Having had the privilege of previewing The Outer Worlds 2, it's evident that Obsidian Entertainment has focused on enhancing the game's RPG elements. Unlike its predecessor, which was designed to be more accessible with streamlined systems, The Outer Worlds 2 aims to foster a more diverse and experimental gameplay experience. The developers are encouraging players to delve into unique and unconventional character builds, emphasizing creativity and specialization over a one-size-fits-all approach.
Design director Matt Singh emphasized the team's desire to encourage players to experiment with different builds, whether traditional or innovative. "We're looking for ways to incentivize the player to experiment with different builds, either traditional or non-traditional," Singh explained. This approach is evident in the revamped RPG mechanics, which integrate Skills, Traits, and Perks to create synergistic and intriguing character builds. Our exclusive 11-minute gameplay footage of The Outer Worlds 2 showcased new elements such as gunplay, stealth, gadgets, and dialogue, highlighting these changes. In this IGN First feature, we delve deeper into these revised systems and what players can expect from them.
Rethinking the Skill System ---------------------------Lead systems designer Kyle Koenig reflected on the first game and shared insights into the changes for the sequel. "We would often see characters good at everything, which by the end of the game, minimized your personal experience with your character," he noted. To address this, Obsidian has shifted away from the Skill categories used in the original game, opting instead for 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 now supports a broader range of player profiles, beyond the 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 highlighted how certain Skill investments, like Observation, can reveal hidden elements in the environment, such as secret doors or interactive objects, opening up alternative paths for players.
The Outer Worlds 2 Character Creation - Screenshots
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This shift in the Skill system aims to create distinct character builds and open up more possibilities, particularly with the revamped Perks system.
The Perks of Getting Experimental
Obsidian's focus on specificity and unique playstyles is evident in the 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 explained. He provided examples such as the Run and Gun Perk, which enhances gameplay for shotgun, SMG, and rifle users by allowing them to fire while sprinting or sliding, and the Space Ranger Perk, which boosts damage based on Speech skills and offers unique dialogue interactions.
Singh emphasized the game's support for non-traditional playstyles, mentioning Perks like Psychopath and Serial Killer that reward players who choose to eliminate NPCs, granting permanent health boosts. "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 noted.
For more traditional builds, Koenig discussed leveraging elemental combat, such as using plasma to burn enemies and gain healing, shock damage to control automechs, or corrosive damage to strip armor and increase critical hit damage.
Singh also highlighted opportunities for players to embrace detrimental effects that could enhance other aspects of their 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," he said. This design philosophy, present in the original game, is now a core element of The Outer Worlds 2, particularly in how it relates to Traits and Flaws.
The Positive and Negative Traits
Koenig discussed the evolution of the Traits system from The Outer Worlds, drawing parallels with Fallout's negative attributes. "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," he explained. The Flaws system in the original game allowed players to accept permanent effects in exchange for extra Perk points, and this concept is being expanded in The Outer Worlds 2.
The sequel introduces a system of Positive and Negative Traits, where selecting a negative Trait allows you to choose an additional positive one. Examples include Brilliant, which grants extra Skill points, and Brawny, which allows you to knock down targets by sprinting into them. Conversely, choosing a negative Trait like Dumb locks you out of investing in five Skills, while Sickly permanently reduces your base health and tolerance for toxicity.
The Outer Worlds 2 Gameplay - Screenshots
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While a more in-depth analysis of the revamped Flaws system will be covered in another article, it's clear that The Outer Worlds 2 is pushing the boundaries with creative and sometimes humorous Flaws. In the original game, I often declined Flaws as the trade-off for extra Perk points wasn't compelling enough. In the sequel, the game monitors your behavior and offers Flaws based on your playstyle, which you can opt into for a permanent effect on your character.
Guiding Players and Ditching Respec
With the increased complexity of The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian aims to make these systems 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. The game includes in-game explanations and UI elements such as short videos in the menus to illustrate gameplay impacts. A notable feature is the ability to mark Perks as favorites before unlocking them, aiding in planning specific progression paths or builds.
The absence of respec after the introductory sequence underscores the importance of player choices. "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 said. Singh added, "Philosophy-wise, we really feel all of your choices should matter. They should be meaningful changes to your gameplay experience. 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."
