Expedition 22, aka Swarm, is now live in No Man’s Sky, and we can jump in to enjoy everything the new update has to offer. This is a combat-oriented update, and we can take the help of the new campaign to get several rewards.
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Disclaimer: The guide is a work in progress.
Table of contents
How to begin the Swarm expedition in No Man’s Sky
Once you’re past the tutorial phase, visit the Anomaly.
- Go to the Anomaly and park your ship.
- Find the Terminal Nexus at the entrance.
- Shift all the items you want to carry to your expedition.
- Begin the expedition and wait for it to load.
Then, there’s a quiz waiting for you to complete. You’ll be assigned one of the three new factions that are part of the Swarm update. I was assigned to the Weaver team based on my answers. There are no correct or wrong answers; choose responses that you like.
How to complete the Swarm expedition in No Man’s Sky
The Swarm is a shorter expedition compared to previous ones we have had. There are four phases, and the tables below have all the tasks. For now, I have added the tasks and what needs to be done. Every task has a quest marker to follow. However, I will be adding more instructions about each step as I continue solving the expedition myself.
Phase 1
| Task | Description | How to complete |
|---|---|---|
| Fragmented | Investigate the crashed Ship | Find your starship and complete the initiation stages. Check the on-screen marker to find the location of your ship. |
| To Live | Echoed three soul fragments | You’ll find three Soul Fragment blueprints. You need to craft and install all three to complete the stage. |
| To Be Haunted | Seek aid from the other side | Return to your ship and offer the crafted fragments to the pilot. |
| Forged Signature | Manifest the Traveller Echo’s Signature | Craft the Pilot signature from the recipe you obtain at step three of this milestone. |
| Contact | Reclaim your Starship | Repair the ship with the required materials. You have to repair two parts to claim your ship. You’ll then get a strange message from a mysterious source. |
| A Shadow Above | Investigate the object in the sky | Fly your ship to the Hive of Glass. It will disappear, and you’ll be ambushed by smaller Swarmer ships. Destroy all of them to complete this task. |
| Stratagem | Consult Specialist Polo | Speak with Polo by summoning the Anomaly in the space. Submit the Corrupted Ichors to him, and ask him about Fragmentation. This completes the final task of the first phase. |
Phase 2
| Task | Description | How to complete |
|---|---|---|
| Crash Site | Investigate the crashed swarmer | Once your conversation with Polo is over, head to the outer space in your ship. Next, open the Galaxy Map to find a guided route to the crashed swarmer. You’ll need the Cadmium Drive and fuel for several warps. |
| Disassembly | Disassemble swarm remnants | Once you’ve found and interacted with the crashed swarmer, you’ll have to remove its parts using the Gravitino Coil. Once all parts are moved, interact and pick one of the two available options. |
| Divine Intelligence | Seek the Atlas | Return to your ship and follow the guided path along the Galaxy map. You’ll first have to help a captain by destroying two freighter cargo loads. Keep following the same path until you reach Popoli Read to speak with the Atlas and present him the Corrupted Ichors. |
| Emperor of Glass | Confront the Hive of Glass | Attack the Glass of Hive and try to damage its core, but it will trap you in the World of Glass. |
| Devoured | Escape the World of Glass | Escape the World of Glass. This happens naturally as part of the expedition. |
| Headquarters | Recount your experience to Polo | Use the summon option to recall your ship. Use it to fly to space and then describe your experience to Polo. Use his Prismatic Core to track the Swarm activity, and you finish the second phase. |
Phase 3
| Task | Description | How to complete |
|---|---|---|
| Purge | Engage the swarm directly | Accept a Purge mission from the Prismatic Core and head to the marked location. Slay several swarmers before using your Gravitino Coil to remove parts from the swarmer to complete the first task. |
| Restore | Cleanse the planets of swarm | Go to the Prismatic Core and accept a restore mission. Head to the marked location. Switch to the Restore: Swarm mission to know your location. Use your tool to scan and find three restoration points. Go to the location, press E, and you’re done. |
| Sabotage | Disrupt the swarm | Accept a Sabotage mission and head to the marked location. You’ll need to retrieve data from a fallen swarmer. You’ll also need the Mining Bolt to reach the swarmer. Restore the three data points, and your task is complete. |
| Countermeasures | Construct the Prismatic Core | Return to the Anomaly, and accept different missions against the swarm. |
| Interface | Ward against the Hive of Glass | Go up against the Hive of Glass. |
| Glass to Glass | Destroy the Hive of Glass | Take down the Hive of Glass by targeting its core. However, it’s well protected by the swarmers, who will also try to attack you. |
| Chromatic Distortion | Demand answers | I am yet to reach this stage, as I am currently stuck after the third task. It appears that new swarm activities will be released periodically. So we will have to wait until we can complete the Prismatic Core and take down the Hive of Glass. |
