If you’ve spent any time building advanced tech or base upgrades in No Man’s Sky, you’ve probably hit the frustrating wall of being one wiring loom short of finishing your project. I’ve logged over 400 hours across three NMS saves, and I’ve wasted enough time jumping between random systems looking for this component to know exactly what works and what doesn’t. Today we’re breaking down every reliable method for how to get wiring loom in No Man’s Sky, so you can stop hunting for parts and get back to the parts of the game you actually enjoy.
How to Get Wiring Loom by Crafting: The Most Reliable Method
Crafting your own wiring loom is the most consistent option, because it doesn’t rely on random drops or vendor stock. You unlock the wiring loom crafting recipe automatically as soon as you visit your first space station, so you don’t have to complete any special quests or story beats to access it. The recipe only requires two easy-to-source components: 1 Carbon Nanotube and 50 Chromatic Metal.
Carbon Nanotubes can be crafted directly in your exosuit inventory with 50 Carbon, which you can pick up from almost any plant life on every type of planet. Chromatic Metal is made by refining Copper, Cadmium, Emeril, or Indium in any refiner, even a basic portable model you carry with you. You don’t need an industrial or advanced refiner to make any of the required components, so you can craft a wiring loom even when you’re stranded on a remote uncharted planet.
The only downside to this method is that it’s not accessible for very early game players who haven’t figured out how to refine Chromatic Metal yet. If you’re still in the first couple hours of gameplay, you’ll want to use one of the other methods we cover below. I always keep 10 pre-made wiring looms in my exosuit inventory when I’m exploring, so I never get stuck needing to repair a broken hyperdrive or scanner mid-trip.
Buy Wiring Loom From NPC Vendors for Fast Access
If you have extra units to spend and need wiring loom right now, buying from vendors is the fastest route. You don’t have to farm any materials or run around looting points of interest, you just have to know where to look. Technology merchants at space stations and planetary trading posts almost always stock 1-3 wiring looms per restock, usually priced between 25,000 and 35,000 units each.
Pro tip: If you find a vendor that sells wiring loom, you can refresh their inventory infinitely by getting in and out of your ship to reload your auto-save. That means you can stock up on 50+ wiring looms in one stop without jumping between 20 different systems. You can also sometimes get wiring loom from random NPCs walking around space stations, either as a reward for a small fetch quest or by trading them surplus tech components you don’t need.
Just avoid buying wiring loom in systems with hostile sentinels or poor economic ratings, where prices can jump up 20% or more due to shortages. If you can, head to systems with a “Prosperous” or “Wealthy” tag on the galaxy map for the lowest possible prices. Even if you don’t want to craft your own wiring loom, vendors are a solid backup when you’re in a pinch.
Free Wiring Loom Loot Spots to Explore
If you love exploring and don’t mind a little looting, you can get as much wiring loom as you want for free, no units or crafting required. I’ve pulled 20+ wiring looms from a single crashed freighter run before, so this method is perfect if you want to stock up while also grabbing rare upgrade modules and other valuable loot. The best spots to find free wiring loom are:
- Crashed freighters: Almost every cargo pod you open on a crashed freighter has a 30% chance to drop a wiring loom, plus you’ll get thousands of units and rare ship upgrade modules along the way.
- Abandoned build sites: Look for half-finished base structures on any inhabited planet, you’ll often find wiring looms left in storage crates near the building frame, plus other useful building materials.
- Sentinel pillar rewards: If you clear a sentinel pillar of hostile drones, the terminal at the top will frequently give you 2-5 wiring looms as a reward for your effort, plus rare sentinel tech upgrades.
- Damaged distress beacons: Repairing a broken distress beacon on an uncharted planet will sometimes give you a wiring loom as a thank you from the rescued pilot, plus you might get a free new ship out of the deal too.
The only catch here is that drops are random, so you might get lucky and walk away with a dozen wiring looms in one run, or you might only find a couple after an hour of searching. I usually pair my looting runs with a mineral farming trip, so I’m not wasting time if the loom drops are low. If you’re looking to stock up on wiring loom without spending any resources, looting is your best bet.
Common Wiring Loom Hunting Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve made every single one of these mistakes myself, so I’m saving you the hours of wasted time I lost learning these lessons the hard way. First, Don’t waste nanites buying wiring loom from the anomaly tech vendor – it costs 200 nanites per loom, which is a terrible deal when you can make it for free with basic materials or buy it for a tiny amount of units from regular vendors. Nanites are way better spent on upgrade modules for your ship or exosuit.
Second, don’t jump between random systems looking for vendors that sell wiring loom. Check the economy tab of your galaxy map first, and only head to systems with a technology-focused economy, those have the highest chance of vendors carrying large stockpiles of wiring loom at the lowest prices. Third, don’t sell extra wiring loom to vendors for quick units – you’ll always need more later for base builds or tech repairs, so store any surplus in your base storage containers.
Fourth, always transfer all loose crafting components to your exosuit before trading in any ship. I lost 8 perfectly good wiring looms once when I traded in my old hauler without moving my loose components first, and I was furious. If you’re playing in survival mode, also avoid looting crashed freighters on extreme weather planets without proper hazard protection – it’s easy to get caught in a storm while you’re opening cargo pods, and you’ll lose all the loot you collected if you die.
At the end of the day, the best method for how to get wiring loom in No Man’s Sky depends on where you are in the game and what you enjoy doing. If you’re early game and have plenty of time to explore, looting points of interest is a great way to get it for free while you get familiar with the game’s systems. If you’re mid to late game and have extra units or resources, crafting or buying it is way faster. I switch between all three methods depending on what I’m working on that day, and I’ve never run out of wiring loom for more than 10 minutes since I started using these tricks. Now go stock up, and finish that big base build or tech upgrade you’ve been putting off.
