The recent outlaw update in No Man’s Sky has introduced a range of new features, including squadrons. If you’re interested in becoming the leader of a small squad, you’re in the right place.
Squadrons in No Man’s Sky are a fantastic support system; they can attract enemy fire and serve as a protective measure to keep your more valuable ships from being destroyed. It’s pretty rewarding to develop your own team of pilots, guiding them from inexperienced to elite status.
Updated November 11, 2024, by Sean Murray: Having a squadron alongside you can greatly reduce the solitude of exploring the vast universe. This guide has been updated with new images and tips to help you maximize your squadron in No Man’s Sky.
How to Unlock Squadrons
To unlock squadrons, you’ll first need to acquire a capital ship—which is a Freighter, in this case. You might even obtain a free Freighter by exploring and warping through galaxies.
Once you have your Freighter, you can access your squadron by going to the “Manage Fleet” terminal located on the bridge. Here, you will find a “Manage Squadron” option, where you can see how many slots are available for your pilots.
- You can have up to 4 squadron slots, costing a total of 21,800 Nanites to unlock all of them.
- The first slot costs 800 Nanites, the second slot costs 3,500 Nanites, the third is 7,500 Nanites, and the fourth costs 10,000 Nanites.
- If you haven’t purchased any slots yet, the menu will show all squadron slots as locked.
Assemble The Pilots
After unlocking your squadron slots, it’s time to start recruiting skilled pilots! You have several options for finding them, and it’s essential to hunt for both talented pilots and their capable ships.
Pilot ships come with different stats, including:
- Damage Potential
- Shield Strength
- Hyperdrive Range
- Maneuverability
Your desired stats will depend on the type of squadron you want. If you’re aiming for top-notch combat pilots, you might prioritize high Damage Potential and Maneuverability. However, mixing in some tank ships with damage-dealers could also be beneficial. It’s up to your strategy.
Keep in mind that pilot stats can be random, so it’s worth looking for attributes like acrobatics and spatial awareness.
The exact impact of these stats on a pilot’s performance isn’t fully understood, but it’s likely that some stats complement each other, which is the purpose of having them.
Having a pilot with strong spatial awareness or reaction time on a high-damage ship could result in a powerful combination.
Where Can Pilots Be Found?
You have several options to find pilots, and while it’s tough to guarantee top-tier S-class pilots, numerous opportunities await in space. Pilots can be located in:
- Occasionally, they will arrive and dock at your Freighter.
- They can be found at space stations that are not controlled by pilots.
- Look for them at trading posts and various planetary locations.
Pilots range in quality from C to S tier, with C being the least powerful and S the best. While you can upgrade pilots for Nanites, it’s often more cost-effective to recruit pilots at the S tier from the start. However, consider keeping pilots with desirable stat combinations and upgrade them as needed.
Unleash The Squadron
Your squadrons can assist you in combat in multiple ways. They increase the pressure on enemies by providing additional firepower and can attract enemy fire, which is invaluable during overwhelming encounters.
There are a few methods for deploying your squadron in battle:
- Your squadron will usually arrive at your location automatically when you enter a fight or are attacked.
- You can also call your squad to join you in space by using the “Summon Squadron” feature.
You can locate “Summon Squadron” in the “Summon Freighter and Squadron” section of the interface while in space.
Your squadron will stay by your side for a time before dispersing. You can even perform maneuvers together (they’ll mimic barrel rolls alongside you).
While squadrons aren’t overwhelmingly powerful on their own, you can discover some skilled pilots throughout the universe who can provide an edge in challenging situations. It’s also enjoyable to seek out rare stat combinations and develop these pilots from average to experts.
How to Ensure Your Squadron Has S-Class Fighters
To obtain S-class pilots, you can either find them naturally or upgrade their abilities using nanites. However, once they join your squadron, their ships cannot be upgraded. Even an S-class pilot can be ineffective if they pilot a C-class ship.
To ensure you’re recruiting the best pilots, always scan the ship of any pilot before inviting them. The better the class of ship, the more effective they will be over time, with S-class being the highest quality.
Fighters and Exotic ships offer the best companions for your squadron due to their high damage capabilities.
There’s a trick to guarantee that an NPC who joins your squadron flies an S-class ship. First, make sure you have an S-class ship in your inventory and that you’re currently using it. Then, approach an NPC and propose a ship trade.
The type of ship they’re flying doesn’t matter, as they will receive the ship you give them after the trade (you can dismantle their original ship). Afterward, invite the NPC to your squadron, and you’ll have an S-class ship pilot onboard!
It seems there’s an inverse correlation between the quality of an NPC’s ship and their pilot rank, meaning an S-class ship’s owner is likely a C-class pilot. After using this method, you’ll need to use nanites to enhance their abilities, which can be costly.
Before trading, ensure you’ve upgraded your ship so your new squadron member flies a ship as potent as your own.