How to Unlock Purple Systems in No Man’s Sky (NMS) Without Doing Quests

Image Credit: Hello Games, No Man’s Sky

Purple systems in No Man’s Sky are locked behind a long list of quests, and some players aren’t exactly thrilled about that. HOWEVER, if you’d rather explore new systems without going through hours of story missions, there’s a simple workaround. No grinding, no questlines—just a little settings tweak and some manual navigation.

Here’s how to unlock purple systems in NMS.

Step 1: Change Difficulty Settings

Before you start warping around, go into your Difficulty Settings and set Hyperdrive System Access to Unrestricted. This removes most of the usual travel restrictions, letting you go places the game normally wants you to “earn.”

Step 2: Use Your Freighter’s Galaxy Map

You’ll need a freighter for this method, so if you haven’t picked one up yet, go find one (or steal one, but good luck with that).

1. Open your freighter’s galaxy map.

2. Set your travel path to Galactic Core.

3. Look for purple systems along this path—they’ll be visible but not selectable.

Step 3: Manual Navigation Trick

Now, here’s where the game’s logic starts to fall apart in your favor:

1. Find a selectable system right next to a purple system.

2. Select it, but don’t jump just yet.

3. Look around manually—there should be a small direction indicator pointing toward the purple system.

4. Move your selection to the purple system manually, and voila! It’s now accessible.

Step 4: Warp and Enjoy

Once you’ve manually set the course, warp to the purple system and enjoy your new, restricted-access location—without spending hours grinding quests.

Why This Works

Normally, No Man’s Sky wants you to complete the Artemis, Autophage, and Atlas questlines before you get access to these systems. That can take 10–15 hours of story missions, which is fine if you enjoy lore, but less fun if you just want to explore.

This method bypasses that requirement entirely. The game assumes you’re “following the rules” since you’re using an adjacent system as a jumping-off point.

Final Blurb

If you’re the type who enjoys questing, go ahead and play through the missions—it’s not the worst grind in the game. But if patience isn’t your strong suit and you just want access to purple systems now, this method will save you a lot of time.

Enjoy the new systems, and try not to think too hard about how easy this was compared to the intended way.

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