No Man’s Sky Swarm adds Hive of Glass, sparks galaxy war

Hello Games released the Swarm update for No Man’s Sky today. The update places large crystalline structures called Hive of Glass in the skies above planets and prompts coordinated conflict across the game’s galaxy.

Players will encounter large-scale space battles as fleets engage the Hives. When vessels are downed, teams on planetary surfaces solve puzzles and recover materials from wreckage. Anything destroyed in space can be salvaged on the ground, creating opportunities for players who focus on exploration and resource gathering.

At startup, players take a short personality test that assigns them to one of three factions. The update links the three groups to different roles and objectives in the conflict, and its systems require cooperation between factions to confront and defeat the Hive of Glass.

Swarm adds new ship encounters, surface puzzles tied to Hive activity, and expanded salvage mechanics that populate planets with scrap and materials from Hive engagements. The Hives are visible from orbit and act as dynamic points of conflict for solo and multiplayer play, pairing starfighter combat with on-foot mission work.

The update arrives ahead of No Man’s Sky’s tenth anniversary later this year. Hello Games described Swarm in its release notes as one of the larger content drops planned before the anniversary and framed the systems to encourage ongoing player participation.

The Swarm update is available now in the live game and introduces persistent conflict and faction-driven goals across No Man’s Sky’s planets and star systems.