The Outer Worlds tips: 11 things to know before exploring Halcyon

The universe is a big place, so these Outer Worlds tips will help you through the stars. From companions to weapons, stats, skills, abilities and more - there's a lot to learn and we can help ease through it all. This first person RPG has a lot of fallout New Vegas energy, probably because it's from the same studio, but it goes about things in different ways, hence help is good in case you charge in with assumptions that steer you wrong. Which is why we're we're here: to help you journey through the galaxy as painlessly as possible with these essential Outer Worlds tips.

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1. Play on at least Hard mode as the default is WAY too easy

When selecting a difficulty prior to starting the game, Medium is described as "how The Outer Worlds was intended to be played". The problem with that however, is that Medium is incredibly easy. If you've ever played a first person shooter before, combat on Medium is a literal walk in the park. Stick it on Hard mode if you want any sort of challenge whatsoever, or if you're feeling extra brave, go for Supernova which means your companions experience permadeath, you need to eat and drink to stay alive, you get the gist.

2. Turn off helmets in the settings

This one boils down to personal preference, but in the settings, it's possible to turn off both player and companion helmets. This is simply an aesthetic choice and doesn't affect the stats provided by helmets themselves, but good grief is it a nice quality of life improvement. Now you can see your beautiful custom face and all of your companions, rather than being soulless mercenaries in helmets.

3. Invest in Dialog and Stealth skills

Unless you want to do a lethal, chaotic playthrough where you kill almost everything that moves, I'd strongly recommend investing points into all of the skills under Dialog (Persuade, Lie, Intimidate) and Stealth (Sneak, Hack, Lockpick). There's numerous stat checks throughout the game, and there's nothing worse than being locked out of dialogue options or computer terminals simply because you don't have enough skill points.

4. Dodge!

In combat, you have the ability to dodge. You simply have to jump, then press jump again while moving a specific direction (forwards isn't unlocked till you get dodge to 20). It's a basic skill, but I found myself consistently forgetting that it was possible, and it can be super useful when your companions have been downed and you're taking on a few enemies at once.

5. Complete quests in each town before exploring outside

There's two main planets in The Outer Worlds; Terra-2 and Monarch. Both have multiple towns in to explore, with numerous named NPCs to talk to and get quests from. Quite a few of the quests you'll receive don't actually require you to venture out of the town boundaries and instead just want you to talk to people as a mediator and resolve conflicts. I'd recommend completing any quests that take place entirely in the town before leaving, because you can get some serious XP and explore everywhere thoroughly.

6. Steal whatever you want as long as nobody sees

Unlike in Fallout where stealing can have negative consequences, you're pretty much free to steal whatever you want in The Outer Worlds, as long as nobody has a direct line of sight. If somebody does see you steal something, you'll quickly be in hot water, but if you're in a room by yourself, feel free to ransack the place.

7. Remember to use companion abilities

Along with providing extra firepower in combat situations, each companion also has a specific ability you can utilise which deals significant damage. These regenerate fairly quickly, especially if you invest in the right perks and stats, so make sure you're using them (left and right on the d-pad on console) frequently.

8. Check the weapon level on any new gun you pick up

When you pick up a new gun, there's no way of telling how useful it will be until you inspect it in your inventory. Since every weapon has a basic name like "Assault Rifle" or "Light Machine Gun", the best way to see how useful a new gun will be is to check out both the level and the DPS. 

9. Adjust companion behaviours

If you scroll all the way to the right when looking at your companions' inventories, you'll find all of their stats, skills, perks, and more importantly, behaviours. You can alter these to suit your playstyle and the equipment you give them. For example if you've got someone with a powerful shotgun, you're going to want them to play aggressively and up close, but if they've got a hunting rifle, instruct them to keep their distance and only use ranged weapons.

10. Spend your credits on tinkering your favourite weapons

At any workbench, you can spend credits on tinkering. This essentially increases the base damage for that specific weapon, so you can hang on to your favourite guns and continuously buff them up. Don't be afraid to ditch them down the line if you find something at a much higher level though.

11. Complete companion quests to unlock specific perks

Fulfilling your companion's deepest desires via their own personalised side-quests aren't just worth completing for the sake of feeling warm and fuzzy inside - they come with tangible benefits. Aside from the special items and wads of currency you'll receive upon completion of these multi-tier tasks, finishing a companion quest will unlock a new special perk for that crew member. Help Ellie reconnect with her parents, for example, and she'll gain the Beyond the Grave perk, which reduces the cost of bribes by half. Wrapping up companion quests will also make each companion more loyal to you and your cause, too, so make sure you listen up whenever one of your teammates (sans SAM, who is apparently trouble-free and has no associated side-quest) asks for a favour.