Editor’s note: I don’t usually report No Man’s Sky Expeditions, as they don’t usually add significant new content other than some cosmetic items. Unlike major updates, Expeditions are essentially a set of missions and rewards that force players to travel to the same area of the universe, resulting in more multiplayer experiences.
However, Hello Games dropped an expedition on Wednesday, breaking that mold somewhat. It offers a gameplay twist that makes it feel a bit Roguelike while providing a unique bonus to your frigate fleet.
Seventh Expedition: Leviathan plays quite differently from the previous expeditions. It still has the heavy story to follow and the quest and quest missions we’re used to, but turns the difficulty into the survival mode settings. You will die, and when you die, you will have to start over with new random gear.
Warning: Minor spoilers follow for the single player campaign. Skip the next paragraph to avoid it.
The plot is that players are trapped in a time loop, which is not outside the No Man’s Sky canon, since the main mission revolves around recreating the universe repeatedly. Relatively speaking, early in the game you start to realize that some of the spacecraft wreckage are just past iterations of yourself. Later, you will discover that the universe is nothing more than a rehearsed computer simulation. There is more than that, but that is the gist.
As players explore Leviathan, they will find “memory fragments” from previous episodes. These pieces give the player technical upgrades that can help him to survive a little longer in the current episode. The goal is to get out of the time loop, but this requires the cooperation of the entire community.
Travelers can break the cycle just by looking for the specialized Anomaly polo shirt. As with other Expeditions, players can fight their way through on their own. However, if you’ve done enough quest missions in the vanilla game, you may have found that it’s easier and faster to complete in a group.
Whether you go alone or in a group, says HG, “the more travelers who participate in the search, the stronger the memory fragments become, which manifests itself in better upgrades, more storage space, inventory, multiple gadgets and more powerful spaceships.”
Obtaining powerful gear upgrades allows players to last longer in the ring.
Of course, there is a whole story of knowledge unfolding as you explore. It unfolds and unfolds as you “follow the path of previous iterations.” This ultimately leads you to the charging jackpot, which is more than just cosmetic. Players who complete the Leviathan will get a gigantic alien creature that they can add to their flagship’s frigate fleet.
Leviathan is only the second voyage to offer a unique frigate. Last May, Mass Effect Cross, Beachhead, rewarded players with SSV Normandy for adding to their fleet. In addition to winning the jackpot, players can win avatars and basic cosmetics by achieving milestones as usual, including Baby Leviathan for their bases.
Seventh Expedition: Leviathan begins today and continues for the next six weeks.
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