How to Win Space Combats in No Man’s Sky (Tips & Tricks)

There is an insane amount of stuff to do while playing No Man’s Sky. Players will be able to explore faraway galaxies, catalog all of the flora and fauna of different planets, and even face off against deadly space pirates. One of the most fun aspects of the game is the ship combat, but players who don’t know what they are doing may find themselves dying unnecessarily.

Players will be able to engage in combat against any ship that they find on their journey. These ships range from small vessels to frigates, and even massive freighters. Players will need to be fast and accurate with their shots if they want to bring down their enemies and make it out alive. This guide will show players how to win ship battles.

No Man’s Sky: Fleeing is Sometimes Wiser

It is extremely important for players to not get in over their heads, particularly early on in the game. If the player’s ship doesn’t have many combat upgrades then it may be best to avoid combat as often as possible. There are several different ways that the player can do this:

Negotiating- Most of the time when players are about to be attacked by space pirates, they will be hailed by the pirates through the ship’s intercom system. Players can bribe the pirates to leave them alone or (if the player has a defense chit) can call in backup to deal with the pirates for them.

Fleeing- If the player doesn’t have enough money to bribe the pirates, they can turn in the other direction and use their boosters until they are far enough away to use the pulse engine. This should put enough distance between them that they won’t be able to find the player anymore.

Landing: If there is a nearby planet or space station players should try to land. Once the player enters the atmosphere of a planet or lands their ship on a space station the pirates will leave them alone.

No Man’s Sky: Know Your Enemy

Players should know what they are getting into whenever they decide to engage their enemy in combat. When fighting pirates they will be assigned a threat level that determines how difficult they are to defeat in combat. Players should decide if their ship is strong enough to take on pirates at higher threat levels.

Conflict Level 1- If players encounter a group of enemies in this threat level they should be okay as long as they know how to fight. Players should just make sure that they don’t get ganged up on by other ships.

Conflict Level 2- This group of enemies will be a lot more difficult to face, so players will want to be a more experienced captain before facing them. It is also a good idea to either buy a new ship or invest in some upgrades before trying to attempt fighting enemies at level 2.

Conflict Level 3- These enemies are the best of the best and are incredibly dangerous. Players who aren’t prepared for this fight will die. It is 100% necessary to have a more powerful ship and as many upgrades as possible.

No Man’s Sky: Essential Ship Combat Moves

While engaged in combat with other ships there are several things that players should keep in mind to help take down other ships as quickly as possible. It isn’t enough to just point and shoot. Players who don’t move around and know how to avoid attacks will find themselves taking lots of damage.

Aim for the Circle- When chasing down ships and attacking them, players will notice that a small circle appears in front of the direction that the ship is traveling in. Players should aim at this circle when launching attacks rather than aiming at the enemy ship itself. This will ensure that the player is leading their shots enough to hit their enemy from a distance.

Control Throttle- When engaged in ship combat ships will constantly be zooming past the player to launch attacks in their direction. It can be difficult to keep track of where other ships are heading or keep them in sight at full speed. The best way to solve this problem is to hit the breaks when an enemy passes to make turning easier. This makes tracking and shooting while they have their backs turned much easier.

Use Other Weapons- While the normal photon cannons are a reliable source of damage, players should remember to use any secondary weapons that they have equipped. For Example, when first starting out the rocket launcher can cause a significant amount of damage against enemies. This attack should be used whenever there is a guaranteed chance of hitting the enemy.

No Man’s Sky: Improving Ships

There are two different ways to improve a ship’s capabilities in combat. Players can either spend the time upgrading their current ship’s technology or they can sell it off to buy a brand new one. Both methods come with their own set amount of pros and cons, so players should know what they are getting into before attempting to do either.

Upgrading a ship takes more time to do, but players won’t have to spend as much hard-earned cash to accomplish this feat. As long as the player has collected blueprints for improving their ship technology they will just need to travel around the universe collecting the necessary components. The biggest downside though is that a ship can only be upgraded so much. There is no way to upgrade a C class ship to anything higher than that.

Players who truly want to excel in combat will eventually have to shell out some money. By purchasing a ship of a higher class, players will gain access to ships with more health, damage output, and more slots for upgrades. This will enable players to maximize their combat abilities as much as possible. Sadly doing this can wind up costing players millions of dollars, so they should start saving up their money.

No Man’s Sky: Fighting Frigates and Freighters

One of the best reasons to have a very strong ship in No Man’s Sky is that eventually, players may want to try out being a pirate for themselves. It is easy enough to attack small innocent ships that are traveling through the galaxy, but the best way to have fun is to bring down Frigates and Freighters. This won’t be easy to do but is well worth it for the rewards.

In order to engage against these bigger ships, players will want to ensure that their ship is as strong as possible. They won’t be able to bring these ships down completely, but each frigate will have several cargo holds on their exterior that players can damage in order to gain resources. These are a great way to acquire rare resources that can be used for crafting or selling to others.

Once players attack these ships though they will have to deal with several different things at once. All the freighters and frigates with combat abilities in the area will begin attacking the player immediately. Additionally, any ships friendly to the attacked ship nearby will attack the player as well. Additionally, the player will gain a bounty and will be attacked by Sentinels.

It is basically impossible for players to destroy all of these things at once, so they will need to be fast and resilient to make it out of these fights. They should go in fast and destroy all of the cargo holds. Once these have been destroyed and the cargo is lifted, players should flee the system as quickly as possible and go elsewhere. The last thing the player wants is to be swarmed by sentinels.

No Man’s Sky can be played on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

About The Author

Cody Peterson
(951 Articles Published)

Cody Peterson is an avid reader and writer. Graduated from Midwestern State University with a BA in English where he worked as an editor for the University literary journal. Currently a freelancer for Screenrant, where he spends most of his time writing guides or reviews. Be warned that any conversation started with him will probably wind up gravitating towards his two dogs, The Adventure Zone, or Kingdom Hearts 2.

More From Cody Peterson