The Best Rewards In The No Man’s Sky Relics Expedition

Expedition 18 for No Man’s Sky, titled Relics, began a few days ago. This is the 18th free expedition update that has been released for the game so far. The Relics expedition introduces some new features to the base game, and the expedition acts as a curated tour of these new additions. It is a good reason to begin playing No Man’s Sky again in 2025.

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The main new gameplay loop added in the Relics update grants the ability to locate buried fossils and dig them up. This is done with a Scanning Visor. These fossils can be sold, traded to a special new NPC added to dig sites and stations, and used to create entire skeletons which can be mounted on a display. Overall, the Relics expedition is one of the shorter expeditions in No Man’s Sky, as it can be completed in just a few hours if done right. The rewards are very cool and worthwhile, although there is no ship reward for this expedition.

6

Two New Food Recipes

Bone Broth And Softened Marrow

• Bone Broth: Gives a buff to protection
• Softened Marrow: Gives a health buff

Starting this list off are a couple of new cooking recipes that have been added to the game in the Relics update, and that the player is introduced to during the expedition. It must be said these are a little underwhelming. There are two new recipes: Bone Broth and Softened Marrow.

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Eating Bone Broth results in a short-term buff to the level of protection the player has. Eating Softened Marrow gives a pretty minor health buff. These can’t be overlooked though, as they need to be crafted at least once to finish the relevant expedition milestone.

5

Skeleton Exhibits

Craft Them As Decorations

• Several different bases can be used
• Fossils can be mixed and matched to create unique exhibits

In most phases of the Relics expedition for No Man’s Sky, the player is tasked with assembling a specific kind of skeleton. As part of this process, they are awarded with plans for a number of different skeleton exhibit bases. These can be placed as game objects, and are intended for decoration purposes outside of the expedition.

Once the player places a base, they can then add different fossils to make up the back, head, forelimbs, lower limbs, and tail of a skeleton. These parts can be mixed and matched to create different, unique skeletons based on the fossils that are used to build them.

4

Living Fossil Pet

A Cool New Companion

• Can be hatched from an egg
• Has some great animations and text

One of the later rewards in the Relic expedition is an egg for a new pet. This is placed into the player’s inventory, and they just need to hatch it. What hops out is a cool new fossilized skeleton pet. This is actually one of the better pets that have been given out as expedition rewards in No Man’s Sky so far.

It is a pretty large pet, as can be seen from the image, has some really good animations, and overall is a pretty fun addition to the game. The only slight downside is that, being so large, it can get in the way sometimes, so it might not be the best pet to take into confined spaces.

A Cool New Staff To Wield

• It is only an A-grade multitool
• Fits with the fossil aesthetic of the Relics expedition

Towards the end of the Relics expedition in No Man’s Sky, the player will be given a new NMS multitool as a reward. This is the Basilisk Crown staff. It is a little disappointing that this is only an A-grade multitool and not an S-grade multitool though.

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That being said, it is a significant upgrade over the basic multitool the player is given at the start of the expedition. However, long-term players likely already have access to much better options. Graphically, it fits with the living stone theme of the rest of the expedition’s customization options though, and players who want to follow the whole Relics theme will likely want to upgrade it and use it.

2

Living Stone Hardpack

Just Another Backpack

• Large and bulky
• Matches the living rock exosuit customization

The second to last reward that No Man’s Sky players receive whilst doing the Relics expedition is the Living Rock Hardpack. As with most expeditions, this backpack is intended to be used with the exosuit customization that is given as a later expedition reward.

Overall, though, it is just another backpack. There is nothing special about it other than the way it looks. However, some players do collect customizations, and this is a great new addition for these players. It is big and bulky, and tends to wobble around a lot while the player is running, but it is a cool new look to be sure.

1

Living Rock Customization

Changes The Look Of The Exosuit

• Big and beefy aesthetic
• Matches the hardpack and multitool already awarded

The Living Rock customization for the player’s exosuit is the final reward in the Relics expedition. Players who were hoping for another expedition reward ship might be a bit disappointed at this stage, as they’ll have to settle for this exosuit customization instead.

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This is a very bulky exosuit customization, although it must be said it does look great; the helmet especially, with its glowing eye slots that are reminiscent of a Cylon Centurion from Battlestar Galactica. The overall look of all three parts—exosuit, hardpack, and staff—is one of the most unique No Man’s Sky esthetics to date.

Adventure

Action

Survival

Released

August 9, 2016

ESRB

T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood