No Man’s Sky: How to Clear All Terrain Edits Using the Save Editor

Terrain manipulation is… lets just say “messy”. By default, most base parts have a zone around them that will automatically carve out terrain. Base terrain edits are “protected” meaning they will remain no matter what in theory. However, the game caches 30,000 total terrain edits per save and once that limit is reached edits start to revert based on age and protection; having tons of protected base edits that you might not have even wanted means you have less room in the world for edits in general. Beyond that, there’s some rules for automatically reverting even protected edits, leading to base fill-in when intentional edits revert suddenly. With all of that in mind, it would be great to have a way to revert all edits on a wide, even save-wide, scale. This guide provides just that.

This method utilizes the No Man’s Sky Save Editor[github.com] by goatfungus. It should go without saying, but directly editing your save is dangerous if you’re not careful. Always back up your save before making any edits. As with all save manipulation, you assume all risks when making edits and I will not be held liable for any damage you cause to your save or for your failure to keep backups.

By following this method, you will automatically revert all terrain edits on your targeted save by emptying the JSON arrays associated with storing the edits. The method is quick and simple.

1. Start No Man’s Sky and load your save. Doing this while the save is loaded will ensure that Steam Cloud will not interfere with the process.
2. Make a few terrain edits, then enter and exit your ship to update your save.
3. Load the save editor and select the slot and file you wish to clear.
4. In the Edit menu, select “Edit Raw JSON”.
5. In PlayerStateData, locate and open TerrainEditData. Inside you will find six JSON arrays: GalacticAddresses, BufferSizes, BufferAges, BufferAnchors, BufferProtected, and Edits.
6. Click on GalacticAddresses, then on the data field. Hit CTRL+A, then type this line:

   []

7. Click on any JSON object or array to open a prompt asking if you want to apply changes. Hit YES.
8. Repeat steps #6 and #7 on BufferSizes, BufferAges, BufferAnchors, BufferProtected, and Edits in turn.
9. Close the JSON editor, hitting YES to save chances if prompted.
10. On the Main tab, hit “Save Changes”.
11. In No Man’s Sky, reload your save.
    • Make sure you’re reloading the right save. The new autosave system can make file targeting a little confusing. You’ll know you loaded the right save if your step #1 terrain edits are gone.
12. Save and reload one more time. This will ensure than No Man’s Sky rebuilds the proper JSON structures for future terrain edits in your save.

Congratulations! If you followed everything correctly, every single terrain edit on your save has been wiped clean.