No Man’s Sky: How to Unlock Normandy SR1 Mass Effect Frigate in NMS

When Expedition 2 hit No Man’s Sky, developer Hello Games dropped the biggest and best collaboration the game has ever seen. The Normandy SR1 from Mass Effect was introduced as a reward for completing the Expedition, and fans flocked to grab it.

At the time, the Frigate was a very limited item. There was no way to get it outside of the mission-based mode, and every rerun saw new players head into it to claim their prize. However, there’s more than one way to get this Frigate.

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How to Unlock the Normandy SR1 Frigate in No Man’s Sky

Below, we’ve outlined every way in which players can unlock the Normandy SR1 Frigate from Mass Effect in No Man’s Sky. When new methods are discovered or added to the game, we’ll include them here so all players can earn the iconic ship and have it as part of their fleet.

How to Unlock the Normandy SR1 Frigate by using No Man’s Sky Service Bot

The easiest way to get the Normandy SR1 Frigate in No Man’s Sky is by using No Man’s Sky Service Bot. This website allows players to add bots to their game, which will help them while they play or, in this case, bring some stunning equipment with them.

Step 1: Enable Crossplay and Add the Bot

First, players need to ensure they have crossplay enabled in the game’s settings. This is the same regardless of platform. Then, in the network settings, they must allow anyone to join their group. This will mean that bots can jump in and join the player in their save file.

Now, players need to add a friend to their friends list in No Man’s Sky. The friend they need to add is “H26R-30AZ-B8Z3G,” after which they’ll likely need to restart the game. This is a safety precaution to ensure the bot is added to the player’s friend list.

Step 2: Engage the Bot

Now that players have added the bot to their friend list, they can use the No Man’s Sky Service Bot website. In the Select Service section, players must select Reward Delivery. They’ll then need to enter their friend code, which can be found in the Friend List section of the game. 

Next, players need to tick all three boxes on the website below the text boxes. Below that section will be a list of items they can select for delivery. In the search box, type “Normandy” until the SSV Normandy SR1 item pops up and select it.

When Service Bot enters a player’s game, they will gift them the SSV Normandy SR1 item. This can be used with the Navigator and Fleet Command Room on a player’s Capital Ship to unlock the Frigate and send it out on Expeditions, which it will physically move to. Players can also just fly around in it and enjoy it.

How to Unlock the Normandy SR1 Frigate by Completing Expedition 2: Beachhead in No Man’s Sky

Most players initially unlocked the Normandy SR1 Frigate in No Man’s Sky by completing Expedition 2: Beachhead. This is only possible while the Expedition is live, which can happen occasionally when developer Hello Games reruns them. Once players have completed the Expedition, they can grab the Normandy SR1 Frigate as a reward from any new save file they create.

The Expedition starts with players being dumped on an unknown world with a set of goals to complete, as all Expeditions do. Players will need to complete every Milestone in every Phase to unlock the reward they seek. We’ve outlined all of the steps below for when the Expedition pops up again.

Note that this method only works while the Expedition is live. When it isn’t, the above method is a solid way to acquire the Normandy SR1 Frigate in No Man’s Sky. It’s also the more straightforward method, but we recommend completing this Expedition when possible to make the claim a legitimate one.

Phase One

Phase One is simple, tasking players with doing much of what they do at the start of any No Man’s Sky playthrough. These can be completed without much thought, so players can work on other Milestones in the meantime.

• Moon Rover: Deploy a Roamer Exocraft.
• First Steps: Reached your starship.
• Lift Off: Leave the planet.
• Engage Warp: Use a freighter to warp to a new system.
• Rendezvous 1: Reach the first rendezvous.

Phase Two

In Phase Two, things ramp up a bit. Players are required to complete some optional activities from the main game. This is where the Expedition will start to take a lot of time out of a No Man’s Sky play session.

• Rendezvous 2: Reach the second rendezvous point.
• Scrapped: Restore a crashed ship.
• Interstellar Rescue: Come to the aid of a stranded lifeform.
• Fallen Giants: Explore a freighter crash site.
• The Aviator: Pilot your ship 500,000 units.

Phase Three

In Phase Three, players are tasked with exploring even further afield, finding new worlds that they might not even have seen in the main game. This is a good way to get to grips with the game’s mechanics for new players who might not understand the depth of No Man’s Sky.

• Rendezvous 3: Reach the third rendezvous point.
• Feet of Flame: Visit a scorched world.
• Life From Dust: Discover one creature on a desert world.
• Pale Blue Dot: Visit a frozen world.
• Rain Like Poison: Visit a toxic world.
• Verdant Abundance: Discover one creatures on a lush world.
• The Glowing Earth: Visit a radioactive world.

Phase Four

In the fourth phase things start to come to a head. It’s all about talking to the local aliens. This can also be done pretty quickly, but it requires players to warp between a lot of systems and land on a few worlds in each.

• Rendezvous 4: Reach the fourth rendezvous point.
• Words For Friends: Learn ten Gek words.
• Visit the Atlas: Visit an Atlas Station.
• Linguistic Decoding: Learn ten Korvax words.
• Uncharted: Discover ten systems.
• Grah! Grah! Grah!: Learn ten Vy’keen words.

Phase Five

The final phase of this Expedition used to require the community to unlock a key to decrypt it. However, since the Expedition is long over, it’ll just need decrypting when it comes back around. Future Expeditions unlock these Milestones as players progress, so the methodology may chance when it comes back around.

• Rendezvous 5: Reach the final rendezvous point.
• ZX?FL OVZ??EG: Po?lo fkuzzaus k?tk??
• HUZS KE E?LLUS: Susp?thzss? s?h Nzda
• FKM?S KZ EU?LPZS: Pa?ra kttzzk g?de?!
• ZATLA?SEUM MKEEZS: zi?xte?en?u?

Once players have completed Phase Five, they’ll unlock their rewards, including the Normandy SR1 Mass Effect Frigate.