No Man's Sky Path Finder update is live, includes planetary vehicles and 'base sharing'

Update: The Path Finder patch is now live. You can download it on Steam.

No Man's Sky's Path Finder update, which was just announced by Hello Games a day ago, has been revealed. You can read all about the update, which adds ground vehicles, "online base-sharing," high and ultra resolution textures, and the ability to own multiple ships, right here at the official site. There's a trailer for the update above as well.

We aren't surprised to see a land vehicle added, since an enterprising Redditor spotted a buggy model in No Man's Sky's Foundation update back in November, but there are several new space-whips beyond just a buggy, including a hovercraft and a massive cargo vehicle. There are also vehicle-based missions you can acquire by hiring a Vy'keen Technician for your planetary base.

The update also promises that you can "share" your base: "Bases are now shared online and can be discovered as players explore." You can also upload your base to the Steam Workshop, where others can download it, visit it, and rate it. You can even "Hone your driving skills by building your own race circuit on your home planet. Find the most interesting planet, create a time trial and challenge others to beat it."

I've asked for some clarification on base and race sharing, though it definitely doesn't sound like you'll be able to interact with other players while you're exploring their bases or racing on their tracks. An email from Hello Games says, however, "messages can be left for other players" which seems to indicate that you'll be racing and nosing around in their bases on your own.

You'll now be able to own multiple ships—a popular community request—and store them on your freighter. Ships can also now be specialized between fighters, shuttles, haulers, and explorers, which "improves performance in specific areas." And, when buying a new ship, you'll be able to trade in your current ship for a discount. (Finally!)

There are other additions, like new traders, including a building trader who will visit your base. Your standing with factions will come into play, because "traders will only sell the best technology to their closest allies." More base-building options have been added, including colored lights, stairs, and observation domes.

There's a new permadeath mode for those who enjoy being horribly punished, and a new photo mode that will allow you to take pictures of your ship in third-person view, add filters, and adjust the lighting to your satisfaction. In other words, expect to see a lot of screenshots being tweeted over the next few weeks.

And, there are some "quality of life" improvements:

NPC interaction text now appears faster, and can now be skipped.
The option to return to ‘Game Mode Select’ has been added, allowing players to quickly change game mode
A Mission Log has been added to allow players to track multiple objectives
The user interface has been made easier to read in many places, and background graphics have been added
Atmospheric low-flight has been adjusted and improved
Ships, weapons, vehicles, freighters and bases can now all be renamed.
Long-clicks have been removed in many menus places to allow for faster interface navigation

That's a pretty big update! Naturally, I'll be playing No Man's Sky to check out the patch, leaving you to breathlessly await my impressions, which I imagine will be up in a day or two. Then again, you might be busy playing it yourself: according to Sean Murray, the day the Foundation update was released, which added base-building and a survival mode, around a million players jumped in to check it out.

We'll let you know when the patch is live (it is), and in the meantime, here are a few 4K screenshots.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.