‘No Man’s Sky’ Players Can Find Themselves Stuck In Starter Systems Due To Tutorial Issue

In a nearly infinite procedurally generated universe, No Man’s Sky players are finding themselves stranded in the system where their journey begins. Due to a bug, or possibly a simple oversight, it is possible for players to essentially block their own progress in the game leaving them unable to leave the system they are currently exploring.

Although traditional quests and indicators are not the focus of No Man’s Sky, players begin the game with a few objectives to get them started. These objectives are separate from the guiding missions of the Atlas and essentially give players the tools to start exploring the universe. Unfortunately, exploring while these objectives are still active or even claiming the pre-order ship for the game can impede the progress of certain steps leaving players marooned in their current system.

During the early stages of objectives, players are tasked with obtaining a Hyperdrive. An objective generally prompts players to travel to a different planet within their starter system in order to learn how to craft a Hyperdrive. Easily enough, many players can pick up this objective normally by simply leaving the first planet they explore. Regrettably though, this step can be completely missed if a player claims the pre-order ship too soon.

As noted on the No Man’s Sky subreddit on Reddit, players that claim their pre-order ship before completing the necessary steps to learn the Hyperdrive recipe can be left with no way to make a Hyperdrive. The objective basically advances because the pre-order ship contains its own Hyperdrive so the player never learns it. Once that player upgrades to a better ship, something that can be easily done early in the game, the pre-order ship Hyperdrive is left within it, as it is with all ship transfers. Without the ability to build a Hyperdrive in the new ship, players cannot install one on a new ship meaning that they can never warp from the system.

This issue is not isolated to pre-order players either. A similar yet completely different situation can occur at another point in the early objectives that can leave players stranded. After learning how to build a Hyperdrive, players are tasked with actually building one. Building a Hyperdrive takes components players likely do not have at this point, but the objectives will then take players to a Space Station within the current system. After purchasing what is needed to make Hyperdrive from the Space Station, players are then asked to build a Warp Cell.

Warp Cells in No Man’s Sky are used to power Hyperdrives. They are the fuel required to start traveling to other systems. Players will know how to make Warp Cells, but an important component to build one is not yet available at this point. Antimatter will need to be purchased from Space Station visitors or from a Galactic Trade Terminal. With the Antimatter, players can now build their first Warp Cell.

Here is where someone can maroon themselves in a similar way to those that claim the pre-order ship too early. With the Warp Cell obtained, players will most likely fuel their current Hyperdrive with the Warp Cell. If a player chooses to continue exploring afterward and opt to not immediately travel outside the system, there is a chance that they might find a new ship. Again, upgrading to a better ship is folly in certain situations in No Man’s Sky. Players that decide to transfer to a new ship different from the one they completed the previous objective with will find that their new ship likely doesn’t have Warp Cell power. The used Warp Cell cannot be removed from the previous ship and a new cell cannot be made without Antimatter.

Players do not natively know how to create Antimatter. Without ready access to it, a player in this situation cannot create another Warp Cell. Without another Warp Cell, this player, even if they can repair the new Hyperdrive in the new ship, cannot leave their current system. The objective to use a Hyperdrive to leave the system will still be present; however, the player will have to acquire more Antimatter before they can leave. There is a small chance that a player in this situation could find more Antimatter from locals at the Space Station, but until more Antimatter is obtained, that player is stuck in that system.

This particular situation can be avoided by knowing that Warp Cells cannot easily be made until advancing past the Hyperdrive objective. Players that use their fueled ship to leave their first system will nearly immediately pick up a signal to open a shelter where a recipe for Antimatter resides. It can also be avoided by simply not upgrading a ship that already used the Warp Cell since Hyperdrives and other upgrades cannot be transferred ship to ship. If a player is already stuck in this particular situation, they may be able to rectify it by finding Antimatter for sale from explorers visiting the Space Station. However, there is no guarantee that those NPCs will offer the rare material.

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These instances of bugs or glitches appear to simply be design oversights in a game where exploration is paramount. These issues completely halt progress for the affected player and many are left with the unattractive option of deleting the save. Starting over and knowing what to avoid may be the only way to continue progressing through No Man’s Sky unless developer Hello games addresses these issues. Players can seek support on the official No Man’s Sky website, although the developer is likely inundated with requests at this time.

No Man’s Sky is currently available for PlayStation 4 with a PC release scheduled for August 12. The PlayStation 4 version of the game launched alongside a day-one patch, update 1.03, that fixed several bugs and altered a few features of the game just in time for release. Players can head to the official No Man’s Sky website for the official patch notes.

[Image via Hello Games]