The Outer Worlds: Complete Guide

A complete guide to Obsidian's first-person RPG in Halcyon: how character creation, skills, perks and flaws fit together, strong build ideas, companions, key story choices, science weapons, Supernova difficulty, the two DLCs, and which edition to buy.

Researched September 2026 — current as of The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition (March 2023) and the final original-edition content (Murder on Eridanos, March 2021). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Dialogue skills are extremely strong. Persuade, Lie and Intimidate open quest solutions, avoid fights and reward you. Almost every build benefits from one dialogue skill.
• Skills are grouped until 50. Raising a category (for example, Dialog) raises all its skills together up to 50; after that you invest in individual skills.
• Companions add to your skills. Bring companions that cover skills you lack.
• Take flaws when they fit. A flaw gives a lasting drawback in exchange for an immediate extra perk.
• Tactical Time Dilation (TTD) is your best combat tool. Slow time, target limbs and apply debuffs.
• Science weapons are fun and powerful. Pick up the side quest Weapons from the Void to collect them.
• Sell junk, keep mods. Weapon and armor mods add damage types and bonuses; vendors buy junk for Bits.
• Save often in separate slots. Many choices are permanent and some quests lock out others.

Which Edition?

Edition | What you get

Original (2019, Steam 2020) | Base game; DLCs Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos sold separately

Spacer's Choice Edition (March 2023) | Base game plus both DLCs, with higher-resolution visuals, dynamic weather, overhauled lighting, faster load times and an increased level cap

Owners of the base game and both DLC on Steam could upgrade to Spacer's Choice Edition at a reduced price through Complete the Bundle. The sequel, The Outer Worlds 2, launched in October 2025 and is a separate game set in the Arcadia colony.

Character Creation

Attributes

Six attributes in three groups:

Group | Attributes

Body | Strength, Dexterity

Mind | Intelligence, Perception

Personality | Charm, Temperament

Attributes boost related skills and give passive bonuses. You can take an attribute below average for extra points elsewhere, but very low Intelligence also unlocks special "dumb" dialogue options, which is a fun roleplay run.

Skills

Category | Skills

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

• Category phase: skill points raise the whole category until 50.
• Specialization phase: above 50, you raise individual skills. The cap was 100 in the base game, raised to 150 with Peril on Gorgon.
• Milestones: every 20 points in a skill gives a bonus, so plan around those thresholds.

Perks and Flaws

• You earn perk points every two levels, plus extra ones from accepting flaws and some quests.
• Examples of well-known perks: Toughness (+50% base health), Pack Mule (+50 kg) and Super Pack Mule (+100 kg carry capacity), Hoarder (-50% consumable weight), Harvester (+15% health restored per kill), Weird Science (+50% science weapon damage), Lone Wolf (+25% damage when you have no companions).
• Respec is possible, but it starts at 500 Bits and doubles each time, so plan rather than experiment endlessly.
• Flaws trigger when the game notices something you struggle with (for example, being attacked by Raptidons repeatedly offers Raptiphobia). Accepting grants an immediate perk point at the cost of a permanent debuff.

Build Ideas

Build | Core skills | Key perks | Companions

Silver-tongued gunslinger | Dialog (one skill to 100), Handguns | Perks boosting crit and dialogue checks | Two companions who cover Stealth and Tech

Science tinkerer | Science, Engineering, Long Guns | Weird Science | A companion strong in Medical

Stealth infiltrator | Stealth (Sneak, Hack, Lockpick), Handguns or 1-Handed Melee | Stealth-damage perks | Minimal; or Lone Wolf

Leader | Leadership, Dialog | Companion-focused perks | Two combat companions

Brawler | 2-Handed Melee, Defense | Toughness, Harvester | A healer or tank companion

Rules of thumb:

• Always pick one dialogue skill to take high. It pays off in almost every quest.
• Don't max everything. Companions add to your skills, and skill magazines and gear boost them further.
• Lone Wolf is strong if you prefer solo play, but you lose companion banter and quests.

Companions

You can bring two companions at a time. Each has a personal quest, a companion perk tree, and skill bonuses that add to yours.

Companion | Role | Where and how you recruit them | Personal quest

Parvati | Engineer | Edgewater, Emerald Vale, during Stranger in a Strange Land | Drinking Sapphire Wine / Don't Bite the Sun

Vicar Max | Hacker | Edgewater, after The Illustrated Manual | The Empty Man

Ellie | Medic | Groundbreaker, via Worst Contact | The Low Crusade

Felix | Melee fighter | Groundbreaker, no recruitment quest | Friendship's Due

Nyoka | Heavy weapons | Stellar Bay, Monarch, via Passion Pills | Star-Crossed Troopers

SAM | Cleaning automechanical | Already aboard the Unreliable; recruit via The Cleaning Machine | None listed

Highlights:

• Parvati's quest line (ending in Don't Bite the Sun) is one of the game's best side stories.
• Vicar Max joins after The Illustrated Manual; his personal quest The Empty Man digs into his faith and backstory.
• SAM needs The Cleaning Machine before he will fight for you.
• Companions can die permanently on Supernova difficulty, so protect them there.

Combat

• TTD: slows time and lets you target body parts. Leg shots slow, arm shots can disarm, head shots and other targets apply debuffs, depending on your perks and skills.
• Damage types: physical, plasma, shock, corrosive and N-Ray. Match mods to enemies: shock is great against automechanicals, corrosive against armored targets.
• Science weapons: bring unusual effects rather than raw damage.
• Companion abilities: each companion has a special attack you can trigger; they are excellent for staggering bosses.

Science Weapons

The side quest Weapons from the Void helps you collect the base-game science weapons:

Weapon | Type

Gloop Gun | Heavy Weapon

Mandibular Rearranger | 1-Handed Melee

Mind Control Ray | Long Gun

Prismatic Hammer | 2-Handed Melee

Shrink Ray | Handgun

DLC adds more: Employee Benefits (Handgun), Special Delivery (Heavy Weapon) and The P.E.T. (2-Handed Melee) in Peril on Gorgon; Murder on Eridanos's launch post promises three new science weapons, including the Spectrum Gatling (Long Gun) and The Needler (Handgun).

Story Outline and Key Choices (Light Spoilers)

• Emerald Vale: your first planet. In the main quest Stranger in a Strange Land you reach the Geothermal Power Plant and choose where its power goes: Edgewater and its cannery (run by Reed Tobson) or the deserters' Botanical Lab (led by Adelaide McDevitt). The side that loses power loses its operations, and you can salvage the power regulator either way. This is your first taste of how factions work, so talk to both leaders before deciding.
• Groundbreaker: the colony's first ship turned station, with key side quests and companions.
• Monarch: a tidally locked moon with Stellar Bay, Amber Heights, Fallbrook and Cascadia. Its central conflict is between Monarch Stellar Industries and the Iconoclasts (led by Graham Bryant and based at Amber Heights), with several ways to resolve it.
• Byzantium and Tartarus: late-game locations tied to the Board and the fate of the Hope.
• The overarching choice: help Phineas Welles and his plan to revive the colonists on the Hope, or side with the Halcyon Holdings Board.

The game warns you before the point of no return. Finish companion quests and side content first.

Supernova Difficulty

Feature | Effect

Selection | Only at the start of a new game; if you lower the difficulty you cannot switch back

Survival needs | You must eat, drink and sleep

Saving | Manual saves only while inside your ship; autosaves are limited

Fast travel | Only to your ship

Sleeping | Only on your ship

Injuries | Crippled body and limb conditions heal only with bed rest

Gear | Weapons and armor work very poorly at 0 durability

Companions | Can die permanently

Enemies | More health and more damage

Great for a second run once you know the systems. Keep spare parts on you for repairs and plan routes that loop back to the Unreliable.

DLC

DLC | Setting | Highlights

Peril on Gorgon | Gorgon asteroid | Mystery around Spacer's Choice research; new weapons; skill cap raised to 150

Murder on Eridanos (March 2021) | Eridanos and its Grand Colonial Hotel | Solve the murder of aetherwave actress Halcyon Helen with the Discrepancy Amplifier; level cap +3; new science weapons, armor, enemies, perks and a flaw

Both DLCs are included in the Spacer's Choice Edition.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Spreading skill points evenly past 50. Specialize for real payoffs and milestone bonuses.
• Ignoring dialogue skills. You lose many alternative solutions and rewards.
• Forgetting companion quests before the finale. The point of no return blocks them.
• Not repairing weapons. Durability loss lowers performance; carry spare parts or use a workbench.
• Hoarding everything. Carry weight fills fast; sell junk and keep only what you use.
• Overthinking flaws. Most are minor; the free perk is usually worth it.

Advanced Tips

• Stack dialogue bonuses with gear, companions and consumables to pass high checks.
• Use TTD openers to cripple dangerous enemies before they close distance.
• Mod for damage types: a shock mod on your main weapon shortens most automechanical fights.
• Tinker wisely: upgrading weapons with Bits keeps them at your level; tinkering cost increases as you go, so pick a main weapon.
• Pick companions for skills you have not invested in, especially Stealth or Tech.
• Replay for different factions: the game's endings shift based on choices across every planet.

FAQ

Should I buy the original or the Spacer's Choice Edition? The Spacer's Choice Edition includes both DLCs and visual and performance upgrades, so it is the easier recommendation for new players.

What is the level cap? The original base game had a lower cap that each DLC raised (Murder on Eridanos added 3 levels). The Spacer's Choice Edition raised the cap further; check the in-game menus for your edition.

How many companions can I bring? Two at a time.

How do I get science weapons? Take the side quest Weapons from the Void and follow it; DLCs add more science weapons.

What is Supernova difficulty? The hardest difficulty, chosen only at the start of a new game: eat/drink/sleep needs, manual saves and fast travel only via your ship, injuries that need bed rest, and companions who can die permanently.

Is The Outer Worlds connected to The Outer Worlds 2? Same universe and tone, but The Outer Worlds 2 is set in a different colony, Arcadia, with a new story. You do not need to play the first to enjoy the second.

Sources

• The Outer Worlds on Steam
• Steam announcement: Spacer's Choice Edition
• Fextralife: Skills
• Fextralife: Perks
• Fextralife: Companions
• Fextralife: Science Weapons
• Fextralife: Spacer's Choice Edition
• Fextralife: Difficulty Settings