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

If you’ve ever wanted to dive into No Man’s Sky and live your dream of being a dinosaur enthusiast who’s somehow also managed to date Jennifer Aniston, today is definitely your lucky day. Hello Games has just released the Relics update, with its standout feature: the chance to collect colossal alien fossils.

This update follows the massive Worlds expansion that landed back in January, bringing with it billions of new celestial bodies. Among these are vast gas giants and those fascinating flying squid creatures that don’t take kindly to overfishing.

As detailed in the latest blog post and accompanying video about the Relics update, this patch introduces space paleontology. You know, similar to Ross Geller from Friends, who juggled a career in paleontology with his various comedic antics.

Now, you can embark on a similar adventure, exploring the galaxy to unearth hundreds of unique bones. Piece them together in your own museum and ponder how ancient creatures might have appeared. Can you creatively rearrange the bones to convince No Man’s Sky’s diverse alien species that they descend from an amusingly unattractive, albeit advanced, species known as the Fartongueians? I couldn’t say for sure, but it sounds entertaining.

On another note, be cautious with your plan. The update includes Reanimated Guardians—massive stone creatures that vigilantly guard ancient burial sites on planets from any intruding Travelers. These guardians have more in common with stone robots than cheeky-faced creatures, so maybe rethink that theory. You’ll also encounter Living Stone Sentries and giant Stone Effigies, the latter being ancient statues from long-lost alien civilizations that oversee relic planets.

As you explore, you’re likely to stumble upon some still-living fossils like Titanic Boneworms and skeletal creatures, roaming both fossil-rich planets and certain purple star systems. Additionally, you can interact with Fossil Collectors on Space Stations where you can sell your crafted fossil displays or trade bones for a wide variety of fossils. Bones even serve a culinary purpose here.

Don’t forget to join the Galactic Paleontology Society and embark on the new expedition that Relics offers. Completing it gives you unique rewards: a jetpack formed from sentient rock, the option to transform your character’s appearance to resemble a sentient rock, and even a skeletal animal companion.

Have you been dreaming of playing space Ross all this time? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!