Bases in No Man's Sky range from a single teleporter shack to sprawling automated farms that fund everything you do. Whatever your ambitions, the fundamentals are the same: claim a spot, supply it with power, and connect resource extractors. Get those right and a base can quietly pay for itself.
This guide was checked in October 2026 against the official No Man's Sky wiki, GameRant, and r/NoMansSkyTheGame. Building mechanics have been stable for a while, though part limits and power values can shift between updates, so treat specifics as approximate.
Claiming a base and the basics
You start a base by placing a base computer, which claims the surrounding area for building. From there you can lay down structures, a teleporter that links to the network of stations and other bases, and storage containers. A teleporter alone makes a base worth having, because it lets you jump between your outposts and space stations instantly, which is the key to selling goods across many markets.
Early bases should be small and functional. Resist the urge to build a mansion before you understand power and resource needs; a tidy outpost with a teleporter, a few storage units, and a landing pad covers most needs.
It is also worth knowing that bases come with a build limit, a budget on how much you can place in one area. Elaborate builds eat into it quickly, so most players keep functional bases lean and reserve their ambitious architecture for a dedicated showcase base. You can own many bases across different planets, all linked by the teleporter network, so there is no need to cram everything into one spot. Think of your bases as a distributed network of small, purpose-built outposts rather than a single sprawling city, and both performance and your sanity will thank you.
Before you commit to a location, it is worth exploring a planet a little to confirm it has what you need. Hop in your ship and fly over the terrain, watching for the resource and power hotspots on your scans, and get a feel for the weather and the local sentinel activity. A spot that looks perfect on the surface might sit in a region of constant superstorms or aggressive sentinels, which makes building a chore. Spending a few minutes scouting saves you from the far greater annoyance of tearing down and relocating a base you built in the wrong place.
Power: keeping the lights on
Most useful base technology needs power. You have two main sources. Solar panels paired with batteries generate power during the day and store it for night, which is clean and simple. Biofuel reactors burn carbon-based fuel for power and work anywhere but need refueling. For anything larger, the best option is to survey for an electromagnetic hotspot using the survey device on your analysis visor, then place electromagnetic generators on a strong hotspot for abundant, fuel-free power.
Wire power from your source to your devices with electrical cables, and remember that extractors and refiners draw power continuously, so size your generation to your demand.
Electromagnetic generators are the gold standard because they produce a large, steady supply with no fuel, but they only work on an electromagnetic hotspot, which you must survey for first. The stronger the hotspot, the more power each generator produces, so it pays to scout for a powerful one before committing a big farm to a location. For smaller or temporary bases, a few solar panels and batteries are quicker to set up and perfectly adequate. Match the power solution to the base: lightweight for outposts, a strong electromagnetic setup for anything running extractors and refiners around the clock.
Resources and passive income
The real payoff of a base is automated resource gathering. Survey your planet for mineral and gas hotspots, then place mineral extractors on mineral deposits and gas extractors on gas hotspots. Connect them to power and to supply depots, and they stockpile materials around the clock. A base built on a rich activated indium deposit, for example, becomes a steady unit generator, which ties directly into our guide on how to get units.
You can also build agricultural setups to grow crops for crafting recipes, and refiners to process raw materials into higher-value outputs. Chaining extractors into refiners into supply depots is how the big crafted-goods operations run.
The design of a farming base matters more than its size. Place your extractors on the strongest deposit you surveyed, connect them to ample power, and feed their output into supply depots, which act as large shared containers that also link to nearby refiners. The result is a self-running pipeline: raw material is mined, piped into storage, and optionally refined into something more valuable, all while you are off exploring. When you return, you empty the depots, sell the stockpile across a few stations, and leave it to fill again. This is the backbone of serious wealth, and it is covered from the income side in our guide to earning units.
Choosing a good location
Location matters more than looks. Good base sites tend to have a combination of:
- A strong resource hotspot, especially activated indium or a valuable gas, for passive income.
- A strong electromagnetic hotspot nearby for fuel-free power.
- A tolerable climate, so you are not fighting constant extreme storms while you build.
- Interesting scenery if you want a home base you will actually enjoy returning to.
Many players keep more than one base: a scenic home base with a teleporter, and separate farming bases parked on rich deposits. The teleporter network ties them all together.
Expanding smartly
As you grow, add landing pads for your ships, more storage for trade goods, and defensive or decorative touches as you like. A freighter can also serve as a mobile base that travels with you, which complements planet-side farms nicely; our freighter guide covers how to build inside one. Keep power and resource flow balanced as you expand, and your base will stay productive rather than becoming a half-powered sprawl.
Base building also rewards patience and iteration. Your first base will almost certainly be clumsy, with cables running the wrong way and rooms in awkward places, and that is fine. As you unlock more parts and learn the snapping and wiring systems, your builds get cleaner and more efficient. Many players treat base building as the game's creative mode, spending whole sessions perfecting a single structure, while others keep it strictly utilitarian. Both are valid, and the systems support either, so build to the level of care that you personally enjoy rather than chasing someone else's showcase.
A few practical considerations help any base, large or small. Build near a feature you will actually use, whether that is a resource deposit, a trading post, or simply a stunning view, because a base you never visit is wasted effort. Keep your most-used facilities, the teleporter, storage, and a landing pad, close together so you are not walking across a sprawling complex for routine tasks. And add a save point or use your base computer so you always have somewhere safe to log off. These small conveniences are what make a base feel like a genuine home base rather than a construction project you abandon.
Bases interact with the rest of the game in ways that are easy to miss at first. The teleporter ties into the galaxy-wide network, letting you hop to space stations and other bases instantly, which is what makes a distributed set of outposts so powerful for trade. Storage containers share their contents with your other access points, so materials you stash at a farming base are available elsewhere. And once you have a freighter, you can essentially carry a base with you, blurring the line between a fixed outpost and a mobile one. Understanding these connections turns base building from a standalone hobby into the connective tissue of your whole operation.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with a single modest outpost on a pleasant planet, built purely for a teleporter and some storage, and let it teach you the systems. Once you are comfortable with power, wiring, and snapping parts together, branch out to a dedicated farming base on a strong resource deposit, and only then, if the urge strikes, attempt an ambitious showcase build. Growing your network this way means each base has a clear purpose and you never overwhelm yourself. The game gives you the tools to build almost anything, but the most useful bases are usually the ones with a job to do, and those are the ones worth setting up first. From there, every additional base you add to your network makes the previous ones more useful, since the teleporter links and shared storage compound the more outposts you own.
If you would rather skip the setup
Designing and powering a farming base is one of the most absorbing parts of the game, and learning the power and extractor systems is genuinely useful. If you would prefer to start with resources already in hand so you can build freely without grinding materials first, our No Man's Sky modded starter save provides a maxed save on PS4 and PS5.
It is a save file and you must own the game. The full lineup is on the No Man's Sky page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I power my base?
Use solar panels with batteries for clean day-and-night power, biofuel reactors for portable power that needs fuel, or electromagnetic generators placed on a surveyed hotspot for abundant fuel-free power. Wire them to your devices with cables.
What is the best base location?
A site with a strong resource hotspot like activated indium, a nearby electromagnetic hotspot for power, and a tolerable climate. That combination gives you passive income with minimal upkeep.
How do I find hotspots?
Equip the survey device on your analysis visor and scan the terrain. It reveals mineral, gas, and electromagnetic hotspots nearby, and the readout shows how strong each one is so you can pick the best spots.
Can a base earn units passively?
Yes. Mineral and gas extractors placed on hotspots stockpile materials around the clock. A base on a rich activated indium deposit generates a steady supply of valuable metal you can sell in bulk.
Why do I want a teleporter?
A teleporter links your base to space stations and other bases, letting you jump between them instantly. That makes selling goods across several markets painless, which is key to avoiding price crashes.
Should I have more than one base?
Many players do. A scenic home base with a teleporter plus dedicated farming bases on rich deposits is a common setup. The teleporter network connects them so you can manage everything easily.