"Outer Worlds 2 Enhances RPG Character Customization - IGN"

*\[Note: All footage is from a work-in-progress alpha build.\]*

Having finally seen The Outer Worlds 2 for myself, it's clear that Obsidian has prioritized deepening the RPG elements. While the first game was designed to be more approachable with streamlined systems and character progression, the sequel aims to avoid homogeneity and encourage players to adopt unorthodox playstyles. The Outer Worlds 2 isn't just about complexity for its own sake; it's about fostering creativity, specialization, and embracing unconventional choices.

“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 conversation on the revamped RPG mechanics. He elaborated on the broader approach, stating, “We really wanted to lean into synergies, looking at how player Skills, Traits, and Perks can all infuse into interesting builds that play off of other systems.” Our exclusive 11-minute gameplay footage of The Outer Worlds 2 showcased new elements like gunplay, stealth, gadgets, and dialogue, but for this IGN First coverage, we're diving into the specifics of 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 implemented for the sequel. To address this, Obsidian has shifted away from the Skill categories that grouped stats together in the original, opting instead for individual Skills with more pronounced 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.”

Singh added, “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 investments in Skills could manifest in other ways, such as Observation, 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 this may seem standard for an RPG, The Outer Worlds was unique in its Skill grouping. The sequel, however, leverages the revised Skill system to foster greater distinctions and open more possibilities in character builds, particularly in relation to the revamped Perks system.

The Perks of Getting Experimental

Obsidian's focus is on specificity and unique play 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 cited the Run and Gun Perk, ideal for shotgun, SMG, and rifle users, allowing firing while sprinting or sliding, and when combined with Tactical Time Dilation (TTD), enables bullet-time action. He also teased the Space Ranger Perk, which enhances dialogue interactions and boosts damage based on your 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,” he stated.

The Outer Worlds 2 encourages creativity, specialization, and embracing oddball choices. “We have a lot of Perks that are catered towards non-traditional play styles,” Singh mentioned, using the example of a build for players who eliminate every NPC, with Perks like Psychopath and Serial Killer granting bonuses such as 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.”

For traditional playstyles, Koenig discussed builds that leverage elemental combat aspects, such as using plasma to burn enemies while healing, shock damage to control automechs, or corrosive damage to strip armor and maximize critical hits.

Singh highlighted other experimental avenues, such as opting into detrimental effects to buff another aspect of your character. He mentioned mechanics that reward players for taking damage, asking, “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 central 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. This was manifested in the original's Flaws system, where players could opt for permanent effects based on in-game behavior in exchange for extra Perk points. In The Outer Worlds 2, this concept is expanding significantly.

The system of Positive Traits and Negative Traits is crucial for the give-and-take dynamic, allowing players to choose a negative trait to gain an additional positive one. For example, you can select Brilliant to gain extra Skill points at character creation, or Brawny to knock targets down by sprinting into them. To gain more positives, you might opt for negatives like Dumb, which locks you out of five Skills, or Sickly, which permanently lowers your base health and toxicity tolerance. These are just a few of the options I observed in these early stages.

The Outer Worlds 2 Gameplay - Screenshots

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While I will delve deeper into the revamped Flaws in another article, it's evident that The Outer Worlds 2 is getting more creative in both goofy and clever ways. In the original game, I often declined most Flaws as the extra Perk points weren't worth the compromise. In the sequel, the game monitors your behavior and habits, but Flaws now come with specific conditions that are both positive and negative, adding another layer to the Traits system. These Flaws appear unexpectedly based on your playstyle, and while you still need to opt into them, they become a permanent part of your character.

Guiding Players and Ditching Respec

With many moving parts in The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian has focused on making these aspects understandable 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 isn't just in the help text but also through short videos in the menus demonstrating gameplay impacts. A standout feature is the ability to mark Perks as favorites before unlocking them, aiding in planning and organizing a progression path or build. Mapping them out is intuitive, with requirements and icons indicating a Perk's general playstyle and associated Skill.

“We're looking for ways to incentivize the player to experiment with different builds, either traditional or non-traditional,” Obsidian's goal is for players to carefully consider their choices, especially since there is no respec option past the introductory sequence. Once you've invested in a Skill, Perk, or Trait, your character must live with that choice throughout your playthrough. Koenig emphasized, “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.”

Singh concluded, “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.”