No Man's Sky Frontiers Adds Populated Alien Settlements in 17th Major Update

Just as No Man's Sky has continued to procedurally generate each and every star, sun and planet throughout its infinite procedurally generated galaxy for players since August 2016, five years later, Hello Games has continued to procedurally generate game-changing free updates.

The No Man's Sky Frontiers 3.6 update delivers on that front, bringing to life the endless number of planets for players to explore in the form of procedurally generated alien settlements. Not only will players be able to discover these trailblazing planetary settlements, however, but they'll also be able to lead the charge and build them up from small, fledgling collections of buildings into booming, bustling towns.

With each and every planetary settlement that players come across, unique with their own remixed buildings, neighborhood layouts, color schemes, and interior and exterior decoration, players can earn the respect of the citizens to become the overseers of their towns.

As overseer, players will be responsible for all aspects of the settlers' lives—from naming the town and choosing what to build, to commissioning festivals, resolving arguments, and even repelling the attacks of the Sentinels.

Different building types influence how settlements grow. Build farms and factories to increase productivity, or choose to prioritize the comfort and leisure of your citizens with a more relaxed approach to frontier life.

Every settlement has a unique set of features, influencing the population, happiness, and productivity of its citizens. Keep these stats balanced to ensure a smoothly functioning society.

In addition to the task-filled city management features, the Frontiers update has been said to add hundreds of smaller hotfixes and patches, as well as nebulas, expanded base building, improved combat and a whole lot more.

While multi-colored nebulas will now begin to spawn and make the space skies that much more interesting to look at, the Frontiers update also overhauls the base building menu, allowing for fast access to the newly extended full range of base parts.

Environmental, destruction and combat effects have been said to be reworked, both with their visuals and sounds to deliver a more dramatic, impactful and overall satisfying experience.

For more on the No Man's Sky Frontiers update, from increased save slots to settlement interiors, be sure to check out the official 3.6 patch notes.