Quick Links
There’s much to learn about the Vy’Keen inNo Man’s Sky, a warrior race that holds honor and battle in the highest regard. They don’t play nice with Sentinels and offer many fun combat missions should you decide to volunteer for work. They’re found throughout the galaxy, and for many, they’re the first alien race you tend to encounter.
RELATED:No Man’s Sky: What Is The Atlas?
Though technologically advanced enough to master hyper-space travel like the other handful of sentient races, they’re not exactly masters of conversation. Dialogue tends to involve a lot of yelling and talk of glorious war and bloodshed, but a friendly bunch no doubt. For those looking to see what’s behind the curtain of this combat-focused group of galactic explorers, here’s everything you need to know about the Vy’Keen.
Who Are The Vy’Keen?
One of the more domineering of the three sentient races in No Man’s Sky, the Vy’Keen arehumanoid in shape but reptilian in nature. They come from the planet Dryn’dargh, found around the Outer Edge of the current known galaxy.
Though they’re mostly friendly to Travellers unless pushed too far,other species consider them openly hostile. This is understandable, considering they used to dominate the Outer Edge with their massive empire before it crumbled as they got embroiled in war after war, both external and from within. So they have quite the track record.
Vy’Keen Biology
One of the most interesting aspects of the Vy’Keen is the variety in their outward appearance. While still of a reptilian baseline, the variants between range from relatively normal with large facial horns to the more bestial, with elongated whale-like or arachnid features. The difference between them seems todenote rank and statuswithin the wider species as a whole.
Susceptible to extremes in climate, temperature, and atmosphere,Vy’Keen physiology is fairly similar to most other species. Another interesting feature is that similar to how the Gek use smell to communicate, the Vy’Keen use posture—often taking stances (mostly aggressive) to convey complex meaning or emotion in a single sentence statement.
The History Of The Vy’Keen
The history of the Vy’Keen species is one of constant bloodshed, honorable combat, and conflict. Though little is known of their early history, what records we do have chart their progress around a time when agreat leader of the Vy’Keen known as Hirkwas present. What we know of this tale can be pieced together from fragments found in different Monoliths scattered around the various colonies and planets within Vy’Keen territory.
The monoliths tell the tale of Hirk, considered to be theVy’Keen equivalent of Alexander The Great. As well as the interactions of the early Vy’Keen with the alien Monoliths, The Sentinel War, and how their race reacted to the aftermath of a Galaxy that was burning for a few different reasons. There are aroundseven individual parts to the saga, but for the sake of brevity, we’ll be taking a run at the abridged version.
Here’s how it all went down.
The Monolith Is Found
When Hirk and Nal found the Great Monolith, they learned of the importance of Travellers and thus decreed thatVy’Keen would never kill nor harm a Traveller. Or inhibit their exploration and ascent into the void of space.
It was also when Hirk decided that The Sentinels were to be purged from existence. To him, they were not natural, abominations, and werethe one thing holding the Vy’Keen back from greatness. In exuberant exaltation, Hirk commanded that these metal demons would be torn apart in glorious combat, their endless replication centers and apparent stymying of progress smashed asunder.
A Disagreement Festers
However, the destruction of the Sentinels was something that Hirk came to on his own, as when asked about the Sentinels,the Great Monolith remained silent. And so, when Hirk made his ruling atop the Dun’s’kareen mountain, a sacred site on the Vy’Keen homeworld, he was met with a surprising amount of support from his followers. But his fellow explorer Nal disagreed, calling Hirk a fool and sayingThe Sentinels couldn’t be defeatedand the coming conflict would doom their species.
Nal approached with a raised fist, a significant statement in Vy’Keen culture as it meant achallenge was issuedand must be met. And met it was, as Hirk, with a fury of the gods, struck Nal once, sending his friend hurtling from the top of the mountain. The fall is said to havetaken three suns and moonsbefore he hit the bottom, so it was quite a tall peak.
The Breaking Of Machines
According to notes found in the Monoliths, the war againstThe Sentinelsbegan onthe eve of the eighteenth moon of Drun’Gala. Worlds that were once peaceful gardens patrolled by these silent protectors were razed until they were naught but smoldering ruins. A retaliation would come from the local systems' automated protectors, and they would be crushed as well. Albeit with a fairlyhigh Vy’Keen body count after each engagement.
Time passed, decades flew by and still, the war raged on. Hirk grew old and ancient, eventuallypassing from advanced age, and yet the war continued. For centuries afterward, the stars burned99 times 90 cycles until the robot adversary was finally driven back into the dark corners of the universe. All was at peace, or so it seemed.
They Came From, Behind
During a time known asThe Silence Of The Sentinels, the Vy’Keen did their equivalent of calming down. The victory was enjoyed, songs were sung, feasts had, wounds were tended to, graves were dug, and the mountains worth of lost generations were mourned.Vy’Keens forces were heavily depleted,and so they needed time to recuperate. Unfortunately, they could not stop the innumerable hordes that cruised out of deep space.The Gek First Spawn had arrived.
Out of the gloom they came, sleek ships of the Gek that breezed past badly battle-battered fleets, by ruined colonies, deep into the territory of another race,The Korvax. A species of biomechanical androids who were peaceful, but unfortunately had a homeworld (Korvax Prime) that was rich in resources. Once again, the galaxy basked in the balefire of burning battle barges, and brutal land battles played out in system after system. The Vy’Keen, severely weakened by their own war,could only watch helplessly. Condemning the actions of the Gek First Spawn and cursing their lineage when they eventually destroyed Korvax Prime and enslaved the Korvax.
Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss
The First Spawn reveled in their empire. For generations, they ruled coldly and unjustly, ensuring thateverything in the galaxy clusters of the Outer Edge and beyondfelt their grip. No one could stand against them and it looked like they were the new rulers, but like every empire, it was destined to fall to ruin. In the Gek’s case, it was from within.
Throughgenetic manipulationput into action by the Korvax through anact of self-sacrificethat was coordinated on a universal scale, the Gek became more docile. Soon a second faction sprung up that shunned their old conquering ways, dissent turned to riots turned to civil war and the stars again echoed to the sounds of gunfire and carnage. The First Spawn would bedefeated and scattered to the starsas the status quo seemed to finally return to the universe.
But things weren’t good in the Vy’Keen camp. This new breed of Gek that had appeared began venerating and worshiping the Atlas and, by proxy, The Sentinels.An old robotic nemesis that had once again returned, reappearing on worlds that they were removed from eons ago. All the work of Hirk undone, the Vy’Keen didn’t take it well. They already held a grudge against the Gek for what they did to the Korvax, and now thecybernetic inter-galactic Fun Policewere back because of them.
RELATED:No Man’s Sky: Who Were The Gek First Spawn?
Vy’Keen Beliefs
Though they seem like a generic warrior race, most Vy’Keen are somewhat calm and welcoming to Travellers. Depending on their caste, they’ll appreciate either anaggressive or gentler introduction,and they’re always willing to help, buy your wares or offer opportunities to work. According to their traditions, they prefer honorable actions, acceptance of pride, and respect,especially in the heat of battle.
Though they have no dreams of an Empire, they believe in improving themselves as a species and the glory of martial combat. They have ancestral folk tales, old traditions, and they held great tribal leaders in high regard—especiallythe tale of Hirk.
On the topic of Hirk, there are some concerning reports aboutconflicting transcriptssurrounding the mythos of Hirk. There is more than one version of the incident with the Great Monolith. One source (the traditional view) points to Hirk killing Nal for his challenge, while in another, Hirk kills Nal because he never received anything from the Marker, while Nal did. Nal gave him the information about the Travellers, then Hirk killed him out of jealousy because he thought he was the Chosen One, not Nal.
There’s alsoa corrupted Terminal that says both received visions. Though bringing up this discrepancy with the Vy’Keen will usually result in someone having all of their limbs torn off and then used to beat them to death by a nowvery offended and furious Vy’Keen.
It is possible to find Vy’Keen that are members of a group known as theCult Of Nal. They’re said to be numerous and believe thatNal was betrayed by a jealous Hirk.
The Sentinels
Regardless of where they stand on Hirk, all Vy’Keen share the same hatred of a common enemy, The Sentinels. The Vy’Keen are big believers in thenatural order of things,and the Sentinels, likeThe Atlas, areartificially created, don’t age, and operate to a set of rules known only to themselves.This upsets the Vy’Keen quite a bit.
Though they can’t exactly wage a massive intergalactic war against them again, small skirmishes and guerrilla attacks are not uncommon. You’ll often find missions that involve hassling or destroying Sentinels in some way, and the client is often a Vy’Keen. You’ll also hear how Vy’Keen youthsregularly antagonize the local Sentinel populationfor fun or as a right of passage. Old habits never die, it seems.
