No Man’s Sky Sentinel Update Overhauls Combat, Adds New Weapons, More

On top of that, Hello Games has made some quality of life tweaks, made adjustments to base building, and increased the companion limit threefold.

Five and a half years after launch, No Man’s Sky is still getting significant updates for the low, low cost of free. Available now on all platforms, Sentinels again rewrites what we think we know about the space survival game from Hello Games. While it’s mainly about the eponymous enemies found on almost every planet in the NMS universe and fighting them, Sentinels also brings a wide array of changes to other parts of the game. 

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First and foremost, Update 3.8 overhauls a few combat mechanics. Hello Games says that combat is now “faster-paced” than before. There have been tweaks to everything from camera settings to hit indicators, and sentinel health. 

Repair bots have been added to mend damaged Sentinels in the field, and the pesky baddies now have more machines in their ranks. The Sentinel Hardframe Mech is an imposing goliath covered in dense armor and can fly around using a jetpack. Oh, and they have flamethrowers, too.

Heavy Combat Drones similarly have thick armor plating and add another wave of enemies before other heavy hitters like the Quad and Walker arrive. 

To make things even more chaotic, Summoner Drones do exactly what it sounds like: summon reinforcements directly into the fray. What’s more, Drones can deploy shields, have three new weapon types, and can destroy the landscape around them, creating craters and other obstacles you’ll have to navigate.

There are a few new tricks up your space sleeve to face these new threats. Active camouflage technology allows you to disappear at a moment’s notice, avoiding sentinel patrols entirely or escaping from overwhelming numbers. It also helps against predators, too.

Player Minotaurs will now follow them into battle as allies; the Neutron Cannon gives access to a “charged energy weapon [that] can be used both as a rapid-fire projectile launcher and also charged up to release a deadly, close-range barrage of destruction.”; and Exomechs will be more useful in combat situations. Stun grenades provide further defenses against Sentinels, as well. 

You’ll also be able to hunt and shut down Sentinel Pillars, ominous-looking structures that act as bases for Sentinels, giving you a respite from their shenanigans, however briefly. 

Outside of all that, Hello Games has added new visual effects animations to various weapons, implemented more customization options, increased the number of Multi-Tools that can be carried, introduced new materials and upgrades, included a new Exobiology Expedition, and inserted new quests, lore, and stories. That’s not to even mention tweaks to warping, quality of life changes, and graphics fixes. 

It’s a truly mammoth update. You can read more about it over here on the NMS Blog


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Jonathan Moore
Jonathan Moore is the Editor-in-Chief of GameSkinny and has been writing about games since 2010. With over 1,200 published articles, he's written about almost every genre, from city builders and ARPGs to third-person shooters and sports titles. While patiently awaiting anything Dino Crisis, he consumes all things Star Wars. He has a BFA in Creative Writing and an MFA in Creative Writing focused on games writing and narrative design. He's previously been a newspaper copy editor, ad writer, and book editor. In his spare time, he enjoys playing music, watching football, and walking his three dogs. He lives on Earth and believes in aliens, thanks to Fox Mulder.