No Man’s Sky Squadron: How to Create and Manage Wingmen

The latest 3.85 patch codenamed Outlaws introduces the ability to players create a squadron of Sky of Man. The update also brings space pirates above the fold, along with outlaw stations, solar spacecraft, smuggling, and improved space combat. With increasing threats to space exploration, it’s important to create your own squadron from scratch so your ship doesn’t turn into a pile of scrap metal.

Where to start building and managing your fleet of unmanned skies

To create your squadron, you need to first board your capital ship (probably a freighter) and head to the main central console in the bridge room. In the same module where you can manage your fleet, you can choose a new option to manage your fleet.

After doing so, you will find that you have four locked squadron pilot slots. Luckily, unlocking each slot only costs a handful of nanites, which increase as you keep unlocking slots. The first squadron slot costs 800 nanites, the second 3,500 nanites, the third 7,500 nanites, and the last 10,000 nanites. But you only need one to get started in case you run out of nanites.

From there, you’ll need to go to any areas with pilots. It could be another cargo ship, a pirate ship, a space station or a trading post. Talking to the ship’s navigator brings up a new option to request more lifeforms to your squadron.

However, not every pilot is worth it, so before adding a new wingman to your squadron, carefully consider the pilot’s stats (example above), including but not Limited to Marksmanship, Leadership Potential, Spatial Awareness, Refinement, Reliability, Swashbuckling, Anticipation, Acrobatics, Teamwork and Timekeeping.

In general, try to have all stats at least green at “Above Average” or higher, and the navigator’s ship itself should be as tall as possible. It may not matter the class of the ship as long as the pilot’s skill is high, but ideally you should choose a pilot with an S-class ship and at least Excellent (better yet Excellent) in two or more categories index. High confirmed kills also help, although it’s unclear if this stat matters in terms of overall skill.

In space combat, you can ask your squadron to assist you in battle. Since combat can get hectic with a crew of four friendly pilots, you can distinguish your wingers from the enemy by their orange-yellow lines. In addition to combat, you and your wingman can perform tricks and maneuvers in the air together.

For more No Man’s Sky tutorials, check out how to start and finish Expedition 3. In other news, Cyberpunk 2077’s first expansion has a release date window, and Bandai Namco has sparked rumors about the HD remake for Kid Icarus or Star Fox.