No Man’s Sky’s redemption tour has long been completed, but that’s not stopping Hello Games from continuing to transform the game. An 18th free update is available to download on the PlayStation 5 and PS4 today, which effectively transforms the combat. In addition to vast improvements to the way Multi-Tools look and feel, you’ll also find fresh items such as grenades and flamethrowers – and will have to face off against some fearsome new Sentinel foes.

You’ll be able to program mechs and drones to fight alongside you, while you’ll find new story missions at the Space Anomaly, which delve deeper into the lore of the Sentinels and pad out the plot of the title. That’s all in addition to more general, under-the-hood improvements to combat flow, which will make action sequences more satisfying overall.

Studio founder Sean Murray explains: “No Man’s Sky is a game about exploration, but our universe has always been one filled with hazards and danger. Sentinels police the planets you explore, and have long been an element of the game we wanted to make more interesting, deep, and fun – whilst also allowing players to defeat and overcome them in a more meaningful way.”

This will all be followed by a new Expedition, launching next week, which will come with a bunch of exclusive rewards. For those not familiar with Expeditions, these are time-limited, objectives-based experiences where everyone starts on the same planet and must work towards designated goals in order to unlock in-game items that can be used elsewhere.

[source youtube.com, via blog.playstation.com]