When it comes to space combat in No Man's Sky, it's good to have a solid understanding of all the weapons you can equip on your starships. You'll take part in some exciting aerial set-pieces, especially while fighting pirates and attacking freighters. You may also want to use your ship as a battering ram against ground-based Sentinels, too.

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With six different starship weapons on offer, it can be hard to know which weapons are the best to equip. Your ship comes with limited technology slots, especially at lower ship classes, so we're here to help you decide on what armaments to engineer on your vessel.

Updated on February 8, 2023, by David W. Duffy - No Man's Sky has undergone more changes since launch than could feasibly be listed in a short paragraph, with more than 20 full updates crafting the game into something truly epic. Space combat has been a big beneficiary of that, with the list of No Man's Sky's best ship weapons seeing a shift towards pure force. We've reworked this ranking to reflect these changes, and help inform your decision on which starship weapons to equip a little better.

To get the blueprints for these weapons, summon the Space Anomaly and visit the technicians towards the back. The starship merchant will be the first on your left.

You'll need a whole bunch of Nanites to purchase the relevant blueprints and any potential upgrades.

6 Rocket Launcher

A starship firing the Rocket Launcher in No Man's Sky

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Crafting Requirements

Core Upgrade

No Man's Sky Rocket Launcher Starship Weapon Icon
  • Copper x200
  • Condensed Carbon x100
  • Large Rocket Tubes

In No Man's Sky, the Rocket Launcher functions similarly to the Cyclotron Ballista, as it has the ability to hit both close and long-range enemies. It has by far the longest range, at 5,000 units, more than triple the distance an enemy pirate will first attack you. However, you'll get one shot before it needs to cool down.

The Rocket Launcher cannot track targets like many other weapons, relying on you to anticipate the trajectory of an enemy ship. It's strong, but you'll likely miss many shots, meaning it's not that effective overall. It only has a single upgrade, that boosts its heat dispersion ratio by 20 percent.

5 Photon Cannon

A starship firing the Photon Cannon in No Man's Sky

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Crafting Requirements

Core Upgrade

No Man's Sky Photon Cannon Starship Weapon Icon
  • Installed as default on all starships
  • Nonlinear Optics

While the Photon Cannon will be included as the default weapon on all starships and cannot be removed, it can be upgraded and turned into a solid choice if you prefer a weapon that feels like a 'regular' machine gun-type firearm.

As with other weapons, it comes with a range of 1,500 units, making it a decent mid-range option. Its damage is nothing to write home about, but the main reason it's not at the bottom of this list is its impressive capacity before overheating. You'll get around 40 shots off before it needs to cool down.

4 Cyclotron Ballista

A starship firing the Cyclotron Ballista in No Man's Sky

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Crafting Requirements

Core Upgrade

No Man's Sky Cyclotron Ballista Starship Weapon Icon
  • Dioxite x200
  • Wiring Loom x2
  • Dyson Pump

The Cyclotron Ballista is like a combination of the Positron Injector and Infra-Knife Accelerator, in that it can be used for both long and close-range shooting. This characteristic makes the Cyclotron Ballista great for dealing with tougher enemies.

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The base damage of the Ballista is very high, making it great for players who are pretty accurate with their shooting. The thing that makes this a weapon for the more seasoned players among you is how slow the projectiles travel compared to other weapons. Master this, and it can knock out enemy ships' engines, leaving them helpless to your assault.

3 Phase Beam

A starship firing the Phase Beam in No Man's Sky-1

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Crafting Requirements

Core Upgrade

No Man's Sky Phase Beam Starship Weapon Icon
  • Tritium x100
  • Wiring Loom x1
  • Fourier De-Limiter

The Phase Beam has a longer range than almost all the other weapons on this list at 3,000 units, and is great for sustaining your ship in space battles. This is because it has the ability to drain the shield of an enemy ship, recharging your own in the process. When you're being strafed by several enemies, this can be a real boon.

However, the trade-offs here are that there's no lock-on, meaning you'll have to rely entirely on your own skill, and that the Phase Beam quickly overheats. You'll get about a second or two to blast enemies when fully upgraded, before waiting a couple more seconds for it to cool down.

2 Positron Ejector

A starship firing the Positron Ejector in No Man's Sky

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Crafting Requirements

Core Upgrade

No Man's Sky Positron Ejector Starship Weapon Icon
  • Uranium x200
  • Wiring Loom x2
  • Fragment Supercharger

One of the most efficient starship weapons for dogfighting is the Positron Injector. It operates like a shotgun as it is limited to a max range of 750 units, and is best used for close-range combat and strafing. If you're not that handy at space combat due to how much the enemy strafes, its lock-on potential and rapid cooldown make it perhaps the easiest ship weapon to use in No Man's Sky.

Once fully upgraded, the Positron Injector becomes lethal at point-blank range. It's a riskier weapon in that you'll need enemy ships to come in close, but you'll be dealing thousands of points of damage in a short space of time as a result. This damage is quadrupled if you hit the enemy ship from behind, too.

1 Infra-Knife Accelerator

A starship firing the Infra-Knife Accelerator in No Man's Sky

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Crafting Requirements

Core Upgrade

No Man's Sky Infra-Knife Accelerator Starship Weapon Icon
  • Phosphorus x200
  • Wiring Loom x2
  • Q-Resonator

The Infra-Knife Accelerator is mostly used for long-range starship battles, as it has a high tendency to become overheated. While the eight-second default cooldown time is the longest in the game, the trade-off is more than worth it if you're looking to shorten your time in combat.

This is because the Infra-Knife Accelerator shreds through opponents when fully upgraded, and a default range of 1,500 units means that if accurate, you can take down pirates before they can even get their bearings. There's no lock-on to help, meaning it's the ultimate high-risk, high-reward weapon if you like your space combat a bit spicier.

NEXT: Lingering Questions We Have After The End Of No Man's Sky