Resources and Elements
There are over 18 quintillion planets in No Man’s Sky, but you won’t get to see many of them without the help of resources. The game is filled with over a dozen different elements, from the familiar Carbon to the alien Magmox.
Resources are essential for charging your equipment, repairing your technology, upgrading your tools, and crafting new items from the blueprints scattered throughout No Man’s Sky. Others, like Calium, can be sold on the galactic market for a hefty Unit sum. Whether you’re looking to get rich quick or just survive the deafening void of space a little longer, here’s all of the elements found in No Man’s Sky, where you’re likely to find them, and what they’re most used for. We’ll update this page with any more info we find on the game’s more mysterious resources.
Oxide Elements – Used to charge up protection technology.
- Zinc – Used to charge up shields and suit protection. On a planet, it can be found in yellow plants and sometimes green rocks. In space, it can be found in greenish asteroids.
- Iron – Fairly common resource. Found in almost any rock and basic asteroids. Iron is most useful for crafting, but can also be used to feed to certain animals, charge your armor, or make a bit of cash on the galactic markets.
- Titanium – Powerful recharge element that can also be necessary for certain blueprints and can be sold for a decent amount of Units. On planets, it’s found in bright yellow crystals or in containers/cargo drops marked as Oxide. If you’re brave, you can also get Titanium by killing Sentinels or destroying other Starships
Isotope Elements – Used to charge technology
- Carbon – The most common Isotope Element. Found in most plants and used to (weakly) charge technology, feed animals, craft, and trade. Can also be bought fairly cheaply on the market.
- Plutonium – Needed to charge your Launch Thrusters, as well as for crafting and charging other technology. Found in bright red crystals and Isotope cargo drops.
- Thamium9 – Needed to charge your Pulse Engine, but can be used to charge life support more efficiently than Carbon, to charge Multi-tool attachments, as a crafting component, and to trade for units. Found in round, red plants on planets and can be farmed pretty easily from some asteroids.
Silicates – Mostly for Crafting
- Heridium – Needed to fix your Pulse Drive at the start of No Man’s Sky, and later used for upgrades and crafting. Can be found on most planets in large, obelisk-like stones.
- Platinum – Useful for upgrades and crafting, though you’ll end up selling most of it. Can be collected from special blue and silver plants on planets.
- Chrysonite – Also useful for upgrades and crafting. Found on planets in blue crystals.
Precious Elements – $$$
- Omegon – Rarely, a friendly animal (one you have successfully fed) will produce this element. Can be sold for a hefty sum, or used for a handful of high-end upgrades.
- Calium – Can be obtained from killing certain, more gelatinous species of animals. Sell this for good money, also.
- Radnox – Rarely found in certain rocks on planets. Used in some high-end upgrades. Sell this one too. Get rich.
Alloys – Useful for trade and some crafting.
- Herox
- Magmox
- Terumin
- Lemmium
Neutral Elements – To be used in crafting or sold
- Copper – Used in blueprints and found in brown asteroids or on planets as strange, floating rocks.
- Iridium – Used in blueprints and found in some asteroids or on planets as rocks, typically sporting a green hue.
- Gold – Used in some blueprints but most often should be sold for profit. Found on-planet in gold or greenish rocks, and in some asteroids as well, but both instances are very rare.
- Emeril – Can be used in some blueprint recipes, and is one of the best resources for farming Units.
- Aluminum – Required for some blueprints, and can be very valuable on the market. Found on planets as white rock structures.
- Nickel – Required for some blueprints. Can be found rarely on planets but most commonly in asteroids.
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