NMS Optimizer: How to Optimize Your Tech Layout
Getting Started with the Grid
- Select a Platform (Starship, Multi-Tool, Corvette, etc.) using the
icon. - Click or double-tap (mobile) a slot to mark it Supercharged.
- Ctrl-click (Windows) / ⌘-click (Mac) / single-tap (mobile) to toggle a slot active or inactive.
- Use row toggles to enable or disable entire rows. (Row toggles are disabled once modules are placed.)
- Use the module selection
button to add or remove individual modules within a technology group.
💡 **Note:** Exosuits and Exocraft have fixed grids. Exocraft slots cannot be modified. On Exosuits, only active/inactive states can be changed — supercharged slot layouts are fixed.
Before You Begin
This tool is intended for endgame optimization and works best when:
- Most or all grid slots are unlocked.
- All relevant technologies are available.
- You have three upgrade modules per technology.
Partial setups are supported, but results are optimized for fully upgraded platforms.
Usage Tips
Supercharged slots are limited — placement matters.
- Don’t assign all supercharged slots to the first technology you place. This often blocks stronger overall layouts later.
- Start by assigning 2–3 supercharged slots to a high-impact technology, not all of them.
- Reserve at least one or more supercharged slots for a second priority technology to improve total effectiveness.
- Once you've used all of your supercharged slots, prioritize technologies with larger module counts before space becomes constrained.
- Let the solver handle placement; your role is to set priorities and distribution.
If space becomes tight, you may need to reset and solve technologies in a different order to avoid an Optimization Alert.
Pro Tip
The solver uses fixed windows sized to each technology’s module count to find space-efficient placements.
If results aren’t ideal, temporarily disable slots to guide the solver toward a better layout.
Theta / Tau / Sigma Labels
These labels rank procedural upgrades by stats, not by class. They are legacy terms retained for consistency.
- Theta (1) — best stats
- Tau (2) — middle
- Sigma (3) — weakest
You won’t see these labels in-game. They are assigned by directly comparing upgrade stats.
In-Game Comparison
Ignore class letters (S, X, etc.) and compare stats:
- Best → Theta
- Second → Tau
- Worst → Sigma
Class does not determine rank. X-Class upgrades can outperform or underperform S-Class.
Corvettes
Corvettes differ from other platforms: they can have up to three separate upgrade sets.
- Cosmetic upgrades are shown as
Cn. - Reactor upgrades are shown as
Rn.
The solver may suggest Cosmetic upgrades for performance over appearance, though differences are usually minor.
Recommended Builds
For Exosuits and Exocraft, supercharged slots are fixed and viable layouts are limited.
The tool provides hand-curated recommended builds reflecting optimal combinations.
Suggestions and alternate layouts are welcome via the project discussions:
https://github.com/jbelew/nms_optimizer-web/discussions
Saving, Loading, and Sharing
Load — Upload a saved .nmsfile to restore a layout.Save — Download the current layout as a .nmsfile.Share — Generate a link others can open directly in the optimizer. Screenshot — Generate a screenshot of the current layout.