In celebration of No Man’s Sky’s seventh anniversary, Hello Games has launched the Echoes update, featuring the story of a secret society of robotic aliens. As expected, space explorers around the globe are undoubtedly eager to embark on a new expedition with this mysterious mechanical race known as Autophages. The No Man’s Sky Echoes update has also released tons of additional content, such as overhauled space combat, unique Ceremonial Staff tech, and new customization options. However, knowing how to start the Echoes story has bewildered the community of space explorers.
How to Unlock the NMS Autophage Quest “They Who Returned”
The Autophage quest that triggers the start of the Echoes story in No Man’s Sky is called “They Who Returned.” The main issue that players are experiencing is that the game doesn’t really provide any explanation as to how the mission is triggered. Fortunately, the community has banned together and recognized four common conditions that must be met:
- Complete “The Purge,” the final story mission of the Artemis Path, the main campaign of No Man’s Sky.
- Own a Planetary Settlement to start the quest, “A Trace of Metal,” which involves creating a Sentinel Companion and upgrading your Minotaur mech.
- Warp to a desolate system to randomly receive a message from a damaged Autophage communicating with you via a “hijack source.”
- Head to the camp where the Autophage is located, and this will conclude the initiation process of “They Who Returned.”
It should be noted that some players might be able to discover the Autophage’s camp by collecting an Echo Locator by defeating a Dissonance Resonator. If you’re on the planet where the NPC is located, the device should lead you to the hijack source.
Keep in mind that the start of the No Man’s Sky Autophage quest in the Echoes update is treated as a random event when you’ve entered a desolate system. Therefore, you shouldn’t expect to receive any direction to begin the mission prior to clearing the four conditions we listed above.
Related:
No Man’s Sky 4.38 Update Patch Notes Address Pesky Singularity Issues
Here’s a video by Scottish Rod if you’d like to see the in-game process involving NMS and starting the Echoes story:
