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The Abyss Update Improved Underwater Environments, New Creatures And A Submarine

Hello Games today has revealed new details about its new update to No Man’s Sky, which launches today. Titled the Abyss, the update focusses on overhauling exploration and play within the oceans that cover many of No Man’s Sky’s procedurally generated planets. Following the release of the Next update in July, Hello Games has rolled out a number of smaller updates, including additional cosmetic options, vehicles and more. The Abyss is, so far, the largest of those updates. According to a news release, it includes five new underwater biomes and a host of additional features to allow players to explore and inhabit aquatic environments.

A trailer (above) for The Abyss, also referred to as update 1.7, shows vastly expanded underwater environments. Hello Games said that it’s added five underwater biomes for players to discover and filled them with greater quantities of “more interesting” creatures. The video shows octopus-like aliens jetting around in the distance, but also a breed of monocular megafauna that appears is best avoided at all costs.

Furthermore, “several hours” of story has been added that focusses on underwater exploration. Titled “The Dreams of the Deep” this new questline will see players investigating the fate of a crew stranded by a freighter crash, while new underwater ruins will form the stage for a mystery about a lost soul. Plus, no self-respecting ocean is complete without shipwrecks, so expect to find remnants of interstellar vessels decorating the ocean floor.

Alongside new reasons to delve beneath No Man’s Sky’s waves, the Abyss update also offers new tools to do so. The update introduces “over a dozen” new base parts designed specifically for underwater habitats. This includes the “Marine Shelter”, which lets you escape from the pressure of the depths, as well as new glass corridors and “submersible view domes” that let you stand in your base and coo at the wonder of the aquatic world.

The Abyss introduces aquatic environments with over five times more variety, varied creature behaviors, improved underwater visuals and much more.

Flora and Fauna

The variety and visual quality of underwater biomes has been greatly improved. Experience rare exotic aquatic biomes as you explore new depths.

Underwater creatures have become more frequent, and more interesting. Aquatic life inhabits the full depth of the ocean, and unique terrifying creatures can be encountered on the ocean floor.

Aquatic Missions

A new story, The Dreams of the Deep, brings a new context to the depths and a dark narrative to No Man’s Sky. Discover the fate of a troubled crew stranded from a freighter crash by the rising tides, or explore underwater ruins to uncover the tale of a lost soul trapped deep beneath the waves.

Sunken Wrecks

Investigate sunken ruins and find ancient treasures or dive to submerged buildings to find remnants of their lost occupants. Discover and scavenge lost cargo from gigantic freighter wrecks. Use the terrain manipulator to excavate treasures buried in the nearby ocean floor. Find and repair rare crashed star ships to restore them from the seabed to the skies.

Submarine

Master the depths of planets using a new Exocraft, the Nautilon. This submersible vehicle give new meaning to underwater navigation, combat and mining – and can be summoned to any ocean on the planet, as well as docked at underwater buildings. Upgrade your submersible with installable Submarine Technology and customize the Nautilon to stand out from your fellow explorers.

Submersible Building Modules

Over a dozen new base parts have been added to unlock more creative possibilities underwater. Construct the new Marine Shelter for brief respite from the oceanic pressure, and use its protection to reach new depths. New glass corridors, viewing bays and multistory submersible view domes provide travelers the perfect view of the surrounding ocean. Bring aquatic life into your habitat with a decorative indoor Aquarium.

Lastly, Hello Games has expanded the roster of exocraft with a submarine. Known as the Nautilon, the submarine can be summoned to any ocean in the galaxy and docked at underwater buildings. Like all other exocraft in the game, in can be upgraded to perform specific functions such as mining, and most importantly can be customised, which means that yes, your submarine can be yellow.

The Abyss is freely available to download from today. You can read the full patch notes here, but it’s safe to say that The Abyss has got me yearning to venture back into space again after the impressive work done by Hello Games in the NEXT update. The end of the trailer states that this is “another step in the long journey” of No Man’s Sky, so it sounds like there’s plenty more to come from Sean Murray & co.

The free update launches today for PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. The release will also coincide with a 50 percent discount on all three platforms.