In a game that is about freedom and exploration, it's strange to find a locked door. No Man's Sky has them, though, so you'll need to put in a little work to gain access to their secrets.

Very early on in No Man's Sky you'll find a piece of debris that requires an AtlasPass v1 to open. At that point in the game, there is nothing you can do about that requirement.

As you explore your starting solar system, you'll get a little help from the mysterious Nada and Polo. Not only do they give you the means to repair your Hyperdrive, but they're also the keys to getting you past those locked doors.

Finding Nada and Polo

You'll be able to find them early on in your exploration of the universe. It turns out, they're hard to miss since they live in a giant space station that constantly broadcasts a SPACE ANOMALY signal to your ship. Either wait for a tip to pop up in the lower righthand corner of your screen or ping your ship's scanner in every new system you visit. Eventually, you'll be greeted with a message announcing the discovery of a Space Anomaly.

When you enter the Warp menu, you'll now have the option of heading toward a new Waypoint. Following this waypoint to the marked system will lead you to your encounter with Nada and Polo.

Getting the AtlasPass v1

When you enter the system where Nada and Polo are, you'll see their space station. Enter it the same way you enter the usual stations.

Once inside, you can meet and interact with the enigmatic-but-helpful Nada and Polo. On this and subsequent visits, Polo will give you a Recipe or Blueprint when you interact with him.

The first Recipe Nada and Polo hand out is the AtlasPass v1. This is a simple recipe to craft, requiring only 25 Iron and 10 Heridium.

Once you've built one and stored it away in an empty slot in your Exosuit's inventory, you'll always be able to access AtlasPass v1 doors and crates. AtlasPasses are not consumable, so you'll always have it with you.

What the AtlasPass v1 unlocks

Crates locked with an AtlasPass usually have higher-value Technology Components or Trade Commodities inside.

More importantly, though, the AtlasPass v1 gives you access to the room on the left of the Space Station hangar.

Behind this door, you'll find a station that will let you upgrade your Exosuit, along with a Multi-Tool upgrade point.

On planets, you can use the AtlasPass v1 to unlock the Debris containers that sit next to just about every save point.

Would you like to know more?

No Man's Sky is a largely solitary experience, but you don't have to travel the universe alone.

This is just one small section of Polygon's No Man's Sky guide. Be sure to check out the rest, where you can learn all about your ship, your Multi-Tool and Companion Units and even get answers to some of the biggest questions about No Man's Sky. We also have a guide to No Man's Sky's resources that'll teach you the difference between Oxides and Silicates as we explain No Man's Sky's elements.

And if you're just looking for a quick reference guide to locations, like where you can save and trade — we've got you covered — too.