No Man's Sky: All Planet Types, Explained

03.04.2024 - 01:43 / thegamer.com

You’ll see many strange and wonderful things in your journey through No Man’s Sky, most of which will be seen on planets. These stellar bodies are home to countless flora and fauna, mineral resources, and sometimes, edible treats for your Nutrient Processor.

While planets may seem to come in endless varieties, they can all be categorized into several major types. Whether you’re looking to set up camp on a paradise planet, or trying to mine the rare minerals found on Volcanic and Frozen planets, this guide will give you a tour of the many types of planets you’ll find in No Man’s Sky.

Before we begin our planetary tour, Travelers should be aware of some general information. Every planet has a particular biome that falls into one of 11 categories. Every planet has wild terrain variations based on its biome, and every planet with an atmosphere will have its own weather pattern.

The main reason to visit planets is for resources. Different planets will have different mineral deposits that can be used for crafting, and the potential for harvestable agricultural substances.

Finally, planets can have varying Sentinel activity. Sentinel behavior can be low, with Sentinel drones only found guarding secure facilities; high, with Sentinels patrolling the planet's surface; and aggressive, with frequent Sentinel patrols that attack Travelers on sight.

It’s also possible to find Corrupted Sentinesl on Corrupted planets , which can lead to locating a crashed Sentinel Interceptor. More on that in our previous guide here .

Planetary biomes can fall into 11 categories: Lush, Barren, Dead, Exotic, Mega Exotic, Scorched, Frozen, Toxic, Irradiated, Marsh, and Volcanic. It may not be obvious which category a planet falls into because each planet is described using different terminology. We’ll discuss each category and its descriptive terms below.

Alternate Descriptions

Common Resources

Rainy, Verdant, Tropical, Viridescent, Paradise, Temperate, Humid, Overgrown, Flourishing, Grassy, Bountiful

Paraffinium, Nitrogen, Star Bulb

Lush planets are without doubt the best planets you can find. They typically have abundant animal life, brilliantly colorful plant life, and mild oxygen atmospheres that won't reduce your life support systems over time. Lush planets can have extreme weather (usually boiling rain), but they'll never have the sort of extreme storms you'll find on other planets.

While most Lush planets will remind players of Earth with a slightly different color palette, Lush planets can have some of the characteristics of Exotic and Mega Exotic planets, such as bioluminescent flora, unusual weather (such as random bubbles or rains of blood), and strange looking creatures.

Alternate Descriptions