No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers - The Ultimate Guide
No Man's Sky Expeditions have become a staple of the game for many in the community. They provide a unique experience that is not found in the main game, with quests to complete, a story to follow, and a sense of accomplishment. Among the Expeditions, No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers stands out for its unique focus on exploration and cartography.
What Makes No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers so Good?
No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers is one of the best Expeditions because of its unique focus on a single planet. Unlike other Expeditions that require players to explore multiple planets, Cartographers takes place on a single world. This twist makes the experience feel more personal and intense, as players must focus all their efforts on this one planet.
The starship that players end up with is incredible... We love that ship so much and have been spoiled by how useful it is.How to Start No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers
To start No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers, players must launch the game and choose the option to start a new save file. Then, they'll be presented with every type of game they can start, including the current Expedition in the top right-hand corner. After selecting the Expedition, players will jump into Expedition 3: Cartographers.
Is No Man's Sky Expedition 3 Redux: Cartographers Live?
As of December 23, 2023, No Man's Sky Expedition 3 Redux: Cartographers is live as part of the Holiday 2023 Expedition reruns. This means that players have the opportunity to grab the rewards even if they missed out on them the first time around.
How to Complete All Milestones in No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers
To help players complete all the Milestones in No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers, we've outlined every Phase and Milestone below. Note that some Milestones require rewards from others, so the order may not be linear.
No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers Phase 1 Milestones
Milestone NameHow to CompleteRewardsTips for the Milestone Autodiagnostics: 1Locate and board your starship.Five Ion Batteries, 120 Oxygen, and a Recovered Item.Follow the icon on-screen for the starship to locate it and get inside. Earth MoverBuild a Terrain Manipulator.Advanced Mining Laser Plans and a Significant Mining Beam Upgrade.Players must install the Terrain Manipulator on their Multi-Tool. FoxholeUse a cave to shelter against a storm.Base Computer Plans and a Powerful Hazard Protection Upgrade.Players must wait for a storm to hit and use the Terrain Manipulator to dig a hole and hide in it. HomecomingEstablish your first base.Construction Research Unit Plans, a Construction Research Unit, and 20 Salvaged Data.Use the plans form the Milestone above to build a Base Computer and establish a base. TechnosignatureDeploy and use a Signal Booster.Four Wiring Loom, a Korvax Casing, a Convergence Cube, and five Navigation Data.Using the Construction Research Unit, players must build and use a Signal Booster. Any Port in a StormShelter inside an alien building.A Significant Underwater Oxygen Upgrade and three Planetary Charts.Players must locate an alien building using a Planetary Chart or the Signal Booster and enter it.No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers Phase 2 Milestones
Milestone NameHow to CompleteRewardsTips for the Milestone Autodiagnostics: 2Restore starship launch systems.Galactic Trade Terminal Plans, a Supreme Movement System Upgrade, and a Significant Life Support Upgrade.Players must repair the Launch Thrusters in their starship. Power SurplusIncrease power generation capacity.Six Wiring Loom and Quantum Computer Plans.Players need to establish power at their base. Matter TransportConstruct a Teleporter for your base.Power generation blueprints and Survey Device Plans.Players need to build a Teleporter at their base, and power it up. Fear the SunTunnel 750u underground.333 Gold, a Supreme Mining Beam Upgrade, and Large Refiner Plans.Players need to use the Terrain Manipulator to tunnel underground until they hit 750u. Master of ElementsExplore 800u on foot during storms.Minotaur Geobay Plans, a Powerful Scanning System Upgrade, and a Powerful Life Support Upgrade.Players need to wait for a storm and go out exploring on foot. CompanionshipAdopt one animal companion.256 Faecium, a Recovered Item, and five Gravitino Balls.Players must craft Creature Pellets using Carbon and use them to tempt and adopt an animal. Mechanical ManDeploy a Minotaur Heavy Exosuit Hybrid.512 Chromatic Metal, a Supreme Minotaur Weapon Upgrade, and a Supreme Minotaur Engine Upgrade.Players need to use the Geobay to deploy a Minotaur Heavy Exosuit Hybrid.What is the Story of No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers?
The story of No Man's Sky Expedition 3: Cartographers is all about players repairing a unique starship. Every player is trapped on a planet, though that planet changes from player to player. They're stuck because their starship has broken down and is in need of repair.
This sounds all too familiar and is the same as the start of every new save file. However, there's a twist. Players must complete most of the Milestones in the Expedition on the same planet if they want to take the custom-built starship and fly away with it on their new save file once the Expedition ends.
Is No Man's Sky Expedition 3 Redux: Cartographers the Same as the Original?
Yes, the story of No Man's Sky Expedition 3 Redux: Cartographers is the same as the original. The Redux name simply means that this is a rerun of the Expedition that came long after the initial run. However, players don't have as much time to complete it, often a week or so compared to a few months.
This means players will need to rush through the Expedition as quickly as possible if they want to get all the rewards on offer while it's live.