5 No Man's Sky features you may have missed in the Orbital update

There was a lot of content that was released with the latest Orbital update of No Man's Sky. This makes it easy for players to miss some of the new features that were added. While official trailers and big YouTubers often focus on more impactful changes, patch notes often harbor some hidden gems that go unnoticed.

This article will go over some of the smaller yet significant features added to No Man's Sky in the Orbital update.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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5 No Man's Sky features you may have missed in the brand-new Orbital update

1) Alien ratings offer healthy discounts from vendors

Undertaking certain missions or performing activities that alter your ratings with an alien faction will now be beneficial for you, provided you have a good relationship with the alien faction.

Given that you have a decent rating with the aliens, your standing with them will directly affect the prices of items aboard the Space Station. That means you will get discounts on things that you can buy from vendors. This can be very useful when you are tight on Units and want to be economical with your expenses.

Contrarily, if you do not have a good rapport with a particular alien faction, you will have to pay a lot more than usual if you choose to buy technology items from vendors belonging to that group.

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2) Upgrades done to the Economy Scanner for your Starship

Entering a Space Station (Image via Hello Games)

Previously, the Economy Scanner on your Starship would scan the general economy of a star system in No Man's Sky. With the new Orbital update, your ship's scanner can now do a more detailed search of star systems in the Galaxy Map.

After the new patch, the Economy Scanner can perform sweeps for market searches of nearby star systems as well. It can show items that are in high demand in these star systems, allowing you to grab lucrative opportunities to make high profits by selling the items in demand.

Since Units are an important commodity in No Man's Sky, this is a nice method of making quick cash. So, the Orbital update allows everyone to become a proper cosmic business traveler.

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3) Space Stations are now procedurally generated

New Space Station (Image via Hello Games)

Even though this is one of the major highlights of the Orbital update in No Man's Sky, we can’t help but talk about a few key features that might have slipped under the radar of a few.

Not only have Space Stations received an insane and long overdue overhaul, but they are now procedurally generated. This means that they will no longer seem repetitive and monotonous. There are endless possibilities for Space Stations in terms of how they can look, and you will have a hard time predicting their designs on your daily adventures.

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4) Switch Starships inside Space Stations

Spaceships inside a new Space Station (Image via Hello Games)

While we are on the topic of Space Stations, you can now switch Spaceships inside these floating terminals. Previously, it was frustrating not to be able to do that. You had to visit the Space Anomaly or your freighter to switch ships.

Now, you can switch between your ships within the Space Station itself. That is a major improvement in quality of life, and you will not have to tediously go through the trouble of summoning the Space Anomaly or your freighter for this simple task.

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5) You can participate in frigate expeditions

Space Combat against a Dreadnought Freighter (Image via Hello Games)

Frigate commanders have the option to reach out to you for guidance and assistance during frigate expeditions. They might even request your physical presence in the expedition for direct participation.

This adds a new mechanic to frigate expeditions that previously did not add much depth to the gameplay experience. All of your choices and actions will directly affect the frigate expeditions. This means that you will have to be careful about the things you choose to say and do, as they will directly determine the outcome and rewards of your expeditions.

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To learn more about the game, you can go through our other No Man's Sky articles:

5 best types of ships in No Man’s Sky, ranked || Best S-Class upgrade setup for Dreadnought Pirate Freighter || How to get the new S-Class Dreadnought Pirate Freighter in the Omega Update || 10 best beginners tips for No Man’s Sky || All No Man’s Sky Expeditions, ranked || No Man’s Sky Orbital patch notes: Update 4.6 revealed || Can you sell multitools in No Man’s Sky