No Man’s Sky continues to churn out free content to its players, and its latest update adds a feature I’m surprised didn’t arrive sooner: pets! That’s right, update 3.2 of the game, Companions, allows you to adopt alien critters to raise and them as your own little space cadets. 

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So how does it work? First, players adopt a creature by baiting/feeding it, and they can adopt up to six companions (though additional slots can be purchased with nanites). Players bond with their pets by feeding and giving them attention, such as playing. Once bonded, companions can be summoned anywhere, including the Space Anomaly. Pets have unique personalities that influence their behavior, and their demeanor is shaped by their species and ecosystem. A Companion Register keeps track of your pets’ personality, mood, and trust level. 

For even more insight into your companion’s thoughts, their harness contains a neural link to your exosuit that provides a rough translation of their desires, expressions, and feelings on the world around them. Like real pet interactions, introducing your critters to other players’ companions could either go really well or turn aggressive. Pets can also be renamed and customized with various accessories and decals. 

In addition to providing company, companions have practical uses as well. During exploration they can independently scan for resources, then mine them using a shoulder-mounted laser. Pets can also mark hazards, unearth treasures, and locate buildings. Companions react to your gestures, which you can use to issue specific orders. VR players can physically point to send pets in a specific direction. 

Care for your pets well enough and they’ll lay eggs, which you can incubate in your exosuit. Baby pets inherit traits from their parents but still have their own individual quirks. You can trade rare or desirable eggs with other players or use the new Egg Sequencer to tinker with their DNA and create entirely new lifeforms altogether. 

The Companions update also adds enhancements for general creature interactions. The coolest of which is that players can now ride giant creatures. Additionally, the Companions update features UI improvements and faster warp/load times on PlayStation 4. To view the full list of features and bug fixes, visit Hello Games’ blog. 

What do you think of adding pets to No Man’s Sky? Will you be assembling your team of helpful critters?