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Taming creatures in No Man’s Sky has traditionally been a casual activity, something done in between teleporting across galaxies and gathering resources. However, the Xeno Arena update brings a new twist. Now, your companions aren’t just for decoration or utility—they can fight back.
Creature battles transform your collection into a strategic team. This system is quite detailed. If you’ve been feeding alien wildlife just to move on, it’s time to pay more attention. A competitive side is waiting just beneath the surface. Here’s what you need to know about creature battles.
How to Get Creatures to Battle
Before participating in creature battles, you must build a roster of companions. This begins with taming creatures. Most in No Man’s Sky can be tamed simply by feeding them Creature Pellets, which you automatically unlock after finishing the Awakenings questline.
Mechanical creatures follow a similar process but require an Ion Battery instead of pellets. Once a creature is tamed, you can register it as a companion if you have an available slot. From there, you can summon, interact with, and eventually include it in your battle team.
Since battles require a team of three creatures, having more than three trained companions gives you flexibility in choosing your lineup before each fight.
How to Start a Creature Battle
You can initiate creature battles by interacting with Holo-Arena tables found in major hubs throughout the game. The easiest to find is in the Space Anomaly near Oceanus. You’ll also find Holo-Arenas at space stations, planetary outposts, archive buildings, and settlements.
Once you find a table, just interact with it to queue a match and select your team.
What Are the Creature Types and Their Counters
At the core of creature battles is the affinity system, similar to elemental matchups in other monster-battling games. Each creature has an affinity linked to its home biome, and understanding these relationships is key to winning.
There are eight main affinities: Fire, Frost, Radioactive, Toxic, Tropical, Mechanical, Anomalous, and Desert. Each has strengths and weaknesses relative to others:
| Affinity | Strong Against | Weak Against |
|---|---|---|
| Anomalous | Mechanical | Desert |
| Desert | Radioactive | Frost |
| Fire | Frost | Radioactive |
| Frost | Desert | Fire |
| Mechanical | Toxic | Anomalous |
| Radioactive | Fire | Toxic |
| Toxic | Tropical | Mechanical |
| Tropical | Anomalous | Toxic |
How to Win Creature Battles
Battles are turn-based, and your goal is to defeat three of your opponent’s creatures by reducing their health to zero before they do the same to yours. Success depends on selecting the right creatures, using effective moves, and managing your health.
Pay attention to matchups—each creature type has advantages and disadvantages. Always try to use a creature that has an advantage over your opponent. Using the wrong type means dealing less damage and taking more damage in return, which puts you at a disadvantage.
Use your strongest moves when you have a favorable matchup. High-damage abilities can help end fights quickly, especially if your creature is already in an advantageous position.
Healing your creatures is just as important as attacking. If your creature has access to healing moves, use them before its health drops too low. Early recovery can keep your team in the fight longer and prevent losing a creature from a single hit.
If a battle isn’t going well, adjust your strategy. This might mean switching to different creatures, using different moves, or playing more aggressively depending on the situation. Being adaptable can turn the tide of the fight.
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