The Outer Worlds 2: Unleash Your RPG Character Creativity - IGN First

Having finally seen *The Outer Worlds 2* for myself, it's clear that developer Obsidian has prioritized deeper RPG elements. While the first game offered a more streamlined approach to character building, the sequel aims to break from homogeneity, encouraging players to adopt unconventional playstyles. The game isn't just about complexity; it's about fostering creativity, specialization, and embracing unique choices players might make.

"We're looking for ways to incentivize the player to experiment with different builds, either traditional or non-traditional," design director Matt Singh shared with me, discussing the revamped RPG mechanics. He emphasized that the team wanted to focus on synergies between player Skills, Traits, and Perks, creating interesting builds that interact with other systems. This approach was evident in the 11 minutes of exclusive *The Outer Worlds 2* gameplay we showcased, highlighting new gunplay, stealth, gadgets, and dialogue. For our IGN First coverage, we're diving deep into how these systems have been reworked and what players can expect.

"We would often see characters good at everything, which by the end of the game, minimized your personal experience with your character," lead systems designer Kyle Koenig reflected on the first game and the changes planned for the sequel. Obsidian is moving away from the Skill categories that grouped stats together in the original and is focusing on individual Skills with significant differences. "We wanted to focus on making each individual level-up and investment really important. There's less confusion on when I should invest in one Skill or the other. If I want to be a player that's all about guns and using medical devices, I know which Skills I really need to care about. By having them separated and not in groupings, it lets characters be more specialized," Koenig explained.

Singh added that the game goes beyond traditional stealth, combat, or speech-focused builds. "There's more than just a traditional stealth-focused build, combat-focused build, or speech-focused build. There's a lot of blending of concepts, playing with other systems and incorporating those into a pretty broad, but unique range of different player profiles." He mentioned how certain Skills, like Observation, can reveal hidden elements in the environment, such as secret doors or interactive objects that lead to alternative paths.

The Outer Worlds 2 Character Creation - Screenshots

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While this approach may seem standard for RPGs, *The Outer Worlds* was unique in its Skill grouping. The sequel, however, uses the revised Skill system to create distinct character builds, particularly in conjunction with the revamped Perks system.

The Perks of Getting Experimental

Obsidian is emphasizing specificity and unique gameplay avenues. "We've significantly increased the number of Perks with over 90 of them – each of those requiring various Skills to unlock. As you invest in Skills, it changes how you can invest in Perks and leads you down many different paths," Koenig explained. He illustrated with a Perk called Run and Gun for shotgun, SMG, and rifle users, allowing them to fire while sprinting or sliding, and when combined with Tactical Time Dilation (TTD), it can enhance bullet-time action. He also teased the Space Ranger Perk, which enhances dialogue interactions and boosts damage based on Speech stats. "The way we looked at them when designing them was to look at what are all the different modes of gameplay the player has, and what are all the actions they can take and how can we modify them," he stated.

Singh highlighted Perks catering to non-traditional playstyles, like those that support players who eliminate every NPC. Perks such as Psychopath and Serial Killer offer bonuses like permanent health boosts for this approach. "Especially in an Obsidian game where we allow you to kill anybody – the game's going to respond, it's going to roll with it, and you're going to still be able to complete the game. It's actually a really fun way to play in a second or third playthrough just to see how far you can take it."

For more traditional playstyles, Koenig discussed builds that leverage elemental combat, mixing damage types. "Even if you want to mix and match them, you can be a character that's all about plasma and burning things alive while getting healing from it – or using shock damage to scramble automechs and have them fight for you temporarily while paralyzing creatures and humans – or using corrosive damage to take away all their armor and make it so all your attacks against them are critical hits that deal insane amounts of damage."

Singh emphasized other ways to experiment, including opting into detrimental effects that buff other aspects of the character. "How do I construct a build where I'm actually incentivized to get in there and take damage so that I can then do other things effectively? I really like those kinds of creative builds that allow you to play with that idea and convert something that might be negative into a positive aspect of your build." This design philosophy, present in the original, is now a driving force in *The Outer Worlds 2*, particularly in relation to Traits and Flaws.

The Positive and Negative Traits

"One of the things in *The Outer Worlds* that was a key off of *Fallout* was you could have negative attributes that would be actively detrimental to your character, but you get a few extra points to spend somewhere else," Koenig noted. In the original, the Flaws system allowed players to accept permanent effects in exchange for an extra Perk point. In *The Outer Worlds 2*, this concept is expanded.

The system of Positive Traits and Negative Traits fosters a give-and-take dynamic. Players can choose a negative Trait to gain an additional positive one. For example, Brilliant grants extra Skill points at character creation, while Brawny allows knocking targets down by sprinting into them. To gain more positives, players might opt for negatives like Dumb, which locks out investment into five Skills, or Sickly, reducing base health and toxicity tolerance. These are just a few examples seen in the early stages of the game.

The Outer Worlds 2 Gameplay - Screenshots

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While a deeper dive into the revamped Flaws system will be covered in another article, *The Outer Worlds 2* is getting more creative with these elements. In the original, I often declined Flaws because the trade-off wasn't worthwhile. In the sequel, the game monitors player behavior, and Flaws now come with specific conditions that are both positive and negative, adding another layer to the Traits system. Players can opt into these Flaws, which will become a permanent part of their character.

Guiding Players and Ditching Respec

With many moving parts in *The Outer Worlds 2*, Obsidian is focused on making these elements clear and digestible through in-game explanations and UI elements. "Right from the get-go, from character creation, we really wanted to put in the forefront what are the differences of these skills and what they do," Koenig said. This clarity is provided not only in help text but also through short videos in the menus that demonstrate gameplay impact. A standout feature is the ability to mark Perks as favorites before unlocking them, aiding in planning and organizing build progression. The requirements for Perks are shown immediately, with icons indicating their general playstyle and related Skills.

Obsidian wants players to carefully consider their choices, especially since there is no respec option after the introductory sequence. "By removing respec, we really incentivize it to be your experience. It is a part of your experience that no one else had, and I think that's really special about RPGs and something that respec tends to lessen," Koenig stated.

Singh added, "Philosophy-wise, we really feel all of your choices should matter. They should be meaningful changes to your gameplay experience. And he concluded, "This is just one of those ways where we're asking you to make a choice, stick to it, and see how that plays out in interesting and fun ways."