How to find weird [REDACTED] planets in No Man’s Sky

Museyci is not like many other planets in No Man’s Sky. You won’t find plants or animals there. You won’t even find mountains or oceans. Just an endless stretch of hexagonal metal, and giant, glowing, mechanical structures that look like cyber fungi.

Hello Games via Polygon

I knew something was up the moment my first scan labeled this a [REDACTED] Planet. That and the the fact that you can see the hexagons from space:

Hello Games via Polygon

This is just one of the strange “exotic biome” planets you can find in No Man’s Sky. Here’s another with a chilling AI-induced post-apocalypse vibe.

Hello Games via Polygon

In very same system, I found an even more unsettling planet. From space, it seemed normal, with big blue oceans and rugged mountain ranges. Instead, I found what I can only assume is the aftermath of some horrifying, planet-wide ritual. Or perhaps I’d found the graveyard of the gods.

Hello Games via Polygon

To be clear, there’s no filter on these images or video. This is just the way the planet looks: colorless, save for an eerie red light coming from the sky.

Hello Games via Polygon

No Man’s Sky generates these planets, like all of its planets, procedurally. But it’s not entirely random how I found these. You can make them a little easier to find with the help of some hyperdrive upgrades.

Hyperdrive upgrades

Specifically, you need the Cadmium, Emeril, and Indium Hyperdrives (before the No Man’s Sky Next update, these upgrades were called Warp Reactor Sigma, Tau, and Theta.) These three upgrades allow you to travel to rare Red, Green and Blue star systems, respectively. Planets with an “exotic biome” are more likely to appear in these systems.

Red systems provide the smallest boost, and Indium the largest. Unfortunately, you can’t jump straight to an Indium Hyperdrive, as the resources you’ll need to build it come from the previous color of star system (i.e., you need Cadmium from a Red system to build an Emeril Hyperdrive, and Emeril from a Green system to build an Indium Hyperdrive). You’ll also need a few technology modules, but you can buy those at most Galactic Trade Terminals.

Hello Games via Polygon

You’ll also need some blueprints. I was able to secure my Cadmium and Emeril Hyperdrive blueprints as rewards from Specialist Polo on the Space Anomaly. My Indium Blueprints came not long afterward as a reward in a random quest. The game is more opaque about how you get these blueprints, so it might not happen the same way for you, but it appears that storyline quests are the best bet.

Remember, none of these hyperdrive upgrades guarantee that you’ll find more exotic biomes. They only take you to systems where they’re more likely to occur, so the best way to find them is to get exploring!