No Man's Sky Planet Types - Ready Games Survive

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James is a sucker for a game that puts him in a constant state of peril. Whether it's hostile weather conditions, an abundance of enemies, or just a battle to get some grub, he's up for the challenge! James is also a huge fan of immersive RPG's, and the occasional sports game for a more casual gaming session. Then when he's not gaming, he's usually flipping guys over his shoulder at Jiu-Jitsu training.

Bottom Line Up Front

No Man’s Sky is a game that defies genre, easily fitting into several and none simultaneously. In this title, the player must adventure across the galaxy, exploring worlds at their leisure. Each of these planets belongs to one of 11 possible No Man’s Sky planet types or biomes, allowing the player to explore endlessly.

When writing this article, I can honestly say that every triple-A game I have purchased recently has had some mammoth update, totally changing the game and the bugs therein. Not only did I expect these updates, but I also accepted them as part and parcel of playing and owning a new game.

However, a couple of years ago, this practice was much less accepted in the industry and amongst fans. Back then, there was nothing worse than buying a game and sitting hours for it to install, only to repeat the process the next day with some 50GB update file.

While this process is accepted and expected today, there are still a couple of titles that have pushed our limits to the extreme, almost entirely wiping out the pre-order gaming culture, with fans preferring to wait for the inevitable patch update than anything else. I guess you have already sussed out that I am talking about Cyberpunk and where I’m going with this, but I will continue nevertheless.

Through all these massive update files and big misses from top studios, I am eternally reminded of No Man’s Sky, the trials and tribulations that game has gone through, falling from lofty heights into the gutter, only to rise like a phoenix of many gamers around the globe a couple of years later.

While the developers were the architects of their own destruction back in the months before the game’s full release, making promises no machine of that era could deliver on, they did seem to get their act together soon after, creating myriad updates to breath new life into the game and win back the trust of the community.

These updates have added so many cool and unique features to the game, building up the shell of a title that once was into a well-rounded and exciting space hopper adventure game wherein the player can truly never run out of things to do.

The update we will talk about today in great detail is the planet biome update that changed the worlds found across the galaxy into equally similar and varied locations. These planet biomes introduced 11 different possible world configurations into the game, allowing players to feel more aware of their surroundings no matter how alien a new planet may appear.

Each of these biomes has its own style and unique characteristics; therefore, I think it is only right that we talk about each of them in turn to give you some guidance on your next journey across the stars. So, with that being said, Let’s go!

Graphical Update

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the No Man’s Sky planet biome update, I must first mention that since this update was released for the title, the developers over at Hello Games have been very busy. This dedicated team has since implemented a massive graphical overhaul update that greatly changes the overall look and feel of these planet types.

The update not only improves the overall look of the game and the variety of the planet biomes, but it also adds to the overall atmosphere of the game and the planets therein. This update, then, I believe, works hand in hand with the planet biome update.

Planet Biomes

11 – Lush Biome

No, this biome is not simply a massive scent-selling planet that you can smell from several lightyears away. Instead, this biome can be described as most similar to Earth in its representation of densely packed green areas and a combination of several varieties of flora and fauna.

I always feel like I could be on a Mediterranean island when exploring one of these planets. Not only because of the green environment but because of this biome’s penchant for large lakes and water streams throughout the planet’s surface.

I have chosen to put this planet at the top of this list because it is the perfect starter planet. The lush biomes are amazing for players who have just gotten started as they are inviting and friendly. On top of this, these planets also provide the player with some of the most diverse ingredients for base building and anything else that might strike your fancy.

This is because, while the planet is excellent for supporting your life, it is also great at supporting life for a diverse and varied range of creatures, a feat rivaled by very few other planet biomes in this list.

However, recent updates to the game have clearly shown that the developers think these planets might be a little bit too easy for players. Since the Origins update, a player can no longer expect to land on a lush planet and have a completely easy time. Now, these biomes can be found in periods of peak distress, whether that be in the form of a massive extinction event or other means of planetary corruption/destruction.

Quick Lush Biome Facts

The most common and easy-to-find resources on lush planets are Star Bulb, Nitrogen, and Paraffinium.
Lush planets can appear different since the Origins update. There is a small chance that they will be baron and an even smaller chance that they can experience an extension-level event upon landing.
This planet biome type is most similar to countries with tropical climates on Earth due to its high amount of green foliage.

10 – Exotic Biome

These planet types are essentially just the ones that did not fit well in any of the other biome boxes, allowing for some element of randomness and wonder to still persist throughout the game.

While these planets will still adhere to certain rules, allowing them to be classed in the exotic biome section of this article, they will always vary greatly from one another in the expression of these rules. For example, these planets will always appear different from space than planets of other biomes; however, their difference will vary between planets. One may have a weird color, while the other could have a different-looking atmosphere from all others in the galaxy.

These planets are home to some of the more weird and most wonderful things in the galaxy and game of No Man’s Sky, allowing the developers to put everything that didn’t quite fit or make sense in the other biomes into one nifty little pocket of the universe. These planets are, therefore, home to a great variety of flora and fauna and some impressively bizarre sights you must see to believe.

As mentioned earlier, however, these planets will all have some corresponding characteristics:

An exotic world will present like a dead planet, having no water on the surface to speak of.
These biomes are also known for their rich deposits of gold and other such minerals.
The player can find deserted bases throughout planets of this biome type.

Quick Exotic Biome Facts

Exotic biomes have a chance of spawning unique and ever-changing sub-biomes within them, thus expanding the player’s experience of the game exponentially.
Gold, other mineral deposits, and a varied and unique collection of flora and fauna can be found on these planets.
These planets are more hospitable than dead ones; therefore, the player need not worry about biohazard contamination.

9 – Dead Biome

As mentioned in the previous biome entry, these Dead planets can be easily identified due to their lack of water. In essence, you can probably picture these planets very easily and come to a conclusion yourself about what they are like.

These planets will be completely devoid of life and water. They will also have no atmosphere and very low gravity due to this. Of course, since there is no water or atmosphere, the planet cannot support anything close to life; therefore, no flora or fauna can be found in these biomes. Due to all of this, I can easily say that dead planets are one of the most inhospitable places to be in the entire galaxy as the entire world tries to reject the player from its surface.

However, there is some incentive to visit these planets as, due to the lack of other sentient life, there is always a high amount of resources to be found on the planet’s surface, especially items such as rusted metal, a resource that is hard to find in some biomes. Of course, you will need a good amount of these resources to simply stay alive on these planets, keeping your biohazard suit going as you explore and excavate.

Quick Dead Biome Facts

These biomes have no water to speak of.
They are very inhospitable, requiring a large amount of preparation and materials to survive upon.
Any base built on these planets must be completely airtight.
Rich deposits of minerals and other resources can be found on these planets.
The player can stumble across whispering eggs on these planets. These eggs spawn creatures from a nightmare that will attack the player upon hatching.

8 – Barren Biome

These planet types can be easily confused with dead ones should you not know your biomes well. This is because barren biomes are usually devoid of most of the regular plant life one may have come across during their travels across the galaxy. These planets are essentially deserts, hosting a wide range of flora and fauna you would expect for such a harsh environment.

Essentially, these worlds double up as desert planets, for the most part, putting the player through the hardships one would expect to face in the middle of a Mad Max movie. For example, these biomes often subject the player to heat storms and amazingly cold nights, as well as extremely hot days, forcing the player to use their survival suit at some stages.

Outside of all this, though, the player can usually thrive in these environments once a little bit of groundwork has been established, such as a base and some resource collection. These planets are not so inhospitable that I wouldn’t advise settling here; however, I would say that you need to really enjoy bland and almost featureless patches of land to get on well here.

Quick Barren Biome Facts

Barren biomes are not without water; however, much like a desert, these springs or lakes are very hard to find and few in number.
You can find god deposits of Pyritw, Aloe, Cactus, and Sulphurine here.
Should you be on the hunt for some cactus flesh, this biome is your best chance.
These planets are known for heat and sandstorms as well as some freezingly cold nights.

7 – Scorched Biome

These planets can be described quite simply as literal depictions of hell on Earth. The atmosphere and planet’s surface are so hot that it is known to catch fire spontaneously in the middle of heat storms, resulting in a few concerns for any player unlucky enough to be caught in such a storm.

It might surprise you to hear that regardless of this inhospitable environment, these planets do offer a variety of flora and fauna for the player to make use of. However, the evolutionary modifications that such an environment has created resulted in some weird final products.

The surface of these worlds is unlike anything found in the rest of the galaxy; not only is it prone to spontaneously combusting, but it is also very rocky and uneven in gradient, forcing the player to make long and treacherous journeys even over short distances.

Quick Scorched Biome Facts

Should the player wish to traverse this landscape over an extended period of time, prepare well in advance, as during severe heat storms and outbreaks of fire, your hazard protection suit will burn through resources at three times the usual rate.
These biomes can spawn huge pieces of flora that cannot yet be mined or scanned by the player; however, one can assume they will be usable in future updates.
You can find and acquire large amounts of Solanium, Sulphurine, and Phosphorus on this planet.

6 – Frozen Biome

Once again, the brainier among us may have already sussed out what characteristics this planet holds. You would be completely correct if you surmised that this planet is one frozen over like some kind of ice age.

These biomes can be easily pictured as lush biomes that have become trapped in the middle of an ice age. One may, therefore, assume that these biomes may mature into lush biomes once enough time has passed, although this has not been confirmed by anyone in the development team and is merely a fan theory.

Should you be on the lookout for these planets, the developers have made your job very easy, all you have to do is fly towards one of the floating ice balls drifting through space, and you’ll more than likely hit this frozen biome in no time.

These worlds can also be described as the antithesis of scorched biomes as they two are known for their storms; however, these ones are cold, although they do still require the player to have plenty of upgrades made to their hazard suit and many resources as, once again, they cause the player to burn through materials at three times the normal rate during storms.

Quick Frozen Biome Facts

These cold storms can create crystals that can be harvested and sold to traders for an excellent price.
The player will need to upgrade their suit with thermal tech in order to survive well on these planets.
You will find a great deal of Dioxite, Frost Crystals, and Radon on these planets.

5 – Mega Exotic

The developers of No Man’s Sky may have run out of ideas when it came to naming some of these biomes. Either that or they wanted their player base to remember them easily. Regardless, these planets are similar to their Exotic counterparts in many ways, although they also differ wildly.

Not only can you find all of what you would expect from a normal exotic planet, but you can also find massive versions typical of other biomes on these mega exotic worlds. While these planets were not added into the game at the same stage as the other first batch of biomes, they have been a welcome addition, keeping the player on their toes by mashing together a weird amalgam of biomes and turning the volume up to eleven.

In keeping with the rest of the planet’s structure, the flora and fauna found here can literally be from any other biome in the galaxy, allowing more skillful or lucky players to find everything they may need in one handy location. However, you are never going to find amounts of such resources here akin to their native biomes. But beggars can’t be choosers.

Quick Mega Exotic Biome Facts

These planets can house every type of flora and fauna found in the game under one small stretch of land; however, this is rare.
All sorts of different flora and fauna are known to mingle on these planets. Also, the biomes that do spawn here are more exaggerated in form, creating denser versions of themselves.
These planets experience various types of weather; however, most of this is completely harmless to the player.

4 – Toxic Biome

Should you decide that one of these planets must be explored, I can only wish you luck and wait for your eventual demise. These planets, very much like the dead planets covered before in this article, are literally trying to kill you with every fiber of their being.

These entire planets are built to extinguish the player’s life, ranging from toxic flora and fauna to acid rain that will greatly damage the player if allowed. Should this not be enough, the planet’s surface is also covered in some sort of toxic fungus.

These planets do not have anything that one would consider rain and/or water. Instead, you can find something akin to toxic sludge or ooze that will damage the player on contact. This, combined with the overall toxic atmosphere, makes this place rather inhospitable, requiring copious amounts of resources to keep your hazard suit up and running.

Quick Toxic Biome Facts

In these biomes, you can find a rich amount of Ammonia, Fungal Mold, Nitrogen, and Jade Peas.
The exact nature of the toxic ooze and fungi found on this planet is never fully explained in the game; however, it is made pretty clear that one should not make contact with either material.
It is possible to find useful water here; however, the vast majority of the water supply on the planet will already be contaminated by the toxicity of the planet.

3 – Volcanic Biome

For me, these plants really do take the cake for the coolest and most interesting places to explore in the entire galaxy that No Man’s Sky provides the player. Not only is the surface of these planets completely different from all others due to the sheer amount of volcanic activity that one can witness regularly, but it is also akin to the scorched worlds in terms of their texture and general terrain, making exploring difficult but rewarding.

These planets are also likely to force the player to survive through moments of spontaneous combustion and firestorms. Due to these hazardous environments, players should remember to have their heat shields ready. On top of these shields, also remember to bring plenty of resources as this environment once again burns through your hazard suits reserves three times faster than normal.

Quick Volcanic Biome Facts

These biomes are essentially the same as scorched biome planets, with volcanoes added into the mix for some added danger.
The player can find good amounts of Basalt, Sulphurine, and Pyrite on these worlds.
You can sometimes find water sources on these planets; however, due to the sheer heat one can find in these biomes, it is rare for the springs not to have already evaporated.

2 – Irradiated Biome

If you, like me, spent most of your youth walking around the Downtown DC area of the New Vegas Strip after a post-apocalyptic nuclear event, then this biome type might be the one for you. Yes, as you may have guessed, these planets are completely irradiated as if a century-long nuclear war had occurred on the surface.

However, no aftermath of any such conflict remains, leaving the player and me to wonder, just how did the planet develop like this? And why did the developers decide to add a biome into the game that is just so inhospitable to players?

Regardless of their reasonings, these planets can be identified through their poisonous and irradiated flora, which tend to explode when the player comes near, pushing out their radioactive gasses into the air and damaging the player.

As with most deeply inhospitable planets on this list, the player can expect their suit’s resources to dwindle at three times their normal rate during periods of intense weather. In this biomes case, the extreme weather event comes in the shape of a radioactive storm, fully capable of draining any player’s suits in no time at all.

Quick Irradiated Biome Facts

These biomes are prone to radioactive storms that can drain your hazard suit of energy three times faster than normal.
The player must always wear their hazard suit when on the planet’s surface.
You can find huge Uranium, Gamma roots, and Radon deposits on these planets.
Once again, you can find water here; however, these springs are infrequent and small in number.

1 – Marsh Biome

Last but certainly not least, even though it is my least favorite biome on this list, it is the marsh biome. These planets are rather sad to look at, featuring rather ugly flora and fauna as well as uninspired surface terrain. However, this biome redeeming feature cannot be found via one quick glance. In this case, you must venture underground to find the cool secret of the biome, hidden subterranean tunnel systems.

The tunnels found here can be likened to the cave systems found in other biomes; however, they are a lot more straight and tube-like in fashion when compared to these other caves, giving the player a feeling that they were somehow carved into the planet’s sub-layers by some otherworldly being.

These planets can present as very similar to lush biomes or toxic ones; regardless, the flora and fauna found here can be quite toxic, including the toxic fungi we mentioned previously.

Quick Marsh Biome Facts

You can find good deposits of Mordite and Faecium on these planets.
The player can find a lot of other minerals and resources on these planets. However, the type of said material is random and varies wildly.
These planets play host to incredibly annoying weather patterns, including continual and never-ending rain showers and superheated rain spells.

No Man’s Sky Planet Types: FAQs

Question: Do planets in No Man’s Sky have different Biomes?

Answer: The planets found in No Man’s Sky all fall within one of eleven possible biomes, allowing the player the opportunity to explore new and surprisingly well-generated terrain with every new playthrough while ensuring said planets are grounded within certain rules, allowing the player to properly prepare for each planet.

Question: How do you find Lush planets in No Man’s Sky?

Answer: No Man’s Sky currently does not allow players to search for and find planets according to their biome type, making finding certain world types rather difficult for the uninitiated. However, you can search for certain plants from outside a star system. Therefore, if you search for a plant only available in the biome you desire, you can easily find the planet type you are looking for.

Question: Where should I build my first base in No Man’s Sky?

Answer: While there is no wrong answer to this question, you should still probably set up your first base on a planet with no extreme weather conditions and a decent supply of resources. With this in mind, you should probably set up shop on a Lush planet, as the developers designed these biomes to be perfect for first-time players and people starting over again from scratch, serving as the perfect staging ground for universal domination and exploration.

So, there you have it, a complete guide to all of the possible planet types one can find in No Man’s Sky and the traits each of these biomes posses. Hopefully, this guide has given you some helpful tips for survival in each of the eleven biomes currently available to the player when writing this article.

Regardless, I hope you did enjoy your time here, and I hope to see you again soon. Happy exploring!