Part of the series:

How to Make Units Fast in No Man's Sky (2026): Every money method ranked — start here.

No Man's Sky Expeditions Guide: Expeditions are one of the fastest Quicksilver sources.

How to Get a Living Ship: The Void Egg from the Quicksilver shop kicks off the Starbirth questline.

Quick Answer

Quicksilver is No Man's Sky's premium social currency: earned through gameplay, never bought with real money.
The main source is daily Nexus missions inside the Space Anomaly, which reward 400 Quicksilver on completion and can have up to three saved in reserve if you miss them.
A special weekend community mission offers 1,800 Quicksilver as a one-time payout each week.
Expeditions award Quicksilver milestones that are redeemable on any save, making them excellent value.
Quicksilver is spent exclusively at the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion ("Quincy") in the Anomaly.
Top purchases include cosmetic armor sets, base decorations, animal companions, emotes, and the Void Egg (3,200 QS) needed to start the Living Ship quest.
Unlocking everything from Quincy requires tens of thousands of Quicksilver earned over many sessions. Treat it as a long-term goal.

Overview

Quicksilver sits alongside Units and Nanites as the game's third major currency, but it works differently from both. You cannot trade for it, craft it, or buy it. It is earned purely by engaging with the game's social and live-service features. Think of it as Hello Games' way of rewarding players who log in regularly and participate in the wider community.

Unlike Units (used for ships and trading) or Nanites (used for technology upgrades), Quicksilver unlocks cosmetic and collectible content that is otherwise completely unobtainable. Importantly, purchases are tied to your Hello Games account rather than a single save file: anything you unlock is available to claim across all your saves, though consumable items (like the Void Egg and fireworks) must be purchased again on each save where you want to use them.

There is no fast shortcut to enormous Quicksilver wealth, so understanding the rhythm of earning and prioritizing your spending is the whole game here.

How to Earn Quicksilver

Daily Nexus Missions (Primary Source)

The Nexus kiosk inside the Space Anomaly is the single most reliable Quicksilver faucet in the game. Each day, a Quicksilver mission appears on the board, rewarding 400 Quicksilver upon completion. These missions range from combat tasks and base building challenges to exploration objectives.

A few important rules to know:

Missions stack. If you skip a day, the unplayed daily mission is saved. You can have up to three missions held in reserve at once. Once three are banked, any further missed days are simply lost, so it is worth checking in at least every few days to avoid waste.
Missions rotate frequently. The Nexus board refreshes every ten minutes. If the current mission type does not appeal to you, wait for the next rotation.
Multiplayer compatible. Nexus missions can be completed solo or in a group. Playing with others can make certain tasks faster, even if the Quicksilver payout per player remains the same.

Weekend Community Mission (Large Weekly Payout)

Once per weekend, Polo and Nada designate a special community-wide mission accessible from the Nexus. A turquoise hexagon marker appears above the Nexus board to signal its availability. This mission offers 1,800 Quicksilver: significantly more than a standard daily. Completing it each weekend is among the most efficient things you can do for your Quicksilver balance. Make it a habit.

Expeditions (Account-Wide Milestones)

Expeditions are time-limited seasonal game modes where players complete a shared journey from scratch. Reaching milestones within an Expedition rewards Quicksilver (and other exclusive cosmetics), which are then claimable from the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion on any save, including your main save file. This makes active Expedition participation one of the highest-value activities for building up your Quicksilver reserves, especially when a new Expedition launches.

If you missed a past Expedition, check the Expedition Rewards guide for details on whether its rewards are still accessible.

Condensed Stellar Ice (Supplemental Farming)

While pulse driving through space, you may encounter glowing pink asteroid clusters called Condensed Stellar Ice. Mining these has a chance to reward around 100 Quicksilver, though the drop is not guaranteed. You may receive other materials instead. The per-hour yield is modest compared to Nexus missions, but it is a legitimate passive source when you are already flying between systems. Green star systems are reported to spawn Condensed Stellar Ice more frequently, so keep your scanner active during long-haul trips.

Artemis Path Story Missions

Playing through the main Artemis Path storyline rewards Quicksilver at several points when you speak with Nada, who offers a bonus for keeping her updated on story events. If you are new to the game and have not finished the main story, working through it provides a useful early Quicksilver boost. This is a one-time source per save, but it is a solid push at the start.

Historiographical Dosimeter

Scanning ruins, monoliths, and planetary plaques with the Historiographical Dosimeter, a curiosity item available from Quincy after certain Expeditions, grants 15 Quicksilver per site. The payout per location is small, but if you are already doing exploration and scanning alien words for lore, this method layers on a little extra Quicksilver with no additional effort. See our Exploration & Endgame guide for more on using these tools efficiently.

Summary of Earning Methods

Method	Quicksilver Earned	Frequency
Daily Nexus mission	400 per mission	Daily (up to 3 in reserve)
Weekend community mission	1,800	Once per weekend
Expedition milestones	Varies by milestone	Per Expedition season
Condensed Stellar Ice	~100 per cluster (chance-based)	Passive, anytime
Artemis Path story	Varies	One-time per save
Historiographical Dosimeter	15 per site	Per location scanned

Note: Hello Games may adjust reward values between updates. The figures above reflect community-verified amounts.

Where to Spend Quicksilver

All Quicksilver spending happens at the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion, nicknamed "Quincy" by the community, who stands near the ramp leading to the upper level of the Space Anomaly, to the right of the Nexus kiosk. Quincy's inventory is divided into several categories.

Cosmetic Armor and Visages

Quincy sells armor sets, helmets, and face visages that let you customize your Traveller's appearance in ways the standard appearance editor cannot match. The complete Armored Suit set costs 6,500 Quicksilver total and is among the most visually distinct looks available. Individual helmet and visage pieces vary in price.

Emotes and Gestures

A selection of gestures (celebrate, wonder, and others) are available for a moderate amount of Quicksilver each. These are purely for social fun during multiplayer sessions in the Anomaly or at shared bases.

Base Building Decorations

A large portion of Quincy's stock consists of base-building part blueprints: ornamental plants, statues of major story characters (Polo, Nada, Artemis, Atlas, and more), aquariums, holographic globes, and other decorative pieces. Prices range from a small amount for decals and smaller bronzes up to several hundred Quicksilver for mid-tier pieces. If base building is your passion, these decorations are what make a base feel truly personalized.

Animal Companions

Robotic companion creatures are available for a modest amount of Quicksilver each. These are cosmetic pets that follow you around. They do not provide stat bonuses but are a fun addition for players who enjoy having a companion alongside their biological-fauna pets.

The Void Egg (Essential for Living Ship Owners)

The single most mechanically significant item in Quincy's shop is the Void Egg, which costs 3,200 Quicksilver. Purchasing it and carrying it in your inventory unlocks the Starbirth questline, triggered by a transmission received during pulse drive, which is the only way to obtain a Living Ship. The Void Egg is a consumable: if you want a Living Ship on a different save, you must purchase another one. If you have any interest in Living Ships, the Void Egg should be your first major savings goal.

Fireworks

Single-use fireworks in various colors are available at a modest price. Fun for celebrations but low priority compared to other items. Like the Void Egg, fireworks are consumables and must be purchased per save.

Spending Priority Guide

If you are not sure where to start, use this rough priority order:

Void Egg (3,200 QS): if you want a Living Ship, save for this first.
Emotes: permanent quality-of-life unlocks for multiplayer.
Base decorations: buy the ones that match your base aesthetic as you accumulate QS naturally.
Armor and cosmetics: premium-looking gear worth saving for if appearance matters to you.
Fireworks and small items: low priority; nice to have but buy last.

FAQ

Can I buy Quicksilver with real money?

No. Quicksilver is earned entirely through in-game activities: daily missions, community events, Expeditions, and story content. Hello Games has never sold Quicksilver or premium currency for real money. Everything in Quincy's shop is earned through play.

Does Quicksilver carry over between saves?

Your Quicksilver balance is tied to your individual save file and cannot be transferred. However, cosmetic purchases made from Quincy are unlocked account-wide, meaning you can claim them on other saves at no additional Quicksilver cost. The exception is consumable items such as the Void Egg and fireworks. These must be purchased again on each save where you want to use them.

What happens if I miss several daily missions?

Missing daily Nexus missions causes them to stack in reserve, up to a maximum of three saved missions. Once three are held, any additional missed days are lost. If you know you will be away for a while, try to burn through the saved stack before leaving so you maximize your earning potential when you return.

Is there a cap on how much Quicksilver I can hold?

There is no reported hard cap on your Quicksilver balance. Because earning is time-gated through daily and weekly missions, accumulating very large amounts naturally takes consistent long-term play.

Do Expeditions still give Quicksilver if I played them before?

Expedition rewards you previously claimed during an active Expedition are permanently unlocked and redeemable from Quincy at any time. However, if you missed an Expedition entirely, its Quicksilver milestones are generally no longer earnable unless Hello Games re-runs that Expedition.

Is the Void Egg worth 3,200 Quicksilver?

Absolutely, if Living Ships interest you. The Starbirth quest is among the most unique experiences in No Man's Sky, and the Living Ship class is the only fully organic ship type in the game. No other item in Quincy's shop opens up a completely new ship class the way the Void Egg does. Just remember it is a consumable. You will need to buy another if you start a new save and want a Living Ship there too.

Key Takeaways

Daily Nexus missions (400 QS each) are the backbone of Quicksilver farming. Check in every few days to avoid losing stacked missions.
Weekend community missions (1,800 QS) offer the largest single weekly payout and should not be skipped.
Expeditions are the fastest route to significant Quicksilver bonuses and unlock account-wide rewards claimable on any save.
Condensed Stellar Ice during pulse travel is a low-effort supplemental source worth grabbing when you spot it.
Spend Quicksilver at the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion (Quincy) inside the Space Anomaly, near the ramp to the upper level.
The Void Egg (3,200 QS) is the highest-impact mechanical purchase. It is a consumable, so budget one per save where you want a Living Ship. Everything else Quincy sells is cosmetic.
Unlocking all of Quincy's shop requires tens of thousands of Quicksilver. Treat it as a long-term collector's goal rather than something to rush.

No Man's Sky: How to Get Quicksilver (and What to Spend It On)