Today, No Man’s Sky launched the update The Swarm. The developers call it the largest and most extensive update with space battles, which will lead players into a new shared conflict.

The game, which turns 10 years old in August, has received another content boost: this time, the focus is on the mysterious threat Hive of Glass, looming over the planets and forcing all Travellers to act together.

After launch, players will encounter a "personality" test that will divide them into three factions. They will then need to cooperate, plan actions, and compete against each other to confront Hive of Glass—a threat described in the update as existential for the universe.

The military campaign starts from Nexus, where defenses are quickly erected, and a new bulletin page tracks progress. The contributions of each team are visible in both Anomaly and Galactic Atlas, and the most effective faction will be preserved in Space Anomaly forever.

The Swarm bets on large-scale space skirmishes. Hive of Glass is defended by swarms of robotic drones, so hundreds of ships appear in battles, and the Hive itself also becomes a weapon: its "iris" opens, releasing a powerful laser capable of destroying frigate fleets and possibly even station-sized objects.

On the planets, players will explore and salvage the wreckage of downed drones using the Gravity Gun—a gravitational weapon added earlier this year. They will also need to destroy miniature planetary swarms and sabotage the swarm network to uncover the origins of the Hive and its weak points.

Among the rewards are a full set of retro sci-fi style armor, a new rifle, a large jetpack, and other bonuses.