‘No Man’s Sky: Frontiers’ introduces planetary settlements where players are in charge of everything

Players will find a new important task following the release of the “No Man’s Sky: Frontiers” update this month. They get to be the new sheriff in the game’s planetary settlements.

Settlements are not exactly new in the game. Previous updates have introduced several points of interest that players can visit or turn into their outpost. But the “No Man’s Sky: Frontiers” patch brings a new meaning to the game’s settlements.

Specifically, the game’s fifth-anniversary update adds planetary settlements that players can visit and help. Over time, once players gain the trust of its inhabitants, they could even become a leader of the settlement in charge of practically everything that goes on in it.

Maintaining a settlement, according to the “No Man’s Sky: Frontiers” patch notes, will entail building new structures and making important day-to-day decisions. As an overseer, players will function much like a mayor or a town’s sheriff. Players get to name the town, come up with festivals, and even resolve conflicts among the inhabitants.

Another crucial task that Hello Games has emphasized is keeping planetary settlements safe from the Sentinel. “Keep them safely below sentinel radars, and help defend against drone attacks,” the developer said.

As shown in the “No Man’s Sky: Frontiers” trailer, the settlement will be filled with NPCs to make these encampments come to life and there is room to expand the community’s territory. “As the leader of your adopted people, travellers can choose to help them, even lead them, ensure their future prosperity and happiness, and ultimately develop these fledgling towns into even larger towns,” Hello Games added.

With planetary settlements being the highlight of “No Man’s Sky: Frontiers,” it is not surprising that the update also delivers hundreds of new building parts. The base building menu has been redesigned with a new grid view, allowing players to easily search through all available building parts.

“No Man’s Sky: Frontiers” also brings in a new Expedition called Cartographers that “focuses on planetary mapping and exploration.” All players joining this event will start at the same location and have the same ship, and everyone’s task is to escape from the toxic Gisto Major planet.