It's a strange thought to think that 2020 will mark the four year anniversary of No Man's Sky, a game that can easily be considered one of the greatest comebacks in gaming history. A lot has changed in No Man's Sky since launch, and developer Hello Games still has more to give.
The next update for the procedurally-generated space sim is taking a turn to explore the lonesome horror of space. No Man's Sky's new content update is titled Desolation and has a trailer to welcome players before they hop in.
The main thing the trailer shows off is the new gameplay mechanic of scavenging the remains of carriers left to wander the vacuum of space. According to the official page on Hello Games' website, Desolation (or Update 2.6) will let players "scavenge and survive in the haunted wreckage of derelict freighters." Much like the procedural planets that give No Man's Sky five billion years worth of content, the freighters left to time will also be created through the system.
While the main goal of No Man's Sky's Desolation update is introducing cosmic horror to the infinite universe, Hello Games is also adding some new features to the game as a whole. The blog post states that No Man's Sky will also receive more story content, freighter customization, and combat improvements. The announcement blog post gives greater details on all that will come with the Desolation update and it is a sizable list. The full patch notes are on the official page and is worth a gander.
Despite initially releasing in 2016, No Man's Sky has not slowed down on the updates and 2020 is already looking like a solid year. The big addition of the new decade was the long awaited introduction of mechanical giants. No Man's Sky now features Mechs for planetary traversal and combat. It's unlikely they will come in handy during the tight corridors of lost freighters but maybe some lifters might be in store. Although players could use one of their "living ships" to help them escape.
While skulking the halls of dark vessels may be a terrifying ordeal, a recently released feature gives players the chance to get help despite platform. No Man's Sky now features cross-play functionality between PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One. This update coincided with No Man's Sky's debut on Xbox Game Pass back in June.
So those willing to take a dive into the abyss can start the update now and head into the darkness.
No Man's Sky Desolation update is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: No Man's Sky