Trophies & Achievements
Welcome, prospective Spacer! This section is your comprehensive guide to unlocking every Trophy and Achievement in The Outer Worlds. Whether you're a completionist aiming for that Platinum (on PlayStation) or just looking to snag a few extra Gamerscore points (on Xbox and PC), we've got you covered. Many achievements are story-related and unmissable, but others require specific actions, exploration, or adherence to certain playstyles. We'll break down the trickier ones and offer strategies to make your journey through Halcyon as rewarding as possible.
General Tips for Achievement Hunting
- Save Frequently: This cannot be stressed enough. Many achievements have specific triggers or require choices that can lock you out of others. Keep multiple save files, especially before major quest decisions.
- Explore Thoroughly: Halcyon is packed with hidden nooks, unique items, and environmental storytelling. Many achievements are tied to discovering these secrets. Don't rush through areas!
- use Companions: Your companions aren't just for combat. Their personal quests often lead to unique scenarios and can sometimes tie into achievements. Plus, their skills can open up dialogue options or bypass certain challenges.
- Consider Multiple Playthroughs: Some achievements are mutually exclusive (e.g., siding with different factions). If you're aiming for 100%, plan on at least two playthroughs – one "good" and one "bad" or one focused on a specific faction.
- Difficulty Doesn't Matter (Mostly): Unless explicitly stated, most achievements can be earned on any difficulty setting. If you're struggling, don't be afraid to lower the difficulty to clear out combat-related achievements.
Story-Related Achievements (Unmissable)
These achievements will unlock naturally as you progress through the main storyline. You don't need to go out of your way for them, but it's good to know what to expect.
- The Hope: Awarded for completing the introductory sequence and arriving on Terra 2.
- Welcome to Halcyon: Unlocks after you land on the Groundbreaker for the first time.
- A Star is Born: Earned upon completing the quest "Foundation" and making a critical decision regarding Phineas Welles.
- The Board's Favor: Awarded for reaching a certain reputation threshold with The Board, typically through completing their main quests.
- Free the People: Unlocks after completing the main questline and achieving a specific ending where you side with Phineas Welles.
- Corporate Commander: Awarded for completing the main questline and achieving an ending where you side with The Board.
Exploration & Discovery Achievements
These achievements require you to seek out specific locations, items, or complete certain environmental interactions.
- Cartographer: Discover all named locations on Monarch.
- Walkthrough: Monarch is a sprawling, dangerous planet. Focus on clearing out all side quests available from Stellar Bay and Fallbrook. Many quest markers will lead you to new areas. explore off the beaten path as well; look for small, unmarked camps, abandoned outposts, and caves. Pay particular attention to the southern regions and the dangerous wildlife zones.
- Key Locations to Check: Stellar Bay, Fallbrook, Amber Heights, Cascadia, Roseway (though technically a separate zone, ensure you've explored it fully), the various marauder camps, and the Gorgon Canyon.
- Hoarder: Collect 50 unique items.
- Walkthrough: This achievement is fairly straightforward and will likely unlock through normal gameplay. Simply pick up everything you find! Unique items include weapons, armor, consumables, quest items, and even junk items with distinct names. Don't sell everything immediately; hold onto several different types of gear.
- Strategy: Prioritize looting every container, enemy, and vendor. Purchase unique weapons or armor from vendors if you have the bits.
- Well-Traveled: Visit every planet and major space station.
- Walkthrough: This achievement requires you to land on every accessible location in the Halcyon system. This includes Terra 2 (Emerald Vale, Byzantium), Monarch, Scylla, Gorgon, and the Groundbreaker. You will visit most of these during the main story, but ensure you've landed on Scylla and Gorgon (if you have the DLC) as they are often optional.
- Checklist: Emerald Vale, Edgewater, Botanical Lab, Roseway, Groundbreaker, Stellar Bay, Fallbrook, Byzantium, Scylla, Gorgon (if DLC installed).
Combat & Skill-Based Achievements
These achievements test your combat prowess, strategic thinking, or specific skill usage.
- One-Hit Wonder: Kill an enemy with a single shot from a critical hit.
- Walkthrough: This is best attempted early in the game against weaker enemies like Canids or Mantisaurs in Emerald Vale. Focus on increasing your Ranged Weapon Skill (Long Guns or Handguns) and Perception. Use a high-damage weapon like a Hunting Rifle or a powerful Shotgun. Aim for headshots in Tactical Time Dilation (TTD) to guarantee a critical hit.
- Recommended Gear: Hunting Rifle, Plasma Carbine (early game). Look for mods that increase critical hit chance or damage.
- Pacifist's Path: Complete the game without killing any mandatory enemies.
- Walkthrough: This is one of the more challenging achievements and requires a dedicated playthrough. You'll need to rely heavily on Dialog, Stealth, and Tech skills.
- Invest in Dialog Skills: Maximize Persuade, Lie, and Intimidate to bypass combat encounters entirely.
- Stealth is Key: Use Sneak attacks to knock out enemies non-lethally (requires specific perks or weapon mods) or simply avoid them. Invest in Stealth and Lockpicking.
- Companion Management: Set your companions' combat behavior to "Passive" and their preferred weapon to non-lethal options if possible, or dismiss them before critical encounters.
- Non-Lethal Weapons: Look for weapons that deal non-lethal damage or use mods like the "Stun" mod. The Shock Stick is an excellent early-game non-lethal option.
- Avoid "Hostile" Tags: If an enemy is marked as "Hostile," engaging them will often lead to a kill. Look for alternative routes or dialog options.
- Important Note: "Mandatory enemies" refers to those you *must* defeat to progress the story. Accidental kills of non-mandatory enemies might be forgiven, but it's best to avoid all combat. Save often!
- Walkthrough: This is one of the more challenging achievements and requires a dedicated playthrough. You'll need to rely heavily on Dialog, Stealth, and Tech skills.
- Mad Scientist: Kill 15 enemies with Science Weapons.
- Walkthrough: Science Weapons are unique, often quirky, and powerful weapons found throughout Halcyon. You'll need to acquire several and actively use them in combat.
- Gloop Gun: Found in the UDL Lab on Monarch during the quest "The Empty Man."
- Shrink Ray: Located in the secret lab on Roseway, accessible during the quest "The Distress Signal."
- Mandibular Rearranger: Found in the Rizzo's Secret Lab on Monarch, part of the quest "Slaughterhouse Clive."
- P.E.T. (Pest Extermination Tool): Acquired during the quest "The Cleaning Machine" on Scylla (Peril on Gorgon DLC).
- Strategy: Equip a Science Weapon and target weaker enemies. The Gloop Gun is excellent for crowd control and can easily rack up kills. Remember to invest in the Science skill to maximize their damage and effectiveness.
- Walkthrough: Science Weapons are unique, often quirky, and powerful weapons found throughout Halcyon. You'll need to acquire several and actively use them in combat.