Part of the series:
- Creatures & Companions Hub: Taming, breeding, fishing and the rest of the fauna systems.
- Rare Creatures and Discovery Tips: What makes a find valuable and how to hunt deliberately.
Quick Answer
- Sandworms are a creature genus called Shaihuluda. They are the largest thing that moves on a planet surface and they are pure spectacle: you cannot scan, tame, kill or interact with them.
- Infested biomes spawn them 100% of the time. That is the reliable way to see one.
- Outside infested worlds, the best odds are Mega Exotic 50%, Marsh 40%, Dead 30%, and a cluster of biomes at 25%.
- They spend almost all their time underground. A rumble and a screen shake means one is tunnelling near you.
- Shooting one does nothing. They do not aggro, do not flee, and take no damage.
- Seen one and want another? Drop a save beacon and reload. That often re-rolls the encounter.
Overview
Shaihuluda are No Man's Sky's answer to the sandworm of science fiction, and the name is a direct nod to Shai-Hulud from Dune. They arrived with the Origins update, which seeded a set of set-piece creatures and weather events designed to make planets feel less uniformly safe.
Mechanically they are unusual because they do almost nothing. Most large fauna in the game can be scanned for units, fed, tamed or fought. A sandworm can be none of those. It surfaces, arcs through the air or through the ground, and disappears. That is the entire feature, and it is worth going to see anyway.
Where They Spawn
Spawn chance is a property of the planet's biome. These are the documented rates:
| Biome | Sandworm chance |
|---|---|
| Infested | 100% |
| Mega Exotic | 50% |
| Marsh | 40% |
| Dead | 30% |
| Toxic | 25% |
| Scorched | 25% |
| Irradiated | 25% |
| Barren | 25% |
| Volcanic | 25% |
| Lush | 10% |
| Frozen | 5% |
Infested planets are the answer. A 100% spawn rate means that if you can find an infested world, you will find sandworms on it, and you do not need to rely on luck at all. Infested biomes also carry Hungering Tendrils and generally hostile fauna, so bring the gear you would take to a Sentinel fight even though the worms themselves are harmless.
Failing that, the 25% band is broad and easy to reach. Toxic, Scorched, Irradiated, Barren and Volcanic planets are common in most regions, and one in four of them has worms. The planet types and biomes guide covers identifying a biome from orbit before you burn fuel landing.
Frozen worlds at 5% are the worst place to look. Lush at 10% is barely better, which is counterintuitive given how much sandworm footage is filmed on green planets.
Finding One Once You Have Landed
They are subsurface by default, so you are listening rather than looking:
- A low rumble and a screen shake means one is moving underground nearby. That is your cue to stop and watch the horizon.
- They surface at random intervals rather than on a timer you can game. Patience beats searching.
- Open terrain helps. You want sight lines. Landing in a canyon means the worm surfaces somewhere you cannot see it.
- Altitude helps more. Hovering in your starship or sitting on a ridge gives you the view that makes the encounter worth filming, which is what most people actually want from this. Photo mode is the real reward here.
If one surfaces and you missed the shot, place a save beacon and reload the save. Reloading re-rolls creature spawning, and players consistently report this triggering another encounter rather than waiting the ambient timer out again.
What You Cannot Do With Them
Worth stating plainly, because every one of these gets asked:
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Scan with the Analysis Visor | Not scannable. No discovery entry, no units. |
| Shoot it | No damage, no reaction. It ignores you entirely. |
| Get attacked by it | It has no attack. Sandworms are not hostile. |
| Tame or feed it | No. See feeding and taming for what actually works. |
| Ride it | No, despite the obvious Dune temptation. |
| Get an egg or companion | Not through normal play. |
That last one is the most persistent rumour. Sandworms do not drop eggs and are not obtainable as companions; anything you see suggesting otherwise involves save editing rather than gameplay.
Are They Worth Going To See?
Yes, once, and no as a farm. There is nothing to collect. What there is instead is the only creature in the game with a genuine sense of scale, and a planet that spawns them feels different to explore because of the noise and the shaking.
If you are chasing something with a payout, rare creature hunting and fauna discovery rewards are where the units are. Sandworms are a place to bring visitors.
FAQ
What are the giant worms in No Man's Sky called?
Shaihuluda. It is a single genus, named after Shai-Hulud from Dune, and it was added in the Origins update. Players usually call them sandworms or titan worms.
Can you kill a sandworm in No Man's Sky?
No. They take no damage from any weapon, do not react to being shot, and have no health bar. They cannot be killed by any means available in normal play.
Can you tame or ride a sandworm?
No. They cannot be fed, tamed, ridden or kept as companions. They are not part of the creature-taming system at all.
What biome has the most sandworms?
Infested planets, at a 100% spawn chance. After that, Mega Exotic at 50% and Marsh at 40%. Frozen planets at 5% are the least likely place to see one.
Why can I hear rumbling but never see a worm?
They spend most of their time underground and surface at irregular intervals. The rumble and screen shake confirm one is present. Gain altitude for the sight lines, and if you are impatient, save and reload to re-roll the encounter.
Do sandworms give discoveries or units?
No. They cannot be scanned, so they produce no discovery entry and no scan payout.
Key Takeaways
- Sandworms are Shaihuluda, and infested biomes spawn them 100% of the time.
- Outside infested worlds, aim for Mega Exotic (50%), Marsh (40%) or Dead (30%); avoid Frozen (5%).
- They cannot be scanned, killed, tamed, ridden or farmed. There is no reward.
- Rumbling and screen shake mean one is underground nearby; altitude and open terrain get you the view.
- Save-and-reload re-rolls the encounter if you missed it.