Latest Update - Distress Signals

[Lenny Rat]

I just went through a number of distress signal maps looking for crashed ships to salvage, but every time there is a stranded pilot. Did they eliminate the possibility of just finding ships with the latest update?

[Mandrake]

I just found 2 of them last night by chance so... I don't think so. Perhaps something is bugged out with the maps maybe? RNG can be a pain, but if you've been through a bunch in a row, something seems a bit sus...

[EchoOne]

The best way to handle this is first to get a lot of distress signal maps (minimum of 5). Once you have the maps activate five of them. If you get an error message just try again. At the end you should have five marked locations, including two crashed ship distress beacons. Now FLY to the closes ship distress beacon, DO NOT LAND instead fly near the site and look to see if you can see an NPC walking around. If you see an NPC walking around fly away and fly to the OTHER distress beacon. Check the second distress beacon and you should see a large round ball near the crashed ship. Land near the crashed ship and claim your prize.

After you've claimed the crashed ship open your inventory and activate another distress signal map. You'll get directed to another crashed ship (without NPC). You can then repeat this as often as you want until you run out of maps or crashed ships.

Note: Be careful to ALWAYS check for the NPC character before you land just in case you accidentally head to the wrong distress beacon site.

[Phrayzur]

If I'm looking for ships, I buy a bunch of distress maps and then I start checking them. I don't complete the distress missions that are for anything other than the for the ships I can claim. If you don't complete the distress missions you don't want then when you check more maps you won't be offered any of the outstanding distress mission types. As long as you don't complete them you can just keep completing the ones for the ships you can claim and keep checking the maps.

[Phrayzur]

What @EchoOne said :)

[Pagafyr]

What a great way to pick up a bunch of parts so we can build our own ships!

[UncreativelyNamed]

Nope, I just grabbed a crashed ship in the save I'm playing. You just seem to be having a little bad RNG luck.

[Jaggid Edje]

Originally posted by Lenny Rat:

I just went through a number of distress signal maps looking for crashed ships to salvage, but every time there is a stranded pilot. Did they eliminate the possibility of just finding ships with the latest update?

Randomness means you'll see streaks. They did not eliminate, nor even change the procgen for it.

I have noticed that some planets seem to have more of one type vs. the other, so if you are getting a lot of distress beacons with stranded pilots on one planet, you may want to try another one to see if you have better luck.

Another option is to go for underwater ones. ALL distress signals under water are crashed ships, no pilots. The Nautilon can scan for them to, which means it doesn't take maps to find them.

And, as @Phrayzur mentioned, there's a technique you can use with the maps to focus on the crashes you are after.

If none of that floats your boat, there's also the option of mods. There is a mod that splits the two types of crashes out into separate maps, so you just buy the map type for crashed ships (with no pilots) and that's all you will find.

[bigdgaff]

Originally posted by EchoOne:

The best way to handle this is first to get a lot of distress signal maps (minimum of 5). Once you have the maps activate five of them. If you get an error message just try again. At the end you should have five marked locations, including two crashed ship distress beacons. Now FLY to the closes ship distress beacon, DO NOT LAND instead fly near the site and look to see if you can see an NPC walking around. If you see an NPC walking around fly away and fly to the OTHER distress beacon. Check the second distress beacon and you should see a large round ball near the crashed ship. Land near the crashed ship and claim your prize.

After you've claimed the crashed ship open your inventory and activate another distress signal map. You'll get directed to another crashed ship (without NPC). You can then repeat this as often as you want until you run out of maps or crashed ships.

Note: Be careful to ALWAYS check for the NPC character before you land just in case you accidentally head to the wrong distress beacon site.

Just to add a couple of tips of mine to this answer. When I see the site with the npc, I land about 500 to 1k units away and drop a save beacon. It is far enough away to avoid accidentally marking the site as visited, but ensures I don't waste time visiting the bad site again during my travels if I get mixed up with all the markers. I just drop in and pick up the beacon at the end if I remember.

I also use a sentinel interceptor when doing searches for crashed ships, because being able to stop and hover above the crash site is really good for examining the site for the orb or NPC in stormy weather.

[Geldric™]

You can tell just by looking (while flying).

Crashed ship: always has both a Damaged Machinery at the back left and Debris Sphere (ffs don't call it a ball) at the back right (when looking at the nose of the ship)

Stranded Pilot: does have the Damaged machinery but there is never a Debris sphere

[Lenny Rat]

Thanks all...I guess its just a bad run of RNG. I'll keep plugging away.

[Spocks Toupee]

My absolute FAVORITE mod for this is
"Auto Scanner Plus" at nexus mods.
When you're flying over a planet, once you're at a certain distance, the scanner on your ship will automatically detect buildings, portals, crashed ships, etc.

You'll even hear "Distress signal located", (that's a good time to come to a full stop and look around)


https://www.nexusmods.com/nomanssky/mods/2600

[cattivision]

The drowned ships the nautilon can scan for are always without a pilot and claimable.