“Cool!” immediately popped into my head as I fired off another round from my Bio-Mass Shotgun, dealing heavy corrosive damage to an enemy soldier and watching them effectively melt before my eyes. I steadily rotated between it, an SMG, and a heavy machine gun, dishing damage to all the inhabitants of a deep space research station — because that’s just how I roll as a special agent of the Earth Directorate. But boy did that shotgun stay with me long after my hands-on session at Xbox Games Showcase was over.
As we previously detailed, The Outer Worlds 2 is set in the space colony of Arcadia, which is having a moment. Between space-time rifts, shifting alliances, and three factions in a conflict for control, there is a lot going on. And the main thing: my choice to approach this situation as an all-action, acid-throwing maniac is just one way to take this on. As you enter the picture, you’re asked to assist Arcadia in any way you see fit, and the demo I tried offered build options geared toward stealth and espionage, a slick tongue, or rampant destruction. So I decided “Why not try all three?”
Tracking Down a Rift Anomaly Modulator
The overall vibe of The Outer Worlds 2 is keeping in step with the excellent original, mixing some high sci-fi concepts with social commentary and a dash of absurdist humor. The mission for this hands-on demo asked us to track down (e.g. steal) a Rift Anomaly Modulator, a complex device that has the power to restore rift-affected areas of the base (more on what that means in a moment), before escaping the lab it’s being held in.
I started my time with a combat oriented build option, and felt gratifyingly OP as I cycled between three very powerful weapons – enemies I encountered didn’t stand much of a chance, but I appreciated their penchant for survival by finding and shooting from cover on the rare occasion they avoided my first flurry of bullets.
Combat feels improved from the original – the guns felt varied and weighted, while movement was crisp, giving the impression of a satisfying first-person shooter underneath all the robust RPG trappings. There’s a lot here that I want to return to – for example, I’ve read about a weapon that shrinks your enemies. I’m into that.
We Found It! Now What?
It wasn’t long until we finally uncovered the Rift Anomaly Modulator and I immediately fired it up to see what the fuss was about – turns out it’s a time-displacement device that can restore sections of levels that had collapsed due to the emergence of these so-called rifts. Interact with any of them and crumbled platforms emerge for you to jump on, seemingly replicating what was there before they were destroyed. And coincidently, being able to jump on these platforms would allow me to access locations that were previously unavailable.
The effect of seeing these platforms reappear was impressive, and it was a nice flex from Obsidian’s creative artists and level designers to show off what they’ve been able to do bigger and better in the new game. Best of all, not every rift needs to be used to reach your ultimate goals here – some can be stumbled upon and investigated simply because you happen to have come to the right place..
But What If We Talked Our Way Through?
You might want to be more of a smooth talker than a quick shooter. On a separate save file, I was able to restart the demo with a character that had been built more for charming their way through a dangerous situation and less for simply blowing it up. While I was still able to take down rooms of guards when necessary (aided by an extremely nifty, ice-encrusted freeze shotgun), my key concern was talking first and shooting later. Pretty quickly, I found my way to a scientist with… grievances against her boss, who just so happened to be my key to escaping with the stolen Modulator. This character is always available to find, but I’d simply never seen her in that first playthrough – testament to how much extra detail there is to find if you go looking for it.
After getting her onside through a series of conversation checks, she set me off to break into the boss’ office, crack into his computer, and recover evidence that he was behind the sabotage of a botched experiment that had landed her in trouble with the authorities. Returning with the information, she gave me a whole new option for making my escape. Rather than simply taking on the boss (toting a custom mech suit, naturally), she’d distract him while I snuck round the edges of a warehouse, hacking into the security turret controls, and changing their targeting priorities.
What followed was a very fun set piece in which enemy forces were scattered and destroyed in short order, all while I watched (and occasionally fired a homing rocket or two) from the rafters.
It’s a perfect demonstration of how far The Outer Worlds 2 will let you push the expected order of things – and even made clear how much of this I could have found myself, even if I’d never met my new scientist friend. This single, self-contained level is stuffed with added detail for you to prod at and see how it might help or hinder your approach. If you had a stealth oriented build, for instance, you could probably find your way to these added points of interest even more easily than I did with guidance – speaking of which…
How About Stealth?
Opening up a third save file, I took on the role of a stealth-focused character option. My change in tactics from blasting everyone in sight to trying to not make a sound was quite the transition. In fact, I found myself really appreciating the layout of the levels and trying to discover the most efficient path to take out every enemy in the room without being detected. I was getting some Deus Ex vibes as I noticed the variety of air vents that I could potentially access, giving me the option to forgo encounters altogether and just move to my objective.
Of course I was eventually detected, at which point I would unsheathe my sword, Murder’s Best Friend, and carve up any remaining enemies in the room before it could escalate further. And even if my approach resulted in a firefight, my sniper rifle, the Last Whisper, was more than effective at taking enemies out at a distance.
I think I personally still preferred the combat approach – the guns were very fun – so that might be my preferred route to go down, but it’s nice to know there’s a well-designed stealth route to give us an abundance of choice in how everyone wants to play The Outer Worlds 2.
More, More, and More
My time with the game has obviously been brief, but if this morsal from the larger plate of adventure is anything to go by, I could already feel how much more this sequel is leaning into encouraging more player experimentation and varied combat approaches than the original. Now it seems both the RPG and shooting systems have levelled up, giving us a more robust, balanced role-playing experience in this incredible sci-fi universe.
There’s still so much more for us to tinker with here, like exploring other combat tactics, dialog paths, or how diving into becoming the sneakiest of sneaks can play out. It won’t be long until we can explore what the rest of Arcadia has in store for us when The Outer Worlds 2 launches October 29 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, PlayStation 5, Battle.net, and Steam and day one with Game Pass Ultimate.
The Outer Worlds 2 Premium Edition
Xbox Game Studios
$99.99
Pre-order The Outer Worlds 2 Premium Edition now to get up to 5 days early access and the Commander Zane’s Anti-Monopolistic Battle Pack.
The Outer Worlds 2 Premium Edition includes:
– The Outer Worlds 2 base game
– Up to 5 days early access
– DLC Pass for 2 future story expansions*
– Moon Man’s Corporate Appreciation Premium Prize Pack
– Access to The Outer Worlds 2 Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
* Story expansions available as released
The Outer Worlds 2 is the eagerly-awaited sequel to the award-winning first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment (just look at the exciting number of dashes in this sentence!). Time to clear your calendar – get ready for an action-packed adventure with a new crew, new weapons, and new enemies in a new colony! So much newness!
As a daring and most likely good-looking Earth Directorate agent, you must uncover the source of devastating rifts threatening to destroy all of humanity. Your investigation leads to Arcadia, home of skip drive technology, where the fate of the colony, and ultimately the entire galaxy, rests on your decisions – your strengths, your flaws, your crew, and the factions you choose to trust.
Explore a New Frontier
The Arcadia colony is engulfed in a factional war, as the Protectorate’s so-called benevolent rule is challenged by the rebellion of their religious order and a corporate invasion. As destructive rifts spread across the colony, each faction fights to control or close them for their own ends. Navigate diverse zones, uncover hidden lore, and shape the fate of a system on the brink!
Your Commander, Your Way
Build your character with the abilities and choices that reflect your playstyle. The colony reacts to your every move, crafting a narrative that’s yours to own -whether you’re a disciple of diplomacy, an astute strategist, a crusader for chaos, or something different altogether. And yes, you can dumb!
Enlist Your Companions
Recruit companions with unique traits, backgrounds and goals. Whether you choose to help them achieve their ambitions or steer them toward your own objectives, your influence shapes their growth (or death), making them an integral part of the immersive story you create together.
The Outer Worlds 2 Standard Preorder Edition
Xbox Game Studios
$79.99
Pre-order The Outer Worlds 2 now to receive the Commander Zane’s Anti-Monopolistic Battle Pack at launch.
The Outer Worlds 2 is the eagerly-awaited sequel to the award-winning first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment (just look at the exciting number of dashes in this sentence!). Time to clear your calendar – get ready for an action-packed adventure with a new crew, new weapons, and new enemies in a new colony! So much newness!
As a daring and most likely good-looking Earth Directorate agent, you must uncover the source of devastating rifts threatening to destroy all of humanity. Your investigation leads to Arcadia, home of skip drive technology, where the fate of the colony, and ultimately the entire galaxy, rests on your decisions – your strengths, your flaws, your crew, and the factions you choose to trust.
Explore a New Frontier
The Arcadia colony is engulfed in a factional war, as the Protectorate’s so-called benevolent rule is challenged by the rebellion of their religious order and a corporate invasion. As destructive rifts spread across the colony, each faction fights to control or close them for their own ends. Navigate diverse zones, uncover hidden lore, and shape the fate of a system on the brink!
Your Commander, Your Way
Build your character with the abilities and choices that reflect your playstyle. The colony reacts to your every move, crafting a narrative that’s yours to own -whether you’re a disciple of diplomacy, an astute strategist, a crusader for chaos, or something different altogether. And yes, you can dumb!
Enlist Your Companions
Recruit companions with unique traits, backgrounds and goals. Whether you choose to help them achieve their ambitions or steer them toward your own objectives, your influence shapes their growth (or death), making them an integral part of the immersive story you create together.