Sometimes, you need a hoard of minerals to build something you want or produce items to make Units. To optimize resource extraction in No Man's Sky, you can build a chain of Mineral Extractors that do the work for you.
This guide will tell you everything you need to know about Mineral Extractors in No Man's Sky — how to set them up, and how to make the most out of them.
10 Ways To Earn Lots Of Units In No Man's Sky
Units are one of the main currencies in No Man's Sky, and necessary for lots of in-game transactions. Here are a few ways to get rich quick.
How To Unlock Mineral Extractors In No Man's Sky
Mineral Extractor is an Industrial Module that you can buy for 10 Salvaged Data at the Anomaly. Call in the Anomaly in space, enter it, and head to the far back of the station with all the vendors. The vendor selling Construction Modules is second on the left.
This is also where you can unlock a Gas Extractor that works very similar to the Mineral Extractor but for gases, as well as a Supply Depot and Supply Pipe to optimize the production of both Extractors.
How To Use Mineral Extractor In No Man's Sky
To build a Mineral Extractor, you need to find a mineral hotspot. Use the Analysis Visor (with the Survey Device upgrade installed) to find a hotspot nearby. Reach the hotspot and hold the Visor open until it finishes analyzing it.
Every hotspot only has one resource, so if you need something specific, you might have to go through multiple hotspots.
If the hotspot is outside your base's range (or you don't have a base nearby at all), you must build a new one. Construct a Base Computer and claim the base site. Now, you can build a Mineral Extractor over the hotspot using the following resources:
- x5 Metal Plating
- x100 Chromatic Metal
The Mineral Extractor also requires 50 power units to operate, so you might want to set up a Biofuel Reactor or Solar Panels nearby. Once you connect the power, the Mineral Extractor will start working. The extractor works in cycles that are around an hour long. Close the game or do other things, like exploring outlaw space stations, and then come back to collect the resources.
How To Use Supply Depots In No Man's Sky
Using Supply Depots and Supply Pipes, you can increase the capacity of resources produced by Mineral and Gas Extractors. This chain works similarly to Solar Panels and Batteries. Build a Supply Depot and connect it to the Mineral Extractor with the Supply Pipe.
Supply Depots can be placed pretty far from the extractor.
Now, the excess resources from the Mineral Extractor will spill over to the Supply Depot, allowing you to collect more resources before needing to empty the storage.
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood
- Developer(s)
- Hello Games
- Publisher(s)
- Hello Games
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
- How Long To Beat
- 30.5 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Supported VR Headsets
- Sony PlayStation VR, Sony PlayStation VR2, Valve Index, HP Reverb G2, HTC Vive Pro 2, HTC VIVE Cosmos, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro
- File Size Xbox Series
- 20.36 GB (September 2024)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
