Summary
- The new Relics update for No Man's Sky expands the abandoned universe mode and introduces new archaeology content.
- Fans can jump into the limited-time Relics expedition to earn unique rewards like living stone armor and a skeletal creature companion egg.
- Abandoned universes now provide access to purple star systems without the need for story progression, making it a unique way to play.
Fans of No Man's Sky have recently received yet another free content update, which greatly expands on the game's previously introduced abandoned universe mode while bringing in new archaeology-related content. The new Relics update has also kicked off a new expedition event in No Man's Sky, and fans can jump into the limited-time Relics expedition right now to earn unique rewards, including the Basilisk Crown staff, living stone armor, a skeletal creature companion egg, and more.
Despite having more than eight years of consistently released free content updates behind it, No Man's Sky's continued development has seemed to ramp up even further in recent times rather than slow down. The game's relatively recent Worlds Part 2 update presented the second half of one mammoth content drop, focusing almost entirely on the game's exploration features and world generation technologies. It's considered by no small portion of the community to be the single largest update the game has received since its 2016 launch, even introducing a new game mode which allows players to explore alone in an empty, abandoned universe, devoid of NPCs.
No Man's Sky: Why You Should Start Over in 2025
No Man's Sky has been around for nearly a decade, and both newcomers and longtime players would benefit from jumping in this year.
This abandoned universe mode was met with some mixed reception, with many fans disappointed that the mode kept players locked out of the new purple-class star systems due to a lack of the story quest usually necessary to unlock this tier of systems. Thankfully, abandoned mode got some big upgrades with No Man's Sky's Relics update, and players in an abandoned universe can now access purple star systems from the galaxy map automatically, no story progression required. Even better, abandoned space stations now provide players access to exosuit, starship, and multitool upgrade stations, and carry multi-tools that can be redeemed for free but must be repaired with materials.
How These Changes Help Abandoned Mode Stand Out As a Game Mode
Abandoned universes have also been updated to provide players with generally larger amounts of loot when salvaging certain points of interest across the galaxy in No Man's Sky. With all these changes in mind, abandoned universe mode effectively stands out now as a truly unique way of playing the game, instead of simply being an extra setting that adds a new level of challenge. Many fans have been hoping to see the mode get this kind of treatment since it was introduced, proving how Hello Games thrives when furthering its game in response to community feedback.
No Man's Sky's purple star systems do more than just add more typical planets to an already infinite universe, though. These unique stars are home to planets that can't be found elsewhere, such as gas giants and fully ocean worlds, and feature planets that generate differently from planets in other systems. With abandoned universes now providing ready access to No Man's Sky's entire universe straight from the start, the mode may be a more ideal way to play for travelers who prefer to simply relax and explore the game's vast universe instead of progressing through its narrative content.
No Man's Sky
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 36%
- Released
- August 9, 2016
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood
- Developer(s)
- Hello Games
- Publisher(s)
- Hello Games
