How do derelict freighters work in No Man’s Sky?

The remains of a freighter resting in space is a terrifying sight, and you need to treat it with caution in No Man’s Sky. While a derelict ship might look like an excellent salvage operation, it will be a dangerous endeavor you can perform by yourself or with friends. These derelict freighters are available all over space. However, you can always reach out to a scrap dealer to locate coordinates of a specific one to investigate. Once you’re inside, you have to prepare for the worst.

There’s no proper way to prepare for boarding a derelict freighter because they are procedurally generated. Their interiors, items, and enemies will be different each time you step foot onto one. You can expect to encounter dangerous aliens that have made the location their home, and the ship’s AI has gone wild, attacking anything it meets in its path. You can expect both alien and turret AI threats coming after you, along with the freighter not having any oxygen or gravity working inside it. If you see any alien nests, you’re better off avoiding them, or having the firepower to destroy them should you disturb them.

The main goal of boarding these derelict freighters is to loot them for good salvage the crew members left behind. However, you also can learn about what happened to the ship and hear its story by finding the crew manifest and listening to their logs. Eventually, you can make it to the captain’s quarters to learn what happened during the vessel’s final hours. You can sell the manifest and logs for a reasonable price. Alternatively, if your capital ship needs it, you can pluck useful pieces of technology from the derelict vessel and place it in yours. You can also generate new inventory slots for your capital ship by placing expandable bulkheads taken from the derelict ship and placing it in your upgrade station.