After 3 months and 1 viral Reddit post, No Man's Sky player who caught the attention of Hello Games' boss has "finally escaped" the planet he thought would end his permadeath run

No Man's Sky
(Image credit: Hello Games)

After a No Man's Sky fan's heartbreaking post capturing the end of his permadeath run went viral online, even prompting a reaction from Hello Games founder Sean Murray, the player has returned with good news – with the help of the community, he managed to survive.

The Reddit post from user "Spirited_Ad3028" that started it all highlights what he thought would be the loss of his save. "RIP my permadeath file beautifully," wrote the No Man's Sky player, explaining why he figured he'd be unable to salvage any of his hard work.

"I landed on the wrong planet in my permadeath save. I'm on a tiny pillar of rock, surrounded by deep ocean in every direction. I'm out of launch fuel, and I have no ferrite."

He described how he could "only survive a few seconds outside the ship before the toxic air kills me," stating that he's "been doing suicide laps in every direction, diving in and shooting aimlessly for ferrite dust."

At the time, Spirited_Ad3028 concluded in one seriously poetic line that his permadeath save was truly over thanks to a simple slip-up: "All I can do is sit in my ship, watch the lightning storms, and wait for my oxygen to run out."

I Finally escaped this Hell planet - YouTube I Finally escaped this Hell planet - YouTube
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Hello Games' Sean Murray himself shared the fan's clip on his own social media, alongside a salute emoji. It looks like Spirited_Ad3028, or "Plescia FPS" as he's known on YouTube, isn't in need of any solidarity, however – a new video from the now-iconic No Man's Sky player shows him taking off and successfully leaving the toxic planet behind. That's right, what he, readers, and developers alike thought was the end of his permadeath run actually wasn't.

"I finally escaped this hell planet," as the upload is aptly dubbed, sees the fan set off into the sky – three months after he deemed his save file doomed. "I was stuck on this planet and abandoned this file for three months," he explains in the description.

"A Reddit post that got over [one million] views helped me get out. Someone mentioned to dismantle my scanner (didn't even know you can) for the last bit of ferrite. Thank you!"

That's all it took in the end, then – dismantling his scanner for ferrite, allowing him to finally escape a hellish world and save his permadeath playthrough. If there's one lesson learned by this debacle, it's to always reach out before giving up hope.

While you're here, be sure to check out our roundup of other games like No Man's Sky.

Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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