No Man's Sky's 20th content expansion massively overhauls capital ships

In context: No Man’s Sky has provided more free content than anyone ever expected. Its rocky launch prompted Hello Games to continue working on its epic space-faring title until it delivered everything Sean Murray promised from the beginning but didn’t stop there.

On Wednesday, the studio dropped its 20th major content update focusing on freighters and frigates. No Man’s Sky update 3.94, titled Endurance, completely overhauls these capital ships in a way that will have players spending much more time on them. From new base-building tools to a dynamic crew, the game’s largest vessels are nothing like before.

For those unfamiliar, freighters are large ships in No Man’s Sky primarily used to store star ships and explore the universe. They have come a long way from their humble beginnings, but the capital ships have always seemed cookie-cutter-ish and devoid of life aside from random vendors in the hanger and the ship’s two-man bridge crew.

These vessels are entirely different after the Endurance update. In addition to the standard bridge crew, players will now find freighter personnel performing tasks and wandering the hangers among the traders that have landed to sell their goods. They will also see members of their frigate and fighter fleets meandering through the vessel.

Adding these extra NPCs to the roster of characters on the capital ships does not affect gameplay too much, but it does create a more realistic atmosphere. Instead of the colossal craft seeming like a ghost wreck, it will now be a lively place resembling what one would expect on such a massive starship.

Another aspect of freighters that got a rework is base building. Orbiting bases have been a thing for a few years, but I have never built one because I suck at decorating. The Endurance update will make things easier by adding prefabricated themed rooms. Advanced players will still have full access to all the previous freighter-building tools to continue making incredible and elaborate orbiting homes. However, now noobs like me can make a decent base without as much planning and skill.

Even advanced builders will find the new additions to freighter base parts sparking fresh ideas for remodeling or building from scratch, including glass hallways, exterior catwalks, themed rooms, agricultural modules, and observation decks. Once you have your capital ship’s base decked out and the crew member walking around, you will never look at freighters the same way again.

Perhaps even more exciting is that random freighters encountered while playing are also subject to these changes. Even though the exteriors of the procedurally generated capital ships looked different, the interiors were all the same. The Endurance update adds procedurally generated floor plans and a bustling crew to all NPC freighters.

So even if you still don’t enjoy base building in space, the ships you encounter will feel more alive and unique. Better yet, when you successfully rescue one from pirates and the captain offers to sell it to you, the prebuilt interior is yours to customize further or leave as is.

Those are the most exciting changes in the No Man’s Sky 3.94 patch, but as always, there are tons more quality of life and visual tweaks that we don’t have time to mention. Head over to the patch notes to see what else is in store.