Heaven's Vault fast travel option leaves more time for archaeology

Update: The bug that occasionally left archaeologists floating or getting stuck in walls has now been fixed. It's safe to explore again. 

Original story: Heaven's Vault, the moon-hopping archaeological adventure, finally has a decent fast travel option thanks to an update. It went live yesterday, and as well as letting you skip the game's few dull bits, it also makes searching for ruins a little easier and improves your robo-butler's navigation skills. 

Between exploring ancient palaces and graveyards, you need to sail across the nebula, riding on ethereal cosmic rivers. It's kind of lovely, but also pretty boring. There's not much to do on these rivers, and they can be a chore to navigate thanks to clunky controls. But you can now sidestep that by letting Six take the helm after you've plotted a course. 

Previously, fast travel was only possible between a few locations. While in your ship, you could choose to rest and let Six take over, but sometimes you'd be dumped in the river without the option, while limited locations made it only occasionally handy. Now, you can fast travel whenever you want, as long as it's down a river you've already explored. 

When you're in your ship, travelling down your plotted course, you'll quickly be given the option to hand control over to Six. He'll immediately take you to your destination, unless it's somewhere you've never been. In that case, he'll take you as far as you've explored, and then you'll get control again. This means you won't miss all the banter on board the ship, and you'll be able to find optional ruins to loot.

I'm finding it a big improvement. I've adored the adventure so far, and I get the sense that I'm nearing the end, but much of the time spent navigating the rivers has felt like a waste. Once you've gone down a river, there's not much reason to do it again. But now I'm getting straight to the good bits, and no longer sighing when it's time to leave a moon and head back to the ship. 

Unfortunately, the update introduced a new bug that can occasionally leave you standing in mid-air or getting stuck under stairs. I contacted Inkle last night and was told a fix was in the works, and if you do fall foul of this bug, send your save file to info@inklestudios.com and they'll dig you out.  

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog. 

Latest in Puzzle
World of Goo 2 a giant octopus-worm spits out a structure of goo upon which other goo is flowing.
After launching as an Epic Store exclusive, World of Goo 2 dribbles onto Steam this spring: 'We’re grateful to Epic for funding development of the game'
Wordle today puzzle on a smartphone
Today's Wordle answer for Wednesday, March 26
Today's Wordle being played on a phone
Today's Wordle answer for Tuesday, March 25
Wordle answers
Today's Wordle answer for Monday, March 24
A sign reads "HATRED IS POWER"
A demo for a lost videogame based on George Orwell's 1984 has emerged from the memory hole
London Bridge during snowfall
This is the coolest pricing gimmick I've ever seen: the temperature in London determines the price of this videogame
Latest in News
The snazzy red and black HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones float in a teal void. The microphone is attached to the headset.
The best wireless gaming headset is now even better in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, boasting a more than $50 discount
A chip being held up in an Intel fab
Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node
Amazon box
Don't panic! The 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' option Amazon just removed was only used by 0.03% of customers and they can still have it
Digital generated image of people surrounded by interactive transparent and glowing panels with data. Visualising smart technology, blockchain and artificial intelligence
Now I shall demand the cookies! Proposed new browsing agreement turns the tables and lets users dictate terms to websites
Intel CEO, Pat Gelsinger, with a 18A SRAM test wafer
Former Intel CEO, Pat Gelsinger becomes executive chairman of a 'Technology Platform Connecting the Faith Ecosystem' to work on Christian AI using DeepSeek
Assassin's Creed Shadows immersive mode - Naoe holding a tanto in her hand as two guards fall to the ground behind her.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first hotfix addresses stability issues and a photo mode crash