No Man’s Sky Just Dropped The Relics Update, Bringing Ancient Alien Fossils To The Game

What more could you possibly add to a blossoming universe brimming with more than 18 quintillion planets and even more species just begging to be discovered? Judging by the latest update hitting No Man’s Sky, the answer is ancient alien fossils, and the ability to dig them up and display them front and centre in your home. Paleontology has come to No Man’s Sky, in other words.

Relics of a time before 2016

As part of the ongoing seasons-long redemption arc Hello Games is currently riding, even nine years after the release of No Man’s Sky, this free DLC arrives as part of the Relics update. This is actually the 38th named update to hit No Man’s Sky, and we’re certain it won’t be the last.

“Since launch, because of the way that No Man’s Sky’s planetary terrain works, players have enjoyed being able to dig down through the earth to find buried technologies or other valuable items hidden beneath their feet. From today, players will start to find a whole new category of palaeontological finds – the skeletal remains of alien creatures which used to inhabit these worlds.”

Players won’t be unearthing entirely formed fossils. They’ll have to discover and collect them piecemeal, before assembling them for themselves, creating wholly unique creatures that only serve to deepen the extensive lore offered in No Man’s Sky. It’s a whole lot of fun, and a good way of sprucing up the somewhat dead living room you’ve concocted in the space exploration sim.

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There’s a gargantuan “variety of procedural prehistoric bones, in all shapes and sizes” for players to discover, all of which can be uploaded to the universal repository separately, and again once you’ve brought your Frankenstein-like creation to, not life, but the forefront of your new museum. These bone fragments are ordered by rarity, with the rarest holding some big value, apparently.

It won’t be easy getting a hold of these fossils. Some of the rarer bits are likely to be guarded by new things to fight, such as Stone Ghosts, Stone Golems, and the… *checks notes* Titan Worm. Yes, that sounds like a lot of fun. Not so keen on manipulating your planet (or fighting Titan Worms)? You can visit the nearest space station to find a new fossil specialist NPC that can be traded with.

You can check out the full set of patch notes here.