No Man’s Sky A Trace of Metal Quest Guide

A guide on how to complete the A Trace of Metal mission in No Man's Sky.

By Dave Acuñaon
No Man's Sky A Trace of Metal

A Trace of Metal is a recently added quest in No Man’s Sky on its Sentinels Update where players will get to craft their own Sentinel companion to bring around and across the galaxy. It will also give players the ability to upgrade their Minotaur exocraft in order to clear any enemy raids or other sentinels easily.

In this guide, we will talk about the steps on how to complete the No Man’s Sky A Trace of Metal quest .

How to Start A Trace of Metal Quest in No Man’s Sky?

To start A Trace of Metal quest in No Man’s Sky, players must first own a Planetary Settlement and have cleared out all their mission objectives pertaining to The Settlers mission.

This means, The Settlers mission should indicate that the player is “free to explore” and have no other pending objectives. The player must also be on a different star system where their settlement is at to trigger the mission to show up.

How to Complete A Trace of Metal Quest

Defeat the Sentinels raiding your Settlement and receive the Anomalous broadcast

You will receive a message coming from your settlement saying that they need help as the settlement is being raided by sentinels.

Head over to your settlement and eliminate all the sentinels raiding the base. Be careful as there can be sentinel mechs included in the raid. It is recommended to have a Minotaur deployed in the settlement to help in eliminating the sentinels.

Once you’ve eliminated all the sentinels, use the Administration Terminal in your settlement office to receive the broadcast. You will then talk to Tethys who requires your help understanding the sentinel attack. Go back outside and investigate the debris that was left from the raid to get an Undamaged Drone Shell.

Meet with Iteration Tethys

Visit the Space Anomaly and talk to Tethys and show the clues that you find. You will have to speak to three Iterations in the Space Anomaly to proceed. Talk to Mercury and you will receive a Portal Phylactery. Then, talk to Gemini to receive a Nanite Filament. Finally, talk to Polo to get Beads of Glass.

Return back to Tethys with all the materials you’ve gathered and you will receive the Sentinel Flare (Off). Head back to your settlement to test the drone. To use the drone, go to your inventory and highlight it and select Activate Flare.

Field test the drone at your Settlement

The drone will then start hovering around you as it follows you around. It will then start going into an error. Select any of the response options and you’ll then be given the option to download the coordinates of a Sentinel Pillar. Follow the marker to locate the Sentinel Pillar.

Access the Sentinel Pillar archives

Once the Sentinel Pillar has been located, destroy the Pillar Nodes around it and then eliminate the sentinel guards in the area. Then, interact with the Pillar Access Node in the middle. Select the option to “Permit the integration to continue”, and then “Confirm download”. You will then receive Sentinel Hardframe Right Arm schematics.

Back to the Access Node, select the “Initiate Remote Memory Purge” option. Then, interact with your drone and it give you a few dialogues.

Install the Sentinel Hardframe Right Arm

Craft the right arm using the listed materials below and install it on your Minotaur:

  • Sentinel Hardframe Right Arm
    • x30 Ionised Cobalt
    • x40 Pugneum
    • 1x Hydraulic Wiring

Return to your settlement and address your Settlers

Once the right arm has been installed, interact with your drone once again to learn that the settlers want to speak to you. You’ll then have to return back to your settlement and into the Administration Terminal to listen to your settlers. Select the responses that you like depending on how you would want to run your settlement.

Investigate [The Sentry]’s coordinates

Talk to your drone once more and it will give you another set of coordinates located on a different star system. The coordinates will lead to a manufacturing facility that you need to enter. Interact with the facility’s terminal and select the option “Give in’ the the “Confirm download” option. You will then receive the Sentinel Hardframe Legs schematics.

Back on the terminal, select the option to “Transmit upgrade packet”. Talk to your drone once again and then select “Ask who is Telamon”.

Install the Sentinel Hardframe Legs

Summon your Minotaur once more and install the new legs using these materials:

  • Sentinel Hardframe Legs
    • x120 Pugneum
    • x1 Hardframe Engine

Check back with your Settlement Expedition Team

Head back to your settlement and go to the Administration Terminal once more to talk to your settlers. Select the “Debrief Sentinel expedition” option. Your expedition team will tell you that they found the schematics for the Sentinel Hardframe Left Arm.

Install the Sentinel Hardframe Legs

Summon your Minotaur once more and install the new arm using these materials:

  • Sentinel Hardframe Left Arm
    • x50 Chromatic Metal
    • x40 Pugneum
    • x1 Hydraulic Wiring

Talk to your drone

Talk to your drone once more and it will give itself the name Laylaps. It will then give you another objective to retrieve a pristine Walker Brain.

Follow the new marker that will lead you to a Sentinel Walker. Defeat the Sentinel Walker and inspect it to obtain the Pristine Brain.

Talk to Tethys again to get the next schematic

Head back into the Space Anomaly and talk to Tethys who will then ask about the drone. Tethys will then give you the Sentinel Hardframe Body schematics.

Head back to space and engage your Pulse Drive until it detects an Anomaly. Turn off your Pulse Drive and approach the Atlas Beacon. Select the option to “Present Hacked Brain” to receive the Radiant Brain.

Install the Sentinel Hardframe Body

Summon your Minotaur once more and install the new body using these materials:

  • Sentinel Hardframe Body
    • x1 Radiant Brain
    • x1 Antimatter
    • x1 Life Support Gel

Grant Laylaps’ request

Talk to Laylaps once more and it will request to attack another Sentinel Pillar. Follow the marker to get to the Sentinel Pillar. Destroy its nodes and its guards once more, then interact with the access node to remove Laylaps from the Sentinel records.

Finally, talk to Laylaps once more to complete the entire mission. You will also unlock the Drone-Friend title.

If you like this Guide, be sure to check out our other No Man’s Sky articles here:

Check this video by Captain Steve on how to complete the A Trace of Metal mission: