It's been more than two full years since X4: Foundations was released, and many of you have played the game for hundreds of hours. If you've been asking yourself what else you could possibly do in X4: Foundations, then read on, because this is specifically for you.

For those of you with an abundance of spare resources, EGOSOFT is adding a new end-game activity in 4.00. This involves initiating projects for planetary improvements, including several types of infrastructure development, with the aim of making specific planets more habitable. They're calling this "Terraforming" and you may already have heard about it during the gamescom 2020 live-stream.

In terms of gameplay, you will be undertaking new missions that serve as entry points to the Terraforming feature. Settlements will form, and landscapes can be changed through the investment of time and resources. And, as if the thought of shaping the universe wasn't exciting enough, there may even be other rewards involved.

Just to be clear about one thing – you won't be landing on any planets! You will, however, have a closer involvement with them than you have ever had in any X series game to date.

Want to check this new element out ahead of the public release of the 4.00 update? You can by participating in the currently running 4.00 beta phase. Just visit the official forum for an instruction on how to do so.

How to terraform

Once you've finished all your teleportation research, you need to continue by researching high-mass teleportation. A few minutes after the initial experiment, Boso Ta will call you about a new idea. Talking to him about it will add a number of mission offers.

In order to terraform, you will need to:

  • have a module to construct M and S ships on your HQ
  • have storage capabilities for container, solid and liquid wares on your HQ
  • accept a terraforming mission
  • teleport the HQ to the sector specified by the mission briefing
  • open the terraforming menu (this is new icon at the top of the screen) and select a project to work on

Once started, construction and delivery are automatic as long as the required resources are provided.