No Man's Sky: How to Stack Reactors and Rotate Walkways

To stack reactors vertically and turn walkways at 90-degree angles in No Man's Sky, you must build temporary structural scaffolding to bypass default collision limits. Placing intermediary guide pieces creates valid snap nodes at heights and angles that the native build grid normally blocks. Once the target part snaps into place, deleting the temporary guides leaves the component anchored cleanly.

How to Stack Reactors

Standard placement rules register the top face of a reactor as an obstructed surface, preventing you from snapping a second unit directly on top of the first. You can circumvent this restriction by routing an offset snap path around the outside of the base reactor.

Follow these steps to stack reactors:

1. Lay a foundation: Place a structural floor tile or corridor module on level ground to serve as your coordinate base. Switch to Free Placement or Build Camera mode for an unobstructed view of connection points.
2. Snap the base reactor: Attach your first reactor directly to the foundation snap node, orienting it to fit your intended wiring and exterior layout.
3. Attach a lateral height guide: Snap a modular wall panel to the lateral snap point beside the base reactor. Attach an elevated or inverted half-wall to this guide so its top edge sits flush with the upper rim of the reactor.
4. Extend an upper anchor plate: Snap an upper floor tile inward across the top of the reactor from the offset wall. This plate acts as a temporary hosting node directly above the base unit.
5. Snap the upper reactor: Target the connection node on the temporary upper floor tile. The second reactor will snap into vertical alignment directly over the base unit.
6. Remove the scaffolding: Delete the temporary wall panels, half-walls, and upper floor tile. The stacked reactors remain anchored in place without triggering collision errors.

Rotating Walkways in 90-Degree Steps

Catwalks and walkways default to straight runs or fixed T-junctions. To turn a walkway at a sharp right angle without a bulky transition corridor:

1. Snap a small structural cube or junction piece directly to the exit point of your placed walkway.
2. Select your next walkway piece and target the face of the junction cube.
3. Cycle through the piece orientation toggles against the junction face until the walkway snaps perpendicular to the original path.
4. Confirm placement and delete the junction cube.

The walkway retains its 90-degree orientation, allowing you to route catwalks tightly around structural perimeters and stacked modules.

Applying the Technique to Compact Ship Builds

Using stacked reactors and right-angle walkways allows you to build dense ship silhouettes, such as the Chibi Razor Crest Corvette, without wasting interior volume:

• Central bulkheads: Place stacked reactors along the centerline to form tall, heavy engine pods and central bulkheads without extending the length of your ship.
• Wing stubs and fairings: Extend walkways perpendicular to the core stack to create compact landing gear mounts and low-profile wings.
• Internal cable management: Run wiring harnesses and position wire cloakers directly through the hollow interior gaps of the stacked reactors before enclosing the frame with cockpit assemblies or exterior plating.

Collision and Complexity Limits

Stacking modules tightly can cause interaction hitboxes to overlap. If your stacked reactors feature manual maintenance panels, verify that you can interact with each panel before sealing the outer hull with decorative plates.

Always delete temporary guide walls, horizontal plates, and snap cubes immediately after locking each component in place. Removing scaffolding reduces overall base part counts, prevents rendering issues in crowded zones, and ensures your ship geometry renders reliably when pulsing through star systems.