Factions of No Man's Sky
Standing, lore, and system politics for the four peoples you actually meet.
Every inhabited star in No Man’s Sky belongs to someone — or pretends to. The three historic galactic powers are the Gek, the Korvax, and the Vy’keen. Worlds Part II pulled a fourth people into the open: the Autophage, hidden machine-echoes who unlock purple-class stars, gas giants, and water worlds once In Stellar Multitudes is complete.
This hub is the faction map, not a roster of player characters. Hello Games launched the game on 12 August 2016 with standing boards, race-specific gifts, and monolith riddles. Cosmos 7.0 (9 September 2026) made that standing practical again: claiming and running a space station cares which species holds the system, and salvage contracts sit next to merchant and explorer guild ranks. Online co-op, cross-play, and Cross-Save all work here. It is not a split-screen-only sim.
The four standing peoples
Gek run trade. Their space stations feel like markets, their language is full of profit, and their history is the First Spawn empire that once tried to own the galaxies. Modern Gek would rather sell you a hauler than confess that past. High standing cheapens awkward conversations and opens merchant-flavoured mission boards.
Korvax run science. They are a Convergence of uploaded minds in metal shells, obsessed with the Atlas and with data. Korvax systems are where Atlantid Multi-Tools hide in monolith interfaces, and where the Autophage story stings the hardest — those wanderers were Korvax once.
Vy’keen run war. They keep a rigid honour code, they hate Sentinels, and they specialise in Multi-Tool technology. If you want an Armourer at a base, a dagger in a gift slot, or backup when pirates jump you, fly their stars.
Autophage were never on the old standing poster. They camp cloaked on ordinary worlds, speak through staffs and harmonic interfaces, and only become a faction you can live with after They Who Returned. Their reward is not a discount on tritium. It is the Atlantid Drive and a sky full of purple stars.
Read the four pages in any order. They interlink on purpose: Gek history is Korvax tragedy, Vy’keen crusades explain Sentinel density, and Autophage camps sit in all three species’ systems once you can see them.
Atlas, Travellers, and everyone else
The Atlas is not a standing faction in the mission-board sense. You do not hand it a charm for plus-three reputation. You walk the Atlas Path, you meet interfaces, and you decide what the simulation is asking. Travellers — you, Nada-adjacent strangers, graves with glyphs — are a separate mysterious people. They do not hold systems on the galaxy map. Guilds (Merchants, Mercenaries, Explorers) sit beside racial standing and matter more once Cosmos stations and contracts enter the save.
Sentinels are an occupying force, not a culture you befriend. Pirates are the people you shoot to raise standing with whoever legally owns the star.
How standing actually moves
The loop is the same for Gek, Korvax, and Vy’keen:
- Fly a system they dominate.
- Take mission-agent jobs that name the species.
- Hand race-specific gifts (relics, casings, daggers) to NPCs at stations, archives, and planetary buildings.
- Solve manufacturing facilities, operations centres, plaques, and monoliths in ways that match local custom.
- Kill pirates and rescue freighters in their space.
Autophage standing is camp work after the story gates. You do not brute-force it with a stack of Gek Charms.
High standing changes dialogue, unlocks stricter mission ranks, and can bring allied starships when pirates attack. Cosmos station politics lean on the same numbers. Language still helps: learn words, or you will gift the wrong thing and watch a Vy’keen call you a coward for speaking softly.
Where this hub points next
New Travellers should finish Getting Started, then decide whether they are hunting ships in outlaw Gek space, staffs in Autophage camps, or companions on whatever planet the local faction ignored. Purple systems wait behind story, not behind a paid DLC. The Cosmos notes cover station claiming; portal glyphs get you back to a camp you liked.
If you only remember one split from this page, remember this: three empires for standing, one hidden people for purple stars, and an Atlas that does not take gifts. The rest is lore you can read on plaques while the Pulse Engine recharges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers Travellers search for after Cosmos.
Which faction should a new Traveller focus on first?
The species that owns your current stars. Gek space is kindest for trade and early ships. Vy'keen space is better if you want Multi-Tool missions. You can raise all three; you do not pick a class at the title screen.
Is the Atlas a standing faction like the Gek?
No. Atlas is a story entity on the Atlas Path. You cannot grind Atlas reputation with relics. Travellers are a separate mysterious people and also have no gift board.
How do I unlock the Autophage and purple-class stars?
Finish the main story beats that gate They Who Returned, then complete In Stellar Multitudes for the Atlantid Drive. Walkthrough context sits on the Autophage page and in Worlds-era notes.
Do gifts work the same for every species?
No. Gek want Gek relics and charms, Korvax want casings and cubes, Vy'keen want daggers and effigies. Autophage standing comes from camp missions, not those curiosities.
Does faction standing matter after Cosmos 7.0?
Yes. Station claiming, local contracts, and allied behaviour still read your standing. Salvage loops on Corvettes sit beside that politics, they do not replace it.
Can friends in co-op share faction progress?
Standing is per save, but online co-op lets you visit another Traveller’s system, camp, or station. Cross-play and Cross-Save apply; friends join over the network. See multiplayer.