No Man's Sky: The Different Kinds Of Ships, Explained (2024)

With the number of updates No Man's Sky has received in the last couple of years, it's no surprise that the sheer number of ships and the different classifications are a bit overwhelming for players jumping in for the first time.RELATED: No Man's Sky: How To Get An Anomaly DetectorThere are currently six different ship archetypes: Fighter, Hauler, Explorer, Shuttle, Exotic, and Living Ship. Within these archetypes is a classing system, with different tiers of ships ranging from C, B, A, finally to S. Here's a rundown of each of the different ships and what they're best for, and some tips for finding the kind of ship you want.

Shuttles: Balanced And Cheap

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You'll start your adventure in No Man's Sky with a Shuttle. They're cheap, balanced, and offer no particular bonuses compared to the other ship types. They're ideal for beginners as they're relatively easy to handle and come with cheap inventory upgrades so you can start shoring up resources.

These ships become less valuable as you progress further into the game. Because you have limited slots for ships, eventually you will want to replace your lackluster shuttle with a ship that is more suited to a specific playstyle. Like a Fighter, for example.

Things to remember about Shuttles:

• They have no large inventory spec available, so you can only get Small (18-23 slots) or Medium (19-28 slots).
• There are S-class versions of these ships available.
• All ships can be tweaked and min-maxed in No Man's Sky, which means even an S-class Shuttle isn't entirely useless. You can, if you want, complete the whole game on Normal mode by just using a Shuttle. Not really recommended, but you can.

Fighter: Damage Bonuses

Fighters receive various boosts to damage and shields. They're ideal for those who prefer combat over farming and collecting resources. These maneuvrable ships come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, including a large 38-slot inventory version that has plenty of room to pick up scavenged goods.

The best method to find powerful S-class fighters is to head to a rich system with the Vy'keen as the dominant race. Hang out in a hangar and scan incoming ships with your Analysis Visor. Find the right station and you could have rotating waves of ships that arrive every few minutes.

Things to remember about Fighters:

• Each Vy'keen system has the chance to spawn seven fighters, compared to the Gek's three and the Korvax's three.
• Fighters receive no Hyperdrive bonus, which means you might want to look elsewhere for a ship to travel quickly with.
• Upgrading your Fighter is very useful. You can hit a 48-slot inventory while maintaining the maneuverability of the fighter.
• Be wary of what sort of ship design you go for in a fighter. A long nose and rubbish windows will make it harder to see, and larger wings will make you an easier target.

RELATED: No Man's Sky: Where To Get All The Exocraft And What They're Used For

Hauler: Largest Base Inventory

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Every No Man's Sky pilot should probably have a Hauler in their ship slots. They are the largest ships in No Man's Sky and come with the largest default inventory size of any ship, with a max of 48 for a large inventory slot Hauler.

However, as of recent No Man's Sky updates, the drop rate of Storage Ship Modules has arguably increased. You can read more about it in our Nanites guide. Seeing as any ship can have their inventory slots upgraded to the max of 48 and tech slots at a max of 21, picking up a Hauler is something you'll only do during the early and mid-game. Later on, you'll probably want a ship that offers more in terms of speed and aesthetics.

Things to remember about Haulers:

• Haulers are good for new(ish) players who need to transport a lot of goods or materials. If you're building a base, a Hauler is pretty much necessary.
• Later in the game, you'll either want to upgrade to an Exotic or Explorer ship, as they offer a better range and clearer views from the co*ckpit in first-person.
• Haulers also have a very high shield bonus. They need it as if you find yourself in any trouble all you can really do is soak up damage and try to get away.

Explorer: Best Range And Launch Bonuses

Explorers are quickly becoming the experienced player's go-to ship. Now that every ship can be upgraded to have max inventory and tech slots, there's no need to focus on anything other than aesthetics, warp range, and launch efficiency. The Explorer-type ships excel in these areas.

One of the best features of the Explorer-type ships, though, is their relatively unobstructed co*ckpit view when flying in first-person. In a game with so much to see and do, including flying low over busy planets, being able to see what's in front of you is, it turns out, a massive benefit.

Things to remember about Explorer ships:

• Explorer ships are more common in Korvax systems. If you want to find an S-class Explorer, head to a wealthy Korvax system and get hunting.
• Explorer ships have boosts to hyperdrive, with a maximum boost of 60 for S-class ships.
• Explorer ships have the cheapest launch cost at 12.5 percent. Most other ships are at the 20-25 mark.

RELATED: No Man's Sky: Tips To Help With Crafting

Exotic: Rare, Best For Collectors

Exotic ships are rare ships that always appear as an S-class and are specific to certain systems and races. They often have very specific ship bonuses, and vary from system to system.

Exotic ships are expensive. They're not really suited to new players, but rather those who want to spend time hunting and collecting valuable ships from Trading Posts and stations. You can always make more units by following our Gravitino Ball farming guide.

Things to remember about Exotic ships:

• Exotics really are rare. They only have a 2 percent chance to land at a station in a rich system. That chance drops to ZERO if in a poor system.
• You might see a ship circling a Trading Post without it ever landing. Can be pretty frustrating if you're after a specific exotic ship.

Living Ships: Biotechnology, Grown From An Egg

Living Ships are the newest type of ship to be added to the game and are characterized by their organic look, with many moving parts jiggling all over the place when they fly.

To unlock a Living Ship you need to acquire a Void Egg and complete a series of missions. It's quite a drawn-out process and not recommended for players brand new to the game.

Things to remember about Living Ships:

• Although Living Ships are hard to acquire, they're not actually that useful. You can't increase the inventory size and you can't equip a bunch of the standard mods you can to other ships.
• Living Ships, as a result, are mostly collected for aesthetics rather than viability.

NEXT: No Man's Sky: How To Find Crashed Ships