A few days ago Hello Games teased a new update for No Man's Sky, called Synthesis, without revealing what was in it or when it might arrive. Today we've got a few details, and they're pretty exciting. Not only is the Synthesis update arriving this week, on November 28, but it's making some pretty big and welcome changes to No Man's Sky.
Perhaps the coolest change is that players will be able to improve their starships by adding additional inventory slots. They'll even be able to upgrade their ship's class, which can increase various bonuses like maneuverability, warp distance, damage, and more, depending on what type of ship it is. These upgrades are done by spending nanites at the new starship outfitting terminals you'll find in space stations throughout the galaxy. This means if you find a ship you really love, you don't need to sideline it in the hangar just because you've found one with more cargo space. Nice! You'll also be able to salvage other ships you find for parts.
There are also some exciting changes to the terrain manipulator. Players will now have the ability to "make a permanent stamp on the world with your edits," according to the email sent to PC Gamer. That's a big deal. We're used to digging holes or transforming terrain, flying away, and returning to find the planet has 'forgotten' what we've done to it. It sounds like that will change with the Synthesis Update. Yes, that massive rock penis you carefully sculpted outside your base can apparently be locked into place and preserved. (Update: The Synthesis page reads "Terrain edits made within a base are now protected from regeneration." So your rock penis will need to be inside your base's borders.)
Jokes aside, being able to permanently alter terrain on a planet will be a huge boon to base-builders and will give our homes a more persistent feeling. Importantly, along with this change, an 'undo' feature has been added to the terrain manipulator, so you won't have to live with your mistakes.
And you'll no longer have to sell a beloved multitool when another one catches your eyes. "Players can own and customise multiple Multi-Tools," in Synthesis, says Hello Games. You'll also be able to "create multiple characters in the customiser to switch between," which sounds like you'll be able to save your character customization choices and quickly swap between the different looks you've created.
No Man's Sky new space map
There are also some interesting changes that will let VR users and desktop players share some of the same features that are currently exclusive to each. First-person driving for planetary vehicles is being added for desktop players—until now, that was only available in VR—and VR users will be able to use the photomode and creature-riding features that desktop players enjoy.
There's more: a "whole new space map," a personal refinery you can use in your inventory for crafting, plus the addition of more base parts, and lots of bug fixes and other improvements. We'll post the complete patch notes when they arrive.