When should I use a drop pod navigation data?

[madzarathustra]

I'm slowly collecting pod datas (got 4 now and my friend has 3 I think) and we're wondering when the best time to use them would be.

Obviously we are going to use them on the cargo slots as they are the most expensive but we don't know how many slots the cargo can hold.

I think it's 48 general, no idea technology though 24 seems fair and too many, and finally is the cargo slot 48 as well?

If so then at present we both need to get to 41 cargo slots and use our datas to complete our 48, which leads to another question....

Can you use more than 1 drop pod data on a planet?

And if so how many can you use or what radius (so to speak considering theres not much you can do to measure radius) should they be apart?, can I scan a new pod at an existing pod site or would that waste a data?

[sh3llshΩck]

What I do is use one drop pod coordinate upon planet fall. Once I am there I use the signal booster to locate nearest signal ( the first option) and if there is another drop pod nearby it points me there. I repeat this process until I am sent back to one I've been to before. I usually know I've been there before because it has the signal booster I forgot to pick up. Lol make that part of your routine to pick up your booster.

Sometimes I'll fly to the other side of the planet and try the drop pod signal again and then repeat the above process. Usually there is another grouping of them.

Good luck!

[madzarathustra]

Thanks, glad I'm not the only one who keeps leaving signal boosters at sites lol.

[Biggity08]

^ what sh3llsh0ck said! The signal booster will always locate the same building type it is used next to. You can usually get 2-3 drop pods before you repeat them. Also, drop pod navigation data is usually available for purchase at Minor Settlements through the vendor if you need more.

[japp_02]

Drop pods on planets are rather useless now because you can easily upgrade your exosuit in any space station at the vendor. You urgently need more tech slots for life support and hazard protection, these slots are not too expensive, but the extended cargo ones become quickly very expensive the more you add. I have about 25 of them and adding the next costs 1M credits...

[Dukmiester2]

Cargo slots are up to 48, tech can go up to 14.

If you are going to use the drop pod nav data, drop a signal booster, then choose "decipher" or "decrypt" , I forget the exact wording, but that will find a drop pod. DO NOT forget to pick up your signal booster after you scan, I've lost a few that way.

Then, after you get to the pod, repair the tech and get your upgrade, drop the signal booster RIGHT NEXT TO the drop pod, and then do a scan for nearby structures, that does NOT need any nav data.

It will find another drop pod nearby, and you'll have saved one of your drop pod nav data's.

After you find the second one, and get the upgrade, you'll want to go a fairly long distance away, maybe go into space, go a little ways around the planet, then come back down.

Land, and drop the signal booster again, feed it another drop pod nav data.

Then, after you go to that drop pod it finds, drop the signal booster again, RIGHT NEXT TO the drop pod and scan for nearby structures, so it should find another nearby pod without the need for a drop pod nav data.

The thing is, if after you find the second pod nearby, if you do NOT go far enough away, the signal booster will keep finding both pods that are close to each other, so after the second one, take off in your ship and fly a pretty good distance away so you don't get sent to a pod that you've already used.

[TooTall1]

Yep, it's 48 cargo slots. You can use more than one per planet, but there is the possibility that it may point you back at one you have already done. Which is why I only do one per planet, and I wait till it gets too painful to buy them on a new station (I'm a total cheap4zz).

I never use any data chips near something I just opened i.e.I will not hit a factory and then drop a chip looking for another one right there 'cause I have and it points me at the one I just popped :/ (I'm a dumb4zz too, lol)

[masserbart]

Most money efficient is to save all of your pods for your exosuit cargo slots.

Max out your normal exosuit slots and tech slots. When that is done, buy as many slots for the exosuit cargo slots as it takes for you to hit the slot price cap at 1 million.

Now use your pods. :)

[madzarathustra]

Thanks all, a few tips to try out sooner rather than later I think, but my friend is afk for a week due to his family so knowing my luck the 2 or 3 for 1 will be 'fixed' by the time we use them lol.

We are both at around 1mil for cargo slots now and would like to start saving up for a ship rather than slots so now seems like a good time to start using them.

[Bubba Fett]

If the cost to buy a new slot is up to a mil for you, that's a chance to get 10 drop pods for the cost of buying 1 slot. Once I get the new slot, I'll usually scan for nearby buildings too. Sometimes that's another drop pod, sometimes not. If it's not something interesting I'll scan secure frequencies hoping for a manufacturing plant or depot to raid.
Then I'll either leave the planet or fly half way around it to reduce the chances of gettng directed back to the same drop pod when I scan for another one.

Not sure if it works the same on a PC, but on PS4, if you find a drop pod in MP, all players get to upgrade their suit so your scanning cost is effectivly reduced.

[Hayes.GR]

While stations are easy to find they cost more and more money. Drop pods can cost as little as the matterial used to fix the pod. Which can be a large savings when getting up toward the filling out the inventory or cargo. In fact they can save you money on anything over the 100K approx you can buy the data from a vendor. After adding 23 to inventory it cost more than 100K, tech slots 11 and 12 cost more than 100K, Cargo slots 3 through 25 cost more than 100K. This can save a bit of money for those starting out. instead of paying 5.75 million on inventory you would pay 2.5million for those slots. On tech it would save about 350,000. meaing you pay for those last 2 slots roughly 200K rather than 550K. And for cargo you pay 2.3million vs the 11.55 million for the slots over 100K.

In short use drop pods even if you have to pay for the data once you are paying more than the drop pod data. Doing so will save you nearly 13 million.
You can see the price of inventory here. https://nomanssky.gamepedia.com/Inventory

[sh3llshΩck]

I also have a shuttle that carries all the supplies need for fixing a drop pod. Just call down the shuttle click click click and on to the next one. Repeat as necessary.

[Mystyrys]

My friend and I have just been using the scanner in our roamers to find drop pods. You can choose depots, drop pods or manufacturing facilities (I think that's what the last one is called). Install the scanner -- free drop pods.