No Man's Sky Desolation update lets you explore hazardous abandoned freighters with procedurally generated interiors

(Image credit: Hello Games)

No Man's Sky's latest Desolation update brings an ominous edge to your space-faring adventures with the addition of abandoned freighters. 

You'll be able to breach the airlock of these derelict capital ships and explore the procedurally generated interiors that each have their own unique stories to tell. Braving it solo, or with a group of pals, you can uncover the fate of the crew by finding logs they've left behind and salvage unique upgrades for your own ship. Any technology you find aboard these abandoned vessels will have the marks of the ship you retrieved it from, so your ship will "reflect something of your journey." 

"Being a small dot amongst the stars can bring a sense of awe and wonder, but we've always wanted to explore a little more those feelings of fear and dread that come from being alone in the depths of space," Hello Games said, "Terror in the face of the unknown, or the dawning realisation that you're treading in the footsteps of those who met a lonely end at the edge of the universe - it's a rich science fiction tradition, and one not really touched on in No Man's Sky - until now." 

As you explore the eerie setting of the abandoned ships, you'll have to have your wits about you in the face of many unknown hazards including hostile aliens who may have overrun the ships, or dangerous items that could have spilled within. The update also adds a wealth of quality of life improvements and balance adjustments to enemies and weapons across the entire game. Weapons have been tweaked and balanced to improve the combat experience throughout your exploration of space.

The Desolation update is the latest in a string of new content that has been added to No Man's Sky this year, following on from the addition of mechs and the Living Ship update, as well as the big Beyond update that launched late last year. 

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Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.