Crafting & Upgrading — The Outer Worlds Guide

Crafting & Upgrading

While The Outer Worlds isn't a traditional crafting RPG, it offers robust systems for improving your existing gear through Tinkering, Modding, and Repairing. Mastering these mechanics is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge against the Halcyon Colony's many dangers, especially on higher difficulties.

The Workbench: Your Gear's Best Friend

All crafting and upgrading activities take place at a Workbench. You'll find these scattered throughout the game world, often in safe zones, settlements, and even some hostile areas. Your personal ship, The Unreliable, has a conveniently located Workbench in the cargo bay, making it your primary hub for gear maintenance.

• Locations:
  • The Unreliable: Cargo Bay (always accessible after acquiring the ship).
  • Emerald Vale: Edgewater Cannery (near Constable Reyes' office), Botanical Lab (main building).
  • Groundbreaker: Promenade (near the various vendors), Medical Bay.
  • Monarch: Stellar Bay (various shops), Cascadia (Marauder camp, requires clearing).

Tinkering: Boosting Base Stats

Tinkering allows you to increase the base damage of weapons or the armor rating of armor pieces. This is a straightforward way to keep your favorite gear viable as you level up and encounter tougher enemies. Each "Tinkering Level" increases the item's stats and costs a certain amount of Bits.

• How it Works:
  1. Interact with a Workbench.
  2. Select the "Tinker" option.
  3. Choose the weapon or armor you wish to improve from your inventory.
  4. Each time you Tinker an item, its damage/armor rating increases, and the cost in Bits also increases exponentially.
• Strategy:
  • Early Game: Don't over-Tinker common weapons. You'll find better gear quickly. Focus on a few reliable weapons you enjoy using.
  • Mid to Late Game: Once you find unique or "Science Weapons" that you plan to keep, Tinkering becomes much more cost-effective. These items often have unique properties that make them worth investing in.
  • Cost Management: The cost of Tinkering can become exorbitant. Prioritize Tinkering your primary damage-dealing weapons and your main armor set. Consider the Perk "Pack Mule" or "Hoarder" to carry more items to sell for Bits, or invest in the "A Few Bits More" perk to reduce vendor prices.
  • Skill Impact: Your Engineering skill directly reduces the cost of Tinkering. Investing in Engineering can save you a significant amount of Bits over the course of the game.

Modding: Customizing Your Arsenal

Mods are attachments that provide additional benefits to your weapons and armor, such as increased critical hit chance, different damage types, or improved durability. Each weapon and armor piece has a limited number of mod slots, usually one or two.

• Types of Mods:
  • Weapon Mods:
    • Barrel Mods: E.g., "Mag-2-Power" (increased damage), "Sure-Shot" (increased critical chance).
    • Magazine Mods: E.g., "Extended Mag" (increased magazine size), "Speed Reload" (faster reload).
    • Sight Mods: E.g., "Sure-Shot Sight" (increased critical chance), "Scoped" (improved accuracy).
    • Damage Type Mods: E.g., "Corrosive Rounds" (changes damage type to Corrosive), "Shock Rounds" (changes damage type to Shock).
  • Armor Mods:
    • Utility Mods: E.g., "Aramid Ballistics" (increased armor rating), "Hermetic Seal" (improved elemental resistance).
    • Lining Mods: E.g., "Ablative Plating" (reduced melee damage), "Electro-Charged Lining" (increased shock damage resistance).
• Acquiring Mods:
  • Looting: Mods are frequently found in containers, on defeated enemies, and in vendor inventories.
  • Dismantling: Dismantling weapons and armor at a Workbench has a chance to yield mods. This is a great way to recycle unwanted gear.
  • Vendors: Most general goods vendors and weapon/armor specialists will sell a selection of mods. Keep an eye out for rare or specialized mods.
• Applying and Removing Mods:
  1. Interact with a Workbench.
  2. Select the "Mod" option.
  3. Choose the item you want to mod. Available mod slots will be highlighted.
  4. Select a mod from your inventory to apply it.
  5. Removing Mods: You can remove mods at any time from the Workbench. However, removed mods are destroyed, so choose wisely! There is no cost to remove a mod.
• Strategy:
  • Damage Types: Pay attention to enemy weaknesses. Equipping a weapon with "Corrosive Rounds" against heavily armored targets or "Shock Rounds" against robots can drastically increase your effectiveness.
  • Specialization: Customize weapons to fit your playstyle. A sniper might benefit from "Scoped" and "Sure-Shot" mods, while a close-quarters shotgun might prefer "Extended Mag" and "Mag-2-Power."
  • Armor Customization: Use armor mods to shore up your weaknesses or enhance your strengths. If you're struggling with melee enemies, "Ablative Plating" can be a lifesaver.

Repairing: Keeping Your Gear in Top Shape

Weapons and armor degrade with use, losing effectiveness as their durability drops. Repairing restores an item's durability, bringing it back to peak performance.

• How it Works:
  1. Interact with a Workbench.
  2. Select the "Repair" option.
  3. Choose the item you wish to repair.
  4. Repairing costs Weapon Parts for weapons and Armor Parts for armor. The cost depends on the item's current durability and its base value.
• Acquiring Parts:
  • Dismantling: The most common way to get parts is by dismantling unwanted weapons and armor at a Workbench. This is why it's always a good idea to pick up all loot, even low-value items.
  • Looting: Parts can occasionally be found in containers or on defeated enemies.
  • Vendors: General goods vendors often sell small quantities of Weapon and Armor Parts.
• Strategy:
  • Regular Maintenance: Don't wait until your gear is completely broken. Repairing items frequently is more cost-effective in the long run than letting them degrade fully.
  • Dismantle, Don't Sell (Usually): Unless you're desperate for Bits, dismantling common weapons and armor for parts is generally a better use of your inventory space and provides essential resources for repairs.
  • Skill Impact: Your Engineering skill also reduces the cost of repairing items. A high Engineering skill can make maintaining your gear almost free.