1 Why This Item Matters
The Void Egg is the single most unique item in all of No Man's Sky. Unlike every other starship in the game, a Living Ship grown from a Void Egg is a fully biological vessel — it has no metal hull, no mechanical parts, and no traditional technology modules. Every system on board is organic: the warp drive is a neural cluster, the shields are a bio-membrane, and the cannons fire compressed plasma generated by internal organs. When you acquire a Void Egg and complete the Starbirth mission chain, you are not crafting an item — you are growing a living creature that becomes your ship.
Living Ships offer several advantages over conventional starships. They have higher base warp range than most standard vessels, their organic weapons deal significant damage, and they regenerate their bio-technologies automatically without requiring traditional upgrade modules. Most importantly, each Living Ship has a unique procedural appearance — no two are alike. The visual designs range from sleek insectoid craft to bulbous crystalline organisms with pulsing veins and organic thrusters that leave behind trails of living particles. For collectors and endgame players, obtaining the perfect Living Ship with ideal stats and aesthetics is one of the ultimate goals in No Man's Sky.
The Starbirth quest line that follows acquiring a Void Egg spans multiple star systems, involves solving riddles, visiting ancient sites, and gathering organic materials from diverse planetary environments. It is one of the most narrative-rich experiences in No Man's Sky, offering lore about the mysterious Void and the ancient beings that created these biological vessels. The quest chain typically takes 4 to 7 real-time days to complete due to built-in timers between stages, though these timers can be bypassed with specific techniques.
2 Recipe / Blueprint
The Void Egg itself is not crafted — it is purchased. However, the subsequent Starbirth mission chain requires crafting multiple organic components at specific quest stages. The entire process can be broken down into the initial acquisition followed by five major quest phases. Understanding each phase in advance will prevent you from getting stuck waiting for timers or searching blindly for materials.
Acquisition: Purchasing the Void Egg
| Method | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase from Quicksilver Synthesis Companion | The Anomaly (Space Anomaly station) | 3,200 Quicksilver |
| Gift from another player | Any multiplayer session | Free (if gifted) |
Phase 1: Cracking the Egg
After purchasing the Void Egg and installing it in your inventory, pulse-drive through space until you receive a transmission. This triggers the first quest step. You will be directed to a specific planet to locate an Infested World with abandoned structures.
Phase 2: The Consciousness Bridge
| Component | Materials Required | Crafting Station |
|---|---|---|
| Pulsating Core | 100 Silver + 100 Chromatic Metal + 1 Viscous Fluid | Portable Refiner (Stage 2) |
| Impossible Membrane | 100 Gold + 100 Chromatic Metal + 1 Living Pearl | Exosuit Inventory |
| Neural Stem | 100 Platinum + 100 Chromatic Metal + 1 Korvax Convergence Cube | Exosuit Inventory |
Phase 3: The Host Matrices
This phase requires visiting three different systems to collect biological samples. You will need to craft Hypnotic Eye (requires 50 Cadmium + 1 Hypnotic Eye sample from an Abyssal Horror), Seeds of Glass (requires 50 Dioxite + 1 sample from Crystal Sulphide underwater deposits), and Anomalous Tendril (requires 50 Uranium + 1 sample from Whispering Egg horrors).
Phase 4: The Soul Chamber
| Component | Materials Required | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Void Marrow | 200 Chromatic Metal + 1 Wandering Egg | Dropped from Void Egg fragments at abandoned sites |
| Hardframe Engine | 200 Chromatic Metal + 1 Fusion Core | Salvaged from destroyed Sentinels |
| Softened Circuits | 200 Chromatic Metal + 1 Circuit Board | Crafted or purchased from traders |
Phase 5: Awakening
The final phase requires you to visit your marked target system and land at the coordinates provided by the ship's neural interface. No crafting is required for this stage — simply follow the quest markers through space, interact with the monolith-like structures on the target planet, and witness the birth of your Living Ship. The vessel will emerge from a massive organic pod, and you will be given the option to claim it as your primary starship.
Post-Birth: Organic Upgrade Modules
Unlike traditional starships, Living Ships do not use conventional upgrade modules. Instead, you must continue pulsing in your Living Ship to receive neural transmissions that direct you to Void Egg-in-Space encounters — floating organic eggs that can be cracked open to reveal random bio-upgrades for your ship's weapons, shields, warp drive, and pulse engine. These upgrades are procedurally generated with S-Class potential and cannot be purchased from technology merchants.
3 Materials & Locations
The Starbirth quest chain requires materials that span the entire breadth of No Man's Sky's planetary diversity. You will need resources from toxic worlds, irradiated worlds, frozen oceans, and dead worlds alike. Gathering these materials efficiently requires planning your route through systems with the correct planet types before starting the quest.
● Quicksilver (x3,200 for initial purchase)
Source: Nexus missions aboard the Space Anomaly, community expedition rewards, daily weekend missions.
Best farming method: Complete the daily Nexus missions offered by the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion. Weekend community missions award 1,200 Quicksilver each. Daily missions award 250. You can also earn Quicksilver from community expedition completion rewards, which typically grant 2,000-4,000 Quicksilver per expedition. If you want to obtain a Void Egg quickly, focus on weekend missions — three weekend missions will earn enough Quicksilver for the purchase. The Nexus is accessible from any system by pressing X (PC) / D-Pad Up (console) and selecting "Summon Anomaly."
● Chromatic Metal (x700+ total)
Source: Refined from Cadmium, Emeril, Copper, or Indium in a Portable Refiner.
Best farming method: Before starting the Void Egg quest, establish a mining base on a Cadmium-rich (Red) system planet. Cadmium refines at a 1:1 ratio to Chromatic Metal, making it the most efficient source. Alternatively, if you have the Medium or Large Refiner unlocked, combine Copper + Chromatic Metal in a 2:1 ratio to produce 6 Chromatic Metal per batch, effectively creating an infinite Chromatic Metal loop. The Indium Drive is required to access Blue systems for Indium, which refines to Chromatic Metal at 1:4 ratio — the most efficient conversion in the game.
● Silver, Gold, Platinum (x100 each)
Source: Asteroid mining, underground deposits, refiner combinations.
Best farming method: Silver and Gold are abundant in asteroids. Pulse to any asteroid field and use your starship's mining laser — silver appears in blue-tinted asteroids and gold in yellow-tinted ones. Platinum is rarer but can be refined from Gold + Silver in a Medium Refiner at a 1:1 ratio. If you have activated Indium mining operations, you can purchase these metals in bulk from space station galactic terminals — they typically cost 100-400 units each, making the total cost trivial for any established player.
● Living Pearl
Source: Giant Clams in underwater caves on Ocean worlds.
Best farming method: Use the Signal Booster or Exocraft with Sonar to scan for underwater structures. Equip the Nautilon exocraft for deep-water exploration. Living Pearls are found inside closed Giant Clams that snap shut when approached — you must be fast to harvest them before they close. Alternatively, use the Terrain Manipulator to blast the clam open from a distance, which prevents it from closing. Ocean worlds with "Bountiful" or "Paradise" descriptors typically have the highest density of underwater caves.
● Viscous Fluid
Source: Harvested from Biological Horrors at Whispering Egg nests.
Best farming method: Locate an Abandoned Building (use planetary charts from the Cartographer on space stations, selecting "Emergency Charts"). Surrounding the building are Whispering Eggs — red, pulsing eggs that spawn swarms of Biological Horrors when disturbed. Build a ramp or bridge using the Terrain Manipulator leading to the eggs, or place a Base Teleporter nearby. Destroy the eggs from your elevated position to safely collect Viscous Fluid, Larval Cores, and other biological materials. The Horrors cannot climb vertical surfaces. Each Whispering Egg yields 1 Viscous Fluid and 1 Larval Core.
● Korvax Convergence Cube
Source: Korvax space stations, Korvax system traders, reward for helping Korvax entities.
Best farming method: Korvax Convergence Cubes are easiest obtained by visiting Korvax-controlled systems (systems where the dominant race is Korvax, indicated by the system name prefix and space station design). Speak with every Korvax entity on the station and select dialogue options that offer aid — they will often gift Convergence Cubes as rewards. Alternatively, purchase them from the Scrap Dealer aboard the Anomaly or from wealthy Korvax traders for approximately 25,000 units. If you have established trade routes, you can buy these in bulk from multiple Korvax stations in sequence.
● Cadmium, Dioxite, Uranium (x50 each + stockpile)
Source: Red star systems (Cadmium), Frozen worlds (Dioxite), Barren/Radioactive worlds (Uranium).
Best farming method: These are common planetary resources that can be mined with the Terrain Manipulator or Advanced Mining Laser. Cadmium appears as red crystals on Red star system planets. Dioxite appears as blue crystalline deposits on frozen and sub-zero worlds. Uranium is found as yellow-green deposits on radioactive, barren, and desert planets. A single deposit of any of these typically yields 50-100 units, so one stop per resource type is sufficient. Store extras in your freighter — you will need Chromatic Metal derived from these for later quest phases.
● Circuit Board (x1)
Source: Crafted from Poly Fibre + Heat Capacitor, or purchased from technology merchants.
Best farming method: Circuit Boards are a standard craftable component. The recipe unlocks from the Construction Terminal base-building quest chain. If you have not unlocked it yet, purchase one from any space station technology merchant for approximately 100,000 units. For players with farming bases, Circuit Boards are an excellent source of passive income — each sells for nearly 1 million units — and growing the required crops (Solanium, Frost Crystal, Cactus Flesh, Star Bulb) in biodomes takes minimal effort.
4 Optimal Route
The Starbirth quest spans multiple star systems with real-time wait gates between phases. This route minimizes travel distance and wait time by preparing materials in advance and optimizing system selection. Follow this exact sequence for the most efficient path to your Living Ship.
PREPARATION PHASE (Before Starting) — Complete all of these steps before purchasing the Void Egg to eliminate unnecessary backtracking:
- Farm 3,200 Quicksilver from Nexus missions. Complete 3 weekend community missions or daily missions over 2 weeks.
- Gather the universal materials: 700 Chromatic Metal, 100 Silver, 100 Gold, 100 Platinum, 100 Cadmium, 50 Dioxite, 50 Uranium, 1 Circuit Board.
- Acquire 1 Living Pearl by visiting an Ocean world and harvesting Giant Clams.
- Acquire 1 Viscous Fluid from Whispering Eggs at an Abandoned Building.
- Acquire 1 Korvax Convergence Cube from a Korvax system.
- Ensure you have: Cadmium Drive installed (for Red systems), Indium Drive recommended (for Blue systems).
PHASE 1: Cracking the Egg — Day 1, immediate:
- Purchase the Void Egg from the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion aboard the Anomaly.
- Install the Void Egg in your Exosuit inventory (not starship).
- Leave the Anomaly and enter Pulse Drive in any direction. Wait 30-60 seconds.
- Receive the first neural transmission. The Void Egg will direct you to a specific system.
- Warp to the target system, land on the marked planet, and follow the coordinates to the abandoned site.
- Interact with the organic structure to trigger the first cracking animation.
- TIMER GATE: Wait 24 real-time hours OR advance system clock.
PHASE 2: The Consciousness Bridge — Day 2:
- After the timer expires, pulse again to receive the second transmission.
- You will be directed to a second system. Warp there and locate the marked portal structure.
- Craft the Pulsating Core (Silver + Chromatic Metal + Viscous Fluid) and install it.
- Craft the Impossible Membrane (Gold + Chromatic Metal + Living Pearl) and install it.
- Craft the Neural Stem (Platinum + Chromatic Metal + Korvax Convergence Cube) and install it.
- Each installation triggers a vision sequence and a sub-quest to locate a memory fragment on the planet surface.
- TIMER GATE: Wait 24 real-time hours OR advance system clock.
PHASE 3: The Host Matrices — Day 3:
- Receive the third transmission via Pulse Drive. This directs you to a Toxic world.
- Locate and extract the Hypnotic Eye sample from an Abyssal Horror underwater or at a designated site.
- Receive the next transmission directing you to a Frozen world.
- Dive underwater and harvest Crystal Sulphide to extract Seeds of Glass.
- Receive the final transmission of this phase, directing you to an Infested world.
- Survive the Biological Horror swarm and extract the Anomalous Tendril from a Whispering Egg cluster.
- TIMER GATE: Wait 24 real-time hours OR advance system clock.
PHASE 4: The Soul Chamber — Day 4:
- Receive the fourth transmission. This directs you to a Dead world.
- Follow the quest markers to locate the three Soul Chamber fragments.
- Craft Void Marrow, Hardframe Engine, and Softened Circuits at the marked locations.
- Each craft requires interaction with the monolith to trigger a vision sequence.
- After all three are installed, the Living Ship's coordinates are revealed.
- TIMER GATE: Wait 24 real-time hours OR advance system clock.
PHASE 5: Awakening — Day 5:
- Receive the final transmission with the coordinates of your Living Ship.
- Warp to the target system and land at the precise coordinates.
- Witness the birth sequence — the organic pod cracks open and your Living Ship emerges.
- Approach the ship and claim it. This becomes one of your owned starships.
- The quest completes and the "Mantle of the Cosmos" milestone unlocks.
POST-BIRTH: Organic Upgrade Farming — Ongoing:
- Pulse in your Living Ship for 20-30 seconds at a time in any inhabited system.
- Wait for encounters with floating Void Eggs in space.
- Destroy each Void Egg to receive a random Organic Upgrade module.
- Install S-Class upgrades for optimal stats. Target 180+ damage, 2,000+ shields, 2,500+ hyperdrive range.
- Continued pulsing will eventually yield cosmetic customization options as well.
5 Gotcha Tips
The most common mistake players make is trying to force the next quest step immediately after completing a phase. Each major phase of the Starbirth quest has a 24-hour real-time timer that must expire before the next transmission triggers. If you pulse and nothing happens, the timer has not expired. You can bypass this by advancing your device's system clock by 24 hours, but note that this may affect other time-gated mechanics in your save file. Alternatively, simply play other aspects of the game while waiting — the timer counts down even while offline.
The Void Egg must be placed in your Exosuit general inventory, not your starship or freighter. If the quest does not trigger after purchase, check that the egg is in the correct inventory tab. Moving it to your starship will halt quest progress entirely. Additionally, ensure you have at least 5 free inventory slots for the quest items you will receive and craft throughout the mission chain.
Your first Living Ship will spawn with relatively low inventory slots — typically 19-22 storage slots and 17-20 technology slots. If you want a max-slot Living Ship (48 storage, 48 technology), you will need to hunt for one after learning the coordinate-sharing method. Visit the NMS Coordinate Exchange community to find portal addresses for high-slot Living Ships with specific visual appearances. Use a Portal with the provided glyphs to travel directly to the system where the ship spawns, then wait at a Trading Post or space station for it to arrive. This is the only reliable way to get a 48+48 Living Ship.
Multiple quest phases require visiting Infested worlds and interacting with Whispering Eggs. These locations spawn waves of Biological Horrors — extremely fast, high-damage melee creatures that will kill unprepared players in 2-3 hits. Always build an elevated platform before destroying eggs, or use the Exocraft Minotaur (which is immune to Horror attacks). Never attempt to fight the Horrors on foot without max-level shields and movement upgrades. The Plasma Launcher or Scatter Blaster can hold them back temporarily, but elevation is the only truly safe strategy.
When pulsing for organic upgrade modules after obtaining your Living Ship, you will sometimes encounter "Mature Void Egg" nodes instead of the standard ones. These award more powerful upgrades and have a higher chance of yielding S-Class modules. The encounter rate is approximately 1 in 8 for Mature nodes. If you destroy a standard Void Egg node and no upgrade drops, simply continue pulsing — the drop rate is roughly 85%, so occasional dry runs are normal.
Living Ships cannot install conventional technology modules purchased from space stations. You cannot buy Hyperdrive upgrades or Shield modules from technology merchants and install them on a Living Ship. Every upgrade must come from organic Void Egg-in-Space encounters. This means upgrading a Living Ship to full potential takes considerably more time than a conventional starship, but the organic modules can roll higher maximum stats than conventional ones — S-Class Organic Hyperdrive modules can push a Living Ship's warp range beyond 3,000 light-years per jump with optimal placement adjacency bonuses.
The quest requires harvesting Crystal Sulphide from deep underwater on frozen worlds. The extreme cold on these planets drains your hazard protection rapidly, and the underwater depth compounds this with oxygen drain. Equip max-level Thermal Protection upgrades and the Nautilon exocraft before attempting this phase. The Nautilon provides its own oxygen supply and thermal shielding. If you do not have the Nautilon, bring at least 20 Oxygen Capsules and 10 Ion Batteries, and build underwater base shelters to recharge between dives.
6 Free Benefits Along the Way
The Starbirth quest chain is one of the most rewarding experiences in No Man's Sky, and not just for the Living Ship at the end. Every phase of the journey offers substantial side rewards that contribute to your overall account progression. Here are the free benefits you will accumulate while completing the Starbirth mission.
Larval Core Collection
While harvesting Viscous Fluid from Whispering Eggs at Abandoned Buildings, you will also collect Larval Cores — one of the highest-value trade commodities in the game. Each Larval Core sells for approximately 70,000 units, and a single Abandoned Building typically has 10-15 Whispering Eggs. A single farming run can net 700,000 to 1,000,000 units. Even better, Larval Cores are used in crafting the Stasis Device, one of the two most valuable craftable items in the game worth 15.6 million units. Save every Larval Core you collect — they are essential endgame crafting materials.
Nanite Cluster Rewards
Each quest phase awards 200-500 Nanite Clusters upon completion. Over the full Starbirth chain, you will earn approximately 2,000 Nanite Clusters from quest completions alone. Nanites are the currency used to purchase upgrade modules from space station merchants, and 2,000 Nanites is enough to buy 2-3 S-Class upgrade modules for your multi-tool, exosuit, or starship. Additionally, the systems you visit during the quest often have Abandoned Buildings, Manufacturing Facilities, and Operations Centres that award 100-200 Nanites each when their terminals are hacked.
Multi-Tool Upgrade Opportunities
The systems you visit during Starbirth are procedurally selected and often contain wealthy, high-economy stations. Take the time to check the Multi-Tool cabinet on every station you visit during the quest — high-wealth systems have a significantly higher chance of spawning S-Class and A-Class Multi-Tools. You may find an S-Class Multi-Tool with ideal slot arrangements without needing to hunt for one deliberately. Check the cabinet, cabinet-reroll by creating a manual save, and reload if the tool is not to your liking.
Base Building Material Stockpile
While exploring the target planets for quest objectives, you will inevitably harvest massive quantities of standard building materials: Ferrite Dust, Carbon, Oxygen, Sodium, and Cobalt. A single planet visit during the quest typically yields enough Carbon and Ferrite Dust to construct a substantial base. The Chromatic Metal you refine for the quest is also a core component of dozens of advanced building parts and technology recipes. By the end of the Starbirth quest, most players find themselves with a fully stocked material inventory capable of building an elaborate base without any additional farming.
Alien Lore and Discovery Rewards
The Starbirth quest visits multiple Abandoned Buildings, Monoliths, and Plaques, each of which contains unique lore entries about the Korvax, the Sentinels, and the mysterious biological entities that created the Living Ships. Every lore entry you interact with awards 10-20 Nanite Clusters and contributes to your Journey Milestones. Completing the full Starbirth quest chain also unlocks the Mantle of the Cosmos milestone, which contributes to your overall Journey progress and can unlock account-level rewards.
Exocraft and Nautilon Practice
The quest's underwater and hazardous terrain sections provide natural opportunities to practice with the Nautilon and Minotaur exocraft. Many players neglect these vehicles in normal gameplay, but the Starbirth quest essentially provides a guided tutorial for their use. Mastering the Nautilon's sonar scanning capabilities will serve you well in all future underwater exploration, and learning to pilot the Minotaur through Biological Horror encounters is a skill that applies to numerous late-game scenarios including Sentinel hunting and Derelict Freighter exploration.
Portal Glyph Learning
The quest visits multiple systems that contain Traveller graves, each of which teaches one Portal Glyph. If you have not yet learned all 16 glyphs, the Starbirth quest chain is an excellent opportunity to collect 3-4 new glyphs from Traveller graves on the target planets. Even if you already know all glyphs, Traveller graves contain valuable resources and lore entries worth harvesting. Learning all 16 Portal Glyphs unlocks the ability to travel to any shared coordinate in the galaxy, which is essential for community events, coordinate-based ship hunting, and galaxy-core travel shortcuts.
Wealth of Discovery Data
Each system visited during the quest contains multiple undiscovered planets, fauna, and flora. Uploading all discovery data from a single Starbirth system to the Nexus Discovery Terminal awards 50-100 Nanite Clusters and contributes to your Explorer Guild standing. Over the course of the full quest chain, you will visit 5-7 unique systems, each offering the potential for hundreds of thousands of units in discovery rewards if you take the time to scan everything.