No Man’s Sky Desolation Update Explores Abandoned Freighters

No Man’s Sky has had an interesting life since it released back in 2016. After being criticized at launch, developer Hello Games has followed it up with several free updates that have done wonders in restoring community support. The latest 2.6 patch, named “Desolation”, introduces a new horror experience to the indie space exploration game.

Did you hear something?

Desolation introduces abandoned freighters to the universe of No Man’s Sky. Players will be able to investigate these ominous destinations alone or with friends and uncover the mysteries of what happened through the custom ship logs. Some rewards can’t be found anywhere else except within those freighters – such as rare upgrades to your ship.

As with the rest of No Man’s Sky, the freighters are procedurally generated, meaning no two experiences will ever truly be alike. However, while the intrigue of loot and mystery might lure you in, it will be no easy task to get out again. Inside the hulking cargo doors could lurk any number of dangers; maybe there’s a security system that’s gone rogue, or it’s dark and the gravity doesn’t work. Or maybe, just maybe, you hear the sounds of a new kind of life form that doesn’t take too kindly to you poking around its new home.

But wait, there’s more in this No Man’s Sky update!

Aside from the new freighters, the update introduces refined lighting and bloom effects. There are some quality-of-life improvements here too, such as personal freighter customization and weapon rebalancing. Finally, it adds player titles to add unique flair when exploring with friends.

The update follows the news that since No Man’s Sky hit Xbox Game Pass, over a million players have started their journeys for the very first time. Hello Games also reported that the game is hitting some of its highest player-counts ever. Not bad, considering where it started.

The update is available right now for all players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.