No Man’s Sky Salvaged Data Priority: What to Unlock First at the Anomaly

No Man’s Sky Salvaged Data priority is the question every Traveler asks the moment they walk into the Space Anomaly with a stack of 30 modules in their pocket: what do you spend it on first? Most guides tell you how to get Salvaged Data and stop there. The Construction Research Station has roughly 1,000 Salvaged Data worth of blueprints behind it, and most of them are pure decoration that you will never need. The 5 blueprints that turn Salvaged Data into a real game-changer cost just 41 data total, and you can have them inside your first three hours of farming. This guide ranks every priority spend by game stage so you stop wasting modules on cosmetic stairs.

How We Ranked Salvaged Data Priority

Salvaged Data is a finite-feeling currency at the start of a save and an endless stockpile by hour 50. The blueprints behind it never change in value, but their usefulness to you depends entirely on what you are trying to do next. A Tier 1 priority for a brand-new Traveler is not the same as a Tier 1 priority for a returning player who already has a freighter. This ranking sorts blueprints by what they unlock for the player rather than by their alphabetical order in the in-game menu.

Three factors decided every placement on this list. First, does the blueprint unlock a passive income loop or a major time saver that the rest of the game depends on? Second, can you get the same effect from a free-to-unlock Specialist quest reward instead, making the Salvaged Data spend redundant? Third, what is the opportunity cost in Nanites? Every 10 Salvaged Data you spend on a blueprint is 150 Nanites you did not refine. The blueprints that beat that math by a wide margin are the only ones worth your first stack.

Refine to Nanites or Spend on Blueprints?

This is the question every returning player asks before walking up to the Construction Research Station. The math is straightforward but the answer changes based on your save state. One Salvaged Data refined in a Personal Refiner produces 15 Nanite Clusters, full stop. Salvaged Data also stacks in groups of 15, which means a single full inventory slot of Salvaged Data converts into 225 Nanites if you choose to refine instead of spend.

The honest answer for most players is: spend until Tier 1 is done, then refine the rest. The 41 Salvaged Data it costs to unlock the core resource extraction loop pays back in millions of units per hour through passive farms. Trying to convert that same 41 Salvaged Data into 615 Nanites and then buying upgrade modules with those Nanites takes roughly 20 times longer to produce the same value. After Tier 1 is locked in, the calculus flips and refining becomes the better long-term play for nearly every save.

Tier 1: The 5 Blueprints to Unlock First

These five blueprints turn your base from a tent into a passive income engine. Together they cost about 41 Salvaged Data and they unlock every farmable resource loop the game gives you. If you only ever spend Salvaged Data on five things, spend it on these.

Electromagnetic Generator (10 Salvaged Data)

The Electromagnetic Generator is the first thing that unlocks infinite passive power. Place one on a planetary electromagnetic hotspot (find them with the Survey Device on the Multi-Tool) and it produces unlimited free electricity for the rest of your save. Every other Tier 1 blueprint depends on having reliable power, which makes this the single most important Salvaged Data spend in the game. Hotspots come in C, B, A, and S class. An S-class hotspot produces enough power to run a full Activated Indium base by itself.

Mineral Extractor (10 Salvaged Data)

The Mineral Extractor is the foundation of every passive units farm. Drop it on a mineral hotspot (Activated Indium, Pure Ferrite, Magnetised Ferrite, etc.) and it pulls resources out of the ground 24/7 even when you are logged out. A single Activated Indium extractor produces 250 to 625 units of resource per hour depending on hotspot class (C through S), with diminishing returns once a connected setup crosses 1,000 units per hour. Stack 10 to 16 of them on a dense deposit and you have the foundation of the Activated Indium base that the money guide covers as a 20M units-per-hour passive farm.

Supply Depot (10 Salvaged Data)

Without a Supply Depot, your extractors fill up after a few minutes and stop working. With one, they pump straight into a connected silo that adds 1,000 units of storage capacity each. Connect multiple Supply Depots to one extractor for huge passive stockpiles, or chain extractors together with Supply Pipes feeding into a depot bank. This is the unlock that makes overnight or week-long passive farming possible. Skip it and your fancy Activated Indium hotspot fills the extractor’s tiny internal buffer in 20 minutes and then sits idle.

Gas Extractor (10 Salvaged Data)

Gas Extractors farm atmospheric gases (Sulphurine, Radon, Nitrogen) from gas hotspots. These gases feed the higher-tier refining recipes that turn cheap raw materials into Stasis Devices and Fusion Igniters worth 15.6 million units each. The Gas Extractor itself costs 10 Salvaged Data and is functionally identical to the Mineral Extractor in how it works, just for gases instead of solid resources. Pair it with the same Supply Depot setup. Skipping this blueprint locks you out of the entire late-game crafting economy.

Supply Pipe (1 Salvaged Data)

The Supply Pipe costs a single Salvaged Data and it is the connector that lets every other Tier 1 blueprint function as a system. Pipes link extractors to Supply Depots, depots to other depots, and let you split a single hotspot’s output across multiple storage silos. Without pipes, you are stuck moving resources by hand. With them, you build sprawling industrial bases that run themselves. There is no reason not to buy this on your first Anomaly visit.

⚡ Quick tip: The Tier 1 blueprints are also unlocked at the field-deployable Construction Research Unit you can build at any base. Some players unlock them via base quest rewards before ever needing to spend Salvaged Data on them. Check your Build Menu first before walking up to the Anomaly.

Tier 2: Quality of Life and Exploration

Once Tier 1 is done, the next round of Salvaged Data should go toward blueprints that save you real-world hours. These do not generate units or gases, but they cut friction in every other gameplay loop. They are also harder to come by from quests, so they are worth the explicit Salvaged Data spend.

Base Teleport Module (varies, around 10 Salvaged Data)

The Base Teleport Module turns any base into a fast-travel destination. Once placed and powered, you can warp to it from any space station teleporter or any other base teleporter in the galaxy. This is the single biggest time saver after Tier 1. Without it, every visit to your Activated Indium farm requires loading a new system, manually flying to the planet, and landing. With it, two button presses and you are at your base. Build one at every farm.

Save Point

The Save Point is one of the few blueprints that has no other source. You cannot get it from quest rewards, you cannot find it at Settlements. It is Anomaly-exclusive, which makes it a Tier 2 priority for any player who wants reliable manual saves outside their starship cockpit. A few Salvaged Data buys you the ability to save anywhere on a planet without flying back to your ship, which matters most during long base-building sessions or risky exploration runs on extreme planets.

Medium Refiner

The Medium Refiner has two input slots and unlocks the recipes that turn raw resources into more valuable products. The Chlorine duplication trick (Chlorine + Oxygen yields more Chlorine) and the carbon refining recipes both require a Medium Refiner. The Personal Refiner you start with is too small for any of the late-game crafting chains. Spend on the Medium Refiner second-tier instead of waiting until you need a Large Refiner, because most useful recipes only need two ingredients.

Tier 3: Agriculture and Crafting Tools

This tier is for players targeting the Stasis Device and Fusion Igniter farm, the two highest-value crafted items in No Man’s Sky at 15.6 million units each. Building either requires growing roughly seven different agricultural plants across multiple biomes. The blueprints below unlock that farm pipeline.

Hydroponic Tray and Bio-Dome

Hydroponic Trays grow agricultural plants on the planet you build them on. Bio-Domes do the same thing at scale, with a single dome holding 16 plants under climate-controlled glass. Both are required to build the agricultural farm side of the Stasis Device pipeline. Spend on Hydroponic Trays first because they are cheap and let you start growing the easy plants (Star Bulb, Mordite Root). Bio-Domes come later when you scale up.

Cuboid Room (varies)

The Cuboid Room is the cheapest indoor base part that supports a full ceiling, which matters because Hydroponic Trays need to be inside a powered, sealed structure. A few Cuboid Rooms strung together make the most efficient farm building you can put up early. Skip the round Wood-style rooms and the Glass-style domes for now. They look better in screenshots but they cost more resources to build and they restrict where Hydroponic Trays can go.

Large Refiner

The Large Refiner has three input slots and unlocks the final tier of refining recipes. The Stasis Device and Fusion Igniter sub-components (Cryogenic Chamber, Quantum Processor, Iridesite, Geodesite) all require a Large Refiner because they take three ingredients. If you are not chasing the Stasis Device farm yet, you can delay this purchase. If you are, this is the gating blueprint.

Tier 4: Skip These Until Last

The Construction Research Station is full of decorative blueprints that look great but do nothing for progression. Save these for last, after every functional unlock is done and you are still farming Salvaged Data anyway. Skipping them entirely is also a valid play. They include:

• Decorative wall panels and patterned floor tiles
• Hanging vines, banners, and freestanding lighting fixtures
• Paint variants for existing base parts (matte, glossy, alloy)
• Stairs and ramp variants beyond the basic models
• Cosmetic doors that function identically to the standard door
• NPC decoration items like potted plants and scattered debris

None of these blueprints touch combat, exploration, units, Nanites, or fleet operations. They are pure aesthetic. Players who care about base appearance for screenshots or the Galactic Hub community will eventually buy them all, but the smart play is to wait until you are sitting on 500+ Salvaged Data with nothing else to spend on. The community estimates the full collection costs roughly 1,000 Salvaged Data total, with most of that going to decorative items.

Where to Spend Salvaged Data

There are two places that accept Salvaged Data. Knowing the difference saves you a long walk through the Anomaly.

The Construction Research Station on the Space Anomaly has the full blueprint catalog. Summon the Anomaly anywhere in space, take the ramp on the right of the Nexus, and walk up the second ramp on the left before reaching the Appearance Modifier. The booths along the wall are the buy stations. Each booth shows a different blueprint, its cost in Salvaged Data, and a preview of what the part looks like when placed. Hold to confirm the purchase.

The field-deployable Construction Research Unit is a base part you can build at any of your own bases. Cost is 20 Magnetised Ferrite and 1 Carbon Nanotubes. Once placed and powered, it functions identically to the Anomaly version, with the same blueprint list and the same Salvaged Data prices. The advantage is that it lives at your base, so you can spend Salvaged Data without flying to the Anomaly every time. Build one once you have your main farm running.

How to Farm Salvaged Data Faster

The fastest legitimate Salvaged Data farm in the game is Buried Technology Modules from a Roamer Exocraft. Each module yields 2 to 4 Salvaged Data on excavation, and a Roamer’s exocraft scanner pings them in clusters across the planet surface. Players who optimize the loop hit 100 to 120 Salvaged Data per hour. Here is the setup that gets you there.

1. Build a small base on a temperate planet with low storms and no Sentinel hostility.
2. Add a Roamer Geobay (or Pilgrim if you prefer the bike) and ride out across the terrain.
3. Use the exocraft scanner (default press Down on D-pad) every 100 meters to ping Buried Technology Modules within range.
4. Drive to each pinged location, dismount, equip the Terrain Manipulator, and dig downward until the module surfaces.
5. Loot, remount, repeat. Most planets have enough buried modules to fill a stack of 15 in 20 to 30 minutes.

Other reliable sources include Crashed Freighter wreck sites (5 to 8 modules per wreck plus other valuable loot), the Technology Merchants at Minor Settlements (purchase one or two per visit, save and reload to refresh), and Nexus mission rewards (Anomaly multiplayer missions reliably feature Salvaged Data in the reward pool). The save-reload trick at Settlement merchants is the closest thing to an exploit and some players consider it cheesy, so it is a personal call. The Buried Technology farm is the cleaner long-term option.

Common Salvaged Data Mistakes

Frequently Asked Questions

Gear for Long Farming Sessions

Hunting Buried Technology Modules across two or three planets in a single session is hours of low-stim, high-attention play. A controller that does not drift, a headset that catches the audio cue when a module pings, and a monitor with enough screen space to read a cluttered base UI all matter once the session crosses the four-hour mark. Here is the setup most /SKILL readers use for marathon sessions in No Man’s Sky.

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Summary

Salvaged Data priority comes down to a simple rule. Spend it on the five Tier 1 blueprints first (Electromagnetic Generator, Mineral Extractor, Supply Depot, Gas Extractor, Supply Pipe), then on the Base Teleport Module and Save Point, then on whatever fits your next playstyle goal. Refine the rest into Nanites once functional blueprints are done. Skip decorative blueprints until your base needs them.

Once your Tier 1 blueprints are unlocked, the next step is putting them to work in a passive farm. The money guide walks through every units-per-hour method ranked by game stage, including the Activated Indium and Stasis Device farms that depend on every blueprint above. Returning players who have been away for a while should also check the update guide for the Voyagers and Remnant changes that affect base building, and tweak the experience with the custom difficulty settings guide if the default Normal mode feels off.