General Information
Developed by: Obsidian Entertainment
Published by: Private Division
Directed by: Tim Cain & Leonard Boyarsky
Release Date: October 25th 2019
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Platforms: PC | Xbox | PS4 | Switch
Available on PC via Epic Games Store, Windows 10 Store and Xbox App - it is also included in Xbox Games Pass on PC & Console (for Xbox One Players). Switch Version releasing at a later date.
The Game
Welcome to the future
Try not to break it
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.
Locations
Terra 2
The colony of Terra 2 is a successful colony. It is a terraformed planet with a functioning atmosphere under Earth-like conditions, making it habitable for humans. Here, the colonists have largely accepted and even embraced their roles as corporate workers, but the facade is slowly breaking down as towns fall into disarray. Here you will find the gilded city known as Byzantium as well as smaller settlements such as Edgewater.
Monarch
Monarch is a moon orbiting the gas giant Olympus in the Halcyon System, Monarch was initially designated to the primary planet of occupation in the system. The terraforming, however, resulted in the local wildlife being affected adversely to the plan, by supersizing the species, this rendering them more dangerous. The town of Fallbrook will be a major hub for your journeys on Monarch.
Halcyon System
The Halcyon System at large houses a number of different planets and places of interest, from corporation run planets to small asteroids that you explore during your journey.
The Unreliable
You'll make use of your own spaceship to travel between locations throughout the Halcyon system, named The Unreliable, you'll also find an AI called ADA installed here.
The Player
Your Character
Over the course of The Outer Worlds, you'll gain experience and level up. Upon level up you'll receive several increases to your stats and a perk point (more on this later). You'll also find, scavenge and use workbenches to get new armour and upgrade old favourites. Weapons will be your bread and butter when fighting adversaries in The Outer Worlds; from 1 handed melee weapons to powerful rifles and pistols. Along with your increasing levels you'll soon become known to all in the Halcyon System and shred the moniker of "The Stranger" as you overthrow the corporations… or join them.
During enemy encounters you'll have access to something called Tactical Time Dilation (often abbreviated to TTD). This allows for the player to dramatically slow down time while they examine their targets and take aim. It works similar to the V.A.T.S system from the Fallout titles.
Perks and Flaws
Positive
During your time playing The Outer Worlds you'll gain Perk Points. These Perk points can be used to unlock perks across numerous tiers. These perks can range from things such as Toughness - 50% Base Health or Run and Gun - 65% Movement Penalty to Accuracy. There are even more exotic perks like Rolling Thunder - 20% Companion Ability Cooldowns for each of your skills and Speed Demon - 25% Movement Speed during TTD. As you grow during your time playing The Outer Worlds, you'll gain access to bigger and better Perks which will give you a leg up in your adventures across the Halcyon System.
Negative
Your character may become flawed during your time playing The Outer Worlds. This will result in a prompt showing you the flaw that has been discovered within you. For example, you may become Paranoid, which results in -1 to all Personality Attributes and this flaw can manifest within you by repeatedly getting caught by guards in Restricted Areas. If you choose to take the flaw and accept its effects, you will be gained 1 or several Perk Points to put into a positive effect, so with every negative effect comes a positive. Whenever a flaw is discovered within you, the prompt will allow you to Accept or Reject but make sure you consider all the repercussions of your choice.
Your Skills
Evolving Character
You can place skill points into different skills such as Melee, Defense and Stealth which will also increase all the specialized skills under each of the core skills. Upon reaching rank 50 in a specialized skill you can then start adding points to it directly to really specialize your character's build.
Melee
- 1-Handed Melee
- 2-Handed Melee
Ranged
- Handguns
- Long Guns
- Heavy Weapons
Defense
- Dodge
- Block
Dialog
- Persuade
- Lie
- Intimidate
Stealth
- Sneak
- Hack
- Lockpick
Tech
- Medical
- Science
- Engineering
Leadership
- Inspiration
- Determination
Upon using skill points you'll be unlocking 'Base Skills' for those skills, which increase your effectiveness with that skill even more. Such as reducing the TTD Drain with those types of weapons and reducing the cost of certain actions such as purchases or crafting.
Companions
Friends until the end?
Players can have two Companions at once, and they have their own Perks. During your time exploring the Halcyon System you may come across characters such as Parvati, Ellie and Felix who you can recruit and will follow you on missions. Romance is not an option for companions, as developers felt it could limit player choice but they can be customized and players can pick Perks for them on level up screen. You can choose up to two companions at a time, and inventory is shared among all while out in the field. Companions have their own missions, quests and objectives and will ask for help to fulfil them.
Media
Video 1 - The Outer Worlds Launch Trailer
Video 2 - IGN - The First 20 Minutes: Gameplay
Video 3 - Gamespot - Hilarious Quests
Video 4 - Welcome to Halcyon
A message from the OT creator
Thank you all for checking out the OT for The Outer Worlds. I had a blast putting it together, and I can't wait to play the game. New Vegas is admittedly my favourite Fallout game so getting a spiritual continuation of that games approach to gameplay, storytelling and world building is super exciting to me. The Outer Worlds also introduces a bunch of awesome new stuff that I can't wait to see how it works but seems like it'll be a lot of fun in practice.
I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who voted in both the polls (
poll 1 +
poll 2) for this OT's title. Whenever I do an OT I like to let people vote on the title for it. Over both polls there were 500 votes so thank you again to everyone who voted! Also big shoutout to
TheKeyPit for the original suggestion which included the title "S.P.A.C.E.I.A.L." which I love.
Until my next OT… whenever and whatever that may be, stay awesome Era!
Alternate Universe
Character Build Planner
Here's an awesome Character Build planner for anyone wanting to plan their build before the game launches.
Don't like the above Chracter builder? Here's an alternative by RPG-Gaming and it is also pretty awesome!
A Guide Through The Outer Worlds
Need a handy guide to reference to help you with your journey through the Halcyon System?
Look no further than Gamer Guides!
Launch Countdown:
OUT NOW!