No Man’s Sky Expedition 8: Polestar Phase 3 will have players put their frigates and starships to work as this phase focuses on fleet and squadron expansion as the journey continues through the galaxy.
In this guide, we will have an in-depth guide about the third phase of Expedition 8: Polestar, and share some tips along the way.
No Man’s Sky Expedition 8: Polestar Tips
We’re starting off with some basic tips and helpful info that can make your expedition run a lot more smoother.
- Though it is possible to complete some milestones ahead of time, be mindful about your limited inventory space when claiming their rewards. You can always check in the Expeditions tab to see what rewards will be given per milestone.
- We recommend to quickly do a scan of all the milestones in this expedition to get an idea what the tasks are so that you can make your journey a bit more efficient. Almost every milestone can be seen even at the very start of the expedition.
- An exploit for the frigate expedition milestone can be done which speedrunners can do to complete the expedition in a short span of time. The details for it are discussed below.
How to Complete No Man’s Sky Expedition 8: Polestar Phase 3
Phase 3 has eight milestones which are mostly about frigate and squadron fleet expansion. It is necessary to recruit additional starships in this phase, which will require thousands of nanites.
Log 3: Homesick
Similar to the previous log milestones, you will have to jump through star systems to reach the marked system. Upon arrival, you can then speak to your freighter’s captain where you can access the ship’s logs. Doing so will complete this milestone.
Log 3: Homesick rewards:
- Decorative Base Parts set
- Turquiose paint freighter customisation
Rendezvous 3
While you are in the marked star system, fly your starship towards the next marked planet where the third rendezvous point is. It will be another crashed freighter that is submerged underwater, so make sure that you have your Nautilon Chamber with you so that you can ride it down the depths. Otherwise, you can re-collect the resources or just swim underwater until you get the notification about completing the milestone.
Rendezvous 3 rewards:
- Stellar Extractor Room plans
- 3,333 Nanites
- Salvaged Frigate Module
- x2 Inventory Slot
Power and Industry
For this milestone, you will need to construct a Stellar Extractor Room within your freighter. This will require the following materials:
- x60 Silver
- x45 Gold
- x40 Magnetised Ferrite
Construct the room within a section of your freighter to complete the milestone.
Power and Industry rewards:
- Scanner Room plans
- Industrial Room (Expansion) plans
- Appearance Modifier Room plans
Wing Commander
For this milestone, you will first have to unlock three squadron slots by accessing your fleet panel from your freighter’s bridge. Choose to manage your squadron where you’ll see the locked slots. Unlocking three slots will cost a total of 11,800 nanites, which you would already have received enough of as rewards from the previous milestones.
If not, you can go to Pirate-controlled systems and buy the suspicious packets of weaponry and technology, open them up, and then sell the modules that you get at the module vendors. You can also do Nexus missions or station missions that give out nanites.
Once you have unlocked all three squadron slots, head to any space station where you can recruit pilots for your squadron. Any class will do for this milestone.
Wing Commander rewards:
- Supreme Pulse Engine Upgrade
- Supreme Launch Thrusters Upgrade
- Supreme Starship Shield Upgrade
Galactic Defender
For this milestone, you will have to hunt down 16 pirates. These pirates can be encountered more often within Pirate-controlled systems, usually on their own. The fastest way of stacking up pirate kills is to look for a pirate bounty mission for a mission agent in a space station. These bounties will have you hunt down a bunch of pirates at the same time, which is usually 5-8 pirates per bounty.
Try to bring Sodium with you to recharge your ship’s shields if they’re not strong enough.
Galactic Defender rewards:
- Starship Weaponry Blueprints
- x3 Salvaged Fleet Beacon
Called by the Stars
To complete this mission, you will have to send out your frigate/s into fleet expeditions at least 8 times.
To do this quickly, you can send at least one frigate on an expedition, and then immediately abort that mission and debrief the captain. This will still count as a completed expedition regardless if the frigate made some progress or not. There will only be 5 fleet expeditions per day, after which you will have to wait for the next day to get a new batch of expeditions.
Called by the Stars rewards:
- x3 Frigate Fuel (200 Tonnes)
- Mineral Compressor
- Explosive Drones
- Holographic Analyser
Farseer
You will have to construct a Scanner Room for this phase. This will require the following materials:
- x60 Silver
- x30 Gold
- x1 Ion Battery
Construct the room within a section of your freighter to complete the milestone.
Farseer rewards:
- Galactic Trade Room plans
- Freighter Glass Corridor plans
- Reinforced Window plans
Home Comforts
You will have to construct a Galactic Trade Room for this phase. This will require the following materials:
- x60 Silver
- x35 Chromatic Metal
- x2 Microprocessor
Construct the room within a section of your freighter to complete the milestone.
Home Comforts rewards:
- Bulkhead Door plans
- Exterior Platform plans
- Exterior Catwalk plans
- x16 Glass
Expedition 8: Polestar Phase 3 Completion Rewards
Once you’ve completed all milestones for this phase, you can claim these rewards from the Phase 3 badge in the Expedition page. You can also already claim it in your other save files even before completing the expedition.
- Navigation Archive plans
- Flaming Barrel plans
- Data Display Unit plans
If you like this guide, be sure to check out our other No Man’s Sky articles:
- How to Farm Unlimited Living Frigates in No Man’s Sky Endurance
- No Man’s Sky Endurance Freighters (Explained)
- How to Complete Planetside in No Man’s Sky Expedition 8: Polestar
- No Man’s Sky Leviathan Expedition 7 Optional Milestones
- How to Get Technology Upgrades Fast in No Man’s Sky Expedition 7 Leviathan
- No Man’s Sky Leviathan Expedition 7 Walkthrough & Rewards
- No Man’s Sky Black Holes – Where to Find Black Holes and How to Use Them
- No Man’s Sky Expedition 6 The Blighted – Complete Guide
Check out this video by Xxiou Games showing a quick rundown of the entire Expedition 8: