No Man's Sky | How to get an Atlas Pass v1, v2, and v3 as soon as possible

In order to gain access to all areas in No Man’s Sky, you’re going to need to obtain an Atlas Pass. This pass provides entry to various lootboxes and doors in the game world, all of which are optional but filled with things that can make your life a lot easier. The Atlas Pass v1, Atlas Pass v2, and Atlas Pass v3 are all highly desirable items, and you can follow the steps below to make sure you get them as early in the game as possible.

How to get Atlas Pass v1 in No Man’s Sky

The Atlas Pass v1 is the only one of the three levels that you can get a guaranteed blueprint for.

In order to obtain one, do the following:

First, you’re going to want to begin your story: Click the orb next to your crashed ship after beginning the game to choose an “Atlas Path.”
You will then need to complete the starter missions: These are mandatory to the experience. One of the first missions will have you leave the planet. You’ll then need to gain a Hyperdrive. These are more than a dozen of these so it will take you a couple hours.
You then need to find a Space Anomaly: If you follow the Atlas Path once you reach orbit, you’ll be heading in the right direction. Eventually, when you arrive in a star system, you’ll be informed that Space Anomaly is nearby. If you head towards the purple waypoint marking it, you’ll reach a spherical station you can dock with.
Get the Atlas Pass v1 blueprint from Polo: When you speak to Polo, he should give you the Atlas Pass v1 blueprint. If he doesn’t, complete quests for him and then purchase blueprints from him with 20 Carbon.
Craft the Atlas Pass v1 with 200 Copper and a Microprocessor: You’ll need a good chunk of resources (at least for early in the game) to craft an Atlas Pass v1 in No Man’s Sky. You can mine copper from a planet, and the easiest way to get a Microprocessor early on is to check the trade terminals at stations until you find one for sale.

The Atlas Pass v1 doesn’t do a ton for you. It only provides access to storage containers. The most useful thing you can do with it is access the crates in the storage areas found in freighters. Usually, these will give you a Hyperdrive Fuel, which isn’t anything to shake a stick at.

The Atlas Pass can be upgraded to provide further levels of access. You will need to gain access to higher levels of Atlas Pass by finding them in the game world, and then crafting them similar to the original pass.

In addition to the method above, there are other ways to obtain an Atlas Pass v1, the primary being checking Manufacturing Facilities.

How to get Atlas Pass v2 and Atlas Pass v3 in No Man’s Sky

Unfortunately, the process to get Atlas Pass v2 and v3 in No Man’s Sky is a lot more random than the one to get v1. The only way to get these is to check Manufacturing Facilities on planets. These buildings aren’t guaranteed to be on any specific world, and even when you find one, the blueprints for Atlas Pass v2 and v3 are very rare drops.

The easiest and quickest way to find and check Manufacturing Facilities is:

Build a Signal Booster: You’ll get the blueprint for this device early on in the game. You should have one already, but if you left it behind you can build another with 1 Metal Plate, 1 Carbon Nanotubes, and 15 Sodium.
Find Navigational Data: You can find Navigational Data on space stations. Just look for the little orange things that can be found on desks. Interacting with them will give you one Navigational Data to use.
Find a prospective planet: Manufacturing Facilities can be located on any planet. To find them, just pick a world you haven’t searched yet and land on it.
Use the Signal Booster to find a Manufacturing Facility: Lay down the Signal Booster with the build menu and use the option “Scan Secure Frequencies.” This will cost one Navigational Data and if everything goes your way a waypoint will appear leading you to a Manufacturing Facility. The waypoint doesn’t have to be on the planet you’re currently on. It might point out a building on any body in the system you’re now in, which means you might have a way to travel.

Once you’ve located one of these buildings, you need to search inside. Usually, the door is locked and reinforced so you’ll need to blast it open. This will inevitably alert nearby Sentinels, but there’s a trick to this. Just use your ship to blast the door open. Sentinels won’t even act like they notice and you’ll save ammo in the process.

Inside the facilities, you’ll find a terminal that will give you a multiple-choice set of options. If you pick the right one, you should get a blueprint, and there’s a small chance it may be for the Atlas Pass v2 or Atlas Pass v3.

One thing to note is that Atlas Passes do supersede each other. An Atlas Pass v3 can unlock any door or container an Atlas Pass v1 or v2 can. So, if you’re lucky you’ll get the Atlas Pass v3 blueprint right off the bat and you won’t have to search any longer.

Supposedly, there is now a chance that you can receive the Atlas Pass v2 or v3 blueprint from Polo at the Space Anomaly like you do the v1. However, this hasn’t happened for us, unfortunately.

More No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky is an epic science fiction adventure set across an infinite universe, in which every star is the light of a distant sun, orbited by planets filled with life – each yours to visit. Explore never before seen worlds and trade, fight and survive on a galactic scale.

EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN

Explore uncharted solar systems and catalogue unique new forms of life. Every planet’s landscape is different from the next and populated by species never before encountered.

SURVIVE ON A DANGEROUS FRONTIER

Every solar system, planet, ocean and cave is filled with danger, and you are vulnerable. Battle attack ships, fend off dangerous predators, and survive in hazardous environments. Every encounter will test your skills to the limit.

PREPARE FOR AN EPIC JOURNEY

How you play No Man’s Sky is up to you, but you shouldn’t take your voyage lightly. Collect precious resources on the surfaces of planets, trade them with alien races and build the equipment that will take you to your destiny in the stars.