No Man's Sky is a massive game that--should you choose to accept the challenge--tasks you with getting to the center of the universe. We've spent a lot of time with the game, trying to find the most efficient ways to earn money, and tips for beginners; but what if you want to make a beeline for the center? Here's what you need to do to fast track your progress towards No Man's Sky’s center
Be wary; there are potential spoilers below.
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Follow the Atlas Questline
If you're looking to get to the center of the universe quickly (without using exploits or cheats), we recommend following the Atlas questline. From our experience, it's the best way to accomplish this goal.
Craft and Charge Your Ship's Hyperdrive
To start your journey towards the center of the universe, you need to get your starship's hyperdrive up and running. This process begins after repairing your starship and entering space for the first time. A marker will highlight the location of an outpost on a nearby planet. Fly your starship to this outpost to find an alien who gives you a recipe for the hyperdrive.
The hyperdrive requires the following components: a Dynamic Resonator and 200 Heridium. You can purchase a Dynamic Resonator from a Galactic Trade Terminal, while Heridium can be easily found on nearby planets.
Once you've crafted the hyperdrive with the required materials, you're going to need a Warp Cell to power it. Warp Cells can be crafted with 100 Thamium9 and an Antimatter; the former can be mined easily from asteroids in space, while the latter can be given to your for free by an alien at an outpost you're directed to. You can also purchase Antimatter from the Galactic Trade terminal; however, it'll cost you upwards of 20,000 units.
Find the Antimatter Recipe
A Warp Cell is an essential item needed to power your hyperdrive. However, crafting one is difficult, seeing as you need an Antimatter to do so. While an Antimatter is rare and expensive, it can be crafted for free if you're able to find its recipe; this takes a lot of work, but it's well worth your time and effort.
You can find the Antimatter recipe by following the various markers placed on nearby planets after using the hyperdrive for the first time. One of these markers leads you to an outpost with an alien that gives you the recipe for free.
To craft Antimatter, you need the following components: an Electron Vapor, 50 Heridium, and 20 Zinc. A recipe is required to craft Electron Vapor; it can be found at an outpost by following the markers.
Electron Vapor requires a Suspension Fluid and 100 Plutonium; unfortunately--like all the other components needed in this process--the Suspension Fluid also requires a recipe to craft. At this point, you have the option of either purchasing Suspension Fluid (for upwards of 20,000 units each) or finding a recipe to make it.
If you opt to find the Suspension Fluid recipe, you can get it at an outpost like the previous two listed above; however, a marker doesn’t highlight its location. Scour the outposts of each nearby planet to root out the recipe location. Once you've found it, you'll finally have everything you need to craft Antimatter whenever you want.
Upgrading Your Hyperdrive
It's possible to upgrade your hyperdrive to travel 300 light years per fuel cell instead of the usual 100. You can do this by acquiring the Warp Reactor V1 hyperdrive upgrade, which can be found in a couple of ways.
The first method requires you to talk to aliens at space stations. When you speak to one that gives you a multiple choice dialogue sequence, choose the option that's the most risky to your safety. For instance, if an alien wants to experiment on you, let it do what it wants. At the worst, you'll lose some health or a handful of units. If all goes according to plan, the alien will hand you the Warp Reactor V1.
The second method takes more work, as it requires you to investigate pods of Damaged Machinery scattered around a planet. These caches of leftover technology contain random upgrades for your ship, but if you're lucky, you can find one that contains the Warp Reactor V1. To better locate Damaged Machinery, fly close to the surface of a planet and look out for any black smoke or machinery with blinking blue lights.
Resume the Path to the Atlas at Space Anomalies
As you progress through the game, you'll encounter a Space Anomaly. These appear as Death Star-like space stations that pop up randomly throughout the game. Dock your ship into one and talk to the alien inside. It'll present you with three paths: resources to aid exploration, find a shortcut to the center, or resume the path to the Atlas. Choose to resume the path to the Atlas. This will lead you to an Atlas Interruption, which takes you further into the game. Keep insisting on resuming the path of the Atlas whenever you encounter a space anomaly; this will set you down the path towards getting to the center of the universe faster.
Keep All of Your Atlas Stone; Don't Sell Them
We won't say why, but be sure to keep as many Atlas Stones on you as possible. You can typically get these from the various Atlas Stations scattered throughout the universe. Do not sell them.
