Highlights
- The Orbital update for No Man's Sky brings improved stations, NPCs, and mission rewards, enhancing gameplay depth and variety.
- Players can now customize and build their own ships using salvaged parts, fulfilling a long-standing community wish.
- The update adds visual improvements, varied station interiors, and strategic fleet missions, revitalizing player experiences.
The Orbital update for No Man’s Sky, was released by Hello Games in March 2024. There have been over 30 free major updates to the base game since its rocky launch in August 2016. Since its release, the game has gone from strength to strength, completely reversing the mostly negative reviews it had just after launch, by introducing many great changes.
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This new update, Orbital, introduces a number of new features and also extends and improves some existing ones. Since the game was released, players have been asking for a way to modify and customize their spaceship. No Man’s Sky Orbital finally fulfills this wish. Making this a well-received update overall.
8 Space Station Exterior Redesign
Vastly Improved Space Station Models
Anyone who played No Man’s Sky for more than a few hours, would notice that the 3D models used for the space stations are very basic. And whilst this isn’t a problem in itself, it does feel out of place. When star systems and planets are all unique, it is a little strange to encounter exactly the same space station every time the player heads to dock.
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In the aptly named Orbital update, things changed. Space station models were redesigned to be much more complex and aesthetically pleasing. This is a huge visual improvement.
7 Space Station Interior Overhaul
Varied And Interesting Interiors
In the same way that docking at a station was disappointing, as all station exteriors were identical, once docked, the deck layout of every station was identical as well. This meant that once players learned the layout, it made everything easy to find, but it was a little boring and immersion-breaking.
With the Orbital update, station interiors were redesigned, and many different variations were added. Now, when players dock at a station, they can never be sure that they will already know the layout.
6 New Space Stations
More Variety And Less Procedural Generation
Alongside the redesign of station exteriors, many new stations were added as part of the Orbital update for No Man’s Sky. Rather than every station being the same, there are now a lot more different types.
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This means that the space gameplay feels much less like it was procedurally generated, even though it is. Furthermore, stations tend to follow the theme of the star system they are located in. For example, a pirate or outlaw-controlled sector will generally have a pirate station.
5 Merchant Refresh
Aiding Immersion Through More Variations
There is a pattern evolving here. It is obvious that the No Man’s Sky Orbital update was intended to breathe new life into space stations. And with newly designed and more variations of the exterior and interior of stations covered, that leaves the NPCs that inhabit them.
Many if not all of the NPCs inside stations have been redesigned, and many more variations of race, clothing, and features have been added to the game, making space stations seem more alive. Even the wandering NPCs have been changed, and rather than stand in one place or move just a few steps, they now stroll around the station.
4 Better Guild Mission Rewards
Guild Rewards Are Better And Increase With Rank
Before the Orbital update, most new No Man’s Sky players would find the guild mission NPC, try a couple of missions, and then realize that it wasn’t worth their time. The mission payout was notoriously poor. Orbital has changed this.
The Orbital update for No Man’s Sky has reworked guild mission rewards. Mission payouts, including the number of nanites given, are now a lot better. But more importantly, as players level up their reputation with a guild, they will be offered better and better mission rewards. This makes completing guild missions a viable gameplay option now.
3 Fleet Mission Improvements
Deeper Fleet Mission Gameplay
Fleet missions have always been something of a bolt-on feature for No Man’s Sky. It could be fun putting a fleet together, but once players had sent their fleet on a few missions, they realized that there was very little depth to this gameplay loop. The Orbital update aimed to change this. An additional strategic layer was added to fleet missions.
This means that fleet commanders may contact the player for advice and guidance when they face a decision. Additionally, there is a chance that the fleet commander will request the player become directly involved with fleet actions, and they will have to track down their fleet in space and provide assistance. The action the player takes will directly influence the outcome of the fleet mission and what rewards are won once the fleet returns to the player's freighter location.
2 Salvaged Ship Parts
Find Parts & Salvage Whole Ships
Since launch, players have been able to locate crashed ships, repair them, and then either use them or sell them. Unfortunately, there was never much profit in salvaging and selling ships. The Orbital update addresses this problem. Unwanted ships can still be sold, or they can be salvaged for parts.
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What can the player do with these salvaged parts? The salvaged parts can be used as customization modules, or as parts to design and construct an entirely new ship. This gives players a solid alternative for getting a great S-class ship, rather than endlessly searching for one. Ship parts can also be found as loot after space combat encounters.
1 Ship Customization & Construction
Design And Build New Ships Or Customize Existing Ones
One of the major gripes of the No Man’s Sky player base was that they had no way to customize their beloved ships. Add to this the problem that many of the procedurally generated ship designs and paint schemes are just downright ugly. Players did what players always do. They found a workaround. By using 3rd party tools to edit their ships.
The Orbital update for No Man’s Sky finally gives the player community what they wanted in a game. Not only can players fully customize their ship, but they can also use salvaged parts to design and construct a completely new one. This was the most popular addition in the update. Note, though, that ship weapons and upgrades have not changed. In addition, only ships can be customized, and not the NMS exocraft.
No Man's Sky
- Platform(s)
- Switch , PC , Xbox One , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X , PS4 , PS5
- Released
- August 9, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Hello Games
