Sony and Hello Games have continued their four-part video series for No Man’s Sky today, this time focusing on the importance of trade, and how the player can make a living within the game’s vast universe by way of selling rare and valuable materials.
As Sony explains on their PlayStation Blog, players who perhaps aren’t particularly interested in combat, or who prefer a more peaceful existence, can scour the cosmos and its vast array of planets for minerals that can then be sold to merchants. It’s important to find the right materials however, as certain ones can fetch higher prices than others.
Resources are a vital part of exploration, trading and survival. No Man’s Sky has its own periodic table of elements – some familiar to our world, some new and unknown – and each one is used in different ways. Some can be used to craft new items and weapons once the player has learnt the technology.
Common resources on one planet could be scarce in another – mining on one planet to sell on another can be a lucrative trade. Players can also craft Products from resources, which can be sold for higher prices – discover a certain race’s preferred Product and you can make a living from supplying them.
Furthermore, the post says you shouldn’t be dismissive of planets that appear abandoned: they could be home to ancient structures that reveal vital pieces of alien language needed to successfully interact with traders and merchants.
While planets might be unexplored, they aren’t necessarily uninhabited. Alien races have their own distinct languages, which can be learned a word at a time at ancient structures or through conversing with the aliens themselves. Unlock their vocabulary and your chance of a successful interaction increases, raising your standing with them.
There’s just two weeks left to go until No Man’s Sky hits PlayStation 4 and PC. A final video that aims to teach players how to survive will be released before then, so keep an eye out.