No Man's Sky is on our list of fantastic comeback games; one that didn't fare so well when it first launched but steadily made its way back into the good graces of its fans.
Likewise, NMS is also one of those games that just keeps getting more and more additions that absolutely nobody seemed to have expected but everybody needed regardless. Bipedal mecha suit? Check. Living space organism starships? Check. Customizable synthesizers? Triple check.
But even though we get a ton of stuff on a (rather irregular and abrupt) update schedule, Hello Games has left plenty of room for modders to come in and do things their own way! So here's our list of the top 10 No Man's Sky mods to check out in 2020.
Exosolar's Stratos
Are you bored with the available sky flavors in No Man's Sky? Never fear! Exosolar's Stratos mod is here.
Toting about "15,417" new color palettes, the likelihood that you'll run into the same procedurally generated planet twice is much smaller than before. The new skies are also quite jaw-dropping to look at!
Integrated Planets
If you're bothered by how inconsistently colored planets, asteroid fields, and the general aura of a solar system are when compared to one another, then you'll appreciate Integrated Planets.
This mod keeps every planetary visual, well, integrated! When you gaze out over a planet's horizon, the light and color will remain consistent across your entire field of view, composing a much more believable and immersive picture.
Fine LOD
No Man's Sky caps your rendering distance pretty close to the belt. That said, what are you to do if you have a beefy gaming PC that can handle a tad more punishment?
That's where Fine LOD comes in! This mod lets you boost your draw distances while fixing most of the texture pop-in issues present in the vanilla version of the game.
Hover
The Hover mod is as simple as it sounds. It allows you to use your starship to hover over planetary surfaces instead of being in forward thrust mode all the time.
By extension, that means you can finally use your starship to explore planetary surfaces with more surgical accuracy, or even fight sentinel Walkers from the comfort of your ship.
Reduced Launch Cost
Looking for starship fuel in No Man's Sky can be a drag. That's why you should check out the Reduced Launch Cost mod, which can dramatically reduce your starship launch costs down to 10%, 5%, or even 0% of your ship's total fuel capacity.
You'll still need to gather those blue dihydrogen fuel crystals for other things, but at least you won't need to worry about your ship failing to start!
NMS Fantasy Synthesis
The Fantasy Synthesis mod is a complete overhaul of No Man's Sky that comes with everything from visual upgrades and entirely new world types, to procedurally generated ancient cities and brand new fauna and flora that add a much larger collection of things to find and see.
There is a massive list of additions on the mod page, which we thoroughly recommend checking out in full!
Fast Actions
Frankly, we're sick of holding down a button every time we want to do anything in NMS!
The Fast Actions mod does exactly what it sounds like; it enables "fast" actions, where you only need to click a button (or hold it for a slightly shorter time, based on your preferences) to make the button do what you want it to do.
Better Planet Generation Legacy
If you want a much more dynamic, interesting planet generation system that greatly varies the layouts of planets without totally overhauling everything else, as in Fantasy Synthesis, then Better Planet Generation Legacy is the mod for you.
It's a major enhancement to the algorithm that determines how planets are shaped and formed as you travel across them, making them far more dynamic and distinguishable.
Exosolar's Beyond Base Building
We're impressed by the base building that exists in vanilla No Man's Sky at this exact moment, but we certainly couldn't say no to 400 new base-building parts!
That's precisely what gets added in Exosolar's Beyond Base Building mod, which gives you all kinds of new ways to craft and design your second home amongst the stars.
HD Clouds
No Man's Sky is a visually impressive game as it stands, but one of the biggest drawbacks it currently faces is blurry and generic cloud formations on planets when you're approaching from space.
The HD Clouds mod improves out-of-atmo cloud textures remarkably, making them so much sharper, crisper, and more varied across the board.
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And with that, our list of top 10 No Man's Sky mods for 2020 is concluded! Be sure to stick around with GameSkinny for more No Man's Sky content.
Published: Jul 31, 2020 11:50 pm