If you’ve ever fantasized about jumping into No Man’s Sky and living out a dream of being a dinosaur enthusiast who somehow landed Jennifer Aniston as a partner, then today is your day to shine! Hello Games has just launched the Relics update, and its highlight is the chance to unearth ancient alien fossils.
This update comes on the heels of the big Worlds update that dropped earlier this year in January, introducing us to a universe brimming with “billions of new stars and planets.” Notably, it featured enormous gas giants and some truly bizarre flying squid creatures that’d give you a hard time for casting your fishing line too aggressively.
In the Relics update, detailed in both a blog post and an accompanying video, you’ll find the thrilling addition of space paleontology. It’s like stepping into the shoes of Ross Geller from Friends—sans the occasional bouts of melancholy, sandwich-induced panic attacks, and holiday-armadillo costumes.
You now have the chance to channel your inner David Schwimmer, exploring the cosmos on a mission to “unearth hundreds of unique bones.” These remnants can be displayed in your museum as you attempt to piece together the appearance of these ancient beings. And while the idea of creatively rearranging bones to convince aliens that they’re the descendants of a particularly ugly and advanced species called the Fartongueians sounds amusing, it’s a complete mystery if that path will lead anywhere.
But wait, there’s more! This update introduces Reanimated Guardians—massive stone lifeforms that lay dormant near planetary fossil sites, protecting these long-forgotten graves from travelers hoping to disrupt their rest. These stone creatures appear less like butt-faced monsters and more like impressive stone guardians. Additionally, you’ll encounter Living Stone Sentries and Colossal Stone Effigies, which appear as “monumental stone figures, vestiges of long-dead alien civilizations.”
While you’re on your space adventures, you might stumble upon some living fossils, including Titanic Boneworms and “skeletal fauna” that roam planets rich in bones and certain purple star systems. Inside Space Stations, you’ll find Fossil Collectors ready to buy your curated fossil collections or trade their fossils with you, and yes, you can even cook using these bones.
It’s time to join the Galactic Paleontology Society and embark on the new expedition that Relics adds. Completing it rewards players with a quirky sentient rock jetpack, lets you change your appearance to look like a rock come to life, and provides a skeletal creature as your buddy.
Have you been itching to become a space-inspired version of Ross for what feels like forever? Share your thoughts with us!
