The Outer Worldsis a vast RPG space-exploration offering from Obsidian that’s surprisingly grounded considering its content. Although it has been compared to games likeFallout 4andSkyrim,The Outer Worldshas a more robust companion system and more emphasis on its role-playing aspects than its combat.
BeginningThe Outer Worldscan feel overwhelming, especially when placed in such a massive world with so many different things to do. There are lessons manyveteran players ofThe Outer Worldslearn through experience, but not every new player needs to learn these lessons the hard way. Here are some tips and tricks to make navigating the Halcyon system a bit easier.
Invest In the Right Skill Points to Get the Most Out of Story and Gameplay
Invest in Technical Skills for Better Gameplay
Pick the most useful skills to invest in. Lockpicking is an incredibly useful skill, as it allows all kinds of looting. As stealing is essentially allowed so long as the act isn’t seen, lockpicking is the most valuable skill in the game. Other valuable skills alongside it are Science, Engineering, and Medical skills; in particular, it’s important to get the Engineering skill to level 20 as soon as possible, which allowsThe Outer Worldplayers to repair weapons on the fieldinstead of needing to return to a workbench. The Science skill also unlocks the ability to tinker and modify weapons, allowing their improvement to several times their base stat.
Unlock a Secret Ending with Low Intelligence
It may be intuitive to invest points in Intelligence, but a low Intelligence score actually results in some funny dialogue options that wouldn’t otherwise be available. Aside from the humor, there’s also asecret ending inThe Outer Worldsthat can only be unlocked if the player character has a low Intelligence score.
Go Into The Outer Worlds' Settings and Change Some Defaults
Disable Base Item Stats
When beginningThe Outer Worlds, the default stat shown for weapons is displayed without taking into account the player character’s perks. This means that the weapon could potentially be more powerful than the base stat shown. Luckily, this is a toggle that can be turned off in the settings. To turn off this setting, open the Menu, go to Settings, then disable the option “Show Base Item Stats”.
Take Care of NPCs
While in Settings, it’s a good idea to change companion behavior from Aggressive to something else. While an Aggressive playstyle may suit some, it also results inThe Outer Worldscompanionskilling all NPCs in an area if something happens to go wrong, such as accidentally stealing something while in an NPC’s sights. NPCs are especially important inThe Outer Worldsbecause they trigger side quests in conversations. NPC deaths result in a permanent end to those side quests, and killing everyone in sight will result in removing a great deal ofThe Outer World’s content and gameplay.
Make Backup Saves
If something does go wrong, it’s always good to go back to a previous save without missing out on too much. Save often, and in different slots, because while game-breaking bugs don’t happen too often inThe Outer Worlds, accidents do, and things like redoing choices or picking different conversation options are easier to do if there are different save files to go back to.
Traveling while encumbered is always a pain, so one of the best perks tounlock early inThe Outer Worldsis the Traveler perk, which allows the player character to fast travel while overencumbered. Other good perks that make inventory management easier to handle in the game later on are the Hoarder and Pack Mule perks, which increase carry weight.
The Outer Worlds
WHERE TO PLAY
The Outer Worlds is a new single-player sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment and Private Division. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter a host of factions all vying for power, who you decide to become will determine the fate of everyone in Halcyon. In the corporate equation for the colony, you are the unplanned variable.Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the furthest edge of the galaxy, you awake decades later than you expected only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the Halcyon colony. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter a host of factions all vying for power, who you decide to become will determine the fate of everyone in Halcyon. In the corporate equation for the colony, you are the unplanned variable.Welcome to the future - try not to break it.
