No Man's Sky is on our list of fantastic returning games; one that didn't fare so well when it launched, but has steadily returned to its fans' good graces.
Likewise, NMS is also one of those games that keeps getting more and more additions that nobody seemed to expect, but everyone needed regardless. Bipedal mecha costume? To verify. Spaceships of living organisms? To verify. Customizable synthesizers? Triple check.
But even though we're getting a ton of stuff on a (rather erratic and abrupt) update schedule, Hello Games has left plenty of room for modders to come and do things their own way! So here is our list of the 10 best No Man's Sky mods to check out in 2020.
Stratos of the exosolar
Download here
Are you bored with the sky flavors available in No Man's Sky? Never scared! Exosolar's Stratos mod is here.
Totaling around "15" new color palettes, the likelihood of you encountering the same procedurally generated planet twice is much smaller than before. The new skies are also stunning to look at!
Integrated planets
Download here
If you're bothered by the way colored planets, asteroid fields, and the general aura of a solar system are inconsistent with each other, you'll appreciate the built-in planets.
This mod keeps all the planetary visuals, well, integrated! When looking at a planet's horizon, the light and color will remain consistent across your entire field of vision, creating a much more believable and immersive image.
Fine LOD
Download here
No Man's Sky limits your render distance pretty close to the waistline. That said, what if you have a beefy gaming PC that can handle a little more punishment?
This is where Fine LOD comes in! This mod allows you to increase your draw distances while fixing most of the pop-in texture issues present in the vanilla version of the game.
Float
Download here
The Hover mod is as simple as it sounds. It allows you to use your spaceship to fly over planetary surfaces instead of constantly in forward thrust mode.
By extension, this means you can finally use your starship to explore planetary surfaces with more surgical precision, or even battle sentry walkers from the comfort of your ship.
Reduced launch cost
Download here
Finding spaceship fuel in No Man's Sky can be a drag. That's why you should check out the Reduced Launch Cost mod, which can drastically reduce your ship's 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 Crystals for other things, but at least you won't have to worry about your ship starting failing!
NMS Fantastic Synthesis
Download here
The Fantasy Synthesis mod is a complete overhaul of No Man's Sky that includes everything from visual improvements and entirely new world types, to procedurally generated ancient cities and all new flora and fauna 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 highly recommend checking out in full!
Quick actions
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Frankly, we're tired of holding down a button every time we want to do something in NMS!
The Quick Actions mod does exactly what it sounds like; it allows for "quick" actions, where you just click a button (or hold it a bit shorter, depending on your preference) and the button will do what you want it to do.
Best Planet Generation Legacy
Download here
If you want a much more dynamic and interesting planet generation system that varies the layout of planets considerably without completely overhauling everything else, like in Fantasy Synthesis, then Better Planet Generation Legacy is the mod for you.
It's a major improvement to the algorithm that determines the shape and formation of planets as you pass through them, making them much more dynamic and distinguishable.
Beyond Exosolar Base Building
Download here
We're impressed with the base building that exists in vanilla No Man's Sky at this very moment, but we definitely couldn't say no to 400 new base building pieces!
This is precisely what is added in Exosolar's Beyond Base Building mod, which gives you all sorts of new ways to create and design your second home among the stars.
HD Clouds
Download here
No Man's Sky is a visually impressive game as it stands, but one of the biggest downsides it currently faces is the fuzzy, generic clouds forming on planets as you approach from outer space.
The HD Clouds mod remarkably improves the out-of-atmosphere cloud textures, making them so much crisper, crisper and more varied in all areas.
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And with that, our list of top 10 No Man's Sky mods for 2020 is complete! Be sure to stick with GameSkinny for more No Man's Sky content.
Posted on 31 July 2020
