After a very short teaser last week, No Man’s Sky update 4.4, Echoes, launches today on August 24. The new major update adds the game’s first new race since its launch in 2016, the mysterious robotic Autophage. The patch notes are pretty extensive, as is typical for major updates in No Man’s Sky, but here are some of the major additions with Echoes.
Along with uncovering the Autophage, players will encounter fearsome Pirate Dreadnoughts in space that are out terrorizing merchant fleets. The new Multi-Tool Decommissioning Terminal aboard the Space Anomaly will allow players to become a Multi-Tool salvage hunter, where they can refine their collection and earn valuable upgrades and salvage material by dismantling surplus weaponry. There is also a new guided mission chain with hours of narrative and adventure, exploring the origin of the Autophage and how their presence impacts the universe.
Hello Games has also tweaked starship combat, with players having the ability to divert power to engine, shields, or weapons, based on their current combat situation. This is very similar to other flight combat sim games, like Star Wars: Squadrons. Speaking of Star Wars, No Man’s Sky has added a “Trench Run” but instead of a Death Star, it’s the Dreadnought’s core players will go after. Finally, players can also expand their arsenal with the new Atlantid class of Multi-Tool. These are just some of the top-level features heading to No Man’s Sky as part of the Echoes update, but there’s more to check out.
With Starfield around the corner, the timing of Echoes’ release couldn’t have been better. It can serve as an appetizer to Starfield’s release on September 6, or September 1 for those who paid extra for early access. This offers a great way to fill in the time until Bethesda’s new RPG launches.
