No Man’s Sky Orbital Update patch notes: Space station overhaul, custom starships, and more

Update 4.6 for No Man’s Sky features an overhaul to one of the core gameplay elements—space stations. Alongside that, here’s everything included in the Orbital Update for No Man’s Sky.

Space station overhaul

The biggest change that arrived in No Man’s Sky with the Orbital Update is a complete redesign of space stations. Previously, every station looked almost the same from both outside and inside. However, with update 4.6, the overall look of the space stations was reimagined with more detail and variety.

The space stations are now procedurally generated depending on the system, its race, and locale. There’s more space inside them and more shops for you to visit. Vendors at the space stations now also offer discounts based on your reputation with alien races.

Custom starships

Another major addition to the game with this update is the ability to create custom starships. At the Starship Fabricator on the space station, you can design a custom ship using parts that can be obtained by dismantling unwanted ships (including those you randomly find when exploring planets).

The custom ships also allow you to paint them in whichever color you want—something you couldn’t do with regular starships. You can choose from a variety of paints, styles, and finishes, including several that aren’t available on standard ships.

At the same time, regular ships found in the wild or purchased from other pilots will now have a “universal authentication,” that grants a cash bonus when trading them in.

Fleet missions

The frigate fleets you send on expeditions can now reach out to you for help. They can either ask about the next step they should take on their mission or request your aid in fighting off the pirate attack. The choices you make when interacting with the crew of fleets will directly affect the outcome of the expedition and its rewards.

Trade surges

A trade surge is a new time-limited event that can appear in any system. With the Economic Scanner, you can detect the trade surge and find out which commodities are in high demand in that system, and use the information to make extra Units.

Guild rewards

Finally, the Guilds received a slight overhaul as well. With the Orbital Update, an envoy for every Guild in No Man’s Sky will have a dedicated shop on the space station and offer a wide selection of supplies to the members, including free supplies and discounted items. The items will depend on your standing with the guild, but you can donate your own supplies to boost it.

These are the main changes included in the Orbital Update for No Man’s Sky. For a full list of changes and bug fixes, make sure to read the official patch notes.