No Man's Sky Duplication Glitch: Patches and Changes
No Man's Sky, the space exploration game developed by Hello Games, has been no stranger to glitches and exploits since its release. One such exploit, the duplication glitch, allowed players to multiply their resources and items, significantly altering the game's balance. This article explores the history of this glitch, its impact on the game, and the patches that have been implemented to address it.
Understanding the Duplication Glitch
The duplication glitch, also known as the 'invincible freighter' exploit, was discovered in late 2018. It involved a complex series of steps that allowed players to duplicate their freighters, and consequently, any items stored within them. This exploit was particularly appealing to players as it allowed them to amass vast quantities of resources and items, making the game's economy and progression trivial.
Impact on the Game and Community
The duplication glitch had a significant impact on the game and its community. It led to an influx of players with seemingly unlimited resources, causing inflation in the game's economy and making traditional progression methods less appealing. This, in turn, led to a divide within the community, with some players enjoying the newfound wealth and power, while others felt it undermined the game's intended challenge and progression.

Hello Games' Response: The Atlas Rises Update
In response to the duplication glitch, Hello Games released the Atlas Rises update in July 2018. This update aimed to address several exploits, including the duplication glitch, and introduce new features to the game. However, the initial patch was not entirely successful in preventing the duplication of items, leading to the glitch's continued use.
Changes in the Atlas Rises Update
- Freighter Changes: The update introduced changes to freighters, making them more difficult to duplicate. Freighters were no longer automatically added to the player's inventory upon purchase, and the process of claiming a freighter was made more complex.
- Inventory Management: The update also introduced changes to inventory management, making it more difficult to accidentally duplicate items. The game now prevents players from moving items between inventories if it would result in a duplicate.
While these changes did make the duplication glitch more difficult to exploit, they were not entirely successful in preventing it. This led to further updates and patches to address the issue.
The Next Steps: The Abyss Update and Beyond
In December 2018, Hello Games released the Abyss update, which included further changes to address the duplication glitch. This update introduced a new system for managing freighters, making it even more difficult to duplicate them. It also included changes to the game's economy, increasing the cost of certain items and services to combat inflation.

Changes in the Abyss Update
- Freighter Management: The update introduced a new system for managing freighters, requiring players to manually claim and manage their freighters. This made it significantly more difficult to duplicate freighters.
- Economic Changes: The update also included changes to the game's economy, increasing the cost of certain items and services. This was an attempt to combat the inflation caused by the duplication glitch and restore balance to the game's economy.
The Abyss update, along with subsequent patches and hotfixes, has been largely successful in preventing the duplication glitch. However, as with any game, new exploits and glitches can always be discovered, and Hello Games continues to monitor the game and release updates as necessary.
Looking Ahead: The Future of No Man's Sky
The duplication glitch was a significant issue in No Man's Sky, but it is just one of many challenges the game has faced since its release. Despite these challenges, Hello Games has continued to support the game, releasing regular updates and expansions. The game's future looks bright, with the recent release of the Next Generation update, which introduced significant graphical and performance improvements, as well as new features and gameplay mechanics.
The story of the duplication glitch serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by game developers in maintaining the balance and integrity of their games. It also highlights the resilience of the No Man's Sky community, which has weathered many storms and continues to engage with the game and its developers. As No Man's Sky continues to evolve and grow, it will be interesting to see what challenges and triumphs the future holds.