Dialogue & Skills Checks
The Outer Worlds is a narrative-driven RPG where your choices in conversation have sificant weight. This guide explains how dialogue works, the importance of skills, and how to leverage skill checks to shape the story and your character's destiny.
Your character's development in The Outer Worlds is heavily influenced by their skills. These skills are divided into several categories, including Combat, Tech, and Dialogue. When you level up, you gain points to invest in these skills. Dialogue skills, such as Persuade, Intimidate, and Lie, are particularly crucial. They unlock unique conversation options that can resolve quests peacefully, gain extra rewards, avoid combat, or uncover hidden information. When you encounter a dialogue option with a skill requirement, it will be clearly indicated, often with a numerical value representing the difficulty of the check. For example, a Persuade 30 option means your Persuade skill needs to be at least 30 to attempt it.
Here's how dialogue and skill checks function:
- Skill Investment: Prioritize investing in dialogue skills if you want a more diplomatic or manipulative playthrough. A balanced character might invest in a mix of combat and dialogue skills.
- Skill Check Indicators: Look for the skill icons and numbers next to dialogue options. These tell you what skill is required and at what level.
- Success and Failure: If you meet the skill requirement, you can attempt the check. Success often leads to a favorable outcome, while failure might result in a less desirable result, a combat encounter, or simply the NPC becoming uncooperative.
- Companion Skills: Your companions also have skills that can contribute to dialogue checks. If a companion has a higher skill level in a relevant area, their expertise might be leveraged, even if your own skill is lower.
- Perks and Gear: Certain perks and equipped gear can provide bonuses to your skills, making it easier to pass higher-level checks.
Common Dialogue Skills:
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Persuade | Convince others through reason and charm. |
| Intimidate | Force others to comply through threats. |
| Lie | Deceive others for personal gain or to avoid trouble. |
| Hack | Bypass electronic locks and systems. |
| Science | Understand and manipulate technology, often used for dialogue options related to technical matters. |
Don't be afraid to experiment with different dialogue options. If a skill check fails, you can often try a different approach or come back later with higher skills. Building your character with a focus on dialogue can lead to a richer and more varied gameplay experience, allowing you to solve problems in creative and unexpected ways.