The No Man’s Sky update 4.0, Waypoint, is finally here, and it’s called Waypoint. It’s a ‘generational’ update that accompanies the space game‘s arrival on the Nintendo Switch, but as we learned in our interview with creator Sean Murray, it includes a huge number of updates for players on PC as well, whether they’re brand new to the game or seasoned pioneers.
Hello Games says the Waypoint update includes overhauls to No Man’s Sky’s inventory, cataloguing, milestones, and game modes. Ships, weapons, and players all are getting “greatly increased” level caps, and players will now be able to fully customise settings for survival, crafting, and combat.
Waypoint introduces a new ‘relaxed’ game mode that de-emphasises combat and survival and focuses on the pure experience of exploring the sandbox of No Man’s Sky’s colourful galaxy. If you’re coming back after some time away from the game, you’ll find that there’s a new information portal that contains a handy summary of all your progress and tracked goals.
There’s a new continuous save system as well, as Murray explained to us in our interview. That’s meant to make No Man’s Sky more compatible with the Switch, but it’s something players on any platform will be able to take advantage of.
Finally, there’s some huge changes to in-game inventories, as the level cap for the player themselves, as well as their weapons and ships, has been increased by quite a bit. You’ll also be able to customise core elements like the control, crafting, survival, and combat systems.
Hello Games describe Waypoint as “perhaps our biggest generational jump so far,” commenting “it’s an exciting moment, and marks a solid foundation for future updates. You can read the full Waypoint patch notes on the No Man’s Sky official site, with the update going live today (Friday, October 7).
If you’re a lover of vast open worlds and stunning extra-terrestrial vistas, check out our best sandbox games list for some new inspiration. Also, did you know you can explore No Man’s Sky without a graphics card? Neither did we, but it’s true.