The Xeno Arena update turned No Man's Sky into something genuinely new: a monster-collector game layered on top of an already enormous space exploration sandbox. At the top of the pet tier list sit S-class Xenos, and knowing how to find them early saves you a lot of time grinding upgrades on weaker companions.
What are S-class Xeno pets and why do they matter?
Every creature you recruit as a companion in No Man's Sky falls into a tier, with S-class sitting at the top. According to the Destructoid guide covering the Xeno Arena update, S-class pets grow faster and develop stronger stats compared to lower-tier companions. They are not automatically powerful when you find them, though. An S-class creature found early in the game can still be underleveled and lose fights. The advantage is the ceiling: S-class pets scale better over time, making them the smarter long-term investment.
That said, the same source notes you can clear content without an all-S-class team. If you find a strong B or A-class creature you like, it will not hold you back completely. S-class just makes the grind smoother.
S-class tier confirmed on scan
How to unlock Xeno Arena battles first
Before you can recruit creatures freely, you need to work through the Xeno Arena questline. Based on the source material, there are three tutorial battles to complete as part of this quest. These fights walk you through the basics of how Xeno battles work. You cannot skip them.
Clearing a fair amount of general in-game content beforehand is required before the quest even appears, so do not expect to jump straight into creature collecting from a fresh save. Progress the main storyline until the Xeno Arena quest becomes available, then finish all three tutorial fights.
Do not rush past the tutorial battles. They exist to teach the core mechanics of Xeno fights, and understanding those systems makes recruiting and leveling S-class pets much more efficient.
How to find S-class Xeno pets on planets
Once the tutorials are done, the process of finding S-class creatures is open to you. Here is exactly how it works, based on the Destructoid source:
- Travel to any planet that has life forms present.
- Land and wait a couple of minutes for the local animals to load in.
- Use your scanner on the creatures you encounter.
- Check the scan result for the creature's tier classification.
- If the animal is not S-class, move on and scan others.
- Repeat across different planets until you find an S-class creature.
One useful detail: if another player previously discovered and scanned an S-class creature on a planet, that information persists. You may encounter pre-identified S-class animals without needing to scan from scratch.
You must wait for animals to fully load after landing. Scanning too quickly after touchdown may not surface all available creatures on that planet.
Feed prompt triggers companion add
How do you recruit an S-class Xeno as a companion?
Finding the creature is only half the process. To actually add it to your team:
- Approach the S-class animal once your scanner confirms its tier.
- Interact with it to trigger the feed option.
- Provide food for the animal.
- After feeding, it joins you as a companion and becomes available for Xeno Arena fights aboard the Anomaly.
The feeding mechanic is straightforward, but you do need to have the appropriate food item on hand. The source does not specify exact food types per creature, so carry a variety of creature food to avoid losing a recruit because you came unprepared.
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