Builds

Explore effective builds for The Outer Worlds 2, including 'Master of None' for Normal/Hard and 'Team Player' for Supernova. Optimize your skills, perks, and companions for any playthrough.

Here are some build suggestions that you can use for your own playthroughs. All four have a couple of important characteristics in common:

• 100 (effective) in all Dialog skills
• 100 (effective) in Lockpick and Hack

Three of the builds require Inspiration 60 and companions to get the effective skill levels and all require switching gear as the situation requires. This is not a failing, it is simply using the game mechanics to your best advantage.

Normal / Hard Difficulty: Master of None

This a balanced build focused on passing skill checks and unlocking trophies. In the early levels, skill points are taken to bring skill levels up to useful values. Levels 5 - 8 focus on reaching Inspiration 60 for the massive companion skill boosts. After that, skill points are distributed between Dialog, Stealth and Tech in such a way that you can stay ahead of the skill check thresholds as you progress through the game, with a mild focus on Science and Leadership skills. Since the build is "good" at everything, no skill points go to waste.

At character creation, take the following options:

Level bonuses are as follows:

The skill choice suggests Nyoka or Ellie and SAM or Max as companions. If you prefer to travel with Parvati or Felix, change the speech focus and move the two levels of Lockpick elsewhere since the skill point investment gives 100 Lockpick without a companion bonus (Lockpick 70 + Safecracker's Jacket + Padded Helm + Armor Mastery = 100). Travelling with Max allows you to hack any terminal (Hack 50 + Inspiration 60 + Max + Bonus Support Hack = 100). Chimaera armour and companion bonuses allow you to pass any speech check (the final 6 points in Persuade are to take advantage of A Nice Hat; if you don't like the appearance, take 10 points in Persuade and wear +5 headgear instead). Inspiration is taken to 100 both for the trophy and because 200% companion bonus damage is not to be sniffed at. If you prefer to do the killing yourself, move the points into your ranged weapon of choice; I chose Long Guns because the 60 point bonus is better than the one for Handguns and Heavy Weapons.

Supernova Difficulty: Team Player

Companions in a Supernova playthrough are really good because they multiply your damage output and give enemies multiple targets to choose between. They are very bad, however, because they die permanently. Therefore, the initial focus is to emphasise the really good while mitigating the very bad. Once you get the Determination 100 perk, there's pretty much no danger of them dying and getting Inspiration 60 early helps the initial lack of other skills. Inspiration 100 gives your companions a massive +200% damage at which point nothing can stand before your collective might.

At character creation, take the following options:

Level bonuses are as follows:

The skill choice suggests Parvati or Felix and Max or SAM as companions. We've already seen that 50 Hack is sufficient to hack any terminal and this build shows that 30 Lockpick is sufficient for any lock (Lockpick 30 + Inspiration 60 + Parvati + Safecracker's Jacket + Padded Helm + Armor Mastery > 100). There's a mild focus on Lie so that any check can be passed with armour bonuses (Lie 70 + Chimaera + Eye Covering, Standard + Armor Master = 100). Chimaera and companion bonuses cover the other speech checks. Since the initial attribute spread biases the build towards Long Guns, this is the weapon focus, topping out at 80 points.