Today the launch of No Man’s Sky’s huge content update, No Man’s Sky Beyond, took place across PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Developer Hello Games has released the patch notes for the update, which include several major overhauls, as well as smaller quality of life changes.
Beyond, also known as Update 2.0(although it’s been patched to 2.3 on PS4), was announced as a massive story update that would improve the gameplay experience, add VR support, and expand multiplayer to ambitious new levels.
This marks the three year anniversary of the release of No Man’s Sky, where the game had a bumpy launch and was criticized for its lack of depth and for not living up to the lofty promises made. Since then Hello Games has been slowly adding content to the game in an effort to return it to the same sphere of what was promised.
Beyond is the latest addition to these efforts, which the developers say is the largest update to No Man’s Sky yet, and so far it looks great. Check out the main patch notes for the update below.
VR support:
- You can now play the entirety of No Man’s Sky in Virtual Reality with Steam VR or PlayStation VR.
- You can switch seamlessly between VR and standard gameplay. Continue from a pre-existing save to revisit favourite planets, bases and creatures in full Virtual Reality.
Expanded Multiplayer:
- Multiplayer sessions can now accommodate more explorers. The Space Anomaly can hold 16 players on all platforms.
- Throughout the rest of the universe, the maximum player count has increased from 4 to 8 players on console, and from 4 to 32 players on PC.
- VR and standard mode players can be matchmade into the same multiplayer session.
Missions and Exploration:
- Missions and tutorials have been significantly revised. The early game has been streamlined to better teach players new mechanics, particularly in VR.
- New story content has been added to the Atlas Path, the journey of the Space Anomaly, and the story of Artemis.
- Substances, crafted products, new technologies and other curiosities are automatically added to the new Catalogue when first encountered.
- The Pinning system has been reworked, allowing players to get detailed instructions on how to find or build an item in the Catalogue.
- Guidance features have been improved, including auto-highlighting of relevant crafting requirements and better messaging of context in complex missions.
A New Social Hub:
- The Space Anomaly has been transformed into a new social hub. This communal space exists across all systems, giving all explorers an opportunity to see each others’ character and ship customizations, meet new friends, and undertake missions together.
- Explorers can easily browse and visit each others’ bases directly from the Anomaly. The Teleporter will also feature bases created by members of the No Man’s Sky community.
- Explorers who have encountered the Anomaly now have the ability to summon it in space.
Nexus Missions:
- Multiplayer missions are now initialised from The Nexus aboard the Space Anomaly. A large set of unique missions are currently available, including the new mission type of Base Construction.
- Group up with other explorers(friends or random encounters) to take on missions for Nada and Polo and earn rewards.
- Nexus mission rewards will soon include Quicksilver, to unlock special customizations and building parts from Polo’s robot companion.
In addition to some re-balancing and several quality of life improvements, other features of the update include technology trees, an overhauled Discovery Page, and ambient multiplayer improvements. Head to the No Man’s Sky site for a full listing of the complete patch notes.
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