Exploring a game map like the one in No Man’s Sky feels limitless. After all, this game has over 18 quintillion procedurally generated planets, each one with just enough differences to make them feel unique.

So in a game that wants you to participate in space battles, space and exoplanet explorations, and trading, one of your most essential tools to improve most will be your ships. It will be what can take you to different galaxies, planets, transport loads, and get into (and out of) combat.

Updated June 7, 2021, by Miguel Amaro: Since No Man’s Sky is an MMO, the development team constantly adds new content to their game to make things fresher and more enjoyable for fans. The latest thing that was added to the game was the Expedition update.

Expeditions are basically game events you can participate in to obtain amazing rewards; each expedition will have a series of phases, with each one consisting of different milestones to achieve. Still, it doesn’t matter if you want to participate in this new game mode or just want to do your own thing. One thing is for sure: you’ll need a good ship to travel across the galaxy. Coming across your first S-class ship doesn’t need to be a dice roll though.

Starship Types

The ships are classified into the following types:

  • Fighters: These ships are really good if you want to engage in space combat since they have a faster weapon cooldown. Fighter ships are more commonly found in Vy’keen systems and usually come with weapon upgrades already installed. Haulers: The types of ships have two things going on for them. First, Hauler ships have a shield absorb class bonus and secondly, they have really good inventory space. That makes sense since Haulers are the largest out of all the other starships in the game. The only downside is that they have rather low maneuverability. Explorers: If you’re all about exploration, the Explorers ships are the right fit for you. This type has high maneuverability and features a hyperdrive range class bonus. If you want an Explorer, head over to Korvax systems. Shuttles: These ones have the best of both worlds, meaning they perform well either in combat or while warping around in the galaxy. However, this also means Shuttles ships have no significant class bonus when compared with the others starships. Freighters: Huge and pricey ships that let you build a base within them. Exotics: These are the ones everybody wants. Exotics ships are special since they have top-tier bonus values in all the categories (damage, shield, and Hyperdrive range). However, Exotic ships are lacking in the slot size department. Living Ships: These ones are a newer addition to the game apart from the Normandy SR-1 from Mass Effect. These types of ships are very peculiar since they’re organic, meaning that they’re made of flesh instead of mechanical parts.

Since each type of ship has its own design and specification, the community has also created its own names for various ship types including terms like “air conditioners”.

Each type can vary from an A, B, and C Class Ship to the highest class: the S Class. The ship is even more valuable if it’s a combination like an Exotic S Class Ship. NMS S Class ships, upon first obtaining that kind, also provide new titles.

How To Find No Man’s Sky S Class Ships

Keep an eye out for ships scattered throughout the systems. Ships appear sporadically in the game. According to the species that dominate the system you’re in, you are more likely to find a certain type of ship:

  • Each Vy’keen System has 7 Shuttles, 7 Fighters, 3 Explorers, 3 Haulers, and 3 Regular Freighters Each Gek System has 7 Shuttles, 7 Haulers, 3 Explorers, 3 Fighters, and 3 Regular Freighters Each Korvax System has 7 Shuttles, 7 Explorers, 3 Fighters, 3 Haulers, and 3 Regular Freighters

In each one of them, you can find one Exotic ship that is an S Class. The shapes and designs of these will also vary greatly, but you can usually identify them by their gold filigree details.

Answer Distress Signals Until You Find One

It isn’t always the case, but sometimes, the distress beacon locations found by trading planetary maps can lead to No Man’s Sky S-class ships. Just trade in planetary charts at any space station for the chart with the red and white circle on it.

Activating that will give you coordinates for various distress beacons in the current star system. This may be a stranded pilot, a compromised station, or, if you’re lucky, an S-class ship!

Use An Economy Scanner And Find A Trading Post

You’ll have to use an Economic Scanner to locate a Trading post on a planet that belongs to a wealthy Star System, which means anyone labeled as Wealthy, Prosperous Opulent, High Supply, Flourishing, Booming, Affluent or Advanced.

You will have to make a couple of higher-level changes to the Hyperdrive of your current ship if you want to reach Blue, Red, or Green Star Systems and acquire the Economy Scanner itself beforehand, of course.

After landing in the Trading post, you will have to wait for the game to start spawning different ships, eventually, you’ll see No man’s Sky S-Class ships. You can scan them in the air to find out. If none appear, just reload the game in that same spot!

Use An Economy Scanner And Find A Space Station

Instead of finding one in a Trading Post, you can try to find No Man’s Sky S Class Ships at a Space Station. Here the method is basically the same; the only thing you’ll have to do is wait for the ships to land because you can’t scan them while they are still in the air.

In a Space Station, the order of the ships that appear is almost always the same, so this method is ideal for those who want a specific ship and have seen it spawn before on this particular spot.

Buy An S Class Starship

Finally, you can just purchase No Man’s Sky S Class ships directly. To do that, you’ll have to spend:

  • 39M units for a Large S Class Explorer 57,5M units for a Large S Class Fighter 126M units for a Large S Class Hauler.

These prices can vary considerably depending on the size, the number of slots the ship has, and the class and type of the ship. For example, a Regular Freighter S Class with 19 slots can cost 23M units, and a Capital Freighter Ship, either C, B, A, or S Class, can cost between 26M and 178M units.

NEXT: No Man’s Sky: A Guide To Gene Re-Sequencing