have all your prerequisites gathered, the actual unlock process takes less than 20 minutes, even for total beginners. Start by warping to the Space Anomaly and heading to the lower level, where the Construction Research Terminal is located next to the Exosuit upgrade merchant.
Interact with the terminal, navigate to the Exocraft tab, and purchase the Roamer Geobay blueprint for 10 Salvaged Data. The Roamer is the default first exocraft, and it’s the best pick for new players: it’s fast, agile, works on almost all terrain types, and has 16 default storage slots for extra resources.
Next, travel to any planet where you want to use your exocraft, and find a flat, open spot to build the Geobay. You don’t need to build it on your base, you can place it anywhere on any planet. Open your build menu, select the Roamer Geobay, and place it down. You’ll need to add the 5 Metal Plating, 4 Ion Batteries, and 100 Ferrite Dust to complete the build.
Once the Geobay is fully constructed, your Roamer will spawn directly in front of it, ready to use. You don’t need to do anything else to claim it. If you leave the planet and come back later, you can summon your Roamer anywhere on the planet for 10 Ferrite Dust, no need to rebuild the Geobay every time. I still use my first Roamer for quick resource runs even after unlocking all other exocrafts, it’s the perfect all-purpose vehicle for 90% of exploration tasks.
Bonus: How to Unlock All Other Exocraft Variants
The Roamer is a great starting point, but there are 4 other exocraft variants tailored to specific playstyles and exploration needs. You can unlock all of them from the same Construction Research Terminal in the Space Anomaly, as long as you have enough Salvaged Data and building materials.
You only need to build each Geobay once. After that, you can summon any unlocked exocraft on any planet for a small Ferrite Dust fee, so you don’t have to clutter your base with a dozen Geobays for every vehicle.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Your First Exocraft
It’s easy to get excited when you unlock your first exocraft and make avoidable mistakes that waste resources or leave you stranded. I’ve made all of these mistakes myself over multiple playthroughs, so you don’t have to.
First, don’t skip installing exocraft upgrade modules. The base version of every exocraft has limited storage, slow speed, and no extra hazard protection. You can buy upgrade modules from the Exocraft merchant in the Space Anomaly, or find them in crashed exocraft sites scattered across planets. The most important upgrades to grab first are storage expansions, speed boosts, and hazard protection modules if you plan to explore extreme weather planets. A fully upgraded Roamer can go twice as fast as the base version and have 32 extra storage slots, which makes it way more useful for long runs.
Second, don’t park your exocraft in dangerous areas. If you leave it near a patrolling sentinel walker or in the middle of an active storm, it can take damage over time. Repairing a badly damaged exocraft can cost hundreds of Ferrite Dust and Ion Batteries, so always park it near your base, a shelter, or your ship if you’re leaving it for more than a few minutes. I once parked my Minotaur near a sentinel factory to run inside and grab a blueprint, and came back to find it half destroyed by sentinel walkers. I lost 2 hours of upgrade materials fixing it, so don’t make that same mistake.
Third, don’t waste your Salvaged Data on high-tier exocrafts first. It’s tempting to unlock the Minotaur first because it looks cool, but it’s expensive to build and upgrade, and you won’t need its advanced features until you’re 20+ hours into the game exploring high-risk planets. Start with the Roamer, then unlock the Nomad or Pilgrim next depending on your playstyle, and save the Minotaur and Colossus for later when you have extra resources and Salvaged Data to spare.
Once you know how to get an exocraft in No Man’s Sky, the entire game opens up in a way you won’t expect. You’ll no longer have to cut resource runs short because of storms, you can carry twice as many resources back to your base, and you can explore the farthest corners of any planet without worrying about oxygen or hazard protection running out. Play around with different exocrafts to find the one that fits your playstyle, and don’t be afraid to test out weird upgrade combinations to make your vehicle feel unique. If you’re playing with friends, you can even ride in their exocrafts if you haven’t unlocked your own yet, which makes group exploration runs way more fun.
