Part of the Exploration & Endgame series:

Quick Answer

  • Every planet falls into a biome family (Lush, Barren, Toxic, Scorched, Frozen, Radioactive, Marsh, Ocean, Exotic, Dead, or Dissonant), and the biome tells you which hazard to prepare for.
  • There are four environmental hazards: heat, cold, toxic, and radiation. Each drains your Hazard Protection stat, and each is countered by the matching exosuit protection module.
  • Storms and superstorms briefly spike a planet's hazard far above its baseline, so a mild world can turn deadly for a few minutes.
  • Extreme and storm worlds punish you with harsher weather but reward you with Storm Crystals, richer resource nodes, and better loot.
  • Sentinel presence ranges from none to aggressive, peaking on Dissonant (Corrupted) planets patrolled by hostile robotic wildlife.
  • Worlds Part I and II added deep ocean worlds, larger terrain, gas giants, and purple-star systems to the biome mix.
  • The Analysis Visor and the Discovery scan report a planet's weather, Sentinel level, flora, and fauna before you ever set boots on the ground.

Overview

No Man's Sky generates billions of planets, but every one is assembled from a limited set of biome templates and a handful of hazard rules. Learn those rules once and you can read any new world's scan and know within seconds whether you need cold protection, whether a superstorm is coming, and whether the local Sentinels will shoot on sight.

This reference covers each biome family, the four hazards and how protection drains, the tradeoffs of storm worlds, and the range of Sentinel activity. The table midway down condenses it into a cheat sheet. If you are still learning the survival systems behind all this, read the Life Support & Hazard Protection survival guide alongside it.

The Hazard System

Hazard Protection is the exosuit stat that shields you from a planet's environment. It sits separate from Life Support (your oxygen and energy pool) and from Health. On a hazardous world the environment steadily drains the Hazard Protection bar; once it empties, the hazard eats your Health directly and death follows quickly.

4 hazards exist, each countered by its own exosuit system:

  • Heat: scorched, volcanic, and hot desert worlds. Countered by the Coolant systems; recharged with Sodium.
  • Cold: frozen and icy worlds. Countered by the Thermal systems; recharged with Sodium.
  • Toxic: poisonous, acidic, and fungal worlds. Countered by the Toxic Protection system.
  • Radiation: irradiated and gamma-scorched worlds. Countered by the Radiation Protection system.

Each protection system accepts up to 3 upgrade modules per inventory tab, and the Exosuit has 2 technology-capable tabs, so a single hazard can be stacked 6 modules deep if you genuinely need it. The Exosuit's 3 supercharged slots are fixed and never adjacent to one another, so plan three small clusters rather than one block — the layout grids guide covers the shapes.

Sodium and Sodium Nitrate recharge the Hazard Protection bar directly, so keeping a stack on hand is the most reliable survival habit. Critically, hazard drain pauses whenever you are inside a cave, a building, your ship, or a base; shelter of any kind stops the clock and lets the bar refill. On brutal worlds, cave-hopping between objectives is a legitimate tactic, and you can carve an instant cave with your mining beam.

Weather, Storms, and Superstorms

A planet's baseline weather sets how fast the hazard drains during calm periods. On top of that, many worlds run periodic storms that spike the hazard intensity, drain protection far faster, and drop visibility. Superstorms, found on extreme worlds, push this further, sometimes draining a full protection bar in under a minute.

Storms announce themselves: the sky darkens, wind noise builds, and a warning appears. That is your cue to reach a cave, deploy a shelter, or lift off. Storms are also an opportunity, since they are when Storm Crystals surface for farming and when resource yields climb.

Biome Families

The game generates 12 distinct biome types as of Worlds Part 2, which added Gas Giants to the existing 11: Lush, Barren, Dead, Exotic, Mega Exotic, Scorched, Frozen, Toxic, Irradiated, Marsh, and Volcanic. The families below group them by how they play rather than by internal naming, so the counts will not line up one-for-one.

A caveat worth stating: biome classification has shifted across updates — the Worlds updates reassigned some existing planets to different biomes — so a planet you catalogued years ago may not read the same today. Where a specific figure below could not be verified against a source we trust, the text says so rather than guessing.

Lush / Paradise

Green, temperate, and often hazard-free or near it. Abundant flora, active fauna, and calm weather make these the default choice for early bases and comfortable exploration. Paradise worlds are the calm end of the Lush family, with no environmental hazard at all, and since "lush" alone does not guarantee calm weather or passive Sentinels, the paradise planet guide covers how to check all three properties from orbit before you commit to a landing.

Barren

Dry, rocky, sparsely vegetated. Hazards are usually mild, but resources and life are thin. Good for mining, dull for exploration.

Dead / Desolate

Airless, lifeless, cratered. No flora or fauna, but often generous mineral deposits and no biological hazard, though many carry radiation. Quiet and safe to mine if your radiation protection holds.

Toxic

Acid rain, spore clouds, and fungal growth. The toxic hazard drains steadily, and toxic storms are among the nastier weather events. Rich in specific plant resources like Fungal Mould.

Scorched / Volcanic (Hot)

Lava fields, extreme heat, frequent firestorms. Heat is the hazard; superstorms here are firestorms that can spike temperatures dramatically. Common sources of Sodium and heat-associated resources.

Frozen (Cold)

Ice sheets, blizzards, and deep cold. The cold hazard bites hardest at night and during snowstorms. Frost Crystals are the draw.

Radioactive

Irradiated terrain under a hostile sky. Radiation drains protection continuously, worsened by radioactive storms. Gamma Root and radioactive minerals are the reward.

Marsh / Humid

Wet, overgrown, mixed-hazard worlds. Weather leans toxic or heat depending on the seed, with lush vegetation and heavy fauna. Often mistaken for paradise until the first storm.

Ocean / Water Worlds

Expanded by Worlds Part I and II into deep, explorable seas with sunken structures and underwater biomes. The surface hazard varies, but most of the content sits underwater, where oxygen management replaces the surface hazard as your main concern.

Exotic / Anomalous

Strange, rare worlds: bubble planets, hexagon terrain, glassy or metallic surfaces, drifting spheres. Hazards range from none to severe, but these are prized for their bizarre appearance and unusual resources, making them prime screenshot-base locations.

Dissonant / Corrupted

Sentinel-controlled worlds crawling with hostile robotic fauna and heightened patrols. The environmental hazard varies, but the real threat is combat. They are also the source of Dissonant Resonators and the components for the Sentinel multi-tool and minotaur. See the Dissonant and Corrupted planets guide for the full breakdown.

Gas Giants

Introduced in Worlds Part II, gas giants are enormous banded worlds with distinctive layered atmospheres and their own resource profile. They read as a separate class on the galaxy map and offer terrain and visuals unlike any surface world.

Planet Type Reference Table

Planet Type Primary Hazard Notable Resources Survival Note
Lush / Paradise None to mild Star Bulb, Cactus Flesh, active fauna Safest bases; little hazard prep needed
Barren Mild heat or none Common metals, sparse flora Easy mining, thin biodiversity
Dead / Desolate Often radiation, else none Rich minerals, no flora/fauna Watch radiation; otherwise low risk
Toxic Toxic Fungal Mould, toxic flora Keep Sodium stacked; toxic storms hit hard
Scorched / Volcanic Heat Sodium, heat-biome minerals Firestorms spike heat; cave-hop during storms
Frozen Cold Frost Crystal, cold flora Blizzards at night; recharge before dark
Radioactive Radiation Gamma Root, radioactive minerals Continuous drain; carry Radiation modules
Marsh / Humid Toxic or heat Heavy flora, dense fauna Deceptively calm until storms arrive
Ocean / Water Surface varies; underwater oxygen Underwater resources, sunken tech Manage oxygen at depth over surface hazard
Exotic / Anomalous None to severe Rare exotic materials Read the scan; hazard is unpredictable
Dissonant / Corrupted Sentinels (combat) Dissonant Resonator, Inverted Mirror Expect aggressive patrols and robotic fauna
Gas Giant Varies by layer Gas-giant resource profile Newer world class; distinct terrain and visuals

Extreme and Storm Worlds: The Tradeoff

An extreme world flags itself on scan with descriptors like "Extreme," "Deadly," or "Ferocious" weather. These worlds run superstorms that drain a full bar in seconds during peak weather. In exchange they offer denser resource nodes, higher yields, and Storm Crystals that surface only during active storms. Many veterans settle a base near a storm world to farm those crystals for units. The rule of thumb: the harsher the warning, the better the loot, and the more your prep matters.

Reading a Planet Before You Land

You do not have to land blind. From orbit, the Discovery scan and the galaxy-map readout report a planet's weather rating, Sentinel activity level, and flora and fauna density, with Sentinel activity described in plain language from none through aggressive. On the surface, the Analysis Visor confirms the local hazard, catalogs species for fauna and flora discovery rewards, and tags resource deposits. Read the weather and Sentinel lines first; they decide whether you need a specific protection module and whether to expect a fight.

Sentinel Activity Levels

Sentinel presence scales independently of the biome:

  • None / Low: rare or absent patrols. You can mine and build freely.
  • Standard: the usual floating drones that escalate only if you damage terrain aggressively or dig too deep.
  • High / Aggressive: dense patrols that respond fast and escalate through Quads and Walkers.
  • Corrupted (Dissonant): the top tier, where the wildlife itself is robotic and hostile and patrols are constant.

Triggering a wave summons escalating reinforcements until you flee, hide, or clear the final tier. On Corrupted worlds the fight is the whole point, which is why they gate some of the best endgame gear.

Digging Deeper

Biome also decides whether a planet has sandworms: infested worlds spawn them every time, Mega Exotic 50% of the time, and Frozen worlds almost never.

Different worlds hide different finds beneath the surface. The paleontology and fossil hunting guide covers excavating and reconstructing skeletons.

FAQ

What is the best planet type to build a base on?

Lush and Paradise worlds are the most comfortable, with little to no hazard drain and rich surroundings. But the "best" base depends on your goal: pick a storm world if you want Storm Crystal income, an exotic world for looks, or a resource-dense extreme world if you can tolerate the weather. Our best base locations guide weighs these tradeoffs in detail.

How do I survive extreme storms?

Watch for the darkening sky and warning, then reach shelter fast: a cave, building, ship, or deployed shelter all pause hazard drain instantly. Keep Sodium stacked to top off Hazard Protection on the move, and install the matching protection module (Thermal for cold, Coolant for heat, plus Toxic and Radiation). If caught in the open, dig into terrain with your mining beam for an instant cave.

Which planets have the most Sentinels?

Dissonant, also called Corrupted, planets carry the heaviest presence, adding hostile robotic wildlife on top of standard patrols. Beyond those, any world scanned as "aggressive" will hound you the moment you mine or build, while worlds flagged low or none let you work in peace.

Are there ocean-only planets?

Yes. Worlds Part I and II expanded water worlds into deep, fully explorable ocean planets where most of the interesting content sits underwater. On these your main survival concern shifts from surface hazard to oxygen management at depth, so pack underwater tech and Oxygen before diving.

Do gas giants work like normal planets?

Gas giants, added in Worlds Part II, are their own world class with layered atmospheres, distinctive banded terrain, and a separate resource profile. They read differently on the galaxy map and are worth visiting for the visuals and materials alone, though the hazard behavior varies by the world's generation.

Key Takeaways

  • Biome family predicts the hazard: match your protection module to Lush, Toxic, Scorched, Frozen, Radioactive, and the rest before you land.
  • Hazard Protection is the survival stat that stands between the environment and your Health; Sodium recharges it and any shelter pauses the drain.
  • Storms and superstorms briefly turn mild worlds deadly, so treat the sky warning as your signal to shelter or lift off.
  • Extreme and storm worlds trade harsh weather for Storm Crystals, denser resources, and better loot.
  • Sentinel activity runs from none to Corrupted independently of biome; read the scan's Sentinel line before committing.
  • Use the Discovery scan from orbit and the Analysis Visor on the ground to read weather, Sentinels, and resources in advance.