No Man’s Sky: Beacon Update Overhauls Settlements, Adds Overseer Role and More

by

The game titled “No Man’s Sky” is now compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 and boasts enhanced graphics (for those who already own it). For new players, there’s an exciting update called “Beacon” that significantly revamps Settlements. You can watch a trailer of it below.

Initially, players are now given the opportunity to assume the role of an Overseer, responsible for managing up to four different settlements scattered throughout the universe. By exploring a settlement’s history, you can uncover details like recent infrastructure developments and encounters with Sentinels. Furthermore, you can join in on festivals and significant events by setting off fireworks. It’s essential to consider each building within your settlement as they all impact the overall well-being of your inhabitants.

As a dedicated enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that you can discover autonomous Autophage communities managed by robots, opt for a more profound range of arbitration methods for disputes, enhance the architecture of your settlements, augment up to 18 unique features, and what might be the most exciting aspect – have pilots in your team safeguard a settlement from marauding pirates!

Take a look at the following updates and more comprehensive information here. The game “No Man’s Sky” is now accessible on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. The playable version for Switch 2 will be available tomorrow coinciding with its launch.

5.7 Patch Notes

Autophage Settlements

  • Added rare Autophage settlements, with uniquely Autophage names, to all inhabited planets. Travellers who have discovered the Autophage lifeforms can become Overseer of these settlements.
  • Players who have completed They Who Returned may receive an invitation at their settlement to visit an Autophage settlement.
  • At Autophage settlements, an Autophage Synthesis Terminal is available at the town centre monument for exchanging void motes and assembling your own Autophage Staff.
  • Added Autophage settler NPCs, with their own set of titles, dialogue, and thoughts.
  • Added Autophage settlement visitors, with their own set of gifts.
  • Autophage settlements always start with a specialist feature to decrease Sentinel attention.
  • Added a valuable new variety of planetary chart to locate Autophage settlements, available from Autophage Synthesis Terminals.

Multiple Settlements

  • Added support for becoming Overseer of up to four settlements.
  • Each settlement you oversee now has its own clearly-named management mission, with specific details about the settlement’s status available in the Mission Log.
  • Increased the robustness of the settlement management mission structure, including ensuring a settlement cannot be surrendered if an active mission requires it, and improving the user experience when cross-saving to and from a platform not supporting settlements.
  • When teleporting to a settlement with a settlement management mission selected in the log, the current settlement’s mission will be automatically selected.
  • It is now possible to retire as a settlement’s Overseer.

Settlement Balance and QOL

  • Settlements can now support up to eighteen special features (increased from six).
  • A settlement’s Overseer can now choose what resources the settlement produces. The list of choices is influenced by the settlement’s race and buildings; higher-class buildings will unlock more lucrative production options.
  • Resources produced by a settlement can be directly exported for sale from the settlement’s management screen.
  • The algorithm for determining a settlement’s class has been completely reworked and rebalanced. Returning players may find their existing settlements’ class has shifted slightly, but should also find upgrading to an S-Class settlement more achievable and predictable.
  • Returning players will be granted the unique “Pioneer Spirit” feature at their existing settlements, available only to settlements claimed prior to the Beacon update.
  • Individual settlement buildings now each provide an ongoing contribution to the settlement’s productivity and happiness levels, and some can provide specific features to boost the entire settlement.
  • Individual settlement buildings can now be upgraded, to enhance the appearance and class of the settlement. The upgrade process can be started from the building’s terminal, or when prompted by the administrative terminal.
  • Added a persistent terminal to each settlement building. In addition to serving as the receptacle for building supplies, this terminal also provides access to its building’s informational page and some special utilities.
  • The Analysis Visor now reveals taggable markers for individual settlement buildings, making it easier to locate and navigate to them.
  • Tower buildings at settlements now provide utility for scanning for points of interest on planets and in space, and generate a small quantity of navigation data each day.
  • Marketplace buildings at settlements now host an envoy for the local system’s most prominent guild.
  • Factory buildings at settlements now generate a Multi-Tool box, which refreshes its contents each day.
  • Farm buildings at settlements now contain planters.
  • Saloon buildings at settlements now allow the Overseer to prepare a menu for the facility, and to set the ByteBeat track at the jukebox.
  • Landing pad buildings at settlements now provide utility for locating crashed ships, and for salvaging starships.
  • Added options to build a fishing pond building at all settlements. The quality of fish will increase as the pond is upgraded (but only junk will be produced while the pond is under construction).
  • Added an additional step to settlement building construction, giving the Overseer the opportunity to officially open fully-constructed buildings with a short celebratory cutscene.
  • Receiving an overpayment on settlement debt now increases the settlement’s reserves, awarding a production equivalent to the excess.
  • Citizens now release fireworks in response to significant events at a settlement.
  • Added a history page to settlements, providing an overview of accomplishments and events throughout the current Overseer’s tenure.
  • Added an informational stats page to settlers, revealing insights into their individual personalities. Specialist citizens with a particular occupation have unique pages, as do visiting members of your squadron.
  • Added a Settlements Register page, providing an overview of the status of all managed settlements – including their statistics, debt status, production status, and history. This page is available from the Quick Menu, or from the Administrative Terminal in any managed settlement.
  • Refreshed and improved the visual style of all pre-existing settlement UI pages.
  • Significantly increased the variety of enemy types when Sentinel forces attack a settlement.
  • Significantly rebalanced the frequency of Sentinel attacks at settlements, notably slowing the increase of alert level while the game is not running.
  • Overseeing multiple settlements will distribute the Sentinel alert level between them, effectively meaning the number of attacks requiring player attention does not increase with the number of settlements managed.
  • The swarming brood can now occasionally attack a settlement.
  • Settlers with specialist jobs can now be encountered wandering around settlements.
  • Members of your squadron will now scramble to defend against pirate raids, and pilots can be encountered wandering around settlements.
  • Thriving settlements will now increase the wealth of their local solar system.
  • Enhanced the holographic orb at the Administrative Terminal in settlement Overseer’s Offices.
  • Added a new filter to the teleporter for “My Settlements”.
  • Teleporting to a settlement will now place you in the Overseer’s Office, rather than by the town centre monument.
  • Prevented extreme weather phenomena such as meteor showers and lava eruptions from occurring within settlements.

Settlement Management Decisions

  • Increased the variety of settlement management decisions across every category.
  • Expanded the settlement management decision UI to support a possible maximum four options (increased from two).
  • The existing citizen dispute management decisions have been completely reworked, introducing clearer scenarios and a broader choice of resolutions.
  • Increased the variety of questionable settler activities that the settlement advisory board may suggest banning or taxing.
  • Added a number of new specialist citizens who can join your settlement, such as a hologram architect and an astronomer.
  • Settlement management decisions can now award standing, alien vocabulary, procedurally-generated products and nanites.
  • Added a new type of settlement management decision to upgrade the class of constructed buildings.
  • Added a new type of settlement management decision to commission a piece of artwork.
  • Added a new type of settlement management decision to name a newborn citizen.
  • Added a new type of settlement management decision to utilise a settlement’s current blessing.
  • Added a new type of settlement management decision to receive a gift from a specialist worker.
  • Added a rare new type of settlement management decision to surrender one of your settlers for a bounty.
  • Rebalanced the weighting of settlement management decisions to prioritise more interesting and positive choices.
  • The leader of settler expeditions is now revealed in the request management decision, making it clearer which citizen is at stake should the expedition fail.
  • The missions tracking a settler expedition now display details about what the expedition party is attempting, and the remaining expedition time is now also displayed in the Mission Log.
  • At the conclusion of a settlement expedition, the Overseer will be prompted to debrief the expedition party for a report and rewards.

Base Building

  • Added approximately one hundred new Autophage-styled structural and decorative base parts, purchaseable from the Space Anomaly.
  • Added new sets of weathered timber, stone, and alloy materials for settlements and settlement-related base parts. Players constructing their own base with these structural parts can choose between weathered and polished materials.
  • Significantly improved the snapping of structural base parts when placing them on a plane below the player’s feet.
  • Fixed an issue that could prevent the Cylindrical Room Frame from snapping to other base parts.
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause terrain edits to fail to be uploaded alongside the base they belong to.

Voice Options

  • Added audio options for adjusting the pitch and style for player vocalisations (such as grunting and breathing).
  • Added audio options for selecting a masculine exosuit voice (in English only), or disabling the exosuit voice entirely.

Read More

2025-06-04 17:42