If you’ve spent any time wandering the procedurally generated worlds of No Man’s Sky, you’ve probably stumbled across exclusive items in the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion that you can’t buy with units or nanites. That shiny, silvery currency is one of the most valuable resources in the game, and figuring out how to get quicksilver no man's sky can save you hours of wandering aimlessly for low payouts. I’ve spent over 300 hours testing different farming methods, and I’ve narrowed down the most efficient ways to stock up without burning out on repetitive tasks. You don’t need endgame gear or a full squad of friends to pull most of these off, either.
How to Get Quicksilver in No Man’s Sky: Core Basic Methods First
The most reliable way to earn quicksilver for new players is through missions available at the Space Anomaly, the weird, floating space station you unlock a few hours into the main story. The Nexus terminal right in the center of the Anomaly lists rotating daily and weekly missions that reward quicksilver for simple tasks. Daily missions give 250 quicksilver each, weekly missions give 1200, and rotating weekend community events can pay out up to 1500 quicksilver for a single task. You can complete Nexus missions solo even if you’re playing offline now, so you don’t have to worry about joining random multiplayer lobbies if you prefer playing alone.
New players often miss that you can also earn small amounts of quicksilver from interacting with rare NPCs you find while exploring. Travelers you meet on planetary settlements sometimes give 50 or 100 quicksilver as a reward for helping them with small tasks, like fixing their ship or retrieving a lost item. These small payouts add up over time, especially if you’re already exploring to find new resources or base locations. You don’t have to go out of your way to hunt for these NPCs, just take a minute to talk to every traveler you run into while you’re out and about.
Low-Effort Quicksilver Farming Methods for Casual Players
If you only log into No Man’s Sky for 15 or 20 minutes a day, you don’t have to grind hours of missions to build up a solid quicksilver balance. The key is to pick tasks that don’t require extra work outside of what you’re already doing. Twitch drops for No Man’s Sky regularly give out thousands of quicksilver for free if you link your Hello Games account to your Twitch profile. All you have to do is watch participating streams for a set amount of time, and the quicksilver gets added directly to your in-game inventory the next time you log in. I’ve earned over 12,000 quicksilver from Twitch drops in the past year without even trying, just by leaving streams on in the background while I work.
When you do pick Nexus missions, prioritize the ones that align with your current goals. If you’re already planning to explore a new frozen planet to collect frost crystals for a base build, pick a Nexus mission that requires you to scan 3 fauna species on a frozen planet. You’ll complete the mission without any extra work, and walk away with 250 quicksilver for doing something you were going to do anyway. Stick to these low-effort missions first, and skip any that require you to travel 10+ systems or collect rare resources you don’t already have. To make it even easier, here are the easiest daily Nexus missions to prioritize every time they show up:
- Flora or fauna scanning missions: These only require you to visit a nearby planet and scan 3-5 life forms, no combat required, and take less than 10 minutes to complete.
- Resource delivery missions for common materials: If you already have carbon, ferrite, or di-hydrogen in your inventory, you can turn these in immediately without leaving the Anomaly.
- Low-tier pirate elimination missions: Even with a basic starter ship, you can take down 3-5 low-level pirates in under 5 minutes for a full 250 quicksilver payout.
Never waste time on Nexus missions that require rare resources like activated indium unless you already have a stockpile on hand – they take way too long for the same payout as easier missions. You’re better off skipping those and waiting for the mission list to refresh the next day.
Endgame High-Volume Quicksilver Farming Routes
Once you’ve unlocked a freighter and a fleet of frigates, you can earn thousands of quicksilver passively without even leaving your base. The freighter command terminal lists special frigate expeditions that reward quicksilver instead of units or resources. You can send your frigates out on these missions while you’re offline, and collect the quicksilver payout when you log back in. Higher level frigates have a higher success rate on these missions, so invest in upgrading your fleet over time to get more consistent payouts. I usually send 3 frigates out on quicksilver missions every time I log off, and I come back to 750-1000 extra quicksilver the next day with zero effort.
Completed expeditions often give tens of thousands of quicksilver as part of their final reward track, so make sure you participate in every limited-time expedition that Hello Games runs. Expeditions are special seasonal game modes that take 4-6 hours to complete, and they usually give enough quicksilver to buy every permanent item in the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion. You don’t have to complete the entire expedition in one sitting, either – you can chip away at the objectives over a few weeks before the season ends. The rewards carry over to your main save file, so it’s always worth the time investment.
If you’re looking for a more active high-volume farming method, look for derelict freighters that have quicksilver caches scattered throughout their hallways. You can reset the derelict freighter layout by leaving the star system and coming back, so you can farm the same caches over and over again as long as you have enough emergency broadcast receivers to summon the freighter. Just make sure you don’t use any glitches to duplicate quicksilver or get infinite payouts – Hello Games has banned accounts for exploiting these glitches in the past, and it’s not worth losing hundreds of hours of save progress over extra currency. Always check the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion first before farming, to see if the item you want is limited-time, so you can prioritize earning enough before it leaves the shop.
Common Quicksilver Farming Mistakes to Avoid
One of the biggest mistakes new players make is wasting their hard-earned quicksilver on temporary, disposable items. The Quicksilver Synthesis Companion sells firework refills, temporary weather protection boosts, and other one-time use items that aren’t worth the cost. Save your quicksilver for permanent unlocks like unique base parts, rare companion eggs, exclusive ship skins, and custom emotes. These items never go away, and many of them are only available for a limited time, so they’re a much better investment than disposable goods.
Another common mistake is trying to grind every single Nexus mission every day. You’ll burn out fast if you force yourself to do 4+ missions a day just to earn extra quicksilver. Even doing one 10-minute mission a day adds up to 7,500 quicksilver a month, which is more than enough to buy every new limited-time item that releases during that time. It’s a game, not a second job – take breaks if the missions start feeling like a chore.
A lot of players also fall for scams that sell quicksilver for real money online. These listings almost always use stolen account credentials or exploit glitches to generate the quicksilver, and buying from them can get your account banned permanently. All quicksilver in the game can be earned for free with the methods we’ve covered, so there’s no reason to spend real money on it. Don’t give scammers your cash, and don’t risk losing your save file.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to get quicksilver no man's sky doesn't have to be a tedious grind. You can pick the methods that fit your playstyle, whether you're a casual player who logs in for 10 minutes a day or a hardcore player who wants to farm thousands in an afternoon. The best part is that most of these methods work alongside other tasks you're already doing, so you don't have to put your main base build or exploration run on hold just to earn currency. Next time you're at the Anomaly, take a minute to pick up a quick Nexus mission before you head out – you'll be shocked how fast your quicksilver balance grows.
