‘No Man’s Sky’ update lets players tame, train, breed, and genetically modify alien creatures

Space exploration does not have to be so lonesome, and developer Hello Games has introduced the latest “No Man’s Sky” patch allowing players to have one or many pets. The Companion Update is now live, and that means explorers can now look for an alien creature to adopt, train, breed, and even genetically modify.

‘No Man’s Sky’ latest patch lets explorers have pets

The abundance of alien creatures is one of the notable gameplay features of “No Man’s Sky.” But the ways players can interact with them were limited until patch 3.2, also called the Companion Update, was released on Wednesday.

“No Man’s Sky” explorers can now tame an alien creature and take them as their space travel companion. Like with real-life pets, players will have to take care of their alien companions to form bonds with them. Once the players and their pets are bonded, the latter can be summoned anywhere the traveler goes, including the Space Anomaly station.

Caring for “No Man’s Sky” creatures means feeding, training, and playing with them. When a creature feels taken care of and has formed a bond with a player, they will be able to improve the traveler’s space exploration experience. Animal companions can help the traveler to scan resources, mark hazardous areas, hunt for other dangerous creatures, provide light, and mine for treasures.

The developers said “No Man’s Sky” pets have unique personalities affected by their type of species and their environment. Breeding animal companions will produce similar-looking creatures, but they can also have different personalities than their parents. Similar to walking a dog in the park, the game’s alien creatures are also designed to interact with other pets they encounter.

‘No Man’s Sky’ devs introduce ‘Egg Sequencer’ to genetically modify creatures

The Companion Update also introduces a new feature that makes genetic modifications of alien creatures possible. “No Man’s Sky” players can use the new Egg Sequencer that can be found in the Space Anomaly.

Based on the Companion Update preview, the “No Man’s Sky” Egg Sequencer will let players choose from several “catalysts.” However, the developers warned overdosing the eggs with a certain catalyst “may cause dramatic creature reconfigurations.” The update is now available to install for free on all platforms.