If you’ve spent any time wandering planetary outposts or abandoned facilities in No Man’s Sky, you’ve definitely run into those glowing blue locked crates or sealed rooms that require an Atlas Pass to open. Most new players hit this roadblock within their first 10 hours of play, and it’s easy to feel like you’re missing out on tons of valuable resources, upgrades, and hidden loot early on. Figuring out how to get Atlas Pass V1 in No Man’s Sky doesn’t have to be a confusing, lore-heavy chore, even if you’re still learning the basics of the game’s systems. I’ve picked up this item on six separate playthroughs over the last few years, and I’ve narrowed down the fastest, most consistent method to get it without spoiling any of the main story if you don’t want that.
What the Atlas Pass V1 Actually Does (And Why You Want It First)
The Atlas Pass V1 is the lowest tier of the three Atlas Pass variants in the game, but it’s easily the most useful for 90% of your early and mid-game play. Unlike the V2 and V3 passes that unlock higher security areas later on, the V1 works on every common locked container and door you’ll find while exploring planets, space stations, and even freighter wrecks. You’ll never have to leave a valuable supply crate unopened again once you have this item in your inventory. It doesn’t take up any permanent inventory space, either—once you craft the pass for the first time, it’s added to your permanent unlocks, so you’ll never have to make another one again, even if you start a new save file. That means the small amount of resources you spend to make it is a one-time investment that pays off for every hour you play the game after that. You’ll also need the V1 pass to access certain story beats later on, so getting it early saves you from having to backtrack later when you hit a point that requires it.
How to Get Atlas Pass V1 in No Man’s Sky Without Spoiling the Main Story
A lot of outdated guides online will tell you that you have to follow the main Atlas Path questline for 5+ hours to unlock the Atlas Pass V1 blueprint, but that’s not true at all anymore. Hello Games updated the drop system years ago to make the blueprint accessible to players who want to ignore the main story entirely and focus on exploration. The easiest way to get the blueprint is to visit any space station’s technology merchant and browse their inventory of blueprints for sale. I’ve found the blueprint for sale at 7 out of 10 random space stations I’ve visited on new playthroughs, so it’s extremely common. If the first space station you visit doesn’t have it, just warp to the next system in your galaxy and check that station’s merchant instead. You only need 3 or 4 warp jumps at most to find a station that sells it, and you don’t have to complete any quests to access the merchant. The blueprint usually costs around 15 Nanite Clusters, which you can get easily by scanning fauna, selling rare resources, or turning in damaged technology you find while exploring planets. If you’re short on Nanites, you can scan 3 or 4 new creatures on the nearest planet to get enough in 10 minutes or less. Once you buy the blueprint, you just need to gather the crafting materials to make it.
Crafting Requirements for the Atlas Pass V1
Crafting the Atlas Pass V1 is incredibly cheap, even for brand new players who haven’t accumulated a lot of resources yet. You won’t need any rare or hard-to-find materials, and all of them can be collected on almost any starting planet or bought from a station trading terminal for less than 1,000 Units. The full list of required materials is:
- 10 Copper: You can find copper deposits on almost every temperate or barren planet, marked with a yellow icon when you use your analysis visor
- 2 Microprocessors: You can buy these from any station’s goods merchant for 200 Units each, or craft them yourself with 40 Ferrite Dust and 20 Carbon if you have the blueprint unlocked
- 1 Carbon Nanotube: This is one of the first crafting recipes you unlock in the game, made with 50 Carbon that you can collect from trees and plants on any habitable planet
Once you have all three materials, just open your crafting menu, navigate to the utility items tab, and select the Atlas Pass V1 to craft it. As soon as you hit craft, the pass is added to your permanent unlocks immediately, so you don’t have to worry about losing it if you die or swap ships. You can test it right away by heading to any locked crate on the station or the nearest planet—you’ll see a prompt to open it without any extra steps. If you already have a bunch of locked crates you left unopened earlier in your playthrough, you can go back and open all of them now too, no extra work required.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hunting for the Atlas Pass V1
Even though getting the Atlas Pass V1 is pretty straightforward, there are a few common mistakes new players make that slow them down or make them waste resources unnecessarily. First, don’t waste time following the Atlas Path if you don’t want to just for the pass. I made this mistake on my first playthrough back when the game first launched, and I spent 7 hours grinding story beats just to get the pass, only to find out later I could have bought it at the second space station I visited. Second, don’t pay more than 20 Nanites for the blueprint. Some merchants might list it for a little more or less, but if you see it for more than 20 Nanites, it’s worth warping to the next system to find a cheaper version, because you can use those extra Nanites for useful upgrades like better ship shields or mining laser boosts. Another mistake I see a lot of new players make is crafting multiple Atlas Pass V1s for no reason. Since it’s a permanent unlock, you only need to craft it once, so don’t waste extra Copper and Microprocessors making spares. You also don’t need to keep the pass in your quick slot or active inventory—the game automatically recognizes you have it when you approach a locked container, so you can ignore it entirely after you craft it. The last common mistake is skipping the pass entirely because you think it’s only for late-game players. Even if you only play casually for a few hours a week, the pass will pay for itself in the first 30 minutes you have it, from the extra resources you get from opening crates. You’ll find extra Sodium, Oxygen, and even rare upgrade modules that make your gameplay way smoother from the start.
At the end of the day, getting the Atlas Pass V1 is one of the most impactful small upgrades you can get early in your No Man’s Sky playthrough, and it doesn’t require any complicated quests or expensive grinding. Now that you know how to get Atlas Pass V1 in No Man’s Sky, you can skip the frustrating part of leaving valuable loot behind and focus on the parts of the game you enjoy most, whether that’s exploring uncharted planets, building bases, or trading with alien species. I usually pick up the pass within the first 2 hours of every new playthrough, and it makes the entire early game feel way less restrictive. If you’re still having trouble finding the blueprint, try visiting systems with higher economy ratings—they tend to have more blueprints available for sale at the technology merchant more often.
