Well you certainly can’t accuse No Man’s Sky of becoming predictable. Nine years after its launch, Hello Games’ exploratory space sim is still somehow finding ways to surprise – and that continues with its new palaeontology themed Relics update, which is out today on all platforms.
Relics sees Hello Games festooning its virtual universe with procedural prehistoric bones that budding palaeontologists can collect and trade in a sort of excavation-based ‘gotta-catch-’em-all’ frenzy. Bones can be acquired by digging deep beneath the earth, then assembled into skeletons based entirely on players’ own whims. These in turn can be displayed back at base, meaning it’s now essentially possible to create entire museums of baffling bone creations.
It doesn’t stop there, however. Digs can also unearth fossils of varying rarities – some of immense value – and a new specialist has been introduced to space stations, giving players a way to barter for the missing pieces in their collection. Just be aware that digging isn’t without risk; it’s said dangerous new enemies can be found guarding the most valuable treasures, including Stone Ghosts, a colossal Stone Golem, and even a skeletal Titan Worm.
As is now tradition, Relics’ arrival will be followed soon after by a new limited-time community expedition – this one focusing on palaeontology and challenging Travellers to compete for the rarest finds. “We think players will have a lot of fun digging into the new-found palaeontology of the universe,” Hello Games adds in its announcement.
Full patch notes for No Man’s Sky’s Relics update – which follows January’s massive Worlds Part 2 update and its “trillions of new planets” – can be found on Hello Games’ website.