No Man’s Sky Tractor Beam Guide – Corvette Salvage

In No Man’s Sky’s vast cosmos, innovations like the tractor beam redefine how you explore and haul precious salvage from space wrecks. This feature is a vital tool in the Corvette, transforming risky salvage runs into streamlined operations that are as rewarding as they are exciting.

If you’ve jumped into the new Cosmos update, chances are you’ve come across this new thing called the Tractor Beam. Do not confuse this with the old docking tractor beam that auto-pulls your ship in when you land at a station or freighter. This guide is about that new one, what it does, how to use it and the best place to install it.

Before you can harness the tractor beam’s power, you need two essentials: a Corvette-class ship and the Gravitino Coil upgrade for your Multi-Tool. The Corvette, introduced in the Voyagers update (6.0), is your only vessel that can mount this attachment. Meanwhile, the Gravitino Coil lets you manipulate salvage pieces in zero-G.

Before you start you need to have two things:

First, you need a Corvette. This is the mid-size ship class added in the Voyagers update (6.0). Build one at a Corvette Workshop if you don’t have one yet.

Second, you need the Gravitino Coil equipped on your Multi-Tool. If you don’t have it check out our full guide on Gravitino Coil.

Once you’ve got both a Corvette and a working Gravitino Coil, you’re ready for the Tractor Beam itself.

What Is the New Tractor Beam?

The tractor beam is a specialized hull attachment for Corvettes. It’s designed to collect physical salvage and minerals from Cosmos’s new deep-space points of interest—including derelict hulks, asteroid belts, ice fields, and Infested Outposts. Unlike the older docking tractor beam that assists with station landings, this is a tool for space hauling and is exclusive to Corvettes.

How to Get the Tractor Beam in NMS

To get one, visit any Space Station and locate the Corvette Workshop. The tractor beam is available for purchase among the basic Corvette modules for roughly 300,000 units. Make sure to buy the basic module version—modules obtained through trade for advanced parts cannot be installed on your ship. While the Space Anomaly won’t sell the tractor beam, it’s essential for obtaining the Gravitino Coil blueprint from Iteration: Eos.

How to Use the Tractor Beam

The tractor beam works hand-in-hand with the Gravitino Coil multi-tool attachment. What happens is a well-timed sequence: equip the Gravitino Coil, spacewalk near wreckage, and use it to fling salvage pieces toward your Corvette. The tractor beam then automatically pulls the materials in and stashes them in your ship’s hold.

1. Equip the Gravitino Coil on your Multi-Tool.
2. Exit your Corvette to spacewalk near a wreck or asteroid field.
3. Use the Gravitino Coil to launch salvage toward your Corvette.
4. The tractor beam collects the salvage and stores it automatically.

Objects too large for the hold are processed down to fit, eliminating the need for manual pickup and streamlining your salvage runs.

If an object is too big to store as-is, the beam processes it down so it still fits in the hold. No manual pickup needed once it’s launched.

What to Do With the Salvage

When your hold fills, fly to a deep-space outpost, eject your salvage, and use the Gravitino Coil again to move pieces into the salvage processor on-site. Processing turns salvage into credits or rare components, and outposts offer salvage and recovery contracts that tie clean-up efforts into mission objectives.

Best Tractor Beam Placement

Placement of the tractor beam on your Corvette is critical. If you tuck it under other modules, salvage can clip into the ship’s geometry or the vent button might become difficult to reach. Leave it exposed with plenty of clearance to ensure smooth salvage flow and easy access.

Salvaging Hulks Safely

Hulks can become unstable once you start stripping parts from them. Damaging their structure too much triggers a meltdown that results in an explosion. Prioritize collecting valuable salvage first as you might not get a chance to finish a full clear-out.

Tractor Beam Not Working or Not Recognized

If the game doesn’t recognize your installed tractor beam during salvage missions, check your Corvette’s technology inventory. A full inventory can cause this problem, preventing the beam from being properly registered. Free up a slot, uninstall, then reinstall the beam to fix this issue.

Be cautious when moving or removing the tractor beam; players have sometimes lost it completely due to a known bug where repositioning deletes the item instead of returning it. This glitch can also affect spare tractor beams in your inventory or Workshop Cache, so it’s best to avoid repositioning until fixed.

Some users found the vent cargo button unresponsive in certain builds. The latest experimental patch from Hello Games includes a fix for this, so keeping your game updated is crucial to ensure smooth tractor beam operation.

Technology not recognized despite being installed: covered above; usually a full inventory, not a bug.

With Cosmos being a fresh update, expect some rough patches. If you encounter unexpected behavior, it’s likely due to these launch quirks rather than player error. Follow official patches and community feedback to stay ahead of any fixes.

No Man’s Sky

Release Date

August 12, 2016

Developer(s)

Hello Games

Publisher(s)

Hello Games

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