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Unlike player-built bases in No Man’s Sky, settlements are preexisting communities of NPCs. It’s your job to step in as Overseer and guide the community to success. To do so you’ll need to fend off sentinel attacks, settle disputes between colonists, and pull the struggling outpost out of debt. Though settlement construction is easier here than in a game like Medieval Dynasty, you’ll still face plenty of challenges as you grind your way to S-Class. With perseverance, however, you can create a community to be proud of. Here’s a guide with some vital tips and tricks for growing your settlement in NMS.
Choose the Right Location
Unlike bases, you don’t get to pick your settlement’s location. Instead, you’ll either stumble across one or use Settlement Charts obtained from space station Cartographers to find it. Some planets have multiple settlements, while others (such as those in Abandoned and Uncharted Systems) have none. You can’t move a settlement, so take the time to find one on a planet you like. Whether it’s near resources you need such as Storm Crystals or just has animals you enjoy, picking the right planet is one of the most important steps for any Overseer.
Mind Your Settlement’s Debt
If your settlement’s Maintenance Cost is higher than its Productivity, it will slide deeper into debt. If Productivity is higher, the settlement will reduce its debt and eventually make you money. Always promote Productivity over Happiness until you’re earning more money than you’re spending on Maintenance. Increasing Productivity is the only way to make your settlement profitable and encourage expansion, after all. It’s also worth noting that you can’t pay off settlement debts with your own money, no matter how rich you are.
Make Settlement Decisions Quickly
As Overseer, your main duties include settling disputes, fulfilling requests, setting policies, dealing with new arrivals, and constructing new buildings. These opportunities are on a timer, occurring every 15-120 minutes. The longer you settle one issue, however, the longer it takes for the next to arise. Make settlement decisions quickly so that you can maximize the number of opportunities for improvement. These decisions are the main way you’ll improve Happiness and increase Productivity, so don’t waste them.
Be Ready to Defend Your Territory
Sentinel attacks are common, so every good settlement guide for NMS must address defense. The universe’s enforcers can’t help but stick their noses into your business, often when you’re away taking care of other business. You can take on sentinels with a basic Multi-Tool, but investing in a Plasma Launcher or Scatter Blaster makes defense much easier. While sentinel attacks are mostly a threat to you, expeditions can get your settlers killed, resulting in a lower population. For that reason, it’s typically wise to deny Citizen Requests for an expedition.
Keep Working To Improve Your Class
Like ships, settlements are graded from C to S, with S representing the highest quality settlements. Reducing debt, increasing Productivity and Happiness, and growing your settlement by bringing in new settlers all improve your settlement’s class. That said, grinding a C-class settlement to A or S can take a long time, just like upgrading your Freighter. The key is to stick with it, taking every opportunity you get to improve the lives of your settlers. Even more than a good guide and a bit of luck, growing a settlement in NMS takes persistence.
No Man’s Sky is available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5,
