No Man’s Sky Update “Relics” Turns You into a Space Paleontologist Collecting Alien Fossils

If you’ve ever had the urge to jump into No Man’s Sky and embody someone who’s not only obsessed with dinosaurs but also somehow managed to charm Jennifer Aniston, Hello Games just made your dream a reality. With the freshly released Relics update, players can now dive into the world of alien fossil collection.

This update builds on the surge of content brought by the massive Worlds update back in January, which introduced “billions of new stars and planets.” These included breathtaking gas giants and some rather peculiar flying squids, ready to retaliate if you fish too aggressively.

A blog post, along with a video introduction, delves into the star feature of the Relics update: space paleontology. Picture Ross Geller from Friends, dabbling with dinosaur bones when he’s not embroiled in his sandwich woes or trotting around as a holiday armadillo. In No Man’s Sky, players can explore the galaxy and excavate “hundreds of unique bones,” piecing them together in museums to reconstruct what ancient creatures might have once looked like. Want to play a prank by swapping skulls for tailbones and spin wild tales about a hypothetical race with questionable hygiene known as the Fartongueians? Well, it’s certainly an option worth exploring.

But hold your horses—or bone dragons. The update also introduces Reanimated Guardians, massive stone guardians that protect these ancient burial sites from ill-fated explorers. These intriguing sentinels appear more like monumental robot protectors than my ill-advised rump-faced theory. You’ll also encounter Living Stone Sentries and Colossal Stone Effigies, the latter being grand stone statues standing vigil over the relic worlds.

Adventurers might stumble upon some living fossils as well. Titanic Boneworms and “skeletal fauna” haunt planets rich in bones, occasionally popping up in certain purple star systems. Space travelers can swing by Space Stations to chat with Fossil Collectors, who are more than willing to buy your fossil displays or offer you an enticing trade of bones for other fossils. And if you fancy a bit of culinary adventure, you can even dabble in some bone-cooking.

Be sure to join the Galactic Paleontology Society and embark on the new expedition introduced in Relics. Who wouldn’t want to snag a snazzy sentient rock jetpack, alter their appearance to resemble living rock, or make a skeletal creature their travel buddy?

Has the idea of being a space-age Ross been tickling your fancy for a while? We’d love to hear your thoughts!