One of the key features of No Man’s Sky is the ability to travel to infinite galaxies and explore the planets within. Of course, there’s a few things you’ll have to do first before you can leave your starting system and start navigating the game’s sprawling universe.
To leave the system you’ve started in, you’ll have to have a ship with a functioning Hyperdrive. If you’ve accumulated a substantial amount of units by selling everything you find, you may be able to buy a ship with a functioning Hyperdrive (and possibly fueled) already installed. However, if following normal progression of the game’s starting mission and updating your first ship, you’ll have to install a Hyperdrive of your own.
You’ll also need to get your hands on some Antimatter, which is required for crafting the Warp Cell used to fuel your Hyperdrive. Acquisition of Antimatter is therefore absolutely crucial to progression in No Man’s Sky. Antimatter is also used in a handful of crafting recipes and is needed to repair one of the components of an Exosuit Upgrade module, the Faulty Hologramm, found in Drop Pods. Antimatter is pretty important stuff! So how do you get it?
How to get the Hyperdrive blueprint and craft a Hyperdrive
To obtain your first bit of Antimatter, you’ll first need to craft a Hyperdrive. You’ll unlock the blueprint for the Hyperdrive through normal progression in the game’s first primary mission, Awakenings. Shortly after establishing your first base, your Base Computer will pick up an emergency signal from a nearby planet. The message is encoded, so you’ll have to head to the nearest Space Station and speak with the resident life forms for help translating the distress call.
At the space station, one of the aliens will be able to decode the message, and doing so will create a waypoint on your starting planet. Head back to the planet and reach the waypoint to discover the crashed ruins of a freighter. Explore the ruins and you’ll discover the blueprint for the Hyperdrive, left behind by an unknown traveler.
Crafting the Hyperdrive requires a bit of mining, as it requires 125 Chromatic Metal and five Microprocessors. Time to bust out your Terrain Manipulator and start collecting Copper (Cu) or stellar metals, including Emeril (Em), Cadmium (Cd) and Iridium (Ir)! The rarer metals will yield higher Chromatic Metal, though are a bit more difficult to obtain. If you have the units, you can also opt to purchase Chromatic Metal from the Galactic Market, if available, using a Galactic Trade Terminal located in the Space Station.
Microprocessors are a bit more difficult to obtain, as you’re not yet able to craft them. Instead, you’ll have to buy them from the Galactic Market, so be sure to bring some units along. Each Microprocessor will cost around 10,500 to 20,000 per unit. You’ll learn to craft the Microprocessors later in the story, but for now you’re stuck purchasing them, which is generally easier to do anyway.
Obtaining your first Antimatter
Once you’ve crafted your Hyperdrive, you’ll learn that it will require fuel (of course). The Hyperdrive requires Warp Cells to operate, which is where the Antimatter comes in. You won’t be able to craft Antimatter just yet, but you will be able to obtain the Antimatter needed to fuel your ship’s Hyperdrive for the first time by continuing with the main story mission.
Once you’ve constructed your Hyperdrive, head into space, where you’ll detect yet another broadcast transmission. Scan to identify the source of the signal, and head out to the “Anomalous Broadcast” waypoint. Upon reaching the destination, you’ll find an abandoned broadcast station and a terminal covered in some kind of fungal growth. Interact with the terminal and you’ll receive a sample of Antimatter along with the blueprint to craft an Antimatter Housing.
Crafting an Antimatter Housing and Warp Cells
Before you can craft your first Warp Cell, you’ll need to construct an Antimatter Housing. This is a quick and simple task, requiring only 30 Oxygen and 50 Ferrite Dust. Once you have both the Antimatter Housing and Antimatter, you can create your first Warp Cell. Use the Warp Cell to fuel your Hyperdrive by accessing your Starship’s Technology menu, and you’ll be able to make your first jump to another galaxy!
Obtaining the blueprint to craft Antimatter
The Warp Cell you crafted was only enough fuel to make that first jump, so you’ll need to get your hands on some more Antimatter to continue your travels among the stars. Upon reaching a new system, you’ll receive a transmission directing you to a waypoint on a new planet. Head out to this point and you’ll discover a trading post where you’ll meet some friendly robots. Speak to one of them and it will immediately give you the blueprint to create Antimatter. You’ll now be able to craft as many Warp Cells as you need and explore the galaxy as much as you like. Enjoy!
