Units Guide
Early, mid-game, and late-game money methods
No Man's Sky Money Guide
Units are the currency that lets you buy ships, freighters, resources, trade goods, inventory slots, and expensive upgrades. This guide covers the best ways to make money at every stage: safe beginner methods, crashed ship scrapping, Sentinel Interceptor farming, trade routes, pirate raiding, and advanced Stasis Device production.
Featured Video
5 Ways to Make A TON of Units
Quick Money Tips
The fastest practical takeaways before the full guide.
Units are your main money currency for ships, freighters, resources, trade goods, inventory slots, and many upgrades.
Do not focus only on one method forever. Early, mid-game, and late-game money methods are different.
Scanner upgrades are one of the safest beginner money methods because you earn Units while exploring.
Crashed ship scrapping gives Units and can also give upgrade modules, blueprints, and Salvaged Data nearby.
Sentinel Interceptor scrapping is one of the strongest modern mid-game money methods.
Trade routes become better once you have an Economy Scanner, cargo space, and bases at Trading Posts.
Stasis Devices and similar crafted valuables are late-game production methods, not your first money farm.
Some items, like Larval Cores and good upgrade modules, may be better saved for Nanites instead of sold for Units.
Currency basics
Units vs Nanites vs Quicksilver
This page focuses on Units, but knowing the difference between currencies helps you avoid selling the wrong things.
Units
Main money currency
Your normal money. Units are used for ships, freighters, resources, trade goods, inventory slots, and other major purchases.
Nanites
Upgrade currency
Used for upgrade modules, blueprints, and class upgrades. This page mentions Nanites only when a money method overlaps.
Quicksilver
Cosmetic currency
Mostly used for cosmetic and special Anomaly rewards. It is not a core money-making currency.
Some activities earn both Units and Nanites. For example, scrapping ships gives sellable parts for Units and upgrade modules that can be sold for Nanites. That overlap is why this page links naturally into the Nanites guide.
Best by stage
Best Money Methods by Progression
The best method depends on where your save is. A new player does not need a Stasis Device empire, and a late-game player does not need to dig bones forever.
Scanner upgrades
Buy scanner upgrades when you can, then scan fauna, flora, and minerals while exploring.
Ancient bones / scrap
Look for planets with Ancient Bones or Salvageable Scrap and dig up valuable items.
Crashed ships
Use distress charts or Exocraft radar to find abandoned ships, claim them, and scrap them.
Sentinel Interceptors
Find Dissonant systems, locate Interceptors, repair them, and scrap extras for large Unit payouts.
Trade routes
Use an Economy Scanner to buy trade goods from one economy and sell them in the matching economy.
Stasis Devices
Build production bases and craft high-value items for massive long-term profit.
Before You Start Farming Money
These unlocks make almost every money method easier.
Terrain Manipulator
Needed for Salvaged Data, ancient bones, salvageable scrap, buried modules, and many early money loops.
Space Anomaly
Lets you unlock scanners, Exocraft, crafting recipes, farming parts, and base-building tech.
Economy Scanner
Essential for trade routes, Trading Posts, wealthy systems, and finding better markets.
Inventory space
Money farming often fills your suit and ship quickly. Upgrade storage when you can.
Beginner money
Best Early Money Methods
These methods are good when you are still building up your first few million Units.
Scanner Upgrade Income
Very early · Safe · Explorers and new saves
Install strong scanner upgrades in your multi-tool, then scan animals, plants, and minerals. Rare fauna can pay especially well, and you earn money while naturally exploring.
- Find a station vendor selling scanner upgrades.
- Install scanner upgrades together for adjacency bonuses.
- Scan fauna, flora, and minerals on every planet.
- Upload discoveries and save full-fauna bonuses for the Nanites page.
Salvaged Data: Sell or Save?
Very early · Safe · Quick starter cash
Salvaged Data can be sold for early Units, but it is also needed for important base-building blueprints. Selling a few extras is fine; selling all of it can slow your progression.
- Use the Analysis Visor to find Buried Technology Modules.
- Dig them up with the Terrain Manipulator.
- Sell extras only after saving enough for key blueprints.
- Prioritize base parts, power, storage, refiners, and farming unlocks.
Ancient Bones
Early · Low risk · Simple exploration money
Planets with Ancient Bones can produce valuable fossil items. It is straightforward, low pressure, and easy to combine with general exploration.
- Scan planets from space and look for Ancient Bones.
- Land and use the visor to find Natural Burial Sites.
- Dig up fossils and sell the valuable ones.
- Leave enough inventory space because each fossil takes a slot.
Salvageable Scrap
Early · Light danger · Digging and quick loot
Salvageable Scrap planets work similarly to Ancient Bones, but the containers can call Sentinel attention. They can also lead into later Sentinel Boundary Map strategies.
- Find a planet with Salvageable Scrap.
- Dig up yellow scrap markers.
- Break the protective casing and grab the item.
- Be ready to fight, hide, or leave if Sentinels appear.
Storm Crystals
Early / mid · Dangerous weather · Fast active farming
Storm Crystals can be very profitable, but they require extreme storm planets. They are safer once you have hazard protection, Ion Batteries, or a Minotaur.
- Find planets with activated metals and extreme weather.
- Wait for an extreme storm.
- Use the Analysis Visor to spot lightning icons.
- Collect crystals quickly before the storm ends.
- Use the Minotaur to make this much safer.
Ship money
Crashed Ships and Sentinel Interceptors
Ship scrapping is one of the most useful money categories because it can also feed Nanites, blueprints, and progression.
Crashed Ship Scrapping
Early / mid
Crashed ships are one of the best all-around early money methods because they can provide Units, upgrade modules, Salvaged Data nearby, and sometimes a ship worth keeping.
- 1Gather Navigation Data.
- 2Buy Distress Signal Planetary Charts from a Cartographer.
- 3Use charts until you find a distress beacon.
- 4Look for abandoned ships with no living pilot.
- 5Claim the ship and repair only what is needed.
- 6Fly it to a space station and scrap it.
- 7Sell the scrap parts for Units and modules for Nanites.
Always check you are scrapping the correct ship. Do not accidentally scrap your main ship.
Sentinel Interceptor Scrapping
Mid-game
Sentinel Interceptors are one of the strongest modern Unit methods. Once you find a Harmonic Camp, you can repeatedly locate Dissonance Spikes in that system and scrap unwanted Interceptors.
- 1Find a Dissonant system and Dissonant planet.
- 2Gather Radiant Shards and Inverted Mirrors.
- 3Get an Echo Locator from Dissonance Resonators.
- 4Use it to find a Harmonic Camp.
- 5Solve the terminal puzzle and locate a Dissonance Spike.
- 6Repair the Interceptor with Radiant Shards, an Inverted Mirror, and a Harmonic Brain.
- 7Claim the ship and scrap unwanted Interceptors at a station.
Each Dissonant planet usually repeats the same Interceptor design with different classes. Search a new system for a different look.
Trading
Trade Routes, Pirate Raiding, and Economy Tricks
Once you understand the economy scanner and market routes, Units become easier to scale without digging every planet you see.
Trade Routes
Trade routes are a clean mid-game method once you have an Economy Scanner. Buy trade goods in one economy type and sell them in the economy that wants those goods.
- Use 3-star economies when possible because they carry more trade goods.
- Buy from Trading Posts, not just space stations, for better route flow.
- Build small bases at useful Trading Posts.
- Name bases by economy type and where to sell next.
Pirate System Raiding
Pirate systems can be used for raiding freighter cargo pods and selling stolen goods. It is active, fun, and profitable, but it can lower standing with the dominant race.
- Install an Economy Scanner first.
- Bring Sodium or shield support.
- Make room in your ship inventory.
- Expect standing loss and possible combat.
Cobalt Economy Trading
Cobalt economy crashing is a classic trading method. It can still be useful as an economy lesson, but it is not the cleanest or most future-proof method compared with Interceptors, trade routes, or crafting.
- Mine or refine a large Cobalt stockpile.
- Sell into a market to push demand down.
- Buy it back cheaper if the market allows.
- Treat this as optional because economy methods can change.
Advanced Money Farms
These methods take more setup, but they are how you move from rich to absurdly rich.
Valuable Product Crafting
Crafted valuables like Acid, Liquid Explosives, Living Glass, Circuit Boards, Fusion Ignitors, and Stasis Devices scale into major profit once you unlock recipes and build farms.
- Requires Nanites or other unlock paths for recipes.
- Requires crop, gas, mineral, and refining support.
- Starts slow but becomes repeatable and reliable.
- Great for players who enjoy base building and production chains.
Stasis Device Production
Stasis Devices are a late-game money machine. They require a large setup, but each device is extremely valuable and can be stockpiled for massive future purchases.
- Build Oxygen, gas, mineral, and crop supply chains.
- Use refiners to multiply and process materials.
- Craft intermediate products before final assembly.
- Sell in batches and check sale values before confirming.
Resource Extraction Farms
Gold, Silver, Oxygen, Uranium, gases, and biome minerals can all support long-term money crafting. Extraction bases are not instant cash, but they make advanced production easier.
- Unlock the Survey Device.
- Find mineral, gas, and electromagnetic hotspots.
- Use Supply Depots for passive stockpiling.
- Use the resources for crafting chains or direct sales.
Stasis Devices are powerful, but they deserve their own full guide if you want to cover every crop, gas, mineral, refining chain, and crafting step. On this page, they work best as the late-game money destination.
Do not waste these
What to Save for Nanites Instead
Some items look like money, but they are usually more useful for Nanite progression.
Larval Cores
They can sell for Units, but they are usually better refined into Nanites.
Upgrade Modules
Unwanted modules from ship scrapping can be sold to technology vendors for Nanites.
Radiant Shards
Useful for Sentinel Interceptors and can also be part of Nanite farming routes.
Tainted Metal
Found from Derelict Freighters and better treated as a Nanite resource.
Common Money Mistakes
Avoid these and your Unit progression will feel much smoother.
Selling every Salvaged Data
You need Salvaged Data for base parts and progression. Sell extras, not your whole stack.
Ignoring scanner upgrades
Scanner income is one of the easiest safe money methods for new players.
Scrapping the wrong ship
Always confirm the ship name and inventory before using the scrapping terminal.
Selling Nanite items for Units
Larval Cores and modules may be more valuable for Nanite progression.
Starting Stasis Devices too early
Stasis Devices are powerful, but they need recipes, farms, and setup time.
Relying on glitches
Duplication glitches can be patched and make guides less reliable. This page focuses on normal gameplay.
Keep going
Next No Man’s Sky Guides
Money connects directly into Nanites, refining, ships, and Expeditions.
Nanites Guide
Use your Units to buy upgrades, convert money into Nanites, and farm modules efficiently.
Resources & Refining
Learn the refining loops and resource chains that support advanced crafting and Stasis Devices.
Ships Guide
Understand ship types, scrapping, storage, upgrades, and what is worth keeping.
Expeditions Guide
Expeditions can give account-wide rewards, valuable items, and extra currencies.