No Man’s Sky latest update added a new Companion feature to the game. This new addition lets players adopt part of the fauna of the planets they get to explore. Well, except for flying animals, aquatic ones, insects, or the ones that can go underground. The good thing is that these pets can even help you in your adventure between galaxies.

In this guide, we take a look at the different pets and how you can breed them to create different traits across your companions.

They’re All Different

The diversity that a planet’s fauna can have is incredible; they just get weirder and more alien-like with each new planet you discover. And even if you have two pets from the same species, they can still be different from each other because of their unique set of traits. Some are loyal, some are aggressive, and some can even be playful.

Moreover, species come with a predefined adult size and coloration, but did you know you can genetically modify them? Here’s where the fun begins!

Your Pet Will Give You An Egg

After you have found an animal and fed it, you can add it to the Companion’s Registry. You can only have a maximum of two pets; however, you can unlock another four slots using Nanites.

Once you’ve added the new pet, try spending time with it and forming a bond, keep it well-fed and happy. A panel should appear indicating that in 24 hours, your pet is likely to lay an egg. All pets can reproduce on their own because they don’t need a mate to lay eggs.

You Can Leave It As It Is Or Play Around With The Traits

Check your companion’s information and take it to a planet with a climate and temperature similar or equal to those on its home planet. Once there, it will lay an egg. The egg will be placed in your inventory until you decide it’s time to hatch it. You’ll now have to wait another 24 hours for the egg to hatch.

Your new companion will probably be the same size and color as its parent after it reaches maturity. While, its personality may be different, and slight variations may occur, it will basically also inherit the same traits.

However, there’s another way you can breed your egg using an Egg Sequencer to improve those genetic and physical attributes.

How To Use The Egg Sequencer

The Companions update also added an Egg Sequencer to the Space Anomaly. To use it, you’ll need to place your egg inside and start experimenting with the following:

  • Growth Hormone: This tampers with the pet’s height. Gene Splitter: This tampers with the pet’s anatomy. Dye Injector: This tampers with the pet’s colors. Neural Calibrator panels: This tampers with the pet’s temperament.

Each of these stats can be increased, decreased, or simply be unstable, caused by an overdose of more than 100%. This will result in a strange mutation that the future creature’s eggs can later inherit.

This means that you can start a long line of creatures related to each other but with unique attributes that you have added.

Use Raw Materials To Get Different Traits

For example, Carbon increases the size and can also increase the Helpfulness trait. This raw material will turn your pet a reddish primary color with dark blue accents if you use it on the Dye Injector panel.

Moreover, Di-hydrogen decreases the size and increases the Independence trait, and can give a primary brown color with cream details. Those are the effects of these two Raw Materials depending on which panel you use them in.

There’s still a lot to discover about this new game feature, so what are you waiting for, go and play!

NEXT: No Man’s Sky: 10 Tips For The New Companions Update