No Man’s Skyhas revealed details of its next update: the long-anticipatedWorlds Part 2. This is the follow-up toJuly 2024’sWorlds Part 1, which represented a massive shake-up for planets across the galaxy. Players discovered all-new features, like giant bugs and floating islands, and expansions to existing ones, like more immersive weather effects, and more diverse plant life in certain biomes.Worlds Part 2attempts to expand on that concept, bringing a whole new host of game-changing features toNo Man’s Sky.
Now, withWorlds Part 2,No Man’s Skyis bigger and better than ever, with new features including massive gas giants, strange new creatures, a gargantuan living starship, and a brand-new quest that ties together storylines from the past nine years of updates. It also includes improvements to existing features: oceans are now deeper, mountains are now taller, and it’s all colored in by an improved lighting system for greater immersion. The full patch notes are now accessible on the officialNo Man’s Skywebsite - plus, a six-minute deep dive into all the new features viaHelloGamesTube.
Everything Coming To No Man’s Sky In The Worlds Part 2 Update
New Creatures, New Planets, New Quests, & More
Perhaps the biggest change introduced by theWorlds Part 2update is also one of the most anticipated:the addition of a new type of planet, the imposing, deadly gas giant. Gas giants are strictly designed for endgame players; they pose enormous risks even to the most experienced players, with damaging and unpredictable storms cutting a path across their landscapes. Each gas giant is ten times bigger than anything seen inNo Man’s Skybefore; these will require some serious time and preparation to explore.
In addition,the existing terrain and lighting systems inNo Man’s Skyhave been overhauled. Oceans can now be “several kilometers” deep, according to Hello Games' co-founder Sean Murray, and mountains tower above the surrounding landscape. Water is also more reactive: it makes waves when ships skim the surface, ripples when it rains, and teems with visible life. It’s all rendered with the game’s new immersive lighting system;No Man’s Skyhas never looked better.
Players will also finda brand-new quest inWorlds Part 2, along with a new expedition. The expedition is designed to take players through some of the update’s new planets, likely exploring some of its new features along the way. The quest is much bigger in scope, tying together loose plot threads from previous updates, and probably providing some big revelations about the overarching story ofNo Man’s Sky.
The update adds billions of new solar systems containing trillions of new planets, all rife with fresh discoveries and just waiting for players to explore. Players will also find new creatures throughout, including in the deepest parts of the ocean. Murray highlights the uniqueness of these deep-sea life forms, saying, “I think we’ve gone probably weirder than ever before.”
It’s The Perfect Time To Get Back Into No Man’s Sky
Plus, What This Update Means For Light No Fire
If you’ve spent some time away fromNo Man’s Sky, since either its rocky launchorThe Cursedupdate back in October,there’s never been a better time to pick it back up. It looks, sounds, and feels better than ever before, with hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of engaging, wide-ranging content owing to nine years of consistent updates.
Murray also provides a cryptic update on the development ofLight No Fire, Hello Games' upcoming title(release date TBD). He appears to confirm thatNo Man’s SkyandLight No Fireuse the same engine, saying, “The team is extremely busy on Light No Fire. Each time we push our engine to new places, though, we have this urge to share it with the community, with No Man’s Sky.”
There’s One Very Good Reason To Pay Attention To No Man’s Sky Devs' New Game
A wildly ambitious title from the studio behind No Man’s Sky might sound like a recipe for disaster, but there’s a good reason to be optimistic.
It’s great to see Hello Games taking every opportunity to makeNo Man’s Skybigger and more immersive, in no small part because of how much its efforts have improved the game. But it also bodes well forLight No Fire, as it seems many of these improvements will also apply to the next iteration of its game engine - if they weren’t invented expressly for it. Either way, it’s clear thatWorlds Part 2represents a massive expansion toNo Man’s Sky, and is more than worth checking out.
Sources:No Man’s Sky,HelloGamesTube/YouTube
No Man’s Sky
An online action-adventure survival game, No Man’s Sky sends players out into the deepest recesses of space. While exploring the procedurally-generated universe comprising over 18 quintillion explorable planets, players must gather resources to fuel their ship and ensure their continued survival. Developed by Hello Games, No Man’s Sky also incorporates an optional story that tasks players with seeking out the mysterious entity known only as The Atlas.
