How to Find Planetary Archive in No Man's Sky

The question of how to find Planetary Archive in No Man’s Sky seems to be popping up. Apparently, people are currently struggling to figure out where to find the Colossal Archive locations. Well, that’s where we come in. There are several steps to the process, and, unfortunately, a lot of randomness, but that’s just the nature of the beast. So, with all of that said, here’s how to find Planetary Archives.

How to Find Planetary Archive NMS

To find a Planetary Archive in No Man’s Sky (or NMS, if you will), also known as a Colossal Archive, you need to stock up on commercial planetary charts. Yes, you need specifically commercial planetary charts, and you’re gonna need a lot of them. Probably around ten to fifteen, maybe even up to twenty. See, these charts take you to random inhabited settlements on different planets, and sometimes, these are going to feature a Planetary Archive. Unfortunately, these are completely random, as is the nature of No Man’s Sky, so be prepared to burn through quite a few charts until you finally locate a Colossal Archive.

So, with that said, how do you actually get commercial planetary charts? Well, you can purchase them from cartographers, aka the vendors usually standing near portals at space stations. They sell the charts you need for navigational data. Yes, they also sell random charts for a pittance of nanites, but when it comes to how to find a Planetary Archive, or Colossal Archive, in No Man’s Sky, you don’t need to test the RNG gods any more. Best to grind out some navigational data.

The best way to get navigational data is to interact with save waypoints scattered across the universe. You always get some nav data for that. Also, interact with glowing orbs and cubes found on tables. Lastly, you can sometimes purchase them from Galactic Trade Hubs. Once you have enough, buy yourself a stack of commercial planetary charts and begin your quest to find a Planetary Archive.