Having finally seen The Outer Worlds 2 for myself, it's evident that Obsidian Entertainment has prioritized deeper RPG elements in the sequel. While the original game offered a more accessible experience with streamlined character progression, The Outer Worlds 2 aims to break away from uniformity, encouraging players to explore unconventional playstyles. This approach isn't just about adding complexity for its own sake; it's about fostering creativity and allowing players to specialize in unique ways, embracing the quirky decisions they might encounter along the journey.
“We're looking for ways to incentivize the player to experiment with different builds, either traditional or non-traditional,” design director Matt Singh shared during our discussion on the revamped RPG mechanics. He emphasized the team's focus on creating synergies between player Skills, Traits, and Perks to craft intriguing character builds. This philosophy was showcased in our exclusive 11-minute gameplay footage of The Outer Worlds 2, which highlighted new gunplay, stealth, gadgets, and dialogue systems. For this part of our IGN First coverage, we'll delve into the intricacies of how these systems have been reimagined and what players can anticipate.
Rethinking the Skill System
“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, explaining the motivation behind the sequel's changes. Obsidian is shifting away from the Skill categories that grouped stats together in the original, opting instead for individual Skills with more 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 new system encourages more than just traditional builds focused on stealth, combat, or speech. “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 highlighted how certain Skill investments can manifest in other ways, such as the Observation Skill, which can reveal hidden elements in the environment, like secret doors or interactive objects leading to alternative paths.
The Outer Worlds 2 Character Creation - Screenshots
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While such an approach might seem standard for RPGs, The Outer Worlds was unique in its original Skill grouping. In the sequel, the revised Skill system is designed to enhance character build diversity and open new possibilities, particularly in conjunction with the revamped Perks system.
The Perks of Getting Experimental
Obsidian is focusing on specificity and offering unique play avenues through an expanded Perks system. “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 elaborated. He provided an example with the Run and Gun Perk for shotgun, SMG, and rifle users, allowing firing while sprinting or sliding. Combined with Tactical Time Dilation (TTD), bullet-time action becomes a key part of gameplay. Another Perk, Space Ranger, offers special dialogue interactions and damage boosts based on the Speech stat. “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,” Koenig stated.
The Outer Worlds 2 encourages creativity and specialization, inviting players to embrace unconventional choices. “We have a lot of Perks that are catered towards non-traditional play styles,” Singh noted, giving an example of a build for players who eliminate every NPC. With Perks like Psychopath and Serial Killer, players can receive bonuses, such as permanent health boosts, for this aggressive style. “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,” he added.
For more traditional builds, Koenig discussed characters leveraging elemental combat aspects. Players can mix and match different damage types, such as using plasma to burn enemies while healing or using shock damage to control automechs and paralyze foes, or employing corrosive damage to strip armor and ensure critical hits.
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 mentioned, referring to the Flaws system from the original game. In The Outer Worlds 2, this concept is expanded with a system of Positive and Negative Traits. Players can select a negative Trait to unlock an additional positive one. Examples include Brilliant, granting extra Skill points at character creation, or Brawny, allowing you to knock targets down by sprinting into them. Conversely, negative Traits like Dumb lock you out of five Skills, or Sickly permanently reduces base health and tolerance for toxicity.
The Outer Worlds 2 Gameplay - Screenshots
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While I'll explore the revamped Flaws system in greater detail in a future article, it's clear that The Outer Worlds 2 is taking a more creative and playful approach. In the original game, I often declined Flaws as the extra Perk points weren't worth the compromise. Now, the game monitors your behavior and habits, offering Flaws with specific positive and negative conditions that integrate seamlessly into the Traits system, popping up based on your playstyle. Opting into these Flaws remains a choice, but they become a permanent aspect of your character.
Guiding Players and Ditching Respec
With the increased complexity in The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian is keen on ensuring these elements are clear and accessible. “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 stated. This clarity extends beyond help text to include short videos in the menus demonstrating the gameplay impact of Skills. Additionally, players can mark Perks as favorites before unlocking them, aiding in planning and organizing their progression path. The system intuitively maps out requirements and uses icons to indicate a Perk's general playstyle and applicable Skill.
Obsidian's commitment to meaningful player choices is evident, especially with the absence of a respec option past 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 explained. Singh reinforced this philosophy, stating, “Philosophy-wise, we really feel all of your choices should matter. They should be meaningful changes to your gameplay experience. And 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.”
