The new No Man's Sky update has introduced Expedition 22: Swarm. The campaign shifts away from traditional exploration, offering a shorter but more combat-oriented experience. Completing the expedition will earn you rare faction rewards. If you want to know how to complete it, here's how to complete Expedition 22: Swarm.
How to Begin the Swarm Expedition in No Man's Sky
To start your expedition, you need to first progress past the initial tutorial phase of the game. Once you're free to explore, summon and fly your starship directly into the Space Anomaly.
After parking your ship, head to the Terminal Nexus located right by the main entrance. You can use the terminal to safely shift any powerful upgrades, weapons, or essential resources you want to over into your new save.
When the expedition begins, you'll be met with a personality quiz that will determine your starting faction. Depending on your answer, the game will assign you to either the Royal, Sage, or Weaver team. There are no answers to the quiz; choose the responses that fit your playstyle.
Phase 1 of Expedition 22 in No Man’s Sky
The first phase of the Expedition focuses heavily on gathering resources, repairing baseline technology, and taking on your first aerial ambush. Here are all the tasks in the first phase and how to complete them.
|
Task |
Description |
How to Complete |
|---|---|---|
|
Fragmented |
You must begin the journey by investigating your crashed starship. |
You must track the primary on-screen quest marker to easily locate your downed ship. |
|
To Live |
The system grants three unique Soul Fragment blueprints representing faction echoes. |
You need to gather the required materials to craft and install all three fragments into your technology slots. |
|
To Be Haunted |
You must offer the newly crafted echoes to your ship's communication system. |
You must return to your cockpit and interact with the pilot communicator once the fragments are securely installed. |
|
Forged Signature |
You need to obtain a new blueprint to manifest the formal Pilot Signature. |
You must interact with the pilot echo to receive the blueprint and then craft the Pilot Signature. |
|
Contact |
You must reclaim full control of your starship to receive a mysterious transmission. |
You can complete this by using your collected metals to repair the launch thrusters and pulse engines. |
|
A Shadow Above |
You must investigate the Hive of Glass and survive an immediate aerial ambush. |
You need to fly into the upper atmosphere to watch the structure vanish, and then you must destroy the fleet of aggressive Swarmer ships. |
|
Stratagem |
You need to wrap up the first phase by consulting with Specialist Polo. |
You must summon the Space Anomaly to speak directly with Polo and present him with your collected Corrupted Ichors. |
Phase 2 of Expedition 22 in No Man’s Sky
The second phase increases the difficulty of the expedition by forcing you to warp across the galaxy to dismantle fallen enemies and face the core of the Swarm. Here are all the tasks in the second phase and how to complete them.
|
Task |
Description |
How to Complete |
|---|---|---|
|
Crash Site |
You must locate a newly detected swarmer crash site in a different star system. |
You need to open your Galaxy Map and utilize a Cadmium Drive with warp cells to follow the guided route. |
|
Disassembly |
You are required to salvage the remaining parts from the swarm remnants. |
You must land at the crash site and use your Gravitino Coil to remove the parts carefully. |
|
Divine Intelligence |
You must present your Corrupted Ichors to an Atlas Interface after saving a civilian fleet. |
You have to follow the shifting path on your Galaxy Map to destroy invading pirate cargo loads before interacting with the Atlas. |
|
Emperor of Glass |
You must confront the Hive of Glass directly to trigger a progression script. |
You need to fly toward the Hive of Glass and aggressively attack its exposed core to get trapped. |
|
Devoured |
You must survive being stranded inside the surreal World of Glass. |
You must follow the narrative prompts provided by the expedition interface to escape the realm naturally. |
|
Headquarters |
You need to return to the Anomaly to secure a Prismatic Core for tracking Swarm activities. |
You have to summon your starship to fly back to Polo inside the Anomaly and describe your harrowing experience to him. |
Phase 3 of Expedition 22 in No Man’s Sky
The third phase of the expedition becomes a series of targeted faction operations that mix planetary exploration and heavy firepower. Here are all the tasks in the third phase and how to complete them.
|
Task |
Description |
How to Complete |
|---|---|---|
|
Purge |
You must execute a formal Purge mission to harvest parts from a fallen swarmer. |
You must accept the mission from the Prismatic Core to travel to the location, eliminate hostile defenders, and use your Gravitino Coil to harvest parts. |
|
Restore |
You are tasked with cleansing a heavily infected planet. |
You need to accept a Restore mission from the core terminal to land on the target world, and then use your analysis visor to interact with three planetary restoration points. |
|
Sabotage |
You must disrupt the local swarm network by retrieving data from a fallen wreck. |
You must bring a Mining Bolt and basic electronics, such as a Microprocessor, to retrieve data from three distinct nodes on the wreck. |
|
Countermeasures |
You need to push the offensive forward by completing faction missions against the infestation. |
You have to continually return to the Anomaly and accept various randomized faction missions. |
|
Interface |
You are tasked with actively warding off the reality-bending influence of the Hive of Glass. |
You must prepare your starship and weapons to take up arms against the imminent Hive threat. |
What Happens After Completing the Three Phases of Expedition 22?
After you complete all of the individual milestones across the three primary phases, the expedition doesn't end. Instead, your personal progression transitions into a massive global timegate. You'll find yourself bottlenecked at the Chromatic Distortion milestone, unable to proceed on your own.
To bypass the pause and unlock the final sequence, the entire No Man's Sky community will need to work together. Every player in the Royal, Sage, and Weaver factions needs to continuously complete the repeatable Purge, Restore, and Sabotage missions to fill the global progress bar.
Once the progress bar is complete, the final confrontation will unlock for everyone. The final stage allows everyone to eliminate the Swarm threat and officially claim the expedition rewards, including the new Insectoid Armor Set.
