Aquarius Update

September 4, 2024.

Hello Everyone!

Today, we are very excited to introduce the Aquarius Update!

This latest expansion to No Man’s Sky is free to download for existing players, and introduces something that felt like the perfect complement to the new water introduced in WORLDS PART I – fishing!

 

 
Fishing

Fishing in No Man’s Sky is a uniquely relaxing experience. Players can now explore the universe to find their perfect waterside spot, hopping with fish. Sit and relax alone with your thoughts, or stand alongside fellow Travellers as you look out over alien vistas waiting for a bite.


The thrill of the catch lies in the fact that you never quite know what you’re going to pull up. The variety of aquatic life ranges vastly from common minnow-like fish to huge alien marine mammals. Catches vary greatly from planet-to-planet and dedicated anglers will have to travel far to find the rarest of fish.

Exo-Skiff
Venture into the ocean on your deployable Exo-Skiff. This customisable fishing platform floats over the roughest seas and has its own bespoke cold storage inventory, making it the perfect way to hunt for those fish that are only found in deep waters.

Explore to find rare catches
Travellers who wish to complete their fishing log will have to explore a huge range of different environments and water conditions, as well as crafting specialist bait to attract rare catches and elusive legendary fish…


 

And while you’re waiting patiently to catch a bite, why not dredge for messages in bottles from those that have passed this way before?


Automated Fish Traps

Research the Automated Trap blueprints and establish your own autonomous floating fish farm to gather in fish while you explore elsewhere.

Aquarius Expedition
The Aquarius expedition begins today, and will run for approximately six weeks. Go on a quest across the galaxy to catch fish, gather stories, and think about the one that got away… Players who complete the Aquarius expedition will earn a beautifully detailed set of deep-sea customisation parts, including a unique underwater jetpack.


New Cooking Recipes
Of course, with this new-found ability to farm the lakes, seas and oceans, you will want to develop your cooking skills, with all-new recipes and ingredient combinations out there to be discovered.


Fishing Records
The Wonders Catalogue now has a dedicated collection of fishing information, detailing the history of all your catches and their weight records, as well as information on how to find each species.

Deep-Sea Diving Suit

Hardened against the extreme conditions found beneath the waves, this diving suit is the perfect choice for both deep-water exploration and an afternoon’s fishing.

Aquarius Poster Collection

Decorate the walls of your fishing shack with the Sea Chart, Bounty of the Sea and Gone Fishin’ posters.

Lost Angler’s Rig
Complete the Aquarius Expedition to uncover the fishy tale of the Lost Angler and earn the use of their exclusive fishing equipment.

Tentacled Figurine
A synthetic polymer companion for your starship’s cockpit, fashioned in the likeness of a sea creature.

Aquarius Flight Pack
Hardened against the extreme conditions found beneath the waves, this jetpack replacement allows for smooth and stylish passage through the murky abyss.

 
 

Community Spotlight

 

We loved this illustration and accompanying lore from u/oblex1312
“In my head, my traveler is a hated pirate who holds no alliances except to his ship and crew. He’s a sentient bonsai tree using an autophage construct to navigate the multiverse in search of the best Nip Nip and for fresh tech to push his scrappy hotrod to farther systems.”

 

u/srplayer_ created this gorgeous illustration to commemorate completing their first expedition with their friend.

 

This super cool 3D printed portal was created by u/Johnnyoneshot!

 

Beautiful artwork titled “Atlas Eternal”, from u/drewdrewvg.

 

Virtual photography from Lewozz, Exi the Determined, OneOceanTen, and Last Korvax, Mythos.

 
 

Development Update

Our last update was WORLDS PART I just a few weeks ago. It resulted in our biggest player numbers in over 5 years. Eight years in and we feel so lucky to have so many folks still care about this game we love. It gives our tiny team energy, making us want to pour more into the No Man’s Sky universe.

Something people really loved in the Worlds update was the new water technology – tons of players were posting videos of themselves just chilling at the water’s edge. One piece of fan art in particular stopped us in our tracks, of a player lazily fishing from their wing of their starship. This art, and others like it, was right at the heart of the inspiration behind the Aquarius update.

Credit: u/catador_de_potos

My favourite thing is to build a little base on the perfect shoreline, so I can cast my rod whenever the mood takes me. I’m excited for new players to join me!

Our journey continues.

Sean

 

5.10 Patch Notes

  • Players can now install a Fishing Rig in their Multi-Tool, enabling them to cast their line into any body of water and begin fishing. Purchase Fishing Rig blueprints aboard the Space Anomaly.
  • Over 160 varieties of fish are available to catch. Finding each fish will require exploration of different planets, fishing at different times of day and during different weather conditions, and trawling across a wide range of depths.
  • Your catch history, including weight records, is recorded in the new Fishing section of the Wonders catalogue.

 

  • Craft specialist bait and apply it to your Fishing Rig to lure in specific fish.
  • In addition, any edible item can be deployed as bait. Experiment with different cooked products to find the most effective bait for your fishing feeds.
  • A large range of new seafood recipes have been added for the Nutrient Processor.
  • Those who do not wish to consume or sell their catch may release their fish back into the water.

 

  • Occasionally, inanimate objects may be retrieved from the water instead of fish. Such objects include procedurally generated messages in bottles and water-damaged technology upgrades.

 

  • Automated Traps are available to research in the Space Anomaly. These self-sustaining units are an alternative to manual angling, and will attract fish as appropriate for the water conditions in which they are placed.

 

  • The Exo-Skiff is a new piece of deployable technology, summoned from the Quick Menu after its interface is installed in the Exosuit. Research the appropriate blueprints aboard the Space Anomaly.
  • The Exo-Skiff hovers just above the surface of the water and reacts to wave movement to create the perfect deep-sea fishing platform for those looking for deep-water fish.
  • The skiff comes with a dedicated Cold Storage inventory, allowing players to conveniently store their catches.
  • The Exo-Skiff can be recoloured via its own internal customisation interface.

 

  • Fishing is fully compatible with first and third person play, and has unique casting mechanics for VR players.
  • New music tracks have been added to accompany the fishing experience.
  • Expedition Fifteen, Aquarius, will begin shortly and run for approximately six weeks.
  • Rewards include new posters, decals and titles; a deep-sea diving suit customisation set; the unique Lost Angler’s Rig fishing rod; and the exclusive Aquarius Flightpack.

 

  • Water reflections are now enabled for PSVR2.
  • PCVR now supports reflections on the water while running with reflections set to Ultra.
  • Fixed an issue that could make it difficult to interact with some space station objects while in VR.

 

  • The jetpack effects used while underwater have been improved.
  • Fixed a number of rendering artefacts related to water.
  • Fixed a number of issues that could allow ships to spawn with the wrong landing-gear state.
  • Fixed a visual issue with icons when switching pages in the Catalogue.
  • Fixed a minor visual issue with the Liquidator mech.

 

  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause items to be transferred to a deprecated inventory when Quick Transferring to a full Exosuit inventory.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause mineable objects to incorrectly display a STEEL label.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the Left / Right Handedness option from being immediately applied to the third person camera.
  • Allowed the Multi-Tool to remain unholstered when in Photo Mode in a multiplayer game.
  • Removed the deprecated Shutter Door base part from the Catalogue.

 

  • Fixed a number of water rendering issues with some specific base parts.
  • Fixed a number of water-smearing issues when playing in VR.
  • Fixed an Xbox-specific texture rendering issue.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause black speckling in depth-of-field effects while playing with screen-space shadows enabled.
  • Fixed a rendering corruption issue with starship cockpit screens.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause graininess on PS4.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause ship juddering during warp.

 

  • Fixed a crash related to dialogue interactions.
  • Fixed a PS4-specific memory crash.
  • Fixed a PS5-specific crash related to shader loading.
  • Fixed a crash related to explosion effects.
  • Fixed a number of issues related to the loading of freighters and frigates.
  • The messaging around some Vulkan-based GPU compatibility issues has been improved.

 

  • Fixed a stall/hitch when switching between inventory pages.
  • Introduced a number of optimisations while accessing the inventory.
  • Introduced a minor planetary rendering optimisation.