Is it still possible to find crashed ships?

[Underhook]

I'm back after not playing for ages and started fresh.
I'm trying to find a decent crashed ship to fix up. Watched some videos on how to find them, so far its not working. Purchased 20 x cartographic distress data to locate transmission towers, which in theory lead to crashed ships at least sometimes.
However, I have not found a single transmission tower. All I get are derelict bases that give lore and Nantes and some crashed ships with pilots who want me to fix their ship and give me stuff all as a reward.
I have spent the last 10 hours searching. Zip. Does this method still work? Am I just unlucky?

[Takoda Wahya]

My way to go is always with Planetary Charts, according to NMS Wiki:

"Using Navigation Data

You can exchange Navigation Data for a Planetary Chart. Activating a Planetary Chart from your inventory will mark a Point of Interest on the same or (if not on any), on the closest planet. The point of interest is random for its chart type (Distress Signal charts for Crashed Ship). Good sources of Navigation Data are Ancient Data Structures, Waypoints, and Encrypted Navigation Data. "

Also:
"If the signal found is any of these: Observatory, Abandoned Building or Crashed Freighter, do not visit the location. Scan again using another Planetary Chart and ignore any errors that state a similar structure is already marked (charts will not be expended). Activate the chart repeatedly until a Distress Signal is revealed."

That way in that planet you will only keep finding Distress Signals.

Hope it helps.

[Scrymgarr]

So you should be able to. don't just use one data at a time (It will tell you that you can't use that any more but that is it likely checking for a certain type of distress such as abandon building, crashed freighter etc) Don't clear the buildings or frieghters keep looking for distress signal/beacon (Those are either pilots in distress or crashed ships.)

[Raze]

If you pick a fight with the Sentinels retreat to space, and kill the carrier that eventually spawns in, you'll get an item that gives you the location of a crashed sentinel interceptor. After finding a few items on the planet you can fix it up and claim it.

All you need is the ability to survive the waves of sentinels it takes to make it to the carrier spawn, then kill the carrier while being attacked by interceptors.

[dreamrider]

Originally posted by Takoda Wahya:

My way to go is always with Planetary Charts, according to NMS Wiki:

"Using Navigation Data

You can exchange Navigation Data for a Planetary Chart. Activating a Planetary Chart from your inventory will mark a Point of Interest on the same or (if not on any), on the closest planet. The point of interest is random for its chart type (Distress Signal charts for Crashed Ship). Good sources of Navigation Data are Ancient Data Structures, Waypoints, and Encrypted Navigation Data. "

Also:
"If the signal found is any of these: Observatory, Abandoned Building or Crashed Freighter, do not visit the location. Scan again using another Planetary Chart and ignore any errors that state a similar structure is already marked (charts will not be expended). Activate the chart repeatedly until a Distress Signal is revealed."

That way in that planet you will only keep finding Distress Signals.

Hope it helps.

This is the way to go. You can also do the same thing with either the Minotaur or Exocraft Sensors, whichever one finds Distress calls.

To eliminate the manned category of crashed ships, fly over the downed ship first, or land on a nearby hill top. Far enough away that you are not counted as being AT the Destination. Look for a guy moving around - if so leave that one alone, fly away and pop another map / scan.
All subsequent map hits for Distress Signal will be without pilot.

On the other hand, if you SEE the ROUND DISTRESS BEACON (like the one at your starter ship site) on the ground probably near the crashed ship's nose, that is a recoverable ship.

[dreamrider]

Also, the Nautilon Sensors will find 'Drowned Ships', without any ambiguity, in any body of water on the planet big enough to have a couple.

[Space Cat]

U can use more then one distress map until u get a crashed one, dont go to the bases, leave that icon alone and it will not pop again when u use a distress map, the crashed with pilots have the same icon as crashed ships, so u deal with them before u use another distress map.

[Underhook]

Thank you all for the tips. I will try it out thanks.

[Underhook]

Originally posted by Scrymgarr:

So you should be able to. don't just use one data at a time (It will tell you that you can't use that any more but that is it likely checking for a certain type of distress such as abandon building, crashed freighter etc) Don't clear the buildings or frieghters keep looking for distress signal/beacon (Those are either pilots in distress or crashed ships.)

SO, I just tried it, got an observatory , so didnt go, tried again and got abandoned building, so, didnt go, tried again but it wont let me use that next cartography map. Does that mean no ships here?

[Breitmacher]

Originally posted by Underhook:

Does that mean no ships here?

Maybe or observatory or abadones building was next. just use it again and again until a crashed ship shows up its called distress signal. this is normal and happens often to me. so dont worry

oh and just claim the new ship, get back in your old ship ... fly next to the space station, call the anomaly, switch to the totally damaged ship inside the anomaly. just get in and fly in the spacestation and scap it for money or parts. whis way you dont have to repair it or fly a damaged ship through space

[Nimsosim]

Ain't it funky how when sometimes your trying to find something and you can't.
But sometimes when your not even trying you find that thing often.
Digital Karma

[MethWizard]

Best way to find crashed ships is with the submarine. You can get an upgrade that allows you to scan for underwater crashed ships and you can farm them.

[TheCr33pur]

Keep trying, you should be able to find one. I do this all the time when i make a new game. If not at the starting planet, then may or may not be any around, depending on the planet.

Good luck!

[MGazer]

IKR. During Adrift I stumbled onto 6 or 7 crashed ships that I didn't have a use for. lol

The Minotaur and the Nautilon scanners let you do searches for distress signals without having to keep buying charts so if you're looking to get a lot of them I'd say it's worth setting them up.

As far as getting Units go scraping Sentinel ships is what I do. It takes a little while to find an echo locator sometimes but once you do you can find a Harmony Camp. The terminal at the camp can be used more than once and each time you use it you get the location for another ship. I generally just drop a save beacon at the camp and fly back and forth. It's a pretty lucrative farm and it's more time intensive than difficult.

One of the interesting things is that you can salvage some of the ships you find for free parts to build your own ships at a space station. You still have to buy the core though and it's a bit random which ships you'll find.