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Resources & Refining

Materials, refiner recipes, nanites, fuel, and farms

No Man's Sky Resources & Refining Guide

Refining is one of the most useful systems in No Man's Sky. The right recipes can turn basic materials into fuel, Chromatic Metal, Nanites, construction parts, and advanced resource loops. This guide keeps the important beginner recipes easy to scan, then moves into stronger loops and automated farms.

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Ultimate Refining Guide - No Man's Sky 2024

Quick Resource Checklist

Keep these habits in mind and resource management gets much easier.

Keep Oxygen, Sodium, Carbon, Ferrite Dust, Di-hydrogen, Copper, Cobalt, and Tritium stocked.

Use your ship to quickly gather basic resources after repairing it.

Use the small Terrain Manipulator beam when mining deposits like Copper.

Carry a Portable Refiner early, but build Medium and Large Refiners when you start combining resources.

Do not refine every basic material at once. Keep some raw resources available.

Use Oxygen-based recipes to multiply several useful resources.

Save most Salvaged Data until you unlock the important base and technology parts.

Automate Oxygen, Copper, Uranium, Gold, Silver, or gases once you are using them constantly.

Resources to Stockpile First

These resources solve most early problems: survival, crafting, repairs, fuel, base building, and early refining.

Oxygen

Use: Life support, resource multiplication, Condensed Carbon loops, Chlorine loops, Sodium/Cobalt loops

Tip: One of the best resources to automate because so many useful recipes depend on it.

Carbon

Use: Mining Beam fuel, crafting, Biofuel Reactors, Condensed Carbon

Tip: Plants are everywhere, but Oxygen loops can help turn it into stronger fuel.

Ferrite Dust

Use: Metal Plating, Pure Ferrite, Magnetised Ferrite, basic construction

Tip: Do not refine all of it. You will constantly need basic Ferrite Dust for crafting.

Di-hydrogen

Use: Di-hydrogen Jelly, Starship Launch Fuel, Deuterium recipes

Tip: Blue crystals are common, and the jelly loop can slowly multiply your stockpile.

Copper

Use: Chromatic Metal and early base progression

Tip: Mine deposits with the smallest Terrain Manipulator beam for better yield.

Tritium

Use: Pulse Engine fuel and Deuterium refining

Tip: Shoot asteroids in space when your ship needs fuel.

Sodium

Use: Hazard Protection and Sodium Nitrate

Tip: Yellow plants are an early emergency source; Sodium Nitrate is useful for storage and recipes.

Cobalt

Use: Ionised Cobalt, Ion Batteries, cave resources

Tip: Caves are great because they protect you from storms and often contain cobalt.

Best Ways to Gather Resources

Gathering is just as important as refining. Use the right tool for the job so you are not wasting time or deposit yield.

Ship Mining

Best for: Carbon, Ferrite Dust, Di-hydrogen, basic plants, basic rocks

Once your starship is repaired, flying low and shooting the ground is one of the fastest ways to collect basic resources. It is not for advanced mining-laser materials, but it is great when you need a quick pile of starter resources.

  • Fly low and slow over resource-heavy planets.
  • Shoot rocks, plants, and blue Di-hydrogen crystals.
  • Check your starship cargo afterward because the resources go there.
  • Use this when you need basic materials quickly without walking everywhere.

Mining Beam

Best for: Plants, rocks, on-foot gathering, advanced materials after upgrades

The Mining Beam gets stronger as it heats up. Instead of letting it fully overheat, keep it near the hot/red range and briefly release it before cooldown triggers.

  • Refuel with Carbon or Condensed Carbon.
  • A hotter beam mines faster.
  • Overheating does not break the tool, but it forces a cooldown.
  • Use Advanced Mining Laser upgrades for harder materials later.

Terrain Manipulator

Best for: Copper, mineral deposits, buried tech, caves, emergency storm shelters

The Terrain Manipulator is the main tool for deposits. The beam size matters: small is better for resource yield, while large is better for clearing terrain.

  • Small beam: best for Copper and other deposits.
  • Large beam: best for tunnels, clearing, or emergency shelters.
  • Use it to dig up buried technology modules for Salvaged Data.
  • Be careful building underground because terrain can sometimes return.

Refiner Types Explained

The biggest jump is moving from a Portable Refiner to Medium and Large Refiners.

Portable Refiner

Inputs: 1 input

Fuel: Requires fuel

Early repairs, Ferrite Dust to Pure Ferrite, Copper to Chromatic Metal, basic refining.

Medium Refiner

Inputs: 2 inputs

Fuel: No fuel required

Resource combinations, Oxygen loops, fuel recipes, and mid-game refining chains.

Large Refiner

Inputs: 3 inputs

Fuel: No fuel required

Advanced recipes, Chromatic Metal multiplication, metal chains, and larger resource loops.

Essential Beginner Recipes

These are the recipes worth learning first because they come up in repairs, base building, fuel, and early progression.

Ferrite Dust → Pure Ferrite

Basic repair

Output: Pure Ferrite

Used constantly for repairs and early construction. Keep some Ferrite Dust unrefined.

Pure Ferrite → Magnetised Ferrite

Construction

Output: Magnetised Ferrite

Useful when base parts, technology, or repairs ask for stronger Ferrite materials.

Copper → Chromatic Metal

Core progression

Output: Chromatic Metal

One of the first major refining steps. You need Chromatic Metal for base and technology progression.

Carbon → Condensed Carbon

Fuel upgrade

Output: Condensed Carbon

Condensed Carbon is a stronger fuel and appears in many recipes.

Sodium → Sodium Nitrate

Hazard resource

Output: Sodium Nitrate

Useful for stronger recharging and several Oxygen-based recipes.

Cobalt → Ionised Cobalt

Cave resource

Output: Ionised Cobalt

Useful for Ion Batteries and stronger storage/value chains.

Oxygen Recipes

Oxygen is one of the best resources to automate.

Oxygen + Carbon

Output: Condensed Carbon

Useful when you need more efficient Mining Beam/refiner fuel.

Oxygen + Condensed Carbon

Output: More Condensed Carbon

A better loop once you already have some Condensed Carbon started.

Oxygen + Sodium Nitrate

Output: More Sodium Nitrate

Useful for building a bigger hazard-protection resource stockpile.

Oxygen + Ionised Cobalt

Output: More Ionised Cobalt

Useful when you are expanding cave-resource or Ion Battery supplies.

Oxygen + Chlorine

Output: More Chlorine

A classic multiplication recipe, especially once you have steady Oxygen.

Oxygen + Di-hydrogen

Output: Salt

A simple route into Salt, which connects into Chlorine and other recipes.

Fuel Recipes

Use these to keep your ship moving.

Di-hydrogen → Di-hydrogen Jelly

Output: Crafting/fuel component

Used for launch fuel and the Di-hydrogen loop.

Di-hydrogen Jelly → Di-hydrogen

Output: More Di-hydrogen than you started with

Slow, but useful if you want to multiply Di-hydrogen while doing other tasks.

Di-hydrogen + Tritium

Output: Deuterium

Useful when a technology or weapon setup asks for Deuterium.

Living Pearl → Gold → Pyrite

Output: Pyrite

Pyrite can be used as Pulse Engine fuel, though direct asteroid mining for Tritium is usually simpler early.

Uranium

Output: Launch Thruster fuel

Not a refiner recipe by itself here, but Uranium is one of the best resources to stockpile once you find it.

Ferrite & Metal Recipes

Useful when building, repairing, and chaining metal resources.

Gold + Silver

Output: Platinum

Useful because Platinum connects into several metal and Ferrite recipes.

Platinum + Oxygen

Output: Magnetised Ferrite

A strong option when you need Magnetised Ferrite in bulk.

Rusted Metal

Output: Ferrite Dust

Good early if you collect Rusted Metal from damaged containers or debris.

Ferrite Dust + Oxygen

Output: Rusted Metal

Mostly useful as part of larger loops, not something most beginners need to spam.

Chromatic Metal Recipes

Start with Copper, then upgrade into better stellar metals.

Copper

Output: Chromatic Metal

The beginner route. Mine Copper deposits and refine them.

Cadmium

Output: More Chromatic Metal than Copper

Requires access to red systems and later progression.

Emeril

Output: More Chromatic Metal than Cadmium

Requires access to green systems.

Indium

Output: Strong Chromatic Metal output

Requires access to blue systems and becomes a strong long-term resource.

Stellar Metal + Gold + Silver

Output: High-output Chromatic Metal

Large Refiner route for stronger Chromatic Metal production once you have Gold and Silver.

Stellar Metal + Chromatic Metal

Output: More of that stellar metal

Useful for multiplying Copper, Cadmium, Emeril, or Indium once you understand the loop.

Nanite Refining Recipes

Nanites are used for upgrades, so learning a few refining routes can save a lot of grind.

Runaway Mould

Output: Nanite Clusters

One of the classic Nanite refining routes. Curious Deposits can be farmed for Runaway Mould.

Residual Goop → Viscous Fluids → Living Slime → Runaway Mould

Output: Nanite chain

Do not delete every junk item immediately. Some junk can be refined through this chain.

Larval Core

Output: Nanites

Useful, but dangerous to gather from Whispering Eggs if you are new.

Hadal Core

Output: Nanites

An underwater-related Nanite item. Save or refine depending on what you need.

Salvaged Data

Output: Nanites

Only refine extra Salvaged Data after you have unlocked the important blueprints you need.

Inverted Mirror / Hyaline Brain

Output: Nanites

Useful if you are hunting Sentinel Interceptors and end up with extra dissonant materials.

Advanced Resource Loops

These are worth learning after you understand the basics. They are especially useful once you have Medium/Large Refiners and automated farms.

Gas Cycle

Oxygen can help cycle atmospheric gases such as Nitrogen, Sulphurine, and Radon. This becomes more useful once you build gas extraction farms.

Biome Mineral Loop

Biome minerals such as Uranium, Pyrite, Paraffinium, Ammonia, Dioxite, and Phosphorus connect to planet types, plants, and crafting chains.

Chlorine Loop

Salt and Oxygen can lead into Chlorine, and Oxygen can multiply Chlorine. This is stronger once Oxygen is automated.

Chromatic Metal Loop

Stellar metals refine into Chromatic Metal, and Chromatic Metal can help multiply the same stellar metal with the right refiner setup.

Automated Resource Farms

When a resource becomes part of your regular crafting or refining loop, automate it.

Basic farm setup

Step 1

Unlock extractors, depots, pipes, solar panels, and batteries.

Step 2

Find a planet with the resource you want.

Step 3

Use Survey Mode to locate a mineral or gas hotspot.

Step 4

Claim a base and connect extractors to supply depots.

Step 5

Power it and add a teleporter for easy returns.

Oxygen Farm

Best for: Condensed Carbon, Chlorine, Sodium/Cobalt multiplication, life support backup

Probably the best first gas farm because Oxygen is used in so many resource loops.

Copper / Indium Farm

Best for: Chromatic Metal and long-term crafting

Copper helps early. Indium becomes stronger once you can reach blue systems.

Uranium Farm

Best for: Launch Thruster fuel

Great quality-of-life farm if you are tired of crafting Starship Launch Fuel.

Gold / Silver Farm

Best for: Platinum, advanced metal chains, Chromatic Metal recipes

Useful once you start using Large Refiner metal loops.

Gas Farm

Best for: Nitrogen, Radon, Sulphurine, crafting chains

More mid-game than beginner, but powerful for advanced crafting and refining.

Resource Outpost

Best for: Teleport access to useful planets

Even a tiny base with a teleporter can save huge time later.

Resources Worth Saving

Do not sell or refine all of these too early.

  • Salvaged Data until important blueprints are unlocked.
  • Copper and Chromatic Metal for base and technology progression.
  • Uranium once you find it because it simplifies launch fuel.
  • Tritium for Pulse Engine fuel.
  • Runaway Mould and junk chains if you want passive Nanites.
  • Gold and Silver once you begin using advanced metal recipes.
  • Oxygen because it supports many of the best loops.
  • Ferrite Dust because basic crafting constantly asks for it.

Refining Mistakes to Avoid

These are the mistakes that make resource management feel worse than it needs to.

Using the large Terrain Manipulator beam on deposits

Large beam is good for clearing terrain, but the small beam is better when you want more resources from deposits like Copper.

Refining all your basic materials

Keep some raw Ferrite Dust, Carbon, Sodium, and Copper. Recipes often need the base material, not just the refined version.

Deleting every junk item

Some junk items refine through a chain toward Runaway Mould and Nanites. Delete only when you need the inventory space.

Ignoring Oxygen

Oxygen is not just for survival. It is one of the most important refining resources in the game.

Building underground farms or bases too early

Terrain edits can sometimes return. Beginners are safer building above ground when possible.

Skipping teleporters

A resource base without a teleporter is annoying to revisit. Add one so your farm becomes a real return point.

Next No Man's Sky Guides

These pages naturally connect to resource gathering, refining, and automated farms.

Beginner Guide

Start here if you still need help with your first planet, scanner repair, starship repair, space stations, and the Space Anomaly.

Ships Guide

Learn ship types, classes, storage upgrades, launch fuel, scrapping, Sentinel Interceptors, and beginner ship priorities.

Base Building

Build cleaner bases with power, wiring, teleporters, storage, extractors, farms, and practical beginner layouts.

Internal linking note

Once the ships, freighters, and base-building pages are live, this page should link heavily to them from the fuel, automated farm, and Chromatic Metal sections.