Expedition 22, called The Swarm, is the time-limited campaign bundled with update 6.4 for No Man's Sky. It runs for roughly eight weeks, splits players across three rival factions, and ends with a community-wide push to build the Prismatic Core and take down the Hive of Glass.
What The Swarm expedition is
The Swarm reframes the universe around a single threat. Swarmer drone ships flood star systems, and a massive alien vessel called the Hive of Glass lurks in upper atmospheres, instantly killing pilots who drift too close. The Traveller soul has been split into three fragments, and the community is sorted into matching teams that compete and cooperate to defeat the Hive.
Progress is tracked publicly. The Prismatic Core, built inside the Space Anomaly with help from Specialist Polo, advances as players complete missions across three categories. Only one team gets permanently commemorated in the Anomaly when the campaign ends.
How to start Expedition 22
Step 1: Update No Man's Sky to version 6.4. The Swarm patch is required on every platform, including PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam, Mac, Switch, and Switch 2.
Step 2: Load any save that has cleared the early tutorial, then summon or fly to the Space Anomaly. New players can also start a brand-new expedition save directly from the main menu.
Step 3: At the entrance of the Anomaly, find the Terminal Nexus. Use the inventory transfer option to move any gear or units you want to carry into the expedition save.
Step 4: Select The Swarm and begin. After loading in, you'll answer a short personality quiz. There are no wrong answers, but your responses determine whether you're sorted into the Royal, Sage, or Weaver team.
The three teams
Each fragment of the Traveller soul has its own colors, uniform, and starter ship. Mission availability is shared, but only one team gets the permanent monument inside the Anomaly when the expedition closes.
| Team | Soul fragment | Exclusive cosmetic |
|---|---|---|
| Royal | Authority and command | Royal team flag |
| Sage | Knowledge and insight | Sage team flag |
| Weaver | Connection and creation | Weaver team flag |
All players receive the shared decorative poster set regardless of team. The flag is the only cosmetic locked to your assigned fragment.
How the Prismatic Core gets built
Construction of the Prismatic Core is the campaign's win condition. It advances through three mission categories, each one tugging progress in a different direction.
| Mission type | What you do | Effect on the Core |
|---|---|---|
| Purge | Dogfight swarmer ships and clear infested systems | Direct combat progress |
| Restoration | Dispatch sweeper teams to clean contaminated worlds | Stabilizes ecosystems and Core balance |
| Sabotage | Deploy from the Anomaly to intercept swarm activity | Disrupts the swarm network |
Live progress is mirrored in the Mission Log and on the Galactic Atlas Countermeasures page, so you can check community totals without launching the game.
Phase 1 walkthrough
The opening phase establishes the threat, reassembles your fragmented Traveller, and ends with a meeting with Specialist Polo.
| Milestone | Objective | How to complete |
|---|---|---|
| Fragmented | Investigate the crashed ship | Follow the on-screen marker to the wreck of your starting ship. |
| To Live | Echo three soul fragments | Craft and install all three Soul Fragment blueprints you pick up at the crash site. |
| To Be Haunted | Seek aid from the other side | Return to your ship and offer the fragments to the pilot echo. |
| Forged Signature | Manifest the Traveller Echo's signature | Craft the Pilot Signature using the recipe granted during the previous step. |
| Contact | Reclaim your starship | Repair both damaged ship components, then accept the mysterious signal. |
| A Shadow Above | Investigate the object in the sky | Fly toward the Hive of Glass. It vanishes and triggers an ambush by swarmer ships, destroy all of them. |
| Stratagem | Consult Specialist Polo | Summon the Anomaly, hand Polo the Corrupted Ichor, and ask about the fragmentation. |
Phase 2 walkthrough
Phase 2 takes you off the starter planet and into the wider galaxy. Stock up on warp fuel and make sure your hyperdrive can handle Cadmium-class red stars.
| Milestone | Objective | How to complete |
|---|---|---|
| Crash Site | Investigate the crashed swarmer | Open the Galaxy Map and follow the guided route. You'll need a Cadmium Drive and enough fuel for multiple warps. |
| Disassembly | Disassemble swarm remnants | Use the Gravitino Coil to detach the wreck's parts, then interact and choose one of the two prompts. |
| Divine Intelligence | Seek the Atlas | Continue along the marked route, help a freighter captain by destroying two cargo loads, and reach Popoli Read to present the Corrupted Ichor to the Atlas. |
| Emperor of Glass | Confront the Hive of Glass | Engage the Hive's core. The fight ends with the boss pulling you into the World of Glass. |
| Devoured | Escape the World of Glass | Plays out automatically as part of the sequence. |
| Headquarters | Recount your experience to Polo | Summon your ship, return to Polo, and use the Prismatic Core to start tracking swarm activity. |
Combat tips for swarmer enemies
Two new enemy types are now in the base game on top of the expedition. Small swarmer ships travel in fast-moving packs and prefer hit-and-run passes. The Hive of Glass is the boss encounter, ringed by a rotating wall of lasers with a single weak core in the center.
Ship combat received targeted tuning in 6.4 that matters here. Critical hits on weak points are now guaranteed, while shots outside weak points never crit. Auto-follow can also boost during pursuit, which helps when chasing erratic swarmer flight patterns. Pick a weapon with strong sustained damage for the Hive's core and reserve missiles or burst weapons for clearing escorts.
On the ground, crashed swarmer ships appear on dissonant planets in all game modes, not just the expedition. Crash sites are guarded by aggressive planetary swarmers that punch above their size. Worlds that are both dissonant and contain salvageable scrap can also hide buried swarmer debris worth excavating.
Expedition rewards
Finishing milestones grants the full Direwasp cosmetic suite plus team-specific decoration. Everything is permanently transferable to your main save once the expedition concludes.
| Reward | Type |
|---|---|
| Direwasp customisation set | Six-piece armour (helm, chestpiece, plating, gloves, cuisses, boots) |
| Direwasp Flightpack | Exclusive jetpack with custom hum and animation |
| Direwasp Disintegrator | Rifle-class Multi-Tool |
| Team flag | Flag matching your Royal, Sage, or Weaver assignment |
| Soul fragment poster set | Decorative base posters for all three fragments |
| Titles and decals | New character titles and ship decals |
How to know it worked
Each milestone clears in the Mission Log when you complete its objective, and reward unlocks appear immediately in the expedition rewards menu inside the Anomaly. Prismatic Core progress is visible both above the construction site on the Anomaly and on the Galactic Atlas Countermeasures page, so you can confirm community contributions are registering.
If a milestone won't trigger, the most common causes are missing required materials for a crafted item, not having a Cadmium Drive installed before the Phase 2 warps, or trying to engage the Hive of Glass before completing A Shadow Above. Touch controls for claiming expedition rewards were also fixed in 6.4, so handheld players who had issues in earlier expeditions should see the prompt work normally now.
With around eight weeks on the clock and a three-way faction race driving the finale, there's no rush to grind every milestone in week one. Pace yourself, pick a mission category that matches how you like to play, and check the Anomaly periodically to see whether your team is leading the Core build.