Two weeks ago, No Man’s Sky released its latest update: Cosmos. This update builds on the recently introduced Corvette-class starship in a satisfying way, giving players a real reason to utilize the class; and allowing them to build bases in the void of space. Additionally, it lets players directly control the game’s native space stations and build galaxy-spanning alliances with each other.
The Cosmos update, paired with the “Our Journey Continues” expedition, comes on the game’s tenth anniversary and follows an established tradition of high-quality expansions to the game.
Let’s start with the largest change, which is the ability for players to own the massive space stations that dot the galaxy. After gaining enough reputation with the local system’s primary race and guild, and salvaging some wrecks, players can then spend 100,000,000 units to be given full authority over the station’s appearance. Once a station is under their control, players can add it to an existing alliance or create their own.
Currently, in the Euclid Galaxy, the top alliance (the Royal Space Society Hub) has a whopping 6,146,088 points, with the runner-up coming in at a bit over five million.
Alongside the new alliance system, station owners gain exclusive rights to customize their station’s appearance and can even expand it in the build menu. With hundreds of parts to build and discover, there’s an abundance of options for players to spice up their system.
From the official No Man’s Sky website, the exterior of a renovated station.
Aside from the exciting possibilities presented by the station update, players now have the option to create bases in space. Whether on a habitable asteroid or freely floating, players can build rooms that were previously reserved for freighters, thus eliminating the hefty price tag from useful industries like the stellar extractor and onboard refinery. All the regular base styles and decorations are also available for use, meaning we can create a literal home amongst the stars.
The other, more immediately useful part of the update, is its expansion of uses for corvettes and the new star system map. A corvette and the gravitino coil are a necessity to effectively salvage new derelict hulks, allowing the player to rip parts from the structures and safely store them in the ship for deposit at a deep-space outpost.
To aid the player in finding derelicts off of opened charts, the star system map opens to show you a good bunch of points of interest in space and displays the position of the planets, asteroid belts, deep-space outposts, salvageable structures, ice fields, and unknown anomalies, all visible and trackable at the press of a button.
From the website, a player salvaging a derelict hulk.
The sleek new star system map with all “unknown signals” explored.
Finally, in celebration of ten years of No Man’s Sky, a host of exciting rewards are available from the new community expedition. The expedition takes you through each stage of the game’s history, from its launch in 2016 to today, accompanied by developer notes and anecdotes that go permanently into the “Collected Knowledge” section of the catalogue. The final reward of the expedition is an exclusive golden version of the Rasamama 36 starship, the model that every player starts with.
