No Man’s Sky’s New ‘Relics’ Update Lets You Channel Your Inner Paleontologist by Uncovering Alien Fossils

If you’ve ever dreamed of jumping into No Man’s Sky and channeling your inner paleontologist with a twist of Hollywood glamour—imagine a dinosaur enthusiast who somehow wooed Jennifer Aniston—then today’s your day. The Relics update, freshly released by Hello Games, invites you to dive into the fascinating world of collecting massive alien fossils.

This exciting new update builds on the vast Worlds expansion that landed back in January. That previous update gifted us with “billions of new stars and planets,” including vast gas giants and bizarre flying creatures that wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate if you fish too aggressively.

In the recent blog post and the accompanying video, the team outlines the main draw of the Relics update—space paleontology. Yes, it’s like Ross Geller’s dream job from Friends, minus the existential funk or turkey-themed costumes.

Now, you can embark on a thrilling journey through the cosmos to discover and piece together “hundreds of unique bones,” crafting a narrative of how these ancient beings might once have lived. If you’re tempted to swap bones around and fool the galaxy’s residents into believing they stem from these hilarious, oddly technological beings dubbed Fartongueians, the possibilities are enticingly out there.

But tread carefully—this fossilized adventure also introduces Reanimated Guardians. These imposing stone lifeforms rest around the burial sites of precious relics, ever vigilant against trespassers. Unlike your imagined creatures with faces where one might least expect, these Guardians, along with Living Stone Sentries and Colossal Stone Effigies, stand as reminders of once-mighty alien civilizations.

You’ll also encounter living fossils like Titanic Boneworms and other skeletal creatures on certain planets and in star systems swathed in a purple hue. Meanwhile, space stations have become hubs for Fossil Collectors, where you can sell your displays or trade your finds for others’ fossils, and even use bones in culinary endeavors.

The new expedition introduced by Relics beckons members of the Galactic Paleontology Society to embark on quests that offer rewards like a jetpack made of sentient rock, the ability to morph your appearance into that of a sentient rock, and a skeletal buddy to accompany you.

Have you been waiting for the chance to live out your space Ross fantasy? We’d love to hear your thoughts!