Continuing their redemption story well and beyond what anyone could have initially expected, the development team at Hello Games has released Version 4.0 for No Man’s Sky, also known as the Waypoint Update. Swaths of new gameplay systems and means of tailoring your gaming experience across your journey through billions of procedurally generated systems, some key features of this update include:
Custom Game Modes
Tailor every aspect of the game to your unique playstyle with custom game modes. Launch into the action quickly with an existing difficulty preset, or tinker with everything from economy to combat challenge to survival difficulty to perfect your experience.
Seamless Auto-Saves
A new continual auto-saving system allows you to fully immerse yourself in the journey without ever needing to think about saving your progress. Manual saves remain, giving you full control when needed.
Personal Trade Rocket
Load and launch a personal trade rocket to automatically sell items on the Galactic Trade Network. Summon the device from anywhere on a planetary surface, then fire it off to the local Space Station for profit!
Overhaul of Inventory
The inventory has been visually overhauled, with new slot designs, backgrounds, icons, and more. Item management has been streamlined, with technology and cargo slots now accessible from a single view.
Relaxed Game Mode
The new relaxed preset provides an accessible, laid-back experience of No Man’s Sky. Perfect for players who want to experience all facets of gameplay, from story to survival to combat, with reduced danger and minimal grind.
Space Anomaly Atmospherics Overhaul
The bustling Space Anomaly feels deeper and more atmospheric, with a total overhaul of visual effects throughout the Anomaly.
Drop Pods
Interacting with damaged Drop Pods on planetary surfaces will now generate a marker and guide mission to assist the repair process, allowing players to find their way back if they need to gather materials. Drop Pods can now be found directly with Exosuit Upgrade Charts, rather than having to feed data into the signal booster.
Quality of Life Improvements
- Scanning with the Analysis Visor has been accelerated, making discovery, especially of fast-moving creatures, more efficient.
- Movement upgrades for the jetpack have been made more powerful.
- Procedurally-generated technology modules now stack in the inventory.
- Waypoints are now highlighted with an icon in the Analysis Visor.
- Traveller graves will now manifest memory fragments, offering important technology upgrades to aid living Travellers on their journeys.
and more.
Furthermore, No Man’s Sky and all the content in the new Waypoint Update (plus the previous 20 major updates) are now available to purchase and play on the Nintendo Switch. According to Hello Games, players “can expect everything that was possible and applicable from those updates, as well as any other coming in the future delivering new content to this already massive universe.
While nothing work re-purchasing the game for, those playing No Man’s Sky on the Nintendo Switch who connect to game servers before 7 November 2022 will be eligible for exclusive rewards, including the Horizon Vector NX starship and Infinite Neon Mark XXII Multi-Tool.
