How to Construct a Base - No Man's Sky Guide - IGN (2024)

This page contains information on how to first gain the ability to construct your first base in No Man's Sky. Since the 1.5 update, the beginning walkthrough has changed, and is reflected below - with steps after leaving your first planet and following the main objectives.

The Mysterious Signal

As you leave your starting planet behind, you’ll get a message from your ship about a mysterious signal. Press down on the D-Pad to select your communicator and answer it to get a cryptic message, and the coordinates to a nearby planet. While you are free to ignore and explore, it’s recommended you do check out this new planet by engaging your boost until prompted to use your Pulse Engine by holding R1 and L1 until the ship rockets forward - as this will speed up the time it takes to reach the planet dramatically.

Note - You may also see a yellow icon usually somewhere near this new planet. This is one of the many Trading Outposts in the universe, and you’ll find other lifeforms, trading options, the ability to customize your appearance, and more here - but don’t worry, you’ll be going there soon enough.

Once you land your ship on the new planet where the signal is coming from, look for a cache near the Waypoint and inspect it. By deciphering its contents, you’ll learn about plans for a Base Computer and Terrain Manipulator.

Establish a Base: Build a Terrain Manipulator

You can now construct and add-on for your Multi-Tool that allows you to resphape terrain as you fit - and it includes the ability to mine ore deposits too. Gather up some Di-hydrogen from some blue crystals in the area to make Di-hydrogen jelly, and combine it with 2 Carbon Nanotubes to install the technology in your Multi-Tool Inventory.

Establish a Base: Collect Chromatic Metal

In order to build your new Base Computer, you will need 40 Chromatic Metal. To do this, you will need to refine certain ore that can only be collected with your new Terrain Manipulator. Specifically, you’ll need to find a deposit of Copper - which may be some distance away. Use your Analysis Visor to scan the horizons for the markers categorized by Resource Deposits, and check to see if they yield Copper.

Unfortunately, not every resource deposit has Copper, so it may take several trips to find the right place. Once you successfully identify a patch of Copper, take out your Mult-tool and switch from the Mining Beam to the Terrain Manipulator mode (using Triangle on the PS4).

Once you have mined at least 80 Copper (it’s best to just mine out the entire node), return to your landing site and place the Refiner you built on the last planet. Fuel it with Carbon, and then place the Copper into the Input, and for every 2 Copper you place, you’ll get a Chromatic Material - 40 of which is needed to make the Base Computer.

Establish and Construct a Base

Now that you have the materials, find a suitable place to place your Base Computer, just like you placed the Refiner. From here, the game will confirm that no one else has laid claim to this area on the planet, and if successful, the entire region will be yours to alter with base-building opportunities.

Interact with the Base Computer again to search the archives for those signals that brought you here. The notes include plans for a basic shelter, which you can now start building. Beyond a few decorative items, you will be able to place a wooden floor, walls, doorway, and roof! Press Up on the D-Pad when in range of your colony site, and in addition to placing items like the Refiner, you’ll also be able to place building plans - provided you have enough materials.

In order to build a useable home, you’ll need the following:

• Wooden Floor Panel - Requires 20 Carbon
• 3 Wooden Walls - Requires 40 Carbon each
• Wooden Door Frame - Requires 40 Carbon
• Wooden Roof - Requires 20 Carbon and 10 Ferrite Dust

Once you have the necessary ingredients, start building your home in a place that works - you’ll find that the walls and roof will snap to the floor for easy building.

Note: that once an item is placed, you can also hold L2 to select a placed base component to either edit the color or delete the item if it has been placed incorrectly (and you will be refunded the cost of placing it should you delete it). The only item you cannot remove is the Base Computer itself - as you will need interact with the computer directly to remove the base site.

Warning: As soon as you begin placing the walls of your home, you’ll soon be alerted to a hazardous storm arrival - even if the planet you are on does not have any hazardous environments. Make sure you have sources of Carbon and Ferrite nearby to finish the building before the storm starts raging - as you’ll want to wait inside your new home until the storm goes away. Just like being in your ship or a cave, your environmental shielding will regenerate in your home, and you won’t expend any oxygen inside either.

Now that your little home is complete, new messages will appear back at your Base Computer. It seems there is more to learn than just the basics.

Find Base Modules: Unearth Blueprints

The new logs on your Base Computer indicate the existence of buried data modules - and includes plans for a Blueprint Analyzer to convert these buried modules into more crafting capabilities for you.

First things first, you’ll want to build that new Blueprint Analyzer. The specs call for another Carbon Nanotube, as well as 20 Magnetized Ferrite. To get this new type of Ferrite, you’ll need to further refine Ferrite Dust, to Pure Ferrite, and then again to Magnetized Ferrite. Since each conversion rate is 2:1 for Magnetized Ferrite, you’d need 40 Ferrite Dust to make 40 Pure Ferrite, and then refine all of that to get what you need.

Once you have the materials, go ahead and place the Blueprint Analyzer in your new home (so you don’t get stuck in the rain if another hazardous storm comes along). Interacting with the computer, it will suggest you locate some buried technology, and recover the Salvage Modules from it.

Just like how you found the Resource Deposits, look with your Analysis Visor along the horizon for a Buried Technology Module Marker, and head over to investigate it. Once you arrive in the place where it seems to be, swap to your Terrain Manipulator Multi-tool and start digging into the ground until it uncovers the Technology Module.

Another storm will likely start heading your way once you find it, so hurry back with the Salvaged Technology - hopefully you’ll have obtained a few. Check your Blueprint Analyzer again and you’ll find that you can now learn new building items in exchange for different amounts of Salvage Modules. To start with, you’ll have several different items to choose from, and each time you learn a new blueprint, another new blueprint will be added to the list.

Note: If you aren’t one for crafting, it’s still worth your while to obtain Salvaged Technology, as it sells for quite a lot, especially in large quantities!

Once you’ve tinkered around and unlocked a few items, your Base Computer will ping with updated messages. Head back to inspect it and you’ll find an emergency broadcast - one that directs you to the space station not far from one of the planets in your current solar system.